Preserving history
Ayr Mount’s legacy lives on in Hillsborough
by Danielle Jackson
Situated along the banks of the Eno River just outside historic Hillsborough is a grand estate steeped in history.
The estate, which encompasses 265 acres, features not one but three historic sites: Ayr Mount, a Federal-style plantation home that served four generations of Scotland’s Kirkland family; the Occoneechee-Orange Speedway, part of NASCAR’s original circuit; and the Old Indian Trading Path, once the principal route to the state’s interior.
“When I travel and people learn that I’m from Hillsborough, Ayr Mount is one of those places they know about,” says Elizabeth Read, director of the Alliance for Historic Hillsborough, an organization dedicated to preserving the town’s cultural and historic heritage.
“It’s one of our more frequently requested sites for information,” she adds. “A lot of people who come through here are on their way to Ayr Mount.”
A family history
The home, which features a classical architectural design, was built by William Kirkland after his arrival from Ayr, Scotland, in 1799. Four generations of Kirklands lived at Ayr Mount until the 1980s, when Samuel Kirkland sold the home to Richard H. Jenrette, a Raleigh native and University of North Carolina graduate.
An avid collector and preserver of old homes and antiques of the early 19th century, Jenrette restored Ayr Mount to its original glory with period antiques and decorative arts. He also used it as his personal home until 1993, when he contracted with Preservation North Carolina to manage the estate. That same year, he created Classical American Homes Preservation Trust to manage Ayr Mount — and eventually the rest of his private homes — and open them to the public.
“My mission is to leave this place better than I found it, and to make it accessible to the public for educational purposes,” says Bill Crowther, Ayr Mount’s site manager and the home’s caretaker when Jenrette lived there.
Many original Kirkland pieces have remained at Ayr Mount, including a portrait of William Kirkland, which has not moved from its original spot above the dining-room fireplace since the home was completed in 1815. Guided tours highlight its architecture, restoration, fine furniture and decorative-arts collection, as well as the Kirkland family’s history.
A leisurely stroll
A visit to Ayr Mount — which is listed on the National Register of Historic Places — isn’t complete without a stroll around Poet’s Walk, a one-mile trail system created in 1999 that meanders through the estate’s beautifully landscaped grounds. The trail stretches to the banks of the Eno River, passing remnants of an old tavern and paralleling the Old Indian Trading Path.
“Mr. Jenrette wanted me to create a walking trail here,” Crowther says. “It’s just another amenity for the public to enjoy free of charge.”
“We don’t yet have a great town park, and Poet’s Walk and the grounds have almost served as a substitute town park for us,” Read says.
“We see people walking their dogs, eating lunch or just walking around.”
Need for speed
Also part of the grounds is the Occoneechee-Orange Speedway, which spreads across 44 acres along the banks of the Eno River. Races ran at the once-popular speedway — also listed on the National Register of Historic Places — from 1948 to 1968, when then-owner William France shut it down.
Renovation efforts to the speedway began a few years ago by the Historic Speedway Group, a grassroots organization that since has cleared various trails to allow for a walk around the track and remaining areas.
The grounds will continue to be part of history. The nearby three-mile Historic Occoneechee Speedway Trail soon will be added to the Mountains-to-Sea Trail of North Carolina, a 935-mile stretch of various footpaths, roads, and state bicycle routes.
Danielle Jackson is editor of Fifteen501, Wake Living and TriadLiving magazines.
If you go
Ayr Mount is located at 376 St. Mary’s Road in Hillsborough. Hour-long tours, which are offered through Dec. 20 and then again beginning March 21, cost $10 per person. The Poet’s Walk is open daily from 9 a.m. to 5 p.m. during winter, while the Historic Occoneechee Speedway Trail is open from 8 a.m. to 5 p.m. during winter.
Ayr Mount also is available for private and public functions, including weddings. To learn more, call (919) 732-6886 or visit www.classicalamerican.org. For more information on the Historic Speedway Group, an organization dedicated to preserving the nearby Occoneechee-Orange Speedway Trail, visit www.historicspeedwaygroup.org.