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The Governor's Mansion
No other dwelling in Wilmington has been inhabited by such a variety of interesting occupants, who initiated architectural changes reflective of their personalities, tastes and the times. The name of this house was derived from its first owner, Edward Bishop Dudley (1789-1855). Born in Onslow County, he served as an officer of a regiment that guarded Wilmington during the War of 1812. He moved to Wilmington after the war and began a long career in politics. Dudley represented the Wilmington District in the North Carolina House of Commons twice, and was a one-term congressman. In 1836, he was elected Governor of North Carolina, the first elected by popular vote. During his two terms as Governor (1836-1840), the state witnessed the most progressive period in its anti-bellum history. Dudley’s zeal to improve transportation within the state was evidenced by his enthusiasm for the Wilmington and Weldon Railroad. He used his political savvy to bring the railroad to Wilmington and was its first president. He chose one of the prettiest hills overlooking the Cape Fear River as the site for his house. Tradition says it was constructed as early as 1825. A house fire severely damaged the building in 1843. The vented frieze was probably added when Dudley had to replace the entire roof after the fire.
The dwelling was occupied next by Dr. Sterling B. Everitt (1791-1855). It is not known if his widow, Amelia (1803-1873), lived there throughout the Civil War or sought refuge in another town. However, in the fall of 1864 she was living there when she advertised it for rent. Francis W. Kerchner (1829-1910), wholesale grocer, and his wife, Lydia Hatch Kerchner (1834-1894), had moved in by the early 1870s. During their tenancy they made improvements to the house. In 1885, they sold it to J. Pembroke Jones when they moved next door. By 1890, the mansion at 400 South Front Street became the residence of wealthy rice mill owner and financier, J. Pembroke Jones (1858-1919). When another fire occurred in 1895, Jones and his wife, Sarah Green Jones (1859-1943), went to live at Airlie, their summer estate. The earliest photograph of the house shows what it looked like during the Jones tenancy. The main body of the two-story dwelling was capped with a belvedere and ended by one-story wings. A one-story porch extended across the central body of the house, and the porte cochere hid a second story balcony. The next owners were James Sprunt (1846-1924), rice planter, cotton exporter and local historian; and wife, Luola Murchison Sprunt (1860-1916). The style of the house changed dramatically in 1895, when they raised the wings to two stories and added an enormous Corinthian portico. The belvedere was removed, the roof changed, and the eaves adorned to match the portico. The new Neoclassical Revival-style facade exemplified prominence and importance when President William Howard Taft was invited to breakfast there during his 1909 visit to Wilmington. |
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