Abstract:
n 1817, Major Peter Hairston bought 2,570 acres near Mocksville from General Jesse Pearson. It was here that his great-grandson, Peter Wilson Hairston, built Cooleemee Plantation in 1853. Shaped like a Greek cross, the house took two years to complete. A few years ago, it was declared a National Historic Landmark by the U.S. Department of the Interior. The plantation remains in the Hairston family who host open houses for the public at least once a year.