Oakforest is a two-story, frame composite house in the

Federal Federal or foederal (archaic) may refer to: Politics General *Federal monarchy, a federation of monarchies *Federation, or ''Federal state'' (federal system), a type of government characterized by both a central (federal) government and states or ...

and Greek-Revival style, located in

Wake Forest, North Carolina Wake Forest is a town in Franklin, Granville and Wake counties in the U.S. state of North Carolina; located almost entirely in Wake County, it lies just north of the state capital, Raleigh. At the 2020 census, the population was 47,601. That is ...

. It was placed on the

National Register of Historic Places The National Register of Historic Places (NRHP) is the United States federal government's official list of districts, sites, buildings, structures and objects deemed worthy of preservation for their historical significance or "great artistic v ...

on 11 June 1998. The property is on a site that is the residual portion of a plantation begun in the first decade of the nineteenth century by John Smith. In 1803 John Smith was deeded this tract by his father, Benjamin Smith, and began construction. A map on a 1791 Land Grant shows that the tract contains a tract granted to Benjamin Smith. Surrounded by mid-twentieth-century houses, Oakforest is an oasis of rare historical value. The tract contains three remaining original structures, including the Oakforest dwelling

house A house is a single-unit residential building. It may range in complexity from a rudimentary hut to a complex structure of wood, masonry, concrete or other material, outfitted with plumbing, electrical, and heating, ventilation, and air condi ...

, the core of the

plantation A plantation is an agricultural estate, generally centered on a plantation house, meant for farming that specializes in cash crops, usually mainly planted with a single crop, with perhaps ancillary areas for vegetables for eating and so on. The ...

, the mid-nineteenth-century

smokehouse A smokehouse (North American) or smokery (British) is a building where meat or fish is cured with smoke Smoke is a suspension of airborne particulates and gases emitted when a material undergoes combustion or pyrolysis, together with t ...

, and the early nineteenth-century

corn crib A corn crib or corncrib is a type of granary used to dry and store corn. It may also be known as a cornhouse or corn house. Overview After the harvest and while still on the cob, corn is placed in the crib either with or without the husk. The ...

. The unfenced, gently sloping tract, the small stream with its border of wild foliage, the old trees and mid-nineteenth-century boxwoods combine to retain much of the original rural atmosphere. A unique feature is the American boxwood allee which lines the original front drive. The boxwoods were thought to be planted prior to the

American Civil War The American Civil War (April 12, 1861 – May 26, 1865; also known by other names) was a civil war in the United States. It was fought between the Union ("the North") and the Confederacy ("the South"), the latter formed by states th ...

as they can be seen in the earliest known picture taken in 1886. In 2008, it was designated a local historic landmark property by the Town of Wake Forest, North Carolina. There is a cemetery on the grounds, the resting place of members of the family who lived in the house.

References

{{National Register of Historic Places in North Carolina Plantation houses in North Carolina Houses on the National Register of Historic Places in North Carolina Houses completed in 1807 Greek Revival houses in North Carolina Wake Forest, North Carolina Federal architecture in North Carolina National Register of Historic Places in Wake County, North Carolina

See also

References