![\"\"](\"https:\/\/goodnewsmags.com\/fayetteville\/wp-content\/uploads\/sites\/4\/2025\/02\/2-2-1024x683.png\")
<\/figure>\n\n\n\nAs they worked on the house, Syler and Priest began to discover more and more about the history of the construction. At first, they thought the house was built in 1880 \u2014 but a little research showed that it had been sold to William S. (W.S.) Hurt in 1874. Other hints led them to believe the house was even older. The main house is constructed with square nails, which went out of fashion in the 1820s. They found the remains of an 1820s-style cast iron stove in the backyard and a museum wardrobe labeled \u20181830s James Bright Family Wardrobe\u2019 with the name Hurt scrawled inside.<\/p>\n\n\n\n
\u201cThat gave us a real tie from W.S. Hurt because we knew James Bright had multiple houses,\u201d Syler said. \u201cHe bought and sold land, just massive amounts of land, and he became very wealthy doing that.\u201d<\/p>\n\n\n\n
Other documents and accounts indicated that the house on Mulberry was possibly James Bright\u2019s first brick house. It could even be the house that Andrew Jackson used as his head- quarters and that the Union attempted to burn in the 1860s. Syler and Priest aren\u2019t 100% sure because many historical documents are missing, but they said the circumstantial evidence has led to their theory.<\/p>\n\n\n\n
\u201cI\u2019ve found an 1830s Federal Navy Officer\u2019s coat button, I\u2019ve found a Confederate Army cuff but-
ton, I\u2019ve found a Union Army Officer\u2019s coat button, we\u2019ve found [a] Civil War stirrup, and we\u2019ve found a spur,\u201d Syler said. \u201cWe\u2019ve found some of the early \u2014 really early \u2014 rim fire cartridges underneath the front porch.\u201d<\/p>\n\n\n\n
In addition, simple tasks like moving flowers and laying paths have unearthed two cisterns. There is something new to be found every day.<\/p>\n\n\n\n \u201cIt\u2019s like an archeological dig around here,\u201d Priest said. \u201cYou never know what you\u2019re going to dig up.\u201d<\/p>\n\n\n\n There has been so much history uncovered during the restoration process, and Syler said once they have the section they\u2019re living in done, the pair will begin making and publishing videos of their work and research. Hopefully, he said, that will help fund what they are doing.<\/p>\n\n\n\n \u201cMost of the time, when you have somebody doing one of these projects they have lots of financial resources to do the project,\u201d Syler said. \u201cWe\u2019re musicians\u2026 it\u2019s the extra cash that we can squeeze out of our pocket to do it.\u201d<\/p>\n\n\n\n Syler and Priest have many other plans for the house, which will be realized during construction and afterward. A staircase will be turned into a staircase of history, each step engraved with a family that lived in the home. Portraits of James Bright and his wife, Nancy Morgan Bright, will hang in the foyer, and Priest hopes to play their 1870s pump organ for Host of Christmas Past once the house is done.<\/p>\n\n\n\n Dozens of people across Fayetteville have a connection with the little house on Mulberry Avenue, and it has impacted hundreds more in its long and storied history. Thanks to Keith Syler and Becky Priest, history is becoming a little cleaner and a little clearer every day. GN<\/p>\n","protected":false},"excerpt":{"rendered":" The house was set way back from the road, old, run-down, and covered in weeds and poison ivy. Its roof had holes, the floor had deteriorated, and the basement was full of trash \u2014 but Keith Syler and Becky Priest saw something beautiful. For the past 2 1\/2 years, they have been restoring that house […]<\/p>\n","protected":false},"author":19,"featured_media":23738,"comment_status":"open","ping_status":"open","sticky":false,"template":"","format":"standard","meta":{"_et_pb_use_builder":"off","_et_pb_old_content":"","_et_gb_content_width":"","footnotes":""},"categories":[6],"tags":[],"class_list":["post-23735","post","type-post","status-publish","format-standard","has-post-thumbnail","hentry","category-feature"],"yoast_head":"\n![\"\"](\"https:\/\/goodnewsmags.com\/fayetteville\/wp-content\/uploads\/sites\/4\/2025\/02\/1-2-1024x683.png\")
<\/figure>\n\n\n\n