blandwood

governor morehead's mansion is amazing. it was originally a 1795 four bedroom farm house, it is the oldest standing structure in greesboro. it sat on 100 acres stretching from railroad to market st one way and spring st to eugene st the other way. in 1822 it was expanded to a six bedroom home. in 1827 it was bought by
john motley and haley morehead. when mr. morehead became governor, he felt the home needed to appear grander so he hired Alexander Davis to design/build an addition in 1844. it then became the oldest example of italianate structure. this consist of a multi-level marble tower in the front of the house. it created a porch on each floor. the downstairs of the home has high ceilings and long horizontal windows. the west parlor was designed with cast plaster and marble. the chandeler was designed with grape and magnolia leaves in the plaster mold. it ties in the surrounding habitat. the west parlor was the gathering room in the evening so there are three big windows to be opened in the summer. they have doors with windows to close in the winter. the doors on the opposite side of the room have mirrors so that the
sunlight reflects off to make the room brighter. the east parlor was the morning gathering area. it was more for casual use so the design is not as elaborate as the west parlor. the chandeler's plaster mold is less decorated and more simple. the chandeler is referred to as the queen
chandeler and isnt as big or fancy as the king. the windows are also designed to brighten the room. in the winter though the doors are closed and they have mirrors to reflect the candle light or sunlight from across the hall. these front rooms are furnished with matching furniture that would have been moved from room to room. the fact that they matched demonstrated the family's wealth and stability.
the upstairs is plain and simple yet designed with taste. there is still the coordinating marble in the fireplace and floor boards(??). the ceilings are very low because it was one of the first southern homes to be designed/built by a northern designer/builder. the windows were built smaller as well. the beds were a traditional sleigh bed. the back rooms are the original bedrooms so they are very simple in design with not much at all. the primary color of paint in the house is green because it is the most stable(it doesnt fade). the house is very pretty over all and is an important historical landmark in greensboro.