About those - aren't they both massive and very closely spaced, compared to modern construction?

This blog gives an up-to-date status of the restored house and includes two recent views. It sits on a large piece of land amid forest and fields.

I live about 10 miles south of this home and there is a much history from both the Revolutionary and Civil Wars in this area. The area is quite rural and deceptively quiet until you begin to dig into the history books and look around a little bit.

For instance, Annie Carter Lee, daughter of Robert E Lee, died at age 25 from Typhoid fever in this area. She was interned here until recently, when her descendents requested that she be reunited with her family at Lee Chapel in Lexington Va in 1994. Her parents had sent her to Warrenton, NC after the family home Arlington, was occupied by Union forces. Her grave marker and memorial placed there in 1866 by a Confederate veteran is still in place.

In 1870, just prior to his death, Robert E Lee and his wife visited their beloved daughter's grave for the only time. The details are quite interesting and given here.

This is just one of many local historical threads of national significance about the locality.

Having lived in a 130 year old house for 11 years, I have to say that, aside from the lack of paint, this place looks pretty well kept up. It needs tuckpointing of the foundation stone, but other than that it looks tight and well-maintained.

Old houses are deceptive - they may look fine, but be rotting underneath the paint. Or, like this one in 1936, they may look miserable but really be quite sturdy.

You can see the intact ends of the ceiling beams (my tradesman called them "rooster-tails") and they don't even look weathered. Apparently in some old houses they have rotted so far back in under the roof that it would be impossible to affix fascia or gutters to them.

Loved reading the NRHP description of this house. My old house was on the Register, too, but had nowhere near such an interesting history.

This may be the Historical Site National Register application for that property, very interesting!

Link to the pdf: http://www.hpo.ncdcr.gov/nr/FK0286.pdf

Picture of the house from the pdf: