Joel Lane Museum House

Joel Lane Museum House Birthplace of North Carolina's capital city, Raleigh. All tours are guided by a costumed docent. Please see the website for location, hours, and special events.

The Joel Lane Museum House, “Birthplace of North Carolina’s Capital,” was the home of Colonel Joel Lane, a Revolutionary War patriot, a plantation and slaveowner, and a local politician and statesman who sold 1,000 acres of his land to the State of NC in 1792 for the building the capital city, Raleigh. Tours paint a picture of life and politics in the Carolina backcountry of 1770-1795, and speak

on the lives and experiences of the Lane family and the 43 men and women and children who were enslaved here. This site contains Joel Lane’s furnished 18th-century home, as well as a circa 1790 middle-class dwelling, interpreted as a kitchen, a colonial revival herb, and a circa 1840 Visitors Center and museum shop.

08/14/2026

JLMH is closed today, Friday, August 14. We're sorry for the inconvenience!

08/13/2026

We're getting excited for the Camp Flintlock Colonial Faire, August 22! Hope to see you there!

Travel back in time when our nation was born. All of our programs―school field trips, summer camps, and more―are fun and educational!

Hat-tip to RaleighSkyline.com!
08/03/2026

Hat-tip to RaleighSkyline.com!

The 1769 Joel Lane Museum House sits nestled among blooming crepe myrtles, providing some vivid colors on a cloudy morning.

Can you spot the Joel Lane House in this photo of Raleigh from 1970? 👀
02/10/2026

Can you spot the Joel Lane House in this photo of Raleigh from 1970? 👀

Aerial view of Boylan Heights with State Prison and Dorothea Dix Hospital grounds in distance, 17 June 1970.
_______________
NO.6-17.1970
From the N&O Negative Collection, State Archives of North Carolina. Photo copyrighted by the News and Observer. Illegal to use without express permission from the N&O.

01/30/2026

Here we go again! We're closed tomorrow, Saturday, January 30, as winter weather continues. Be safe and have fun playing in the snow, and we'll see you all next week!

01/28/2026

JLMH will be closed today, Wednesday, January 28, due to continued ice. Unfortunately, we don't have enough skates for everyone to navigate our courtyard!

Stay safe, friends, and we'll see you soon.

01/23/2026

The Joel Lane Museum House will be CLOSED tomorrow, Saturday, January 24, in anticipation of the winter storm. Stay warm and safe, friends!

Our bunny friend has been safely transferred to a foster parent who volunteers with the SPCA. Thank you to everyone who ...
12/12/2025

Our bunny friend has been safely transferred to a foster parent who volunteers with the SPCA.

Thank you to everyone who reached out about the little guy!

Someone's lost pet bunny wandered into the Joel Lane garden today. If you know of someone searching for a pet rabbit, di...
12/09/2025

Someone's lost pet bunny wandered into the Joel Lane garden today. If you know of someone searching for a pet rabbit, direct them our way!

Thank you to everyone who volunteered and attended JLMH’s 2025 Christmas Open House! 🎊It was a cold one, but everyone ha...
12/06/2025

Thank you to everyone who volunteered and attended JLMH’s 2025 Christmas Open House! 🎊

It was a cold one, but everyone had a great time making crafts and leaning about life in the 18th century. We couldn’t have done it without our wonderful volunteers!

Address

160 S Saint Marys Street
Raleigh, NC
27603

Opening Hours

Wednesday 10am - 1am
Thursday 10am - 1pm
Friday 10am - 1pm
Saturday 1pm - 3pm

Telephone

+19198333431

Website

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