National Register of Historic Places

Oakforest

Wake Forest, Wake County, North Carolina
Listed
June 10, 1998
Type
Building
Period
Industrial
Ref No.
98000689

About this property

Oakforest is a two-story, frame composite house in the Federal and Greek-Revival style, located in Wake Forest, North Carolina. It was placed on the National Register of Historic Places on 11 June 1998. 6.86-acre (0.03 km2; 0.01 sq mi) site that is the residual portion of a 200-acre (0.81 km2; 0.31 sq mi) plantation begun in the first decade of the nineteenth century by John Smith. In 1803 John Smith was deeded this tract by his father, Benjamin Smith, and began construction. A map on a 1791 Land Grant shows that the tract contains a Surrounded by mid-twentieth-century houses, Oakforest is an oasis of rare historical value. The tract contains three remaining original structures, including the Oakforest dwelling house, the core of the plantation, the mid-nineteenth-century smokehouse, and the early nineteenth-century corn crib. The unfenced, gently sloping tract, the small stream with its border of wild foliage, the old trees and mid-nineteenth-century boxwoods combine to retain much of the original rural atmosphere. A unique feature is the American boxwood allee which lines the original front drive. The boxwoods were thought to be planted prior to the American Civil War as they can be seen in the earliest known picture taken in 1886. In 2008, it was designated a local historic landmark property by the Town of Wake Forest, North Carolina. There is a cemetery on the grounds, the resting place of members of the family who lived in the house.

Location

9958 Seawell Dr.
Wake Forest, Wake County, North Carolina
35.94217, -78.52402

Categories

ARCHITECTURE
National Register nomination ›
Sources

Property data from the National Register of Historic Places, National Park Service (public domain).

Description adapted from Wikipedia under the Creative Commons Attribution-ShareAlike 4.0 International License.

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Overview
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The Land
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Geology
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Conflict & War
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The Civil War
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The Soldiers
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Native Heritage
The Native nations who held this land, mapped across time from before European contact to today.
Settlement
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The Community
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Rivers & Rail
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Notable People
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Nearby Historic Sites

Forestville Baptist Church
Civil War
1.3 mi
Purefoy-Dunn Plantation
Listed
1.5 mi
Purefoy-Dunn Plantation (Boundary Decrease)
Listed
1.5 mi
Purefoy-Chappell House and Outbuildings
Early Republic
1.5 mi
Powell House
Early Republic
1.6 mi

Questions about this property

When was Oakforest listed on the National Register?

Oakforest was listed on the National Register of Historic Places on June 10, 1998.

What type of historic resource is Oakforest?

Oakforest is classified as a building in the National Register of Historic Places.

What is the period of significance for Oakforest?

The period of significance for Oakforest is recorded as the industrial era.

Can I research the history near Oakforest?

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