The Charles Manly Law Office 

This structure was the law office of Chatham native son, Charles Manly, who served as governor of North Carolina from 1849 to 1851. Manly attended the Pittsboro Academy and the University of North Carolina. He was admitted to the bar in 1816 and established a prestigious practice in Raleigh. His law practice brought him to Pittsboro frequently, to attend court. In 1842, Manly purchased town lot 30, and behind an existing storehouse located on the southeast corner of Hillsboro and Salisbury Streets, he had local craftsman, George Ellington build the modest office that came to be called "Fort Snug." Typical of professional offices of the time, which once dotted the private yards and business districts of courthouse towns such as Pittsboro, the office is reported to have been a popular gathering spot for area lawyers for fifteen years. Later, it was moved several times until it was donated, in 1969, to Chatham County Historical Association by the Blair family and moved to its current location on Masonic Street. The office was restored and is owned and maintained by CCHA. It is open for tours by appointment.

Kentucky Smokehouse

Enveloped in dense woods, only three blocks from the Chatham County Courthouse, and only yards from highway 64, were the ruins of a once-prosperous farm. The 99-acre parcel, which had been passed down in a single family for nearly 200 years, was purchased by the county in 2012 as the site of Chatham’s new Agriculture and Conference Center. When the parcel was purchased by the county, most of the structures were in ruins. But, surrounded by the massive oaks that once graced the homestead stood a largely intact smokehouse—a witness to much of early Chatham County history. Why "Kentucky" for a Chatham County smokehouse? Because that was the name of the plantation on which the structure was originally located.

Because it was located within the footprint of the new building, the Chatham County Historical Association moved the smokehouse to a safe location. When approval was granted by the County Commissioners to return it to the Agriculture and Conference Center site, CCHA began planning for its restoration and established a partnership with Central Carolina Community College, which organized a hands-on course around restoring the smokehouse. The restoration, carried out by volunteers and with the help of generous donors, was completed in 2019. A celebration of the completion has been postponed due to the pandemic.

More about the history and restoration of the smokehouse.

Marshall and Miliken Log Cabins

In 1999, the Chatham County Historical Association was given two log houses belonging to the Marshall family that had been vacant for many years. Years earlier, the Chatham County Agricultural and Industrial Fair Association had been given the Milliken cabin, built by a formerly enslaved man named Bob. That cabin had been moved to the County Fairgrounds and renovated, but was badly damaged by Hurricane Fran and needed to be rebuilt.  

The Chatham County Historical Association and the Chatham County Agricultural and Industrial Fair Association agreed, in 1999, to work together to reconstruct two log houses in Pittsboro. The Milliken cabin would be reconstructed on the County Fairgrounds and the Marshall cabin, constructed from salvageable parts of the two donated cabins, would be built on the property of Jane Pyle on Salisbury Street. Both cabins have been restored. 

More about the history and restoration of the cabins.