Davis House – ca. 1870

From the nomination to the National Register of Historic Places, March 31, 1982:

The John Davis House c. 1870 is a diminutive two-story dwelling located in a section of Haymount, which in the postwar years — especially after the 1870s parceling of the former Arsenal lands — was just beginning to develop residentially. The house was located behind the family grocery store, both built, established, and maintained by John Davis throughout the late nineteenth century on the main trade and transportation route west of Fayetteville. It was continued by his son, John Jr., throughout the early twentieth century. The house is one of the few in Fayetteville to reflect the picturesque traditions of mid-nineteenth century, Victorian architecture with its two-story frame construction, front porch with chamfered posts and lacy sawn brackets, and gable roof with unusual flared eaves. It is unique architecturally and is part of a trend toward Haymount residential development which, with roots early in the century, expanded and accelerated around the turn of the present century.

The Historic Fayetteville Foundation donated the Davis House to the North Carolina Civil War & Reconstruction History Center Foundation in 2018. It was moved and restored in 2019-20. The exterior renovation of this two-story building is easily the most striking improvement of the three houses in History Village. The Davis House will support our outdoor programming and will serve as a “mini-museum” of Arsenal Park.

(Click the thumbnails below to enlarge the gallery images.)