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

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.

Join Classical American Homes Preservation Trust for a Saturday excursion filled with history, architecture, and decorative arts. Tour 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.