Montrose

TLC Celebrates Spring, Easement on Historic Montrose Estate

by Doug Nicholas
(excerpt from TLC News, June 1999)

Steady Sunday morning rains gave way to afternoon drizzle as TLC staff and volunteers trickled in to prepare for a spring celebration on the grounds of Montrose in Hillsborough on April 11. Soon the afternoon drizzle gave reluctant way to humid sunshine in time for TLC Executive Director Kate Dixon to formally announce the donation of a conservation easement on the historic nineteenth century estate and nationally recognized garden located on the Eno River in Hillsborough's historic district.

"This home and its beautiful surroundings are part of a larger puzzle of land tracts being protected by different groups to keep the Eno River corridor untainted by development," said Dixon. "This is some of the most historic property in the state with some of the most important private gardens in the country. We are so happy the Goodwins are providing such important protections for a site of such significance."

Craufurd and Nancy Goodwin, owners of Montrose since 1977, granted the easement to protect the property from development in perpetuity.

"We have placed a conservation easement on Montrose because we love and respect this land and would like it to remain unspoiled for those who come after us," said Nancy Goodwin, who developed the gardens of Montrose.

"We sure appreciate everything we have here," said Craufurd Goodwin, a Duke University economics professor. "We enjoy it here, and we want it to stay as it is. It's that simple."

The Goodwins provided sparkling wine for the 200 or so TLC members in attendance, with Craufurd asking his guests to drink a toast to the protection of Montrose.

Other rewards for those stout-hearted members who resolved to see Montrose come rain or shine included steamy afternoon sun, refreshments courtesy of WellSpring Grocery, guided tours through the protected property along the banks of the Eno, and a dazzling array of spring blooms—wildflowers in the woods and Nancy Goodwin's extensive cultivated varieties in the formal gardens.

The first phase of the easement took effect in December 1998, protecting a pond and the 100-year floodplain (a 500-foot strip of regenerating woodland along the Eno River) covering 23 of Montrose's 61 acres. The easement covers about 1,875 feet (more than one-third of a mile) of frontage on the Eno River, and together with the adjacent Ayr Mount estate provides about two-thirds of a mile of buffer and wildlife corridor on the river near the heart of Hillsborough. The Goodwins intend to protect other sections of the estate in later phases.

Wildlife that use this Eno buffer include beaver, deer, fox, raccoon, osprey, wild turkey and black duck. The area is also a flyway for migratory birds. Many varieties of wildflowers grow throughout the bottomland woods and several native varieties have been reintroduced by the Goodwins.

Montrose holds a special place in North Carolina history as the home of mid-nineteenth century political figure William Alexander Graham, who served the state as both Governor and Senator, and served the country as Secretary of Navy under President Millard Fillmore. The estate remained in the Graham family until the Goodwins purchased it in 1977.

The entire Montrose estate is listed in the Hillsborough Historic District on the National Register of Historic Places, and includes several original outbuildings from the 1830s and 1840s: William Alexander Graham's law office, the kitchen, the smokehouse and the barn. The current main house was built in 1890 on the site of two houses previously destroyed by fire.

Nancy Goodwin has enhanced the Montrose fame by creating one of the country's most famous private gardens. More than 2,100 garden enthusiasts visit Montrose each year to tour the gardens or to attend Nancy Goodwin's gardening seminars.