Facing demolition, rare, 1840s Johnston County cottage gets extension, sweetener
.jpg "The Alfred Altman House at 83 Massengill Road in Benson, roughly 43 miles south of Raleigh, gets a short reprieve.")
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- Preservation groups won a one-month extension to find a buyer to move house
- Neighbor offered eight acres at tax value if land hosts relocated Alfred Altman house
- If no buyer emerges, Preservation NC will salvage interior woodwork for reuse
In an 11th-hour bid to save a rare 1840s “coastal cottage” from demolition, preservationists have secured a short extension to find a buyer.
The Alfred Altman House now also comes with a sweetener: a nearby property owner has offered to sell eight acres at tax value subject to it being used to relocate and save the 1,300-square-foot relic.
“We have until next month,” Cathleen Turner, regional director at Preservation NC, told The N&O on Thursday.
The land sits a few miles away in Johnston County’s Bentonville Township at the end of a rural paved road near State Road 1188 off Highway 701, on what historically was known as the Asa Weaver Farm.
Turner said the would-be seller, Shearer Williams Bridges, inherited the property of mostly wooded land years ago. It’s been in her family for generations and remains vacant.
“She’s conservation-minded,” Turner said, “and recognizes the importance of keeping this land open and undeveloped. She’s also sympathetic to our efforts.”
The land is not listed for sale and is conditioned on finding a buyer for the house. Turner estimates it’s valued at around $150,000.
If that’s not possible, Preservation NC will bring a salvage team to remove important woodwork from the house. It could be reused in a restoration project or to exhibit at a local museum, Turner said.
a.jpg "Alfred Altman House-Archival Photo 1982 (12)a.jpg")
‘A irreplaceable historic relic’
Once considered Johnston County’s “most lavishly decorated,” the Alfred Altman House has already been relocated and saved once.
In 2008, preservationists moved the house from its original Newton Grove site to where it currently rests at 83 Massengill Road in Benson, roughly 43 miles south of Raleigh.
And for almost 18 years, it’s stood abandoned on block piers, waiting to be relocated to a permanent site, slowly crumbling. The chimneys and a portion of the clapboards have been removed and most of the roof tin has blown off.
In early November, Johnston County Heritage Center and Preservation Johnston County teamed up with Preservation NC to save what they call an “irreplaceable historic asset.”
They listed the property and two early outbuildings for just $10,000, land not included.
Alfred Altman, a farmer, built the house in the 1840s on land inherited from his father. He and his wife, Elizabeth Jernigan, raised their six children there, including two sons who served in the Civil War, records show.
Despite some weather damage, the house remains in “remarkable condition,” Preservation NC said.
History buffs say its appeal lies in its remarkably intact interior, including ornate Georgian and Federal-style woodwork, deep recessed porches, and intricate paintwork.
It offers five rooms on the first floor and two rooms on the second floor, along with an enclosed staircase featuring “colorful marbleized door panels, wainscot, and stair risers.”
Other original components, like the round porch railings and porch posts, early kitchen and smokehouse, have been retained and are available for re-installation.
Once on its new foundation, with water, sewer and septic in place, a complete rehabilitation will be required, including all new systems — electrical, plumbing, HVAC— plus updated kitchen and baths.
Interested parties are urged to act quickly. Contact Cathleen Turner, Regional Director, Preservation North Carolina, at 919-832-3652 ext. 240 or write cturner@presnc.org.
