The Breathtaking Abandoned Congressman’s Mansion Down South *Incredible Architecture Inside 

This is just so sad. A Preservation group and Old House Life has tried twice to buy and preserve this ole gal but the owner refuses. She lives in MD and could care less about the house. So very selfish. 😢 Old House Life has many interesting articles posted about this house.

If someone had just repaired the roof, this beautiful house would still be standing in another hundred years!

The Queen Anne chairs in the attic are exquisite! There is no modern day craftsmanship that can compare to this. What a grand house I can only imagine how wonderful it must have been in its prime. Seems like it could be registered as “Historical” then they would have to do something with it. How sad. Excellent video.

This was a beautiful house, Kappy. Those cabinets you saw, with the round hole in the top, could have been to hold a wash basin. They would have been from the time there was no running water, at least not upstairs.

The woodwork and detail are second to none in this home. It’s stunning! It’s so sad that they leave beautiful homes like this to decay. Such a piece of history just rotting away. Thanks for all your hard work in bringing these to us before they’re gone forever. Stay safe Kappy!😊

I'll guess those boxes with the round tops upstairs were a step up from a chamber pot. Just a thought. Another great video, thanks!

I want to express my gratitude for this upload today. I'm right in the middle of a 30% hatch risk for tornadoes today and this video has helped take my mind off what we could be dealing with in a few hours. Governor of the state of Kansas issued a disaster declaration yesterday and i sure hope we don't need it. I will say if I have to rebuild I'm going to use tons of Kappy's videos to create a beautiful home😂😂😂😂

I love the doors in this old house. Imagine as you’re walking through the door ways that they are the same doorways people walked through as they went about their day almost 200 years ago.

I went and read the history of this mansion and it is amazing as well. The son had a hand cranked elevator installed for his elderly father to access the 2nd floor, you can see where is was 11:15 in your video then he had running water put in by using a pump from the stream to a tank in the barn. WOW this house was very beautiful back in the day. Thanks for sharing this. You have a great day and safe travels.

In 2010-11 I helped a friend take care of her parents in their house, which was built in the 1830s. My friend's house was across the street, and was an 1853 farmhouse that I absolutely loved. It measured 34'4" X 44' and had three full stories. The second and third floors were identical except for ceiling height. The ceiling heights were: First floor 10', Second floor 9', Third floor 7'9". The place was in rough shape, but still livable. Since my friend and her parents all passed away, that house was sold and fixed up. It would be interesting to see the inside again. It's so sad to see houses that are in such bad shape as that one in your video. Just wow.

What a beautiful old house. I love everything about it. Such a shame to see it rotting away. I wish th someone would restore it. Thanks for sharing 👍 😊 ❤

Looks to me as if there has been much in the way of additions and alterations to the 1830s structure... The stair hall may have been the original entry... Maybe it was built in stages up to about 1900.... There is quite a bit of early 20th century beadboard throughout the house... The two features you asked about appear to be vanity bases for drop in sinks... Late 19th or early 20th centuries... The small room upstairs that you said looked Victorian looks like a bar... Like the corner (of the room) tavern bars of the pre-civil war period but maybe could be prohibition period... Was this a 'Speak Easy'..? The area in the attic where the old shake roof shingles are visible is probably the original 1830s core of the house... At the end of your video (25:50).. showing the side.. the original 1830s structure in in the center with the large brick chimney... Every thing else has been added probably during the 19th century... The stone foundation crawl space is the original footprint of the 1830s house... I am adding that the front door was probably where a chimney was... It would have been exactly as the other end of the I-house style 1830s section... The original front entrance would have been in the center of the long side now covered with the later additions... The front door would have opened to the main staircase... Update - I did some research and found that the house was built in stages as I expected... This house had the first residential elevator in North Carolina... That may explain the strange little room...

Stunning. Maybe the present owner doesn't like what it represented in its hay day. A lot of ppl want to erase history rather than learn from it. What a shame at any rate. Thanks Kappy, fine tour.

Wow even with all the damage its still a straight house. Doable

Such a shame to see once beautiful homes with stunning architecture like this fall apart and be replaced by apartment buildings and cookie cutter neighborhoods which will never stand the test of time that these gems have.

Judging from the beams on the inside of the floors, ceilings, this house STILL could be saved. If the roof was fixed then time could be spent on the inside. This house would be such an asset to the town. Plenty of room for parking, tourists would come to see this place. Wow, this is one house that SHOULD be saved. The owner needs to change her mind and sell before it's too late. And the chairs in attic!!!! Classic sea shell design. Those are bona fide antiques from the houses history. Someone put them up there for safe keeping. It is sooooo aggravating to see the condition and probably fate of this place!!

Sad that it could be preserved but owner won’t sell. Beautiful house

Hello Kappy, thanks for our Saturdary treat! What a beautiful house! Probably the owner of the house doesn't know how valuable those murals are. Take care, your subscribers love you❤

Sadly, it is probably too late to save this beautiful old house, but it is a shame that someone isn't salvaging all of those fireplaces and other architectural pieces in the house before it is all ruined. Kappy, I agree that this is one of the most beautiful houses you have shown us. Thanks for sharing it!

That golden wood on the staircase is probably wood that is now extinct :(

That mural in the dining room with the red marble fireplace mantle! All painted by hand. Someone loved that house but at some point had to give it up.

It’s just heartbreaking to see a beautiful old house, almost two hundred years old, left to die. 😢

This is another beautiful old home.It sad that the present owner will not let a Preservation group bring it back to what it once was.It makes me wonder why.The detail and history this house has is beautiful.Thank You Kappy for documenting another beautiful house.

Imagine how many wagon loads of materials this house required😮😮

If owners would just put a roof on to protect the interior there wouldn't be such rot and decay for these gorgeous historic homes. Just the craftsmanship and artisan work in them will never be again.

What brings these homes to life even more is if you Google what people wore back then. You can imagine what the homeowner might be dressed in back then.

Them chairs in the attic look like where the ghost council convenes.

So sad that this stunning home was left to decay. How could the owners let this happen

What a grand mansion. I can only imagine how it would look furnished back in the day! 👍👍Kappy

That place is old almost 200 years old. Wow! I'll bet that place was fabulous at one time. A little gorilla glue ,some duct tape, maybe 500 cans of spray paint, and that place will be as good as new. Thank you for the cool video, Kappy. 😎👍

Very sad 😢and beautiful house can't find the words,,such a loss,,,,😢😭

Another amazing home. Thanks Kappy

A house so big you can get lost on the first floor. Love it.

What a magnificent home this must have been. As always, love those details and huge hallways. It would take millions to save this house. Glad it had you to appreciate it in its twilight years. All the best!❤

This was a stunning mansion in its day. The fireplaces and wood work are off the charts. The craftsmanship involved in building places like this are done by highly skilled craftsmen, not just carpenters. I love all the old hardware and doorknobs. Whoever painted the house last chose some really nice colors. I especially liked the one room painted with the mural. It really adds charm to it I absolutely love the chairs in the attic. Looks like they were covered to protect them but somewhere along the line they just abandoned them. That's sad. Solid construction and square nails are very cool. I gotta gas whereas I love all the fireplaces my favorites are the ones that haven't been painted over. They must have had a massive wood pile. And the land this great place is in is gorgeous. I'm sure it was very quiet back in the day before that highway was put through. Excellent adventure Kappy. I really appreciate your travels 🤠👍🏻👏🏻👏🏻👏🏻👏🏻👏🏻👏🏻👏🏻👏🏻👏🏻👏🏻

Architectural salvage would/could save some of that beautiful woodwork!

Really sad about the south kappy those compartments you saw upstairs in the bedrooms were actually indoor out houses. There was a bucket in there, and the servants had to empty that every morning. So sad. I’ve only seen those down south to in plantation homes.

This house is interesting, it’s somewhat modernized with newer electrical light fixtures, plugs and switches. 11:02, this bathroom here looks somewhat modern maybe in the last 20 years or so. I wonder how long it’s been abandoned, there’s definitely clues on when it was last updated or lived in. The not so fancy parts, most likely were the servants quarters. Definitely unfortunate that the porch is missing and the house was left like this. 26:50, you can see here that somebody definitely put some new supports under the house, not that long ago and they use pressure treated. I would say, this house is definitely on the edge, it could still be saved at this point if somebody steps up sooner rather than later.

Kappy thank you for showing such a magnificent grand house. It would have been absolutely splendid in its day.

Just imagine this beautiful house in it’s day of glory thank you for your awesome viideos

What a grand old house and I can only imagine how beautiful at one time! It’s so sad these old homes are not kept up and preserved! Thank you Kappy ❤

Hey Kappy! This could be so beautiful again with the right people! Thanks for the explore! ✌️

Thank you so much for sharing these houses and structures with us. It's heartbreaking. Even though it doesn't look like it I think that this one could be saved. The entire interior might have to be rebuilt. There has been structures that have been gutted and rebuilt. Look for a place called "The Upper Post Flats". These are on a historical fort in Minneapolis. There are rows of old houses that we have been told were barracks. They were gutted and turned into apartments. At least the shells of the structures were saved. My bet is that you will find a lot of houses that were abandoned between 1995-2005. I am a structural inspector that specializes in historic structures. Many cities and states had money dedicated to the preservation of vulnerable housing. The federal government also had grants. When the NYC tragedy hit in Sept '01 all of that money stopped and got reallocated to "safety" equipment and surveillance programs. The safety equipment we received at the city I worked for at the time was ridiculous. The money was not reallocated very efficiently. Old houses are expensive to maintain.

Another once grand old home that should have been renovated especially with that history! Thanks for sharing!😊

You need to get a small camera drone to get you around damage. Lol Those doors are huge!! Really beautiful house. I hate to say it, but it was probably built by slaves. Whoever built it was surely gifted. Thanks for showing it. ❤

One of my favorites also, Kappy! This place could have been so freaking cool if the person who was trying to redo it had succeeded. You can tell someone really cared a lot about it. They put a lot of work into it. That mural is amazing! I think they were still working on that as well. I wonder what happened. The attic was cool! Interesting explore. Thank you so much for sharing it with us. Oh yeah one more thing. Those holes in the bedrooms with the door underneath them are drop down toilets. Yep, a little pot used to sit underneath them, and the slaves or help would have to dump them. There would have been wooden seats to sit on just like a modern toilet.

Stellar filming Kappy! You’re the best. Showing all the intricacies throughout. I love your excitement too. What a beauty. It is extra heartbreaking that the owner won’t sell so it’s preserved! How selfish. Not to even save the mantles, chandeliers, those beautiful chairs. Like you said, heartbreaking. Thanks Kappy

It is heartbreaking. What a luscious old place!

Good morning Kappy 🌅☕🏞️🚐 Another great find!! I love big old homes such as these! The craftsmanship is amazing and pretty much a lost art anymore.

So many awesome details in this old girl. She just feels sad. I think my favorite room was the one with the mural on the walls. Looked to be a mural of the house and location. And the black and red fireplace. You knocked another video out of the park! Great job Mr Kappy! Thanks for taking me along!

Kappy …. You’re so intelligent. I would suggest people would hit « more » to read what you write. Thank you for again for making my day. Hugs to your Mom❤❤❤❤

If I were a rich man. Gorgeous house ❤

Sad to see these houses left to ruin. I would have been afraid to be walking in that house from the looks of the floors. I always love seeing the kitchen in these old house. As many say the Kitchen is the heart of the home.

It looks like they had started to renovate too bad they did not do the roof and outside first then this house could have been saved. It is and was a gorgeous home. Thank you for sharing your wonderful videos.

How beautiful & sad this old girl left to decay! Awesome video Kappy! ❤️👍🤘

Beautiful old house. We may not see wood craving like that ever again. Back in the day owners of these big mansions made their money planting cotton. Back than cotton clothing was in big demand. It's frustrating to see this historical mansion slowly deteriorating. Great fine Kappy. ❤👍

I totally get that this house is one of your favorites, most of it looks like it's not too late for restoration. And yes that entrance to the attic is unique, to put it mildly! Lots of great woodworking under the eaves of the house and around the windows. Thanks for this Saturday treat, Kappy, and stay safe!

Amazing home. Someone took pride in this house. Well loved…at one time. Thank you Kappy. The details are magnificent!

What an incredible house - beautiful. It's hard to believe all the skill and hard work that went into these houses. I appreciate the time and effort you put into sharing them with us. Thank you for another great video.

Definitely a great house! Fit for a gentleman n his family. The state's not preserving homes like this. To much money during times of uncertainties. Thank you for posting this beautiful home. It's worth preserving but it won't happen.

Great find as always Kappy. Breaks my heart to see these old places left to rot. Thank you for bringing us along.

So sad to see this grand house slipping away. We absolutely love it. It deserves to live on. Great job kappy. By the way,did you ever get another puppy 🐶

What an amazing house this was. The details on the woodwork, all created before the advent of power tools, completely handcrafted. Just beautiful. Very sad that the floors are non existent in so many spots. Thanks for documenting her, Kappy.

What a beautiful grand home. The time creating all the handmade woodwork alone should have made it worth saving. So much more went into crafting a home of this age, certainly not mass produced and thrown together like so many of todays homes. I wish more could appreciate the value of these old homes and work harder to maintain and preserve them. So sad to imagine this house being to completely disintegrate. Thanks for sharing this beauty!

I can’t believe you’re passing over that wall Muriel without comment. It’s fantastic. I had to go to my tablet to comment on this one. I like it.

The room with hand painted walls so nice. Someone did care at one time.

Absolutely stunning! Just to be able to rescue the woodwork, doorknobs, architectural details both inside and outside would be wonderful. This is the most memorable house exploration video I have seen. Thank you for enabling me to vicariously enjoy it.

Shame on the State and the nation that would allow this beautiful house and its historic provenance and importance in state history. That house is a gem. The owner must have end stage dementia to have allowed this house to die. I know many are fighting to save what they can. I want to know if enslaved artisans provided the lovely handwork on the windows, fireplaces etc. This was one of your best. Thanks Kappy.🎉

Love the woodwork. The craftsmanship is amazing. All without power tools. Thanks Kappy

So interesting looking at the outside at the different additions. The center portion is the 1830’s original house and the single story section in the back was the kitchen connected by a dog trot. The front section and possibly the back two story addition look like they were added in the 1850’s possibly a little earlier. Beautiful old home that should be saved.

Close yoyr eyes and you can see what the old gal looked liked!!!! Beautiful ❤❤❤ Thanks Kappy!!!😊

This house is a magnificent testament to the art of design and the masterly execution of millwork in the 19th century. It is a crying shame that simple greed is keeping this grand house from being cared for and restored as it deserves. Perhaps the current owner will get to live out the old saying 'you can't take it with you' before this wonderful piece of our country's history falls into its own foundation!

Beautiful old house sad such disrepair hope they save those chairs and that staircase railing ty

Beautiful house! Ty kappy

What a jem of a place. If I had money to do it I'd fix that place up. The 3rd floor would be the master suite. And I'd persevere all those wonderful murals.

Wouuuu j adore ❤❤ cette maison entièrement restaurer dans le goût de l époque se serait un bijoux j adore les cadre de porte et fenêtres intérieure et extérieur j adore la d Fenêtres avec le croisillons les cheminée ❤❤ je la veux bien 😊 ......❤❤❤

What a gorgeous house ! To bad the owner wouldn't sell it so it could be restored. One of my favorites also Kappy.

Hi Kappy wow this house is awesome. I love the room with the paintings all over the walls! What a great find. Ty Kappy 4 all the work u do filming these places!. Stay safe out there.

Hi Kappy, 👋 I have to agree with you. This has got to be one of my all-time favorites also!!! The beautiful attention to detail on the outside.... that amazing trim on the house, the sculpting on the chimneys.... absolutely beautiful!! Those fireplaces oh my gosh, the detail on those and to know nobody's going to enjoy them for the next 200 years is so sad. So much attention on the woodwork and the details. Someone really loved that place! Thank you so much for bringing this amazing piece of history to us today. It would be so amazing if someone would save that place. It so deserves it!! What a fantastic find!!! Thank you again. Have an amazing day!!!

How sad that a salvage company could not come in and save doors, wainscoting and fireplaces !!! I don’t understand people who own these houses to just let it rot away !!! Thanks happy for a great video ♥️

I absolutely love those chairs in the attic! That house was absolutely stunning I bet in its early days. Thank you Kappy!!

If you look at it close enough you can tell that the center portion of this house where the front door is now was the original House. And as a matter of fact where the front door is they're probably used to be a chimney, when they added on those two outside halves, they took out that chimney and made that the front door. So basically you enter the house to the side now instead of the front door. And you can tell it originally had Dormer windows as well. Which explains that area where you saw the cedar shake shingles

Oh the beauty it must have been in its day. WOW!!!

Beautiful architectural history

Great explore, Kappy! Love all the wall details and the mural in the dining room! U got there in time to show most of the architecture and room detail!❤ Sad it will soon be lost!

What a beautiful house, it's a shame it's falling apart. Thank you for the tour

Andrew Wyeth “Christina’s World” comes to my mind when you show a shot from across the field. . .

What a neat place with so many great details!! And Yes, it’s sad it’s been left to rack & ruin. I saw some photos on Wikipedia that shows it with the grand front porch of yesteryear

One last detail to add to this beauty would be a large porch on the left side of the front facing the road, a night porch above and an entrance porch coming in. Yes workers did make this place but they probably lived upstairs.but not noticed a servant’s stairwell. The plantation style old house my family had, had three stairways one being a stairwell and that was our groundskeeper’s area, and it was haunted, and had a legend.Beautiful place though.

I thought it had a good roof, but looks can be deceptive. So much beautiful detail inside and outside and so much original work left intact. It appeared that someone plannned on renovating it but likely, as is usually the case, ran out of money. And didn't the small staircase leading to the attic not remind you of the little staircase that led to Norman Bates room in Psycho? Another great time Kappy, thanks.

What a beautiful old home. Thank you for sharing her with us.

This house had so many fabulous details an d Kappy I am so glad you documented what was left Great video!!

It is absolutely beautiful

This is a beautiful old house, I wish I was there experiencing it with you Kappy . Thank you buddy your videos are so very relaxing to watch. ❤

This home looked to be a really beautiful home in its day, sad it was left go to deteriorate to this point but still very interesting to see, great explore !

Kappy, so beautiful, beat up but still such lovely details. Thank You for this showing & was that downstairs room walls hand painted picture. Thank You for taking your time & giving history ☺️

Gorgeous. Simply gorgeous.

The crown molding & plasterwork on the ceilings is just beautiful. Over the windows in the parlor are what's called "box valances", I haven't seen those in so long but they're perfect for this elegant old house. You said it so well in the description, every detail of this house is beautiful. I wonder if the boxes with the round holes in the top were old commodes where you would put a chamber pot. Thank you for another great exploration, I look forward to them so much. PS - I just have to say how sad it is that the people who built and furnished this house, so skilled and artistic, were enslaved. Slaves built the South. Such a tragic and shameful part of our history.

A house to fall in love with! Thank's from Sweden for showing it and doing that in such a relaxed manner.😊

OMG what a ole Victorian style house..wow..the rooms are huge and beautiful..the winscoatin goin up the staircase is gorgeous.. and love the attic stairwell.. almost forgot the oval shape table in the dining room..it was amazin..u did a awesome job finding this one..thats why I say, someone should get the old fireplace mantels since it's fallin in and decaying.. they just gonna collapse with the house and they'll be lost in time.. thank u for sharin... another great video