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Smith-Cole House


1430 Smith Level
circa 1840
Complete Restoration / Renovation

 

“The house that spoke to me more than any other.”  Diane said eyes filled with wonderment.  “A goose bumps house.” “The house I regret selling.”

The house that almost wasn’t, as the patriarch, Smith had offered the land to the University of North Carolina to build a campus. Situated just a bit too far from the town, they declined and the Antebellum Smith-Cole house was constructed for Mary Ruffin Smith.  It would prove to be a property steeped in deep, rich history.  

 

Rev. Dr. Pauli Murray's grandmother, Cornelia Smith was the daughter of a slave (Harriet) and a slave owner (Sidney Smith).  Cornelia grew up on the Smith-Cole plantation, where she was raised by Mary Ruffin Smith, sister of Sidney.  This made Mary both Cornelia's aunt and her owner.

 

This was Diane’s first investment property in Chapel Hill with co-investor, Dorothy “Cookie” Teer. The two found the property as it was being divided into ten acre tracts for development. She saw the ten acre tract upon which the house sat and said,  “I immediately fell in love with the house and knew I  had to find a way to buy it and save it.”

ShadeTree Construction
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