The 1816 Hayes home is Palladian in design, with hyphenated wings on each side of the three-storied, main structure. A wide, center hallway opens to the entrance drive and rose garden on the north side, and views of the perennial beds, fields and the Albemarle Sound on the south side. A curved staircase, leading to the next two floors, is accessed from this center hall.

The front parlor and elegant dining room are the first rooms our guests see. Many of the furnishings are original, purchased by Samuel and James Johnson and paintings of national leaders line the walls. A small parlor and library are the other two rooms on this floor, each overlooking the Sound.

There are four large bedrooms on the second floor while the third floor serves as an attic with access to the louvered cupola above.  The curved wings, housing the octagonal library and original kitchens, are accessed from the wide back porch on the south side of the house.

Hayes houses a treasure of historically significant furniture and decorative arts. Minor restorations have returned the dining table and sideboard to their original condition.

Generous gifts and loans have returned many of the Johnston and Wood portraits, a corner cabinet, desk, sideboards, tables, chests of drawers and some of the original maps from the library. Important Hayes documents, window valances in the dining room, and an original map of North Carolina were purchased at auction.

The team of conservation experts created a prioritized list of Hayes structures “most endangered.” Because improving the safety and security of the main house was the first priority, the team stabilized the structure and installed new alarm and HVAC systems. Doors were repaired, window locks reworked, and the impressive 3-story staircase was restored. The base of the massive column on the Sound side of the main house was replaced and the column repaired.  And there is more work and discoveries to come as the team focuses on the old kitchens and library.