The Nash-Hooper House, also known as the William Hooper House, is a historic house at 118 West Tryon Street in

Hillsborough, North Carolina The town of Hillsborough is the county seat of Orange County, North Carolina, United States and is located along the Eno River. The population was 6,087 in 2010, but it grew rapidly to 9,660 by 2020. Its name was unofficially shortened to "Hills ...

. Built in 1772 by

American Revolutionary War The American Revolutionary War (April 19, 1775 – September 3, 1783), also known as the Revolutionary War or American War of Independence, was a major war of the American Revolution. Widely considered as the war that secured the independence of t ...

general

Francis Nash Francis Nash (October 7, 1777) was a brigadier general in the Continental Army during the American Revolutionary War. Prior to the war, he was a lawyer, public official, and politician in Hillsborough, North Carolina, and was heavily involved ...

, it was home from 1782–1790 to

Founding Father The following list of national founding figures is a record, by country, of people who were credited with establishing a state. National founders are typically those who played an influential role in setting up the systems of governance, (i.e. ...

William Hooper William Hooper (June 28, 1742 October 14, 1790) was an American Founding Father, lawyer, and politician. As a member of the Continental Congress representing North Carolina, Hooper signed the Continental Association and the Declaration of ...

, a signer of the

United States Declaration of Independence The United States Declaration of Independence, formally The unanimous Declaration of the thirteen States of America, is the pronouncement and founding document adopted by the Second Continental Congress meeting at Pennsylvania State House ( ...

. It is the only known home of Hooper's to survive, and was declared a

National Historic Landmark A National Historic Landmark (NHL) is a building, district, object, site, or structure that is officially recognized by the United States government for its outstanding historical significance. Only some 2,500 (~3%) of over 90,000 places listed ...

in 1971. and It is located in the

Hillsborough Historic District Hillsborough Historic District is a national historic district located at Hillsborough, Orange County, North Carolina. The district encompasses 529 contributing buildings, 9 contributing sites, 13 contributing structures, and 2 contributing obj ...

; it is a private residence, and is not normally open to the public.

Description and history

The Nash-Hooper House is located in central Hillsborough, on the north side of West Tryon Street, a residential street just on the edge of the central business district. It is a -story wood-frame structure, with a gabled roof, clapboard siding, and a high stone foundation. A single-story ell extends to the rear, and a single-story porch, probably of 19th-century origin, extends across the front. The interior retains a number of original finishes, including wide pine floors and fireplace mantels in some rooms. The house was built in 1772 by

, a politician and general of the Continental Army, who died in the 1777 Battle of Germantown, during the

. After Nash's death, it was purchased in 1782 by

, one of North Carolina's signatories of the

, who made it his home until his death in 1790. Hooper was originally buried on the grounds, in the east side garden; his ashes were moved to Guilford Courthouse in 1894. Alfred G. and Mary Claire Engstrom purchased the estate in 1959. In 1971 the Engstroms sold the house to Cecil Leroy Sanford, a retired career diplomat. Other prominent residents of the house include

William Alexander Graham William Alexander Graham (September 5, 1804August 11, 1875) was a United States senator from North Carolina from 1840 to 1843, a senator later in the Confederate States Senate from 1864 to 1865, the 30th governor of North Carolina from 1845 to ...

, a Governor of North Carolina.

References

External links

* {{National Register of Historic Places in North Carolina Historic American Buildings Survey in North Carolina Houses on the National Register of Historic Places in North Carolina National Historic Landmarks in North Carolina Houses completed in 1782 Houses in Orange County, North Carolina National Register of Historic Places in Orange County, North Carolina Hillsborough, North Carolina 1782 establishments in North Carolina Individually listed contributing properties to historic districts on the National Register in North Carolina Homes of United States Founding Fathers

Description and history

See also

References

External links