- Now for a destination that's a little more grounded, but still fascinating.

Back in the Revolutionary War era, a house near Sanford came under siege by a militia loyal to the crown.

The house is situated in the bend of the Deep River, and as producer Rick Sullivan discovered, that's how it got the quirky name of the House in the Horseshoe.

- We're kind of between Sanford and Carthage.

So, about 10 to 12 minutes from either town.

Yeah, right on that line between Lee County and Moore County.

So, this house was built in 1772.

The first owner was a guy named Philip Alston.

He was the Colonel of the Patriot Militia.

So, it gets the name House in the Horseshoe because it's located in the horseshoe bend of the Deep River.

- [Rick] That original owner of the house, the Whig Colonel Philip Alston, was constantly at odds with a local band of British loyalists or Tories during the Revolutionary War.

Alston's House in the Horseshoe came under attack by Tories early in the morning of July 29th, 1781.

It might've looked something like this, a reenactment performed on the anniversary of the event.

[weapons firing] - The skirmish lasted about three, three and a half hours.

And we know that at one point the loyalists, one of 'em, hops the fence, runs at the house, shot and killed.

Another one jumps the fence, runs at the house, shot and wounded.

- Good shot!

[weapons firing] - So, David Fanning changes tactics and lights a cart of hay on fire and brings it over to the house with the intent to burn it down.

- [Rick] That brought out the white flag from Mrs.

Alston, who opted to save the house and the Patriots and children inside.

David Fanning, who directed the assault, was a notorious leader of the Tories, known for his cleverness, but also ruthlessness and lawlessness.

Nonetheless, Temperance Alston successfully negotiated for her husband and his forces to be spared from fiery deaths that day.

After the war, House in the Horseshoe was purchased by Governor Benjamin Williams and a succession of others until the 1950s, when the state purchased the home and preserved its history.

- This would've been the family room as well as the master bedroom.

This is where Philip and Temperance were either awoken or they were just starting their day when the house was ambushed.

And this is the fireplace where Temperance hid three of her children.

- [Rick] Research continues to refine the historical and forensic information about the house.

Of great curiosity to visitors and historians are the bullet holes still visible from the skirmish more than 240 years ago.

- The things that we did with the State Bureau of Investigations when they came out to do that ballistic study was to try to figure out the directions of where the loyalists were shooting from and even the angles that they were shooting from.

So, how close were they to the house?

From what direction were they shooting?

And so we were actually able to learn a lot about it.

We were able to tell that on this side of the house, the loyalists that would've been shooting from this side, most of them were actually coming from around this corner here that we're standing in.

- [Rick] This newly discovered evidence will factor into the next reenactment at the house, which would typically be in July of 2026.

But currently, House in the Horseshoe has begun construction of a new visitor center, which will keep the site closed to the public until 2027.

This much-anticipated visitor center will greatly enhance the history experience at the site.

- It'll be 3,000 square feet.

We're gonna have a brand new exhibit space inside.

We're gonna have an audiovisual room, an introductory video, a bigger gift shop.

It's really gonna give us a lot more opportunities for programming, specifically educational programming.

With field trips, we'll be able to have more children out, and we're really excited about that.

- The House in the Horseshoe State Historic Site is at 288 Alston House Road in Sanford.

There are renovations being made at the site, so give them a call at [910] 947-2051 or visit their website at historicsitesnc.gov.