Raleigh's oldest home reveals secrets beneath over 200 years of paint

The oldest home in Raleigh has been here longer than the city itself. This week, Raleighites got a glimpse of how it appeared over 200 years ago.

These images show the Lane House as it hasn’t appeared in over two centuries, according to Lanie Hubbard, Director of the Joel Lane Museum House. The bare wood hasn't been exposed since the very first coat of red paint covered it roughly 250 years ago.

As part of an ongoing project to restore the home to its original color, teams have stripped all the paint from the wooden exterior.

Beneath centuries of paint layers, Joel Lane Museum House said they found some surprises — like two small lead bullets embedded in the wood.

Hubbard was curious about the bullets, saying she had "no clue" what could have put them there.

"We don't have any documentation of a shooting incident and both projectiles were beneath decades of paint."

"From the size, it's probably a late nineteenth- or early twentieth-century small-caliber bullet, or a piece of swan shot--big birdshot--from an unknown date," she said.

It's just one more mystery for the Joel Lane House. After 250 years in existence, a home is bound to pick up a few mysteries.

"We also found marks from the 'pit saw' enslaved workers would have used to cut the boards," said Hubbard.

"Each board was cut, using only hand tools, by enslaved laborers, who also would have felled the trees, built the frame, mounted the siding, and applied the paint. This little piece of wall shows the results of untold hours of labor," said Hubbard.

They also found visible traces of the original red paint.

Although the historic home has been an iconic yellow for the past several decades, the Joel Lane Museum House announced in December 2019 that they had discovered the original color was more of a deep rustic red.

Some collectors and amateur historians have been purchasing branded gift shop items which still depict the yellow house -- items that will be rare and historic before long.

"This bare wood hasn’t seen sunlight in centuries," said Hubbard.

Work has already begun to apply primer, protecting the wood and metal from the elements and preparing the way for new paint.

One more mystery for the Lane House: How many centuries will pass before this view will be seen again?