James Bunn House – An Antebellum Gem

By MaryBeth Carpenter

Twin Lakes Farmz on Highway 39 in Zebulon is owned and operated by David and Jill Hicks. When this couple bought the property in 2015, along with its acreage included an old house, a large hearth which was part of a separate kitchen for the house, and several dilapidated outbuildings.

A lover of history, David Hicks decided to restore the house.  Guests at the PZ Annual Meeting were able to tour it on October 1, 2020.

The house belonged to James Bunn, and was likely built between 1830 and 1840.   James Bunn (1795 – 1863) was the third of five sons born to Benjamin Bunn and Kate Massey in Little River Township of Wake County. James inherited the property from his father Benjamin Bunn via his will in 1819. James then married Obedience O’Neal in 1821 and they had 13 children.  The house and farm stayed in the Bunn family until the death of Cade D. Bunn, James’ youngest child in 1921, and then it passed through two other owners in the ensuing 12 years.

In 1934, the house and farm was sold to Avon Privette. The property then remained in the hands of the Privette family until 1915, when David and Jill Hicks bought it. David is restoring the house, and has converted the old antebellum kitchen to an outdoor pavilion. David Hicks built a new home 300 yards away, recreated one of the three ponds on the property and has secured lands of James’ older brothers, Budd and Cade Bunn as well to create a relaxing retreat upon 360 acres. David also purchased a 30 acre parcel across Highway 39 to protect the property’s sight lines.

David Hicks also repurposed the original kitchen by including the hearth in an outdoor pavilion design for his family and guests to enjoy.

Preservation Zebulon appreciates the generosity of David and Jill Hicks in sharing their historic house, pavilion and property with us for our PZ annual meeting which was held on October 1, 2020.

By MaryBeth Carpenter, Copyright 2020, All rights reserved.  Excerpt from the book, “Legendary Little River Locals” which will be published soon. MaryBeth is Executive Director of Preservation Zebulon Inc.