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WBM december 2017
Ambling through the preserved site, one can be
so captivated by its beauty that it’s easy to forget its
historical significance to the city, state and nation.
That extends to the gardens, lovingly kept by Lynch
with the help of volunteers like Gore.
“I finally found my niche in the organization
nine years ago in the garden and have been form-ing
and shaping it ever since,” Lynch says. “It has
been a learning experience, an outlet for creativity
and a place of peace and tranquility, but above all,
I love it!”
Lynch recently received Preservation North
Carolina’s prestigious Gertrude S. Carraway Award
of Merit for her efforts at revitalizing the gardens
and restoring them to their Colonial roots.
“I was so proud to be one of the 12 winners,”
Lynch says. “It was wonderful to be in the company
of fellow North Carolinians who are doing such
good work all over the state in the areas of restora-tion
and preservation.”
The museum hosts several events throughout the
year, including night tours, gallery displays featur-ing
local artists, and an annual Christmas Stroll,
complete with wassail and cookies and live Colonial
holiday entertainment, framed by historically accu-rate
Christmas decorations.
The North Carolina Dames own and maintain
three other historically significant Colonial proper-ties,
including the home of Joel Lane (the “Founder
of Raleigh”) and Haywood Hall in Raleigh, and
Fourth House in Winston-Salem. Members donate
and volunteer time toward preserving and maintain-ing
these properties and other important historic
sites.
Photos are all that remain of some of the Colonial-era mansion’s outbuildings. The
slave quarters (top) burned down, and Hurricane Hazel destroyed the carriage
house (middle). The original open-air jail cells, constructed from ballast stone, are
still on the grounds (above).
WBM FILE PHOTO COURTESY OF BURGWIN-WRIGHT HOUSE
COURTESY OF BURGWIN-WRIGHT HOUSE