This was always a highlight of my public school field trips. The Mordecai House was once the seat of one of the largest plantations in Wake County. Joel Lane, a famed Revolutionary War patriot, built the original portion of the house in 1785 for his son and daughter-in-law, Henry and Polly Hinton Lane. The name of the house derives from Moses Mordecai (a Raleigh judge), who married the Lane's daughter Margaret. North Carolina architect William Nichols designed the 1826 Greek Revival addition. Five generations of the same family occupied the house, which includes many of their belongings--books, paintings, and other household effects.
Today visitors may come six days a week to tour the house and other buildings on the site, which include a chapel, law office, kitchen, and the birthplace of President Andrew Johnson.
Other buildings on the site include a chapel, law office, kitchen, and the birthplace of President Andrew Johnson.