As far back as I can remember, I have always loved old houses.  The character. The history.  The stories.  The lives lived there before me.  It just draws me in.  

 

About three years ago we were living in a beautiful house in a nice neighborhood, but we never felt like it was “home”. We talked on and off about moving, but had no concrete plans to move at the time. Occasionally I would search online for houses.  I always ended up lost in the listings for beautiful historic homes in our area.  Wishing and Dreaming.  

 

But it always seemed like just that, a wish or a dream. When you mention purchasing a historic home you are often met with a list of reasons as to why it is so impractical to live in an old house.  People express concern that there will be too much maintenance, a never ending list of repairs, or even that the property will turn into a “money pit”.

 

It seemed that every home I found was too impractical in some way.  It was either in need of major repairs that were beyond our means, or it was too far out in the country, or way too expensive. In my mind I had written off the possibility of living in a historic home and was looking “just for fun”.

 

That is, until I stumbled upon a listing for a farmhouse built in 1840. It was a white farmhouse with a big front porch and a red tin roof.  As I looked through the listing I realized that it was on eleven acres of land, and had several tobacco barns and a big, classic, red barn.  It was what you would imagine a farm from a story book to look like.   

My heart raced faster (please tell me that houses have this effect on someone else?)  and I showed Daniel. He loved it too. He immediately began to imagine all the outdoor projects he could get into. We weren’t in the market for a house at the time, but we had to go see this house for ourselves.

We were preparing ourselves to get let down when we saw it in person.  It had to be too good to be true, right? When we pulled up to the house and drove down the long, tree lined driveway that led up to the farmhouse, we were hooked. It was better than we hoped. It felt like we were going back in time.

 

It felt like home.

 

The moment we saw it we knew it would be perfect for our family. Our minds immediately saw our kids running down the path, toward the big red barn.  Climbing the giant magnolia tree.  Playing for hours in the creek. It was a picturesque place to raise a family.  It was a little boy’s dream, and we have lots of little boys (and one little girl who hangs right there with her brothers).

 

The house itself had been restored by the previous owner.  It had a modern kitchen, all updated electrical, new windows (which is a big deal for a house that is 177 years old). The home had been loved through the years and was well taken care of.  It would take some work to make it “our own”, but we both enjoy projects like that.

 

Shortly after we bought the home we began to see what it could become.

 

We saw “The Grantham House”.  

 

We saw a place where people could gather.  Where new lives could begin.  Where love could be celebrated and encouraged. We saw what could be a beautiful rustic wedding venue right here in Goldsboro, NC.  

 

The property was too beautiful to keep to ourselves.  We knew it would be the perfect backdrop for a rustic, barn wedding.  We wanted to share this experience with others.

 

We hosted our first rustic wedding just a few months after moving into The Grantham House.  Looking around and seeing our property filled with people brought us joy. Everyone  was enjoying themselves and celebrating the new couple and we loved being a part of that.  

 

After the first wedding we knew that we wanted to open a wedding venue so that other couples dreaming of a rustic wedding could have the same experience.   

 

Now, we get a front row seat as couples begin their new lives together. The Grantham House is more than just a rustic wedding venue.  It’s an experience that couples will take with them throughout their lives.  When they look back at photos they will remember the rustic red barn.  They will tell their children and grandchildren about their wedding on the farm under the twinkling lights.  

 

So many memories have been made here in the last 177 years. We’re excited about this new chapter for The Grantham House.  We look forward to adding new stories and even more history to a home that has been the center of so many wonderful memories through the years.