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Ballentine-Spence House, ca 1910

This late Queen Anne house with Colonial Revival details is one of the most substantial houses in the district, and is one of the finest examples of its period to survive. Among its distinguishing period characteristics (exterior) are the high hip roof with cross gables; the wraparound porch supported by thirteen slender, tapered Doric columns; recessed second level porch; one-over-one sash windows and large projecting bay windows. Simple exterior decorative touches include small dentil work around the porch cornice, lunette windows in the gable ends, and the embossed tin shingles of the roof Several early changes were made to the exterior of the house, including the replacement of a rear porch and construction of a two-story bathroom addition at the rear, which necessitated the removal of a rear window and the moving of an exterior door. The construction of the concrete retaining wall in front of the house occurred in the 1930s. In the late 1980s the front porch's original brick lattice foundation, front walk and steps were replaced with flagstone ..

The interior of the first floor of the Ballentine-Spence House reflects significant changes made during a 1927 renovation by then-owners Mr. and Mrs. Dan Spence. Originally a center hall plan, the first floor was altered to create a larger living room, into which the front entry opens directly. The original stairs, once rising in the main hall along the east wall, were turned ninety degrees to rise behind a new wall separating them completely from the front rooms. The reconfigured lower portion of the stairs is in keeping with the original, with a simple square newel created for the new lower landing. Other interior changes from 1927 included removing mantels in the front rooms and replacing them with more contemporary examples. One original mantel, supported on slim colonettes and with a mirrored overmantel, does survive, though not in its original location. Several doors in front rooms were moved to accommodate the re-designed spaces .. Original finishes and materials remain; one particularly interesting feature being the original hardware, which is finished in a "zebra" pattern of alternating dark and copper finishes.

The house was built for James D. "Squire" Ballentine who, according to a descendant of the Spence family (the next family to own the house), lived there only briefly, if at all. "Squire" Ballentine was one ofFuquay Springs' most prominent early citizens who served in the Civil War and, later, as a Justice of the Peace. He was also involved in the local education movement, founded (with his nephew W.D. Ballentine) the Varina Mercantile, and served as Town Magistrate. The house passed into the ownership of the Spence family at a public auction in 1923; members of the family had resided there since 1919. Dan Spence served as a president of the Bank of Fuquay and owned the first car dealership in Fuquay Springs. Family members recount how the house achieved many notable "firsts" under their ownership; it was the first house in town with plumbing and electricity, and the front porch was a favorite local gathering spot to listen to the Spence's radio, the first in town. The house passed out of Spence ownership in 1988. The precious Hunsgerbger owners had undertaken a careful restoration of the property. (Lally, S&P and Jim Hunsberger, owner, private research)

Garage: This ca. 1930 frame garage is one story tall with an embossed tin roofwhich matches the house.

Shed: Built ca. 1935, this one-story, frame shed was originally used for curing meats; later it served as a storage shed.

Fuquay-Springs Historical District

The Fuquay Springs Historic District is a compact, roughly five-block area in Fuquay-Varina, a small southern Wake County town. South Main Street (US 401 ), a two-lane thorou!!hfare. delineates the western edge of the district. The western boundary of the district is anchored by the critically important Fuquay Mineral Spring, the development of which in the late-nineteenth and early-twentieth century was responsible for the growth of the adjacent residential area which is the core of the historic district. The north, south and eastern boundaries are formed by the property lines of resources representing the major development of the area between ca. 191 0 and 1946 . Adjacent to the district to the south, east, and west are non-contributing residential fabric; to the north lies a non-contributing commercial area.

The topography of the neighborhood ranges from gently rolling along South Main Street to tlat throughout the rest of the district Lots, in general, are large and shaded with mature trees; a number of yards are delineated with concrete or stone boundary walls. In contrast, the Fuquay Mineral Spring property is heavily wooded. Streets are laid out in a grid pattern. Properties along the 400 block of South Main are set very close to the sidewalk; setbacks vary somewhat throughout the rest of the district.

The historic district is predominantly residential (the Varina Mercantile Building and the Fuquay Mineral Spring are the only non-residential properties). As a collection the resources maintain integrity of design, setting, scale and materials. Only twenty percent ' (seven of thirty-five total resources) of the properties are non-contributing; of these, only three are major resources and four are secondary structures.

Architecturally distinctive in the district of primarily one- and two-story frame and brick houses are the two-story, brick (#4), the (#14) and the Aiken (#19) houses, both significant examples of Queen Anne/Colonial Revival residences; and the J.E. House (#22), one of three large Craftsman bungalows in the district. The significant resources are all executed in traditional and widely popular residential styles of the early-twentieth century which are found in small town neighborhoods throughout Wake County and the state. Of prevalence within the district are Colonial Revival and Craftsman styles, with common distinguishing characteristics including simple trim and finishes, exposed rafter ends, gable brackets and porches with tapered square posts on brick piers, among others. Fifteen of the residences are frame, three are brick. A variety of stone retaining walls and smalL frame outbuildings largely contemporary with the residences also characterize the district.

Early Fuquay-Springs History:

Frenchman William Fuquay first settled in the small farming town of Sippihaw, named for the original Native American tribe that inhabited the area. His great-grandson, a tobacco farmer named Stephen discovered a spring in the mid-1800s while plowing the fields of the family plantation. Originally used solely for drinking water, Stephen soon came to the conclusion that the mineral water flowing from the springs had healing properties. As word spread, locals began to help the springs establish this reputation, which brought residents from neighboring communities and counties to its waters. The springs were eventually walled in to better serve the tourists coming to the area by road or rail.

In 1860, Fuquay sold the springs to a group of local investors who formed the Chalybeate Springs Company to market the attraction and its waters. At that time another Sippihaw resident, J. D. “Squire” Ballentine, was returning home from the Civil War. Ballentine had been the town’s schoolmaster before going off to fight for the Confederate Army. During his tour of duty, he had received letters from one of many southern ladies who wrote to the troops to improve their morale. Originally signing her name “Varina,” Virginia Avery would later meet and fall in love with Ballentine. He continued to call her Varina throughout their life together. When he became the first postmaster at the new post office in town in 1880, he named it “Varina”in her honor. A community grew just south of the springs, near the post office and the couple’s Varina Mercantile Company general store. In time, it adopted the same name. Ballentine’s business success allowed him to construct the local historic landmark Ballentine Spence House in 1910, the first house to have plumbing and electricity in the area. This house still stands today.

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