CityView Magazine

58 | October • 2014 W indows boarded up with plywood. White paint peeling off in clumps. Foliage and weeds taking over like kudzu. It's a sight we see all too of- ten when it comes to once old, elegant buildings and homes that are now ignored. and it's a sight that e Woman's Club of Fayetteville is hoping to prevent from ever happening to their beloved Heritage Square. Heritage Square, hidden away from downtown Fayetteville on Dick Street, is a one-acre property featuring the Sandford House (built in 1800), Oval Ballroom (built in 1820) and the Baker-Haigh-Nimocks house (built in 1804). Elaine Kennebeck, a newcomer to Fayetteville who now serves as president of the club, is spearheading the effort to revi- talize and upkeep the grounds of Heritage Square. She is a native of Phoenix, Arizona who retired here with her husband aer having a posh career as an interior designer, working for many professional athletes. She realizes that membership and interest in the cause has waned. So, over the last year, Kennebeck has been responsible for bringing fresh ideas and momentum back to the Club. "I want to move the Club out of the depths and make it success- ful again. I am the type of person if I am going to do this, I am going to do this," she emphasized. e Club is currently at 50 members and she expects 30 more by the end of their early fall meetings. One Fayetteville icon, founder of the Lafayette Society and co-founder of the Cape Fear Botanical Garden, Martha Duell, has re-joined the Club aer a seven-year absence. "e club needed me. It has gone down a lot. I used to be the one who raised the money," Duell said. And raise the money is what Duell did. Since mid-August, $12,000 from various donors in the community will be put to- ward needed repairs. "We have to keep up three beautiful old buildings. We are growing leaps and bounds as a city, but we are not taking care of the old….We just need a couple of good sugar daddies to help us," she kidded. The Woman's Club e Club began in 1906 and was responsible for the first li- brary in Fayetteville and Cumberland County that occupied the second floor of the Market House from 1907 to 1910. e Club moved into the Sandford House in the 1920s and rented it for many years. During that lease, to house the many unmarried, working women who were coming into Fayetteville to help with the war effort, the house was turned into a temporary dormi- tory. In 1941, the Club purchased the house and later petitioned the National Register of Historic Places to make the Sandford House, Oval Ballroom and the Baker-Haigh-Nimocks House all national historic landmarks. In the early 1970s, that petition was granted. Today, the sole purpose of the Club is to promote and preserve the history and integrity of Heritage Square. When the Club was first founded it was all about morning teas and socialization. "When I joined 60 years ago, it was a tea BY MIRIAM LANDRU One Fayetteville icon, founder of the Lafayette Society and co-founder of the Cape Fear Botanical Garden, Martha Duell, has re-joined the Club after a seven-year absence. Myra Parker, Cassandra McMillion, Elaine Kennebeck & Judy Dorman

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