Welcome to Historic Moorefields
Moorefields’ 235th year has been challenging and memorable.
Starting in March, Moorefields’ board followed government Covid-19 protocols by ceasing public interactions. Mindful of visitors’ well-being, we chose to forgo our popular spring hikes to share wildflowers, historic roads, and birds, our Last Sunday open houses, the gala in the hedges, and our September bluegrass festival.
We certainly miss sharing the house and grounds of this 1785 National Register house and grounds with others in the community, but felt it both prudent and respectful to shut down.
While we’ve been closed we haven’t stopped working. Utilizing grant funds, we engaged a landscape architect to analyze and guide our long-term planning and hired an archaeologist to uncover places where enslaved workers lived at Moorefields, perhaps northeast of the house. This initial research allowed us to apply for a larger grant through the NC State Historic Preservation Office to expand our investigation of the site and our research into the lives of all of those who resided and worked here. The grant includes funding to create signage and information displays about what we learn. We’ve passed the first round of review and expect a final decision early next year.
We’re also working with others on grant funding to protect the house, and to preserve our watershed acreage with a conservation easement through the NC Land and Water Fund. We’ve repaired deteriorated window frames and replanted a specimen hackberry that used to stand over the graves of Edward Draper Savage and his cats, blown down in Hurricane Florence.
Looking ahead to 2021we’re hoping to reengage with our friends and neighbors to share Moorefields and its surrounds. We’re pursuing new sustainability partnerships, and of course it’s time to repaint the exterior of U.S. Supreme Court Justice Alfred Moore’s Federal-style house so it will endure to educate and delight future visitors.
Which brings us to something else we missed in 2020 – income.
Even without public events the costs of maintaining the site remain. As a nonprofit we depend on sponsored events and the generosity of friends like you. That’s why we ask that you please consider sending a tax-deductible contribution to the Friends of Moorefields. Donations can be made securely online by clicking here, or mailed to Friends of Moorefields, 2201 Moorefields Road, Hillsborough, NC 27278. Your support makes a big difference. Thank you.
We look forward to seeing you in 2021 and to happily putting this year behind us. Until then we wish you a safe and happy holiday season.
Mike Hammersley, President, and Barry Jacobs, Executive Director, and the Board of Directors of the Friends of Moorefields: Todd Dickinson, Dave Gephart, Eric Hallman, Pam Hemminger,
Robin Jacobs, Sarah Parris, Deborah Piscitelli,
Elizabeth Matheson, Pat Revels, Rich Shaw, Cathleen Turner
Let us email you to keep you up to date about Upcoming Events at MOOREFIELDS!
Moorefields was built in 1785 as a summer home by Alfred Moore, a Revolutionary military leader, founder of the University of North Carolina at Chapel Hill, and prominent jurist who ultimately served as the second and last North Carolinian on the United States Supreme Court. The house was placed on the National Register of Historic Places in 1972 by Edward Draper-Savage, an artist and UNC French professor. The 70 acres of woodlands and permanent pasture at Moorefields are currently maintained as a wildlife refuge. Owned by the Moorefields Foundation, a tax-exempt nonprofit, the property is administered by the Friends of Moorefields and is open for scheduled use by groups and individuals. Please explore our Web site to learn more. Get involved by contributing to and becoming a member of the Friends of Moorefields, click “Donate Button“.