Mill Prong
Mill Prong | |
Mill Prong, March 2007 | |
| Nearest city | Red Springs, North Carolina |
|---|---|
| Coordinates | 34°54′20″N 79°17′17″W / 34.90556°N 79.28806°W |
| Area | 118 acres (48 ha) |
| Built | 1795 |
| Architectural style | Federal |
| NRHP reference No. | 79001724[1] |
| Added to NRHP | December 13, 1979 |
Mill Prong House is a historic plantation house located near Red Springs, Hoke County, North Carolina. It was built in 1795 by Scottish immigrant John Gilchrist.[2] The name for the house was derived from a stream, the tributary of Raft Swamp.[3]
Transfer of ownership and modifications
The home was sold to Archibald McEachern, a fellow Scottish American, in 1834 and was expanded on the back side.[2] The main section is a two-story, three-bay, Federal frame dwelling. It is sheathed in weatherboard and has a gable roof. It features a center bay, two-tier front porch. It was enlarged in the 1830s and in the fourth quarter of the 19th century. Also on the property is the contributing McEachern family cemetery.[4]
Funds from the sell of the house helped establish Floral College, which later became Flora MacDonald College.[3]
Historic recognition and museum status
It was listed on the National Register of Historic Places in 1979.[1] The home now operates as a private museum supported by a non-profit preservation group with monthly open houses.[5]
In popular culture
Rhiannon Giddens, a native of Greensboro, recorded her album What Did the Blackbird Say to the Crow (2025), at Mill Prong. Her former bandmate Justin Robinson, is also featured on the album.[6][7]
References
- ^ a b "National Register Information System". National Register of Historic Places. National Park Service. July 9, 2010.
- ^ a b "Welcome to Mill Prong House". www.millpronghousepreservation.org. Retrieved October 9, 2023.
- ^ a b "Highland Scots fling set Oct. 4". The Sanford Herald. September 17, 2003. p. 14A.
- ^ Davyd Foard Hood and Joe Mobley (September 1979). "Mill Prong" (PDF). National Register of Historic Places - Nomination and Inventory. North Carolina State Historic Preservation Office. Retrieved January 1, 2015.
- ^ "Mill Prong Preservation". Mill Prong Preservation. Archived from the original on December 12, 2022. Retrieved February 22, 2023.
- ^ Johnson, Kristen (April 24, 2025). "Biscuits & Banjos Festival debuts in Durham this weekend to celebrate NC's Black music". The News and Observer. p. 2A.
- ^ Greiving, Tom (June 17, 2025). "Banjoist rekindles a Black legacy". Los Angeles Times. p. E1.