Treasures along the Trading Path: Thomas Day, Prestwould & Ayr Mount – SOLD OUT

Please note: The tour is sold out, but a waiting list is open in the event that there are cancellations.

People, goods, and ideas have been moving along the I-85 corridor for thousands of years. This ancient trading path first connected indigenous peoples of the Chesapeake, Piedmont, and Southern Appalachians. Later, Western explorers and settlers utilized the same trail as they moved inland. Today, many sites and communities remain, reminding us of this busy corridor’s rich history.

On April 29, join Classical American Homes Preservation Trust for a Saturday excursion to three of these treasures.Participants will gather at historic Hillsborough NC’s 1815 Ayr Mount and board a tour bus for the Federalist Style home and workshop of noted 19th century African American furniture maker, Thomas Day (located in Milton, NC). The tour will then continue to Southside Virginia for an extended tour of Prestwould, one of the most intact and best documented plantation sites of the 18th century. The day will conclude with a tour of Ayr Mount and a light reception on the home’s beautiful grounds.

Itinerary
8:00am Gather at Ayr Mount for coffee and conversation.
9:15am Bus departs for Milton, NC. Classical American Homes Preservation Trust staff will provide a brief onboard presentation on the free African American furniture maker, Thomas Day.
10:15am Arrive in Milton, NC. The tour will include Thomas Day’s workshop and home (sometimes called Union Tavern), the Greek Revival Milton State Bank (built in 1860), and the local Presbyterian Church, which features pews by Day. Thomas Day, whose clientele included the region’s elite, lived above his shop and kept a farm and farmhouse in the country. The State Bank, located across the street from the shop, was built by Dabney Cosby, best known for constructing some of the earliest buildings at Mr. Jefferson’s University (The University of Virginia). This is really is a rare behind-the-scenes experience as these structures are being prepared to form the centerpiece of a new State Historic Site dedicated to Thomas Day that will examine the contributions of 19th century free African Americans in North Carolina.
11:30am Lunch (A catered box lunch will be provided)
12:15pm Depart Milton for Prestwould near Clarksville, Virginia
1:30pm Arrive at Prestwould, the 1795 home of Sir Peyton Skipwith, 7th Baronet Skipwith of Prestwould, and his family for more than 100 years. This stone home retains an amazing collection of original furniture and decorative objects, including its notable wallpaper and dining room ceiling fan, a hand-operated version of a punkah, the only surviving example in Virginia. Participants will also visit a number of outbuildings, all built before 1830 and most in the last decade of the 18th century.
3:30pm Depart Prestwould for Ayr Mount
5:00pm Arrive at Ayr Mount, built in 1815 along an ancient Indigenous Peoples’ trading path. One of the first brick buildings in the area, this was home to the Scottish Kirklands and their family until 1983 when it was purchased by Classical American Homes Preservation Trust founder, Richard H. Jenrette. Mr. Jenrette used Ayr Mount to set an example for historic preservation for the late 20th century. Preservationists from across the east coast made pilgrimages to Hillsborough to witness Mr. Jenrette’s work. Today, some of the Kirkland family’s original furniture along with Mr. Jenrette’s exemplary collection of American antiques offer a one-of-a-kind of experience.
Following this tour of the home, tour participants will enjoy a light reception on Ayr Mount’s back terrace overlooking a rolling field that gently slopes to the Eno River.

Tour fees include bus transportation, a boxed lunch, and admission to Thomas Day sites, Prestwould, and Ayr Mount.