One of the oldest Queen Anne-style houses in Raleigh, the Capehart House was completed in 1898. The historic home is adorned with dormers, turrets, and towers as well as tan brick, ornate woodwork, and stained glass. The home was originally located at 403 North Wilmington Street and was designed by architect Adolphus G. Bauer. Today, the Capehart House is located on Raleigh's Blount Street and is home to the Historic Preservation Foundation of North Carolina.
The “Henry Clay Oak” possibly predates than the city of Raleigh itself, which was founded in 1792. The white oak eventually grew to be over 100-feet tall with a 100-foot spread. It was made famous when Whig presidential candidate Henry Clay wrote his famous “Raleigh letter” while sitting under the shade of the tree. In the letter, Clay denounced the annexation of Texas, believing that the move would cause a war with Mexico. This moment in history was memorialized in a bronze marker that was positioned near the tree in 1939. On October 9, 1991, the tree was purposefully destroyed after having been damaged by weather and disease. An acorn from the tree was placed in a time capsule the following year.
Built in 1882, the Hawkins-Hartness House is rich with local history. The house was originally built for Alexander B. Hawkins and his wife. The only other family that occupied the house for a significant period of time was the Hartness family, James A. Hartness and Annie Hartness. James Hartness was North Carolina's Secretary of State for three years. In 1969, the state of North Carolina acquired the house and has used it as offices ever since. Currently, the Hawkins-Hartness House is home to the Office of the Lieutenant Governor.
North Carolina Governor's mansion was completed in 1890. Since 1891, when Governor Daniel Fowle moved into the mansion, this residence has served as the home of each of North Carolina's governors. Between 1865 and the completion of this mansion, the state's governors lived in a variety of rented homes or hotels. Contrary to what many might assume, the abandonment of the antebellum governor's mansion (built in 1814 and located on Fayetteville Street) was the not the result of the Civil War, but rather decades of neglect that led to the previous governor's mansion being declared unfit for use.
Founded in 1812, the State Library of North Carolina is the primary repository for all state publications. It is a division of the North Carolina Department of Natural Resources and also contains numerous other state-related materials including genealogical records, general publications and records (biographies, fiction, children's books, and others related to the state), newspapers, rare books, reference materials, and DVDs and videos. The library also contains Federal records, as it is a part of the Federal Depository Library Program. Another important function of the library is to serve the blind and physically handicapped, providing them with books, magazines and other publications in braille, large print or audio books. The building also houses the North Carolina Office of Archives and History, which was established in 1903. Its mission is to collect and preserve state-related historical materials, publish scholarly works using its collection, and protect and identify historic sites and properties. The Archives is comprised of four departments: collection services, government records, digital services, and special collections. It contains over 50,000 linear feet of material, the oldest of which dates back to Colonial times.
Established in 1902 as a simple exhibit known as "The Hall of History, this state history museum has grown to 55,000 square feet of exhibit space and is one of only a small number of Smithsonian affiliates in the region. In addition to permanent and special exhibits that change throughout the year, the museum offers a number of classroom spaces for lectures and other events. The museum is also home to a research library that is open to the public.
Completed in 1840, the North Carolina State Capitol is the fifth home of the state government. The first headquarters of the colonial government was in Edenton, but when the population shifted southward and westward, New Bern was selected as the headquarters of the colony. The first headquarters was constructed between 1767 and 1771. In 1788, a state convention decided to move the capital to Raleigh and model it after the building that served as the national capital Philadelphia. The original capital in Raleigh burned in 1831 and a statue of George Washington was destroyed beyond repair. The current building was placed upon the site of the burned building and it was completed in 1840. This building held the governor's offices, legislative, and supreme court at its completion. The Supreme Court moved to a separate building in 1888. The legislative moved in 1963 and today the Capitol now holds the governor's office and holds plaques of famous North Carolinians around the rotunda.
Haywood Hall was completed in 1801 for the family of Revolutionary War veteran and North Carolina State Treasurer John Haywood and his wife Eliza. The house has undergone very few renovations over the years, making it a prime example of Federalist architecture. John and Eliza Haywood had twelve children and the home was passed down to family members until the death of Mary Fowles Haywood in 1977. In her will, Mary Fowles Haywood left the house to a local society with the intention that it serve the community in some way. Since then, Haywood Hall and its adjoining structures (such as a kitchen, smokehouse, and gardener’s shed) have served the community as a museum.
The City Market is located in downtown Raleigh and refers to the space located across from Moore Square, between Person Street, East Davie Street, Blount Street, and Martin Street. The space has served multiple purposes over the years, transitioning from a farmer's market, to a furniture store, to its current purpose as a cultural hot spot hosting several businesses, restaurants, and bars.
Briggs Hardware Store is one of the longest-operating family businesses in Raleigh. Established by Thomas H. Briggs and James Dodd in 1865, Dodd left the company three years later. Briggs then brought in his two sons, James and Thomas H. Jr. The original hardware building was replaced by Raleigh’s first skyscraper in 1874. After residing in the building for over one-hundred years, the Briggs family sold it in 1995 and moved to a new location on Atlantic Avenue. Twenty years later, hard times forced Briggs Hardware to close. However, the store reopened at this location in August 2015.
The Raleigh Times is a popular night life spot in downtown Raleigh for a wide variety of bar foods and beers. However, it began as the location for the Raleigh Times Newspaper, which was in this location from 1906-1925. Not only was the building completely renovated, but it was restored to much of its former glory. Now covered in newspaper clippings highlighting its major events, it functions as a bar and restaurant that serves thousands of people.
The City of Raleigh Museum dates back to 1993 when the Raleigh City Museum presented its first exhibit. The museum was the brainchild of local historian Beth Crabtree, who noticed that the city had no repository for its historical artifacts. After her death, Mary Cates and other volunteers continued to work on the project. In 1998, the museum moved to its current location, the former Briggs Hardware Store (built in 1874). The City of Raleigh took over operations of the museum in July 2012. Today, the City of Raleigh Museum continues to showcase permanent and temporary exhibits in addition to offering educational programming.
The Sir Walter Hotel is the oldest surviving hotel building in downtown Raleigh. Built in the early 1920s, the hotel was an immediate hit with Northern tourists. The hotel was also popular with legislators who convened in Raleigh and later became the unofficial headquarters of the Democratic Party in North Carolina. After suburbanization led to hard times for the downtown area, the hotel changed hands several times in the 1960s. In 1979, the Sir Walter Hotel became an apartment building for seniors, a role it continues to play today.
Dr. Manassa Thomas Pope, his wife Delia, and their children lived in this two-story brick house on the border of Raleigh's Fourth Ward, which in Pope's day was a prospering African-American community, home to many other Black professionals and middle-class families. Pope earned a degree in medicine from Raleigh's Shaw University in 1885, co-founded Queen City Drug Company, and served as a surgeon and officer in the Spanish American War. In 1899, he moved to Raleigh, where he ran for mayor two decades later. Though he lost the race, his run increased Black participation in politics and constituted a protest against increased voter restrictions targeting African Americans.
Lincoln Theatre is one of Raleigh's most established music venues featuring top acts from around the world. Built in 1939, the theatre served originally as a movie theatre that catered primarily to the African-American community during segregation. The popular theatre was owned by Bijou Amusement Company, one of the first African-American theatre chains in the South, and faced an armed robbery and picketers during the 1960s. The theatre was closed in 1975 and reopened in 1991 as a bar and then an internet cafe, before assuming its original name and becoming the popular music venue it is today.
The oldest remaining building on the historic Shaw University campus, Estey Hall was completed in 1873 and is named in honor of donor and businessman Jacob Estey. The building deteriorated over the years and was nearly demolished in the early 1970s but was saved and restored thanks to the effort of alumni and supporters of historic preservation and the university.
This historical marker commemorates the April 1960 meeting of student civil rights leaders at Shaw University that led to the formation of the Student Nonviolent Coordinating Committee (SNCC). The meeting was a response by students under the leadership of Ella Baker in response to the Greensboro Sit-In that began on February 1, 1960. With the success of this sit-in, which eventually led to an end to the Woolworth's lunch counter's policy of racial discrimination, other protests spread throughout North Carolina and other Border South communities. Many of the students who participated in the formation of SNCC became leaders of the civil rights movement of the 1960s.
This Tour is a Walking Tour.
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This walking tour begins at some of the city's historic homes and includes several museums and landmark buildings including the North Carolina State Capitol. This tour is a work in progress and more buildings, monuments, and historical markers are being added by area organizations and local historians.
