Unity Monument, Bennett Place, Durham, North Carolina - Photos Then and Now on Waymarking.com

The farmhouse of James and Nancy Bennett was the location of the largest troop surrender of the Civil War. Following the war, James Bennett farmed for a short while and then he passed away as did his wife a few years later. The farm property then came into the hands of the Morgan family. The house, no longer occupied, fell into disrepair. Locals began to cart off pieces of the farmhouse as souvenirs.

In the early part of the 20th Century, the Morgan family donated the site to the state along with funds to erect a monument on the site. A frame barn was built around the farmhouse in an attempt to preserve it, but both structures burned in 1921. All that remained was the stone chimney and it, too began to tumble down.

The State Legislature formed the Bennett Place Memorial Commission with the intent of building a monument to national unity at the site. The monument was erected and dedicated in 1923. The farmhouse was rebuilt in 1961.

The photo above shows local citizens at the dedication ceremony on October 12, 1923. Note the Confederate veterans seated in front of the platform with one in full Confederate uniform.

Above is the site today. The former farm fields beyond the monument in the background have reverted to piney forest. The large trees in the foreground were planted at the site in the mid-1920's some time after the dedication ceremony. At the extreme right of the frame is a portion of the reconstructed Bennett farmhouse.

Above is a reverse angle shot showing the Unity Monument and Bennett Farmhouse today. The matching contemporary photo was taken from the grove of trees to the right side of the frame.

For a more comprensive look at the Unity Monument and Bennett Place, see my American Civil War Monuments and Memorials waymark for the Unity Monument.