History with ‘Hud’: Winnabow couple’s journey to restore historic governor’s birth house as their forever home

WINNABOW, NC (WWAY) — There are an endless number of historic houses in the cape fear which attract thousands of visitors each year.

But one tucked away off a rural road in Brunswick County was so overlooked for years it was gradually falling into disrepair.

That is until Sarah Harris and her husband stumbled upon the property and decided to restore it back to its glory days.

“The first time that we saw it in person it felt like home. And we where we needed to be,” Harris said.

The property stands on land which was formerly a 28,000 acre plantation owned by Nathaniel Rice in the mid 1700s. in fact, parts of the roof are believed to be taken from the original 18th century rice plantation home.

The entirety of the house was built around 1840 and was the 1845 birth home of former North Carolina governor Daniel Lindsey Russell, who governed the state from 1897 through 1901.

The dwelling has been through several owners in the more than century and a half since until the Harris’s acquired it and began the process of making it shine again, piece by piece over the last year.

“A lot of HVAC work, some plumbing work, a little bit of electrical, and a lot of love has gone into it,” Harris pointed out.

The family says they are grateful to the contractors for working so hard on restoring the property.

But the home’s availability almost didn’t make it past the 1970s.

A letter from 1975 indicated the state’s interest in purchasing the house after the Brunswick County historical association expressed interest in restoring it as a museum, but ultimately deemed it too costly to maintain.

Instead it remained in private hands and continued to change occupants from one generation to the next, something Harris says she is optimistic will carry on.

“Hopefully we will establish a legacy in this house that our children can continue,” Harris said.

The Harris’s are completing renovation work in phases, recently wrapping up phase one and hoping to begin phase two late this year or early next year. The house no longer contains as many chimneys as it used to, and other changes have been made for safety and modernization. But Sara says the big undertaking doesn’t scare the couple.

“It’s a decision my husband and I made together, and we’re committed to it,” Harris stated. “We know that this is not a quick fix, it’s not an easy fix. And that we are going to be in the process of restoring this home for the rest of our lives.”

No matter what the future brings and how long the restoration journey turns out to be, Harris says one thing is for certain.

“This is our forever home,” Harris continued. “This is the last place I’ll ever live.”

A fitting future for a home with such a storied past.

Meteorologist Matthew Huddleston (‘Hud’) has always had two major loves – weather and history. While you can watch him talk about weather each morning on WWAY, he looks forward to bringing you a little piece of history each Thursday on WWAY’s website.

To read other History with ‘Hud’ segments, click HERE.