Nancy Jones House: Major roads closed as Cary moves town's oldest remaining home

Starting at around 8 a.m., the move lasted around five hours, during which time Chapel Hill Road was closed to traffic.

The home was originally located on the 2,000-acre estate owned by Henry and Nancy Jones, who operated a stagecoach stop and tavern out of the home for decades.

Numerous NC governors and even President James Polk stayed there during their travels through the state.

"As it was the only large, white house in the area, it was a landmark on the route and received many important visitors...It was said to be the only fit place for important visitors to stop on the Raleigh-Chapel Hill route," according to the town's website.

The Nancy Jones House has been on the National Register of Historic Places since 1984. The town acquired the historic structure in 2019 and has been planning to move it onto new property and re-stabilize it. On Saturday morning, they moved it 500 feet down the road.

The historic home had been standing on the property of the Sri Venkateswara Temple Of North Carolina, and the move will shift it to town-owned property, where it can be stabilized and preserved.

$900,000 has been appropriated for stabilization and relocation of the Nancy Jones House.

“I think of the Nancy Jones house as a 216-year-old patient on the operating table ,who doctors are trying to save from dying. Now we can take the time we need to work with our citizens on the next chapter Nancy Jones will play in our history,” said Cary Town Manager Sean R. Stegall when the town purchased the house in 2019.

The town has preserved several historic structures over the past few years, and in honor of the 150th Anniversary, they are encouraging residents to share their own memories from living, working and playing in Cary.