Named for the chinquapin, a dwarf chestnut tree, Chinqua-Penn Plantation was built by Thomas Jefferson "Jeff" Penn and Margaret Beatrice "Betsy" Schoellkopf Penn during the 1920s. The large house reflected their lifestyle of entertaining and traveling, and it showcased the art and furniture they collected from around the world. The plantation's grounds evolved into an exotic horticultural collection of both native and imported plants. The Penns ran a dairy at Chinqua-Penn as well. After Betsy Penn's death in 1965, Chinqua-Penn was maintained by the University of North Carolina, Greensboro. When funding was cut in the late 1980s, the house was closed, but NCSU took over its management and reopened it shortly thereafter. In 1991, funding became a problem yet again, and the museum was closed a second time. A nonprofit organization called the Chinqua-Penn Foundation was formed by Reidsville, North Carolina, officials to preserve the house and open it to visitors. The foundation secured Chinqua-Penn Plantation status as a National Historic Landmark and reopened the house with state funding. Although NCSU continues to administer the Betsy-Jeff Penn 4-H Center on the mansion grounds, further funding problems forced the foundation to close the museum's doors. NCSU sold the house to a private owner in 2006.
From the description of North Carolina State University, Office of Finance and Business, Chinqua-Penn Plantation records, 1863-2002 [manuscript] (North Carolina State University). WorldCat record id: 539537401
