View of the Beaver Dam House
Dates: Built in 1829, Beaver Dam is a two-story, Federal style house that was home to Major William Lee Davidson, II (son of General William Lee Davidson for whom Davidson College is named) and his wife, Betsy Lee Davidson. Major John Davidson, Betsy’s father, also lived with the couple until his death in 1832.
Beaver Dam plantation eventually encompassed 785 acres. The plantation grounds included the house, a large garden, a smokehouse, a chicken house, and quarters for enslaved people. In addition to farming, William Davidson experimented with silk culture, planting mulberry trees and adding silk rooms and hatcheries.
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Mailing Address: Davidson College - E.H. Little Library, 209 Ridge Road, Box 5000, Davidson, NC 28035