James Mangum House facts for kids
Quick facts for kids |
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James Mangum House
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 Location in North Carolina
Location in the United States
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| Location | Southwest of Durham off NC 751, near Creedmoor, North Carolina |
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| Area | 5 acres (2.0 ha) |
| Built | 1838 |
| Architectural style | Federal |
| NRHP reference No. | 74001379 |
| Added to NRHP | November 18, 1974 |
The James Mangum House is a very old and special home located near Creedmoor, North Carolina. It was built way back in 1838. This house is a great example of a building style called Federal architecture, which was popular in the early 1800s.
Because of its history and unique style, the James Mangum House was added to the National Register of Historic Places in November 1974. This means it's recognized as an important historical site. The house sits on the eastern side of Beaverdam Lake in Wake County, North Carolina.
In the 1970s, the U.S. Army Corps of Engineers took over the house and its land. They wanted to include it in the Beaverdam Recreation Area, which is part of the Falls Lake State Recreation Area. The house was carefully repaired and studied by archeologists. Later, in 1992, the NC Division of Parks and Recreation started managing the house.
Contents
A Look Inside the James Mangum House
Many local people call this house the Sandling House or Mangum-Sandling House. It's a large, two-story farmhouse. It has one main room depth with a hallway that isn't quite in the middle. There's also a one-story section on the north side that holds the kitchen.
Inside the house, you can see lots of interesting woodwork. This style is called Greek Revival. It's especially noticeable in the mantelpieces above the fireplaces. The house and its farm show us a lot about how people lived in this area before the American Civil War.
Who Lived in the House?
Brigadier General James Manuel Mangum (1796–1854) and his wife, Lydia Ferrell Mangum (1790–1874), built this house. They built it on Little Beaverdam Creek, which is now part of Beaverdam Lake. The house was once part of a huge farm, over 1,000 acres! It's thought that Lydia might have inherited the land from her father.
General Mangum wanted his wife, Lydia, to use all his land and property after he died. Then, after her death, everything was supposed to be divided and sold. But Lydia lived for another 20 years, until 1874. So, the property wasn't fully sold until 40 years after the General passed away.
The Sandling Family Moves In
A man named Henry Kearney Sandling (1831–1892) bought the land where the house stood. He paid $6.76 per acre for this special piece of land, which included the house and all its other buildings.
Henry Sandling was a soldier during the Civil War. He joined the Confederate army in 1862 when he was 32 years old. He fought in the famous Battle of Gettysburg. Henry was hurt on the first day of the battle in July 1863. He was sent to a hospital and then to a prison. Later, he was released and sent home in 1864.
Henry had been married to Mary Elizabeth Jeffreys (1831–1927) for 20 years when he bought the Mangum house. They had 14 children! For the next 100 years, the Sandling family, including their children and grandchildren, lived in this house. They stayed there until the U.S. Army Corps of Engineers bought it for the Falls Lake Reservoir Project.
Stories from the Sandling Family
After Henry died, his wife, Mary Elizabeth Sandling, received the house and land in 1893. There's a family story that Mary became very hard of hearing in the 1920s. One day, a friend visiting her heard Mary say, "I believe I hear thunder." But when the friend checked, they found that part of the chimney on the house had fallen down! Masons repaired the chimney and put a special plaque in it that says "M.E. Sandling 1925 J.W.N." Mary lived in the house until she passed away in 1927.
Their son, William David Sandling (1867–1931), inherited the house next. People say that Will was a local justice of the peace. This means he was like a judge for local issues. He often held court sessions right in the Mangum house! For serious cases, he would sit behind a desk in the parlor. For less formal talks, he would even hold court on the porch. Will married Zelma Augusta Bailey, who was General James Mangum's great-granddaughter. Will lived in the house until he died in 1931.
After Will's death, the land was sold to Alvin Turner. Alvin was a grandson of Henry and Mary Sandling. Soon after, the house was given to Ben Sandling, another grandson of Henry and Mary. When Ben passed away, he left the house to his wife, Audrey Bailey Sandling. Audrey was the last person from the Sandling family to live in the house. She still lives nearby and visits the house often.
Today, the James Mangum House is part of the Falls Lake State Recreation Area. It is a private home and is not open to the public.
