Historic Oak View

Historic Oak View, also known as the Williams-Wyatt-Poole Farm, is a special place from the 1800s located east of downtown Raleigh, North Carolina. It started as a farm where black people were forced to work by the white owners who owned the land. Today, visitors can see many old buildings, including a kitchen from the early 1800s, a farmhouse from 1855, a barn for animals, a barn for processing cotton, and a small house for tenants from the early 1900s.

The Farm History Center at Oak View teaches people about the history of this farm and how farming used to be done in North Carolina. Besides the old buildings, the site has an orchard, a beehive, a small cotton field, and the largest pecan grove in Wake County. It’s a great place to learn about the past and see how life was long ago.

History

Historic Oak View started when Benton Southworth Donaldson Williams bought land in eastern Wake County in 1829. He built the oldest building, a kitchen, and later a large farmhouse in 1855. During this time, the farm grew lots of Cotton, which was very important in the South.

After Williams passed away, the land was sold to Job P. Wyatt. His family ran the farm for many years, growing crops like cotton, vegetables, and pecans. In 1944, the Gregory-Poole family updated the farm with new features like running water and electricity. Finally, in 1984, Wake County bought the land and turned it into a park to protect its history. In 1991, it was added to the National Register of Historic Places.

Current use

In 1995, Oak View became part of the Wake County park system, making it the first historic site there. A Farm History Center opened in 1997 to share stories about farming in North Carolina from long ago until today. In 2012, a special house was brought to the site to help tell about the people who lived and worked there. Now, over 100,000 visitors each year come to Oak View to learn about the state's farming history through fun programs, events, and displays.