Cooleemee Plantation
The Cooleemee Plantation, formerly known as the Hairston Plantation after the original family, is located in Davie County near the Yadkin River. The Plantation land was acquired in 1817 by Major Peter Hairston and already had the name Cooleemee. “Cooleemee” is believed to mean “place where the white oaks grow.” In 1979, it was recognized as a National Historical Landmark.
Frank Naples, of A&M Welding, and local blacksmith Paul Spainhour were commissioned to build the gate and fencing around the entrance to the property. The design for the gate and fence were taken from a picture of the original entrance to the Plantation. The stone columns are leopard stone granite. These are extremely rare and unique as this particular granite is only found in two places in the world: here on the Plantation grounds, and in Japan. The stones used for these columns were quarried on the property. Frank Naples and Paul Spainhour were assisted by Robert Pearl and Will Lowdermilk.
