Bennett Bunn Plantation
Encyclopedia
The Bennett Bunn Plantation is a historic farm near Zebulon
, North Carolina
, a suburb of Raleigh
. The plantation
, located beside US 264
in eastern Wake County
, consists of a two-story house built in 1833, barns, and 162 acres (65.6 ha) of farmland and forests. The property was owned by generations of the Bunn family until 2000 when Grace Hutchins, great-granddaughter of Bennet Bunn, sold the plantation for $1.9 million dollars. The home is still used as a private residence and was listed on the National Register of Historic Places
in February 1986.
Bennett Bunn inherited the land from his father in the 1820s. He lived in a log cabin on the property until he had enough money to construct the house. With the help of 16 slaves, Bunn grew wheat and corn, and raised livestock. Each generation left the property to the youngest daughter. After Hutchins inherited the land, she renovated the house by installing electricity and plumbing, as well as adding a kitchen, sunroom, and bathrooms.
The Bennett Bunn house is an example of Federal architecture
, a popular style for homes during the Antebellum period of the South. The driveway is lined with cedar trees that were planted in the 1920s by Alac and Avon Bunn.
During the Civil War
, a robber threw a torch through a front window of the house. The mark left by the torch hitting the floor is still visible. A mantel clock that was given to the Bunns by a Union
soldier is displayed in the house. The soldier had looted the clock from another location and was tired of carrying it. A memorial to two slaves that died in the 1860s, Simon Bunn and Joni Piedelle, are written on one of the walls. Five slaves that worked at the Bunn plantation are buried in a small cemetery on the property.
Zebulon, North Carolina
Zebulon is the eastern-most town in Wake County, North Carolina, United States. In 2008, the population was estimated to be 4,732. Zebulon is part of the Research Triangle metropolitan region...
, North Carolina
North Carolina
North Carolina is a state located in the southeastern United States. The state borders South Carolina and Georgia to the south, Tennessee to the west and Virginia to the north. North Carolina contains 100 counties. Its capital is Raleigh, and its largest city is Charlotte...
, a suburb of Raleigh
Raleigh, North Carolina
Raleigh is the capital and the second largest city in the state of North Carolina as well as the seat of Wake County. Raleigh is known as the "City of Oaks" for its many oak trees. According to the U.S. Census Bureau, the city's 2010 population was 403,892, over an area of , making Raleigh...
. The plantation
Plantation
A plantation is a long artificially established forest, farm or estate, where crops are grown for sale, often in distant markets rather than for local on-site consumption...
, located beside US 264
U.S. Route 264
U.S. Route 264 is an east–west United States highway that runs for from Raleigh to Manns Harbor, entirely in the U.S. state of North Carolina.-Route description:...
in eastern Wake County
Wake County, North Carolina
Wake County is a county located in the U.S. state of North Carolina. As of the 2010 census, the population was 900,993 making it North Carolina's second most populated county...
, consists of a two-story house built in 1833, barns, and 162 acres (65.6 ha) of farmland and forests. The property was owned by generations of the Bunn family until 2000 when Grace Hutchins, great-granddaughter of Bennet Bunn, sold the plantation for $1.9 million dollars. The home is still used as a private residence and was listed on the National Register of Historic Places
National Register of Historic Places
The National Register of Historic Places is the United States government's official list of districts, sites, buildings, structures, and objects deemed worthy of preservation...
in February 1986.
Bennett Bunn inherited the land from his father in the 1820s. He lived in a log cabin on the property until he had enough money to construct the house. With the help of 16 slaves, Bunn grew wheat and corn, and raised livestock. Each generation left the property to the youngest daughter. After Hutchins inherited the land, she renovated the house by installing electricity and plumbing, as well as adding a kitchen, sunroom, and bathrooms.
The Bennett Bunn house is an example of Federal architecture
Federal architecture
Federal-style architecture is the name for the classicizing architecture built in the United States between c. 1780 and 1830, and particularly from 1785 to 1815. This style shares its name with its era, the Federal Period. The name Federal style is also used in association with furniture design...
, a popular style for homes during the Antebellum period of the South. The driveway is lined with cedar trees that were planted in the 1920s by Alac and Avon Bunn.
During the Civil War
American Civil War
The American Civil War was a civil war fought in the United States of America. In response to the election of Abraham Lincoln as President of the United States, 11 southern slave states declared their secession from the United States and formed the Confederate States of America ; the other 25...
, a robber threw a torch through a front window of the house. The mark left by the torch hitting the floor is still visible. A mantel clock that was given to the Bunns by a Union
Union Army
The Union Army was the land force that fought for the Union during the American Civil War. It was also known as the Federal Army, the U.S. Army, the Northern Army and the National Army...
soldier is displayed in the house. The soldier had looted the clock from another location and was tired of carrying it. A memorial to two slaves that died in the 1860s, Simon Bunn and Joni Piedelle, are written on one of the walls. Five slaves that worked at the Bunn plantation are buried in a small cemetery on the property.