We have been wanting to see inside the McNairy House for years. FINALLY, we had that chance when it was open during the NC Folk Festival.

Today’s photo features the main room, with Nate, an historical interpreter, telling us all about the house. In 1967, the McNairy House was moved to downtown Greensboro from its original location near Old Battleground Avenue and Horse Pen Creek. It was built in the mid-1700s, originally as a log house. However, for the sake of preservation, the logs have since been covered.

Downstairs, there is the main room and a side room set up as a bedroom. There is also a second floor, with windows and cross-ventilation, as well as a half floor under the roof that may have been used as a slave’s quarters. The kitchen is a small, stand-alone building behind the house.

There is also a McNairy Library not far from the location of the family’s original land, between Lake Jeanette and Battleground Avenue. Much of the McNairy history is presented in a well-designed display in the library. We featured the library earlier in the summer (HERE), but we were especially excited to spend time actually inside the McNairy House because we knew retired schoolteacher Betty McNairy well before her passing in 2023.

We wish Betty were here to tell us about this family home, but are grateful that places like the McNairy House allow its history to live on for future generations. And thank you to historical interpreters like Nate who help keep the stories alive!

Happy Wednesday!