Legacy of the Past

In 1859, Dr. Josephus Wells Hall bought this house, which was constructed in 1820 as the Salisbury Female Academy, and added a new entrance and the double veranda with lacey ironworks. Inside, he had ornate French wallpaper hung and the hall ceilings decoratively painted.

After the Civil War began in 1861, Hall served as hospital surgeon at the Confederate States Military Prison at Salisbury. Two years later, the Confederacy built a new general hospital that served wounded soldiers arriving on railroad cars and was always "full to overflowing." Hall remained as surgeon in charge at the prison until the war ended and also served other local military hospitals.

To feed the army, the Confederate government asked farmers to donate ten percent of their farm produce. Hall owned extensive agricultural property near his home in Salisbury. In 1864, the value of his tithe was $4,470, and in 1865, when approached again for help, he was still able to give two barrels of flour and 150 pounds of bacon.

After the war, Hall requested and received a pardon from the U.S. government and returned to his pre-war endeavors in farming and real estate. He died in 1873, but his family and descendents lived in the house until 1972 when Historic Salisbury Foundation purchased it and many of the original furnishings from his great-granddaughter. It currently serves as a house museum.

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Show me all markers in:  Salisbury, NC  |  Rowan County  |  28144  |  North Carolina  |  United States of America

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