Raleigh's oldest residence on its original foundation is the Mordecai House, built in 1785. Built in 1785, this registered historical landmark and museum is the centerpiece of Mordecai Historic Park, adjacent to the Historic Oakwood neighborhood. It is the oldest residence in Raleigh on its original foundation.
The oldest portion was built by Joel Lane for his son, Henry, and at one time the house anchored a 5,000-acre plantation — one of the largest in Wake County. Joel Lane is considered a founder of Raleigh, because 1,000 acres were sold from his plantation as the site of the city. The house later took the Mordecai name from Moses Mordecai; his first wife, Margaret Lane, had inherited it from her father Henry, and after she died Mordecai married her sister Ann Lane.
In 1824 Mordecai hired William Nichols, then State Architect, to enlarge the house. As you stand here you are surrounded by layers of civic and family history: the park includes the birthplace and childhood home of President Andrew Johnson, the Ellen Mordecai Garden, the Badger-Iredell Law Office, Allen Kitchen, and St. Mark’s Chapel, a popular site for weddings. The garden, the chapel, and the streets of the Mordecai Place Historic District wait beyond you.