Ready for a bigger house? Why settle for another home when there’s an entire historic village for sale in rural North Carolina for just $500,000.
The picturesque remains of an entire ‘lost’ community are located near Jordan Lake, and include a general store, boarding house and post office.
Built in the 19th century, the abandoned community of Merry Oaks is a last remnant of the agricultural villages that once dominated rural North Carolina but have now been destroyed to make way for more modern developments.
Located on a 3.3-acre site, Merry Oaks continues to conjure up images of an America that has long since ceased to exist.
Merry Oaks ceased to be an official mailing address in the 1950s.
The Merry Oaks community is 150 years old and the agricultural village was founded in the 19th century
The property sits atop 3.3 acres of lush land in North Carolina and can be purchased for $500,000, cheaper than many homes in Raleigh.
Tucked away on a country lane, this 150-year-old village has old wooden verandas, topped with rocking chairs that creak when you sit in them. There are tall antique pillars, green farmland and old oak trees.
The community takes you back to the past, when tired farmers rolled their tobacco after a long day at the plough, and villagers gathered on the streets or in the local church to exchange stories and gossip.
Located near the freeway, Merry Oaks is listed for just $500,000 – far less than the cost of a house in Raleigh.
On Saturday, real estate agents will host an open house — open village sounds more accurate — giving potential buyers a chance to investigate the Merry Oaks community.
According to Merry Oaks’ Zillow page, “the boarding house, post office and general store have played host to weary travelers on horseback, artists and writers alike.”
Merry Oaks is one of the last farming communities that once dotted the New Hope River Valley, which now lies beneath the waters of Jordan Lake.
Nearby communities like Seaforth and Pearidge have been lost to Jordan Lake, their buildings, once loud with life inside them, now deep underwater.
When the lake level dropped in 2023, eerie remains of old homes, railroad tracks and highways were visible.
North Carolina’s lakes have claimed many ghost towns, and Merry Oaks isn’t entirely an exception. The grist mill, a mill that once served the entire community, is now located beneath the lake.
Children from the community jumped with skipping ropes made from vines
By the 1950s the community had declined in size and no longer existed as an official address
The verandas creak with every step, just like 150 years ago
It makes the remaining asset of Merry Oaks all the more special and valuable.
In its golden years, before people started moving and before it started gobbling up more tracts of land, Merry Oaks was a vibrant place.
There was a one-room school, a grist mill on the lake, a blacksmith shop, a railway and a train depot.
The village was surrounded by a grove of leafy oak trees, and the villagers found joy in simple pleasures.
Donna Aiello, a broker with LPT Realty, the agency selling the property, said WRAL News: ‘When the farmers came from the fields and organized spirited parties and dances. Ultimately, they would challenge the rest to an exciting horse race around the oak trees
The Yates clan owned the General Store, where villagers could go to buy their supplies. A descendant of the Yates family remembered her great-great-grandmother riding her wagon into town every day for her job as a schoolhouse teacher.
On lazy Saturday afternoons, children jumped with skipping ropes made from grape vines, or played baseball with handmade hickory bats.
But in the early 20th century, around the time of World War I, a high school across the Haw River in Moncure began to attract many students. Merry Oaks High School closed in the early 20th century.
The population began to drift away and stores, including the Yates General Store, were forced to close or relocate.
And in the 1950s, the Merry Oaks Post Office was merged with the New Hill and Moncure post offices, and Merry Hills was no longer an official address.
In recent years, local residents have worked hard to preserve the remains of Merry Oaks. Thanks to extraordinary efforts, they were able to save the property’s historic church, which was in danger of being demolished due to a planned highway expansion.
The property once had a grist mill, which has since been flooded by Lake Jordan, but it still features a general store, boarding house and post office.
Merry Oaks remains untouched by time and real estate agents hope whoever buys the village will choose to preserve it rather than demolish it.
The real estate agents hope that whoever buys this property will choose to preserve it and not demolish it.
Merry Oaks’ legacy could live on, perhaps in the form of a wedding venue or a quaint Airbnb. It could also be converted into a country music venue, where musicians can play fiddles and strum guitars and bring the phantom of the old Merry Oaks community back to life.
“I think this area, because there’s so much growth and so many developers coming in and bulldozing areas, it would be something special to preserve this little niche part of North Carolina,” Aiello said.
“We hope that someone with a love of history and passion for restoration will come in and see the beauty of this property.”