The Haley House was added to the National Register of Historic Places in 1971. It is the oldest house in Guilford County on its original foundation.

1. Allison Carithers
Interior Design Program
Forsyth Tech Community College

2.  The area known as the Piedmont today was owned by
Lord Granville from 1743-1763. In 1763, Granville dies
and no new land grants were recorded until 1777.
 What is now Guilford County was once part of the
frontier called the ‘Backcountry.’ The backcountry was
any undeveloped land past the eastern coast region, and
many non-English settlers established their home here
in the 18th century.
 After 1735, as the supply of land grew short in colonies
farther north, numerous farmers from Pennsylvania,
Maryland, and Virginia made the long journey to the
North Carolina Piedmont, along the path which came to
be called the Great Wagon Road.

3.  Many of these settlers were Quakers, who came from
Pennsylvania.
 In 1748 the first Quakers settled in the Piedmont.
In 1766, Quakers John and Phebe Wall moved to the Deep
River area in Guilford County from Pennsylvania. They and
their daughter Phebe became members of the New Garden
Meeting.

4.  John Haley made his first appearance in a 1768 Rowan County
tax list for the North Buffalo-Reedy Fork area . Not much is
known about his early life, his birthplace or birth date.
 On October 31, 1772, John Haley and Phebe Wall were married.
Although there are no records that show John Haley was a
Quaker, there is also no evidence indicating that Phebe was
disowned for marrying a non-Quaker. It is interesting to note
that a very prominent Quaker, Enos Blair was the bondsman at
their wedding.
 In 1779, 640 acres was granted to John Haley, and in 1786, the
Haleys had completed their house, built in the Quaker style.
 John Haley wore many hats in his lifetime including
blacksmith, tax collector and sheriff. In 1789, he was an overseer North elevation; Allison Carithers-personal photo
for the construction of the Quaker Road/Salisbury-Petersburg
Road (Lexington Avenue) through his land.
 There is some confusion that he was a Captain in the
Revolutionary War, but evidence points to this being a different
John Haley.

5.  John and Phebe did not have any children of their own, but they did
have a house full of people, including John’s brothers Patrick and
Hugh. Hugh’s wife and children also lived in the house for a period of
time as well. The following census records show the number of people
living in the house:
 1790 - nine people, including two slaves
 1800-household included two children and five slaves
 1810- four white males, one white female, and six slaves
The number of slaves also shows Haley’s increase in wealth over the years. Although
Quakers typically were not slave-holders, some Quakers did own slaves. Often Quakers
educated their slaves, paid them, and helped them to become free.

6. After John Haley’s death in 1813, the house was left to his wife Phebe and
then to his nephew Jesse. After Jesse got into some financial trouble and
moved to Indiana, the house was sold to James Wheeler who used the
house as an inn. The City of High Point finally purchased the property in
1966. It was then restored by the High Point Historical Society as a historic
house museum.
 1786-John Haley
 1813- Phebe Haley
 1816- Jesse Haley
 1818- James Wheeler
 1823-1837- Various owners
 1837- John Welch
 1838-1934- Various Welch Family Members
 1934- Millie Creekmore Watson
 1944- Donald Conrad (renovated house to “Haley Hill”)
 1945- Capus Waynick
 1966-City of High Point

7.  It is the oldest house in Guilford County on its original foundation.
 It is drawn on the Price-Strother 1808 Map of North Carolina -
indicating that it was a well-known landmark during the time
period.
 The house displays Germanic architecture similar to buildings found
in nearby Salem, which could point to a similar builder.
 The Haley House also shows Mid-Atlantic
construction influences very similar to those
in the Delaware Valley and the Albemarle
Region of North Carolina, like the
Newbold-White House in Hertford, in
northeastern North Carolina.
1730 Newbold-White House, Hertford, NC
 It is an excellent example of the ‘Quaker Plan’ style.
 The house also gives insight into late 18th Century Quaker lifestyles.

8. John Haley’s house was a known landmark in early Guilford County. This
map was the first official survey map of North Carolina.

9.  Backcountry dwellings during the
18th Century were log houses
because they were cheap, quick, and
easy to construct. They usually had
few windows and consisted of one
large room with a single fireplace.
http://xroads.virginia.edu/
 ‘Hall and Parlor’ houses consist of
two rooms, one large hall and a
smaller parlor room. The hall
would have been where all the
cooking, eating, bathing, and
general daily tasks would have taken
place. The parlor would have been a
nicer room for entertaining guests.
They were usually one and half
stories and had a gable roof.
http://arthistory.wisc.edu

10.  The Quaker Plan House was
developed from the Hall and
Parlor. They are typically one and
half stories and keep the gable
roof. There is still a large room
called the hall, but the parlor is
split up into two smaller rooms.
There is usually a large, single
fire place in the hall, and two
smaller identical corner
fireplaces in the parlors.
googleimages.com
There has been much debate if this type of
house plan came from a set of instructions
from William Penn, the Quaker leader who
founded Pennsylvania. Penn does write
specific instructions on how to construct a
building such as this, but more research
needs to be completed on this topic to learn
if Penn is the originator of the idea for this
type house.

11.  Hall and Two Parlors
 Location of stairs within the hall
 Existence and placement of fireplaces in the parlors
 Building size/Plan proportions
 Single-room annex

12.  The Haley House is a modified version of this first
Quaker plan. Shown in the diagram, the two doorways
to the parlors become one, and there is a doorway
between the parlors.
Allison Carithers-personal drawing

13.  Gable Roof
 Flemish Bond Brick
 Segmental Arches over windows and doors
 Three Bays
 Glazed Headers
 Soapstone Medallion/Date stone
North elevation; Allison Carithers-personal photo

14.  A Gable Roof has two sloping sides that are exact
and the ends form two triangles, or gables.
http://www.nachi.org

15.  Flemish Bond Brick Pattern is
created by alternating headers
and stretchers. This is a very
difficult pattern to lay since it
requires lining the vertical
mortar joints exactly. It is one of
the most decorative historic googleimages.com
brick patterns.
Allison Carithers-personal photo

16.  Segmental Arches over Doors and Windows
Allison Carithers-personal photo

17.  Three Bays – The door and two windows are placed to
create three equal parts.
Allison Carithers-personal photo

18.  Glazed Headers - Some headers were
burned to create a decorative pattern.
 Soapstone Medallion/Date Stone -
This is unusual to be found on an
individuals home and shows that the
builders wanted to mark the
permanence and importance of a
structure.
Allison Carithers-personal photo
Allison Carithers-personal photo

19. The northwest corner of house is the only corner where the bricks are worn. Legend has it
that this is from stagecoaches pulling around the house during the days it served as an inn.
There is no further evidence to prove this, but it is fun to think about. What do you think
could have caused the worn bricks?
Allison Carithers Personal Photos

20.  Double Jamb Fireplaces
 Fireplaces Sharing Interior Chimney
 Chair Rail
 Beaded Ceiling Beams
 Original Plaster
Interior hall; Allison Carithers Personal Photos

21.  Double Jam
Fireplaces - The
fireplaces are cut
back twice.
 Fireplaces share
interior chimney -
The identical corner Allison Carithers Personal Photos
fireplaces in the
parlors share a
chimney instead of
venting through
individual chimneys.

22.  Original Plasters
Plaster for interior walls
used to be made with
straw and also horsehair.
During the last
restoration the original
plaster was left exposed
on the staircase wall.
Horsehair
Straw
Allison Carithers Personal Photos

23.  Beaded Ceiling Beams -
This was done to the
bottom side of the second
floor floors to add
decoration to the ceilings
on the first floor.
Allison Carithers Personal Photo

24.  Original Plan-1786
South elevation, facing Lexington Ave.; Allison Carithers Personal photos

25.  1895
Annex Addition to
east side of house.
Welch Sisters in front of
south elevation in 1895
High Point Historical Society Collection

26. By 1931, a porch had been added to the back of the house.
This is the only known image of the porch addition.
 1931
Greensboro Daily News c. 1931

27.  1943
The back porch has
been closed in and the
east annex has been
removed.
High Point Enterprise c. 1943

28. ‘Haley Hill’ renovation in
1944 was the first dramatic
change to the house.
 In 1943, a real estate company
bought Haley House and
thought that it should be
restored to its ‘original
Williamsburg style,’ which was
not the correct historic period.
To the right is the actual
real estate listing from the
local paper!
High Point Enterprise, c. 1949 .

29.  1944
First Floor
•kitchen addition to the northwest side of the house
•the stairs were moved to the south wall
•the fireplace in the hall was made smaller
•new doorways were added to the parlors
•the door on the east wall was turned into a window
North elevation; Haley Hill Real Estate Brochure c. 1944.

30. DORMERS
 1944
Second Floor
•dormers were added to the north roofline
•the stairs moved to the south wall
•walls were added to create two bedrooms,
a bathroom and a hallway
Haley Hill Real Estate Brochure c. 1944 .

31.  Between 1944-1966
These are the only pictures on record that show the
interior of the house after the 1944 renovation. Here
you can see the change to the fireplace and relocated
stairs. Check out the television set!
High Point Enterprise, c. 1966
High Point Enterprise, c. 1966

32.  Between 1944-1966
Modern plumbing was added to the house in
the 1944 renovation, and evidence of it still
exists in the upstairs today.
All photos were taken by Allison Carithers

33.  Between 1944-1966
North elevation
South elevation and Lexington Ave.; both photos, High Point Museum Records

34.  In 1966, the High Point Historical Society along with historian John
Bivins, Jr., became concerned that the Haley House would be
destroyed and began working toward restoring and preserving this
historic landmark.
 Work began in 1968.
A High Point native, John Bivins worked for the Historic Sites Division
of the North Carolina Department of Archives and History and also
worked at Old Salem. The High Point Historical Society hired him to
be in charge of the restoration of Haley House. He later became
Director of Publications for the Museum of Early Southern Decorative
Arts (MESDA).

35. • 1968 restoration in progress – interior doorway
Both photos from High Point Library Records

36. • 1968 restoration in progress – fireplaces
Both photos from the High Point Library Records

37. High Point Enterprise, 1969

38. High Point Enterprise, 1968

39.  1971-Present
First Floor
•stairs moved back to their original
position in the northeast corner
•the main fireplace was restored to
its original size
• the individual doors to the parlors
were removed
•the single door to the parlor was
replaced in the northwest chamber
•the door to the southwest chamber
was replaced
• the window on the east wall was
removed & bricked up
•the exterior door in the northwest
chamber was removed & bricked up

40.  walls were removed to
 1971-Present
create the open loft area as Second Floor
in the original house
 the stairs were moved to
their original placement in
the northeast corner
 dormers were removed
Plans by Allison Carithers

41. North elevation; Allison Carithers personal photo

42. Allison Carithers personal photos

43.  The Matthew Moore House in Stokes
County, NC, was built around the same time as
Haley House and is very similar in design. The
brick work is also similar. Further research needs
to be completed to answer the question of
whether the same builder constructed both
houses.
Notes and drawings by John
Bivins in the High Point
Museum records indicate
that he studied elements of
construction in the
Matthew Moore House
during his restoration of the
Haley House.

44. More information , plans, and pictures of the Matthew Moore House can be found
on the NC State University archives website.

45.  The soapstone medallion that is on the west side of Haley House is very
similar to the one that can be found at the Single Sisters House in nearby
Old Salem. There is a possibility that this could indicate a similar stone
carver, but further research needs to be conducted.
Haley House
Single Sisters House
Detail West elevation; Allison Carithers personal photos

46. Above, North elevation; right, interior hall; lower right, South elevation;
Allison Carithers personal photos

47.  More plans, drawings, and pictures of the Haley House at
the NC State University archives website.
 In 1967, a NC Historical Marker was placed at the corner of
Lexington Avenue and McGuinn Drive.
 The Haley House was added to the National Register of
Historic Places in 1971. The nomination form can be found
on the NC Historic Preservation Office website.