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FEATURES

70. ECC CLASS Edgecombe Community College teaches preservation

ON THE C OV E R

74. TRI-COUNTY AIRPORT New terminal gets official opening Aerial shot of the Bullock-Dew House in Wilson County Photo by Jason Sessoms

VOL. 13, NO. 3 MAY 2021 75. VIEWS

A look at some of our historic properties

STAFF & CONTRIBUTORS

76. DAY TRIP

Take a short trek to charming Suffolk, Va.

Publisher Kyle Stephens kstephens@ncweeklies.com Editor Thadd White twhite@ncweeklies.com Creative Services Director Michelle Leicester

80. 6 QUESTIONS

Shenon Beachboard talks about remodeling a historic home

82. GRANDMA’S KITCHEN Sylvia Hughes gives historical cooking background

mleicester@ncweeklies.com Layout & Design Becky Wetherington beckyweth@gmail.com Photo Editor Jim Green jgreen@ncweeklies.com Advertising Executives Lou Ann Van Landingham

84. GRACE & TRUTH The Rev. Webb Hoggard says there is a person we all need to know

86. BIOGRAPHY Jackie Lyons White describes living with Lupus

lavan@ncweeklies.com Kelly Ayscue kayscue@rmtelegram.com Chris Taylor ctaylor@rmtelegram.com

Staff Gene Metrick gmetrick@rmtelegram.com Sarah Hodges Stalls shstalls@ncweeklies.com Deborah Griffin dgriffin@ncweeklies.com Leslie Beachboard lbeachboard@ncweeklies.com John Walker john.walkernc@yahoo.com Editorial Contributors Sandy Carawan Sarah Davis Sylvia Hughes Gene Motley John Walker Amelia Harper Andy Cockrell Rev. Webb Hoggard Mary Tom Bass Lewis Hoggard Nikki Pruitt Jason Sessoms Kelly Grady Eastern North Carolina Living Magazine P.O. Box 69, Windsor, NC 27983 252-794-3185 twhite@ncweeklies.com

Eastern North Carolina Living is published by APG Media Eastern NC, and is a subsidiary of the Bertie Ledger-Advance, Martin County Enterprise & Weekly Herald, Tarboro Weekly and Rocky Mount Telegram.

Wilson County

Calling the historic

Bullock-Dew House

Home

Story by Andy Cockrell Photos by Nikki Pruitt & Jason Sessoms

any by

occasionally nationally

landmarks.

pass

registered

Some

icon in western Wilson County as the Eiffel Tower is in Paris.

are

It is not every day one sees a Queen Anne

fortunate to take guided tours inside such

home in the middle of rural countryside, miles

places. A precious few are privileged to work in

from the nearest town. However, the most

one of these historic buildings.

memorable and distinguishing element are

Then there are people like Joe and Janice

the large parentheses brackets between every

Tippett, who call a nationally registered

post of the porch that wraps around the front

landmark “home.”

half of the house.

Since 2001, Joe and Janice have been the

Before the first piece of its foundation was

owners of the Bullock-Dew House. While

ever laid (with large rocks quarried locally),

most locals probably do not know it by its

the Bullock-Dew House was intended to

official name, the home is as much of a visual

extraordinary.

Constructed

1902,

Washington Plummer Bullock wanted the

originally been a mule barn and corn crib.

best house in Wilson County. Designed by

Although coming across humorously, Joe

renowned architect George Franklin Barber,

is entirely serious in explaining the practicality

Bullock spared no expense in building an

of that step: “I wasn’t interested in paying two

ornately crafted masterpiece.

mortgages.”

The original owner would be so proud if he

Once the apartment was ready, the couple

could see his home now. The Tippetts not only

lived in it for six months while working to

undertook a painstaking renovation, but they

make the main house habitable.

have been continually improving the beauty

The Tippetts inherited a house that was

and grandeur of the home – both inside and

far from the showpiece it had once been.

out – since taking ownership two decades ago.

Before they bought it, the home sat empty

Growing up in the area, Janice fell in love

and neglected for several years. Prior to that,

with the house when she first saw it as a

it had been used as a rental house. Even

teenager. Over the years she would revisit to

before then, much work done to the home

see the condition of the house, or if it even still

would be more aptly described as remuddling

existed. Finding out that it was for sale, she

than remodeling. Previous additions had been

was adamant that “I want that house!”

done haphazardly, not architecturally correct

Knowing the effort and costs they would face, Joe admits that he made an extremely

“

Living here is unique, you feel the warmth of previous families who lived here. We are just caretakers. I hope this house will be here long after I’m gone.

”

- Joe Tippett

and aesthetically unpleasant because the roof lines did not match up.

low offer on the property with no expectation

Passersby might have thought they were

that it would be accepted. To his surprise - and

either demolishing or relocating the home, as

his wife’s delight - the offer was accepted and

they lifted the roof off the rear addition with a

and visually pleasing. The house that stands now looks as if it was erected that way from the start. The

couple

made

some

bold

crane. This allowed the Tippetts to erase the

improvements. Foremost among them, they

Before beginning work on the main house,

previous mistakes and create a new footprint

raised the ceiling in the home’s main living

Joe updated an existing apartment that had

and roof lines that were historically accurate

area by four feet, making the great room

the adventure began.

genuinely ‘great.’ In expanding the kitchen, the new trim work was milled to exactly match the original trim. Joe harvested some pine flooring from the second floor of a nearby historic home that had flooded in 1996. This was used in and around the kitchen area, and the painting and stenciling of that floor is now a signature component of the home’s interior. The most obvious change, though, was the exterior paint. For its first century of existence, everyone knew the Bullock-Dew House as an entirely white house. It was grand and detailed, but everything was white. In addition, Joe shares, “It had only been painted three times since it was built, so all the paint was in rough shape.” His vision was to paint the home in a palette more akin to a 1902 Queen Anne home instead of a country farmhouse. He chose pale blue for the main color, accenting with white, yellows and grays to highlight – successfully – the architectural detail. Joe and Janice were the perfect couple who came along at the perfect time to rescue the Bullock-Dew House. As locals, they already had a deep appreciation for the home and a commitment to restore its glory. Joe brought do-it-yourself skills, patience and a clear vision to the project. And, listening to the couple talk both about the house and their relationship, Janice provided balance while particularly influencing the interior design. She jokes about the renovation, “I’m surprised we made it through still married!”

“

Janice prefers a cooler color palette and some modern touches, while Joe is ardent about keeping things period-correct and leans to warmer colors. The result is a residence that looks how it was first built to look while living like a modern farmhouse. Joe proudly offers, “Everything we did was getting it

Everything we did

back to what it was or making it better.”

was getting it back

make sacrifices along the way. Their daughter, Caroline,

to what it was or

She was plucked from a neighborhood and moved to

making it better.

with because there were no neighbors at all. Janice

The couple notes that they were not the only ones to was eight years old when the house was purchased. a new home where there were no neighbors to play remembers how patient her daughter was when her parents had to devote so much time for a few months to

”

- Joe Tippett

the renovations. Joe and Janice remain more than a little grateful that Caroline has as much love for and pride in the house as they have. What began twenty years ago was about much more than moving into a nice house.

Joe’s tone becomes somber as he shares, “Living here is unique, you feel the warmth of previous families who lived here. We are just caretakers, I hope this house will be here long after I’m gone.” The couple could not have known how life would change once they were in their ‘new’ home. They were not only homeowners, but also preservationists, curators and tour guides. For two decades now, vehicles routinely turn into their driveway and strangers knock on their doors. The house almost compels folks to seek a closer look. The Tippetts treat these unannounced visitors as guests, sharing with them the home’s rich history and its renovation story. For the Bullock-Dew House, they are indeed the perfect couple for the perfect time. Andy Cockrell has written dozens of academic papers as well as newspaper articles and weekly columns. In 2016, he wrote and published a novel “A Quarter ‘til Life” which is available on Amazon. Along with his wife and two children, Andy resides in the home in which he grew up in Kenly.

Gates County

Pound Cake & Strawberries Rountree Family Farm is rich in memories Story by Gene Motley Photos by Gene Motley & Contributed

he “ol’ home place” sits tall, grand and majestic just off the highway (N.C. 37) less than half-mile from the road’s intersection with U.S. 158 at Ellenor’s Crossroads, which is

about midway between Gatesville and Buckland. Rountree Family Farm, is also known as the Alfred Patrick Rountree Farm, a historic farm complex located near Gatesville. It consists of the property, buildings and outbuildings constructed by four generations of the descendants of Abner Rountree who acquired the family’s original holding here in 1800. The Alfred Patrick Rountree House was built in 1904 and expanded about 1916. It is a two-story frame farmhouse sheathed in weatherboard. Also on the property are the contributing dairy (c. 1904-1915), hand-pump (c. 1910-1915), wood shed (c. 1910-1920), smokehouse (c. 1904), privy (c. 1904-1915), three barns (c. 1904, 1933, c. 1910-1915), stable (c. 1935), and chicken coop (c. 1925). The Simmons Rountree House was built about 1830, and is a twostory, one-room plan frame house. It has not been occupied as a permanent residence since 1907.

The Rountree Family Farm, comprises

eighty-seven-acre Rountree Family Farm is

over 87-and one-quarter acres of fields,

one of the few places in Gates County which

woodlands and house grounds together with

has been owned and occupied by a single

two historic residences, related domestic

family for nearly two centuries and where

and agricultural outbuildings, and the family

surviving buildings reflect both the family’s

cemetery. It is located in central Gates

domestic and agricultural pursuits over the

County, about 2.50 miles north of Gatesville,

course of some 170 years.

the county seat.

The Rountree Family Farm, comprising

The irregularly-shaped farm lies on

the residual part of the lands brought into

the east side of N.C. 37, just north of the

the family by Abner Rountree in 1800

highway’s intersection with U.S. 158 The farm

and a second adjoining tract purchased

forms part of the rather flat, well-watered

by his great-grandson in 1902, two family

rural agricultural landscape of Gates County

residences,

that extends from the Chowan River, which

outbuildings, and the family cemetery, is

forms its western boundary with Hertford

a place of extraordinary importance in the

County, eastward to the Great Dismal

history and landscape of Gates County.

domestic

and

agricultural

Swamp through which carry its eastern

For the period 1900-1940, the farm was

boundaries with Camden and Pasquotank

just kept in what was considered an ‘old-

counties.

fashioned way’; the simple Carolina country

The acreage is bisected by a small creek

life.

which flows in a generally northerly fashion

In 1904 Alfred Patrick Rountree had his

and then ‘westerly into Cole Creek which

new house built in the north junction of the

flows to the south and into Sarem Creek,

lane and the public road which is now NC 37;

southwest of Gatesville, from which Sarem

all his domestic and farm outbuildings stand

Creek empties into the Chowan River.’

behind his house in a rectangular clearing on

The Rountree Family Farm was listed on

the northwest side of the farm lane which,

the National Register of Historic Places in

in tum, linked his then new house with his

2000. The property was originally owned

boyhood home.

by the Spivey family. It is noted on the

While currently unoccupied, the property

application for historic places that the Spivey

is maintained by first cousins Annie Margaret

occupation of the residence was well before

Rountree and Carolyn Rountree Eaton.

the 1800s. The date the Rountree’s took the

“It was just a family farm,” says Annie

property happened when Priscilla Spivey

Margaret Rountree. “The family raised corn,

conveyed 140 acres to her son-in-law Abner

peanuts and cotton, but no tobacco.”

Rountree.

“

I grew up just down the road from the Family Farmhouse. It was a house of yeoman farmers...

”

- Carolyn Rountree Eaton

“I grew up just down the road from the

The farm satisfies National Register

Family Farmhouse,” chimed in cousin Carolyn

Criteria A and C and holds local significance in

Eaton. “It was a house of yeoman farmers

the areas of agriculture and architecture. The

and during family gatherings I remember

are crisply defined by woodlands which cover the remainder of the nominated acreage except for the house and farm yard at the Alfred Patrick Rountree House. After the two fields, the third major man-made feature of the historic landscape is the farm lane which stretches in a straight line for about 0.3 mile southwesterly from the Simmons Rountree House to a point just short of joining N.C. 37. During the period of historical significance, when the farm was worked by oxen, mules or horses, these fields were comprised of smaller cultivated patches and fields which have gradually become merged together. In the first-half of the twentieth century the family vegetable garden was enclosed in the smaller field, in the area northeast of one of the barns. “As for chores, we fed shelled corn to the chickens, gathered eggs and watched a cow, a mule and a horse move about near the house. Sometimes we rode in a cart pulled by the mule or horse,” remembered Eaton. Sundays we spent swinging on front porch seated swing that swayed in the summer breeze. “About three children could swing together; men adults sat on bench; women in rocking chairs. It could get real crowded. “For fun we pitched ‘real’ horseshoes in the front yard. Sometimes we would run off into the woods to pick and eat wild huckleberries, how we gathered vegetables and strawberries

sometimes topped with strawberries,” said

only to suffer from chigger (red bug) bites the

from the garden with my grandparents; and

Eaton.

next week,” Eaton acknowledged.

we also picked tuberose flowers.”

The landscape of the Rountree Family

A big treat for the younger children had to

Farm reflects a long history of farming and the

be dessert served following Sunday dinner.

process of place-making by four generations

While Rountree vividly remembers the milk

of the descendants of Abner Rountree who

puddings her grandmother – also named

acquired the family’s original holding here

Annie Margaret – made, both cousins agree

in 1800. Roughly one-third of the acreage

there was nothing like their grandmother’s

is cultivated and consists of two fields of

pound cake.

somewhat rectangular shape.

“I remember eating a slice of pound cake,

The edges of the farm’s cultivated areas

“We anxiously waited for them to cut watermelon so we could share slices in back yard near hand pump,” noted Rountree. “That was where we always had to wash our hands to get all the juice and sweet stuff off.” Gene Motley is a retired Sports Editor and Sports Director and regular contributor to Eastern North Carolina Living.

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Halifax County

Kehukee Primitive Baptist Church

The Mother Church

Story & Photos by Sarah Hodges Stalls

he Primitive Baptist Church, now dwindling in it’s numbers, was one of the early organized religious groups to take root in eastern North

Carolina. Although no longer an active meeting house, the “Mother Church” of Kehukee Association is still standing thanks to the love and care of those who respect her history. One of those being Charlie Dunn Alston, a Scotland Neck native who has compiled an extensive history of the Kehukee Primitive Baptist Church. The original Kehukee Baptist Church stood on the opposite side of Chapel Run, a small stream that flowed east into Kehukee Creek, from the Chapel of the Established Church. This church, established before 1738, was of the Church of England entity which was a forerunner to the current Episcopal Church. According to Alston’s research, the creek crosses N.C. 903 between

“

They organized the association at Kehukee Church, and then when they had the final split in 1827, that meeting happened to be held at Kehukee Church.

”

- Charlie Dunn Alston

Edwards Fork and Sam’s Head. This creek has also been called Bryant’s Mill Run and Steptoe’s Mill Run. The original Kehukee Baptist Church was organized in 1742 and met in a building measuring 40 feet by 20 feet. It was reportedly built the same year on land donated by William Sojourner, who would serve as the church’s first minister for about seven years. According to “The History of a Southern State” (Lefler and Newsome, 1964), Kehukee became “the most significant Baptist Church in the eastern part of the Colony of North Carolina.” By 1755, the church reported 125 members. From 1742 until 1755, the church was by belief a general baptist church, also called Arminian or Free Will, meaning they “believed that by the death of Christ, salvation was made available to all, and anyone may be saved by believing in Jesus Christ.” According

Alston’s

research,

this

changed in 1755 following the preaching of Benjamin Miller and Peter P. Vanhorn who were visiting ministers from the Philadelphia Baptist Association. The church was then “reformed to a Particular or Regular Baptist congregation.” This was inline with Calvanist doctrine

which believes in the doctrine of election or

the final split in 1827 that meeting happened

the fact that before the foundation of the

to be held at Kehukee Church,” said Alston.

world, God chose those who would be saved.

“So that’s why it’s of historical significance to

During the pastorate of John Meglamre,

the Baptist denomination and the Primitive

the third to lead the church beginning in 1768,

Baptist.”

the Kehukee Baptist Association was formed.

The site of the modern day Kehukee

On Nov. 6, 1769, five Baptist churches met

Primitive Baptist Church, which is now

at Kehukee to organize. Alston explained the

privately owned, was the second location of

erroneous date of 1765 is recorded in many

the church.

places, including the historical marker which stands across from the final church site.

Based on his research, Alston believes the Kehukie Baptist Church, on Sherman Drive

The date of 1769 was verified after the

in Scotland Neck, sits “on the same site or

original association minutes were recovered,

very close to the same site that the original

making the association the fourth oldest

Kehukee Church was.”

association of Baptist Churches in America

When asked if there is a link between

behind Philadelphia (1707), Charleston (1751)

Kehukie Baptist Church – an African American

and Sandy Creek, N.C. (1758).

church – Alston feels there is indeed a

Less than 10 years after the organization

connection.

of the association, a theological dispute began

“We think so. It’s in the old minutes of

to disrupt worship. Each faction reportedly

Kehukee church, somewhere between 1860

held independent association meetings for

and 1872 or 1873, it mentioned some of the

up to three years.

black members asking for letters of dismissal

The disagreement was settled in 1777

to form their own congregation,” said Alston.

when churches adopted the Articles of Faith

Although not proved by deed - but seen

and rejoined under the short-lived name of

in adjoining landowners deeds, he feels

United Baptist and continued to be known

confident the location of the Kehukie Baptist

as the Kehukee Association, according to the

Church was likely gifted to the fledgling new

writings of Cushing B. Hassell and Sylvester

congregation which was likely made up of

Hassell, church historians.

slaves. at

The typical Primitive Baptist Church

Kehukee Church and then when they had

“They

organized

the

association

meeting house was a simple, gabled-front

out missionaries among other things.

entrance with dual front entrances. That was

Alston says was the practice in this situation.

initially how the current Kehukee Primitive

A group of ancestors of once active members

These childhood conversations came

Baptist Church was constructed. In 1901, both

approached the committee and wanted to try

flooding back to Alston as he researched the

entrances on the front of the building were

and save the building.

history of Kehukee Primitive Baptist Church

closed and one entrance was created through a “bell tower” with steeple which was added. Alston has found no evidence a bell ever hung in the tower.

Alston was approached about writing an article on the history of the church to help those hoping to save the piece of history raise the funds needed to accomplish this feat.

for the article. What his mother had shared was all Alston had known about the church up until that point. It would be Alston’s research and sheer

According to the daughter of the late

He agreed to take on the project but

John Coughenour, a wealthy lumberman

realized, “I’m doing this, I want to know what

interest that “led him back to the old side

and sawmill operator from Pennsylvania, her

they believe.”

church,” as he explained.

father gave the materials to the church to add the bell tower and steeple. The late Fannie “Rosebud” Coughenour

Now 82, Alston had asked similar questions

He not only wrote the article but became a

decades before as a boy growing up six miles

follower and later a member of the Primitive

from Scotland Neck towards Enfield.

Baptist Church. Although Alston did not

House once explained her father was

When he was just eight or nine years old,

accustomed to seeing churches with steeples

a building near his uncle’s country store had

in their native Pennsylvania and wanted such

served as an adventure land for Alston and

a view from their home across the road.

some of the boys in the community. He

The history of the Mother Church is

went home and asked his mother about the

extensive. Her last member, Lena Anders

building they discovered, one his friend said

Shackel, passed away on Dec. 31, 1979. Alston

was a church.

attend Kehukee, he became a part of the effort to care for the abandoned building. A day came where the group realized their resources were dwindling. At that point, it was Alston that recommended the sale of the church. He recommended it be sold to a

“She said that’s old side Baptist,” Alston

neighboring property owner who had been

“She lived to be over 100 years old,” he

recalled. His mother went on to explain the

assisting the group for sometime at his own

added. “When she died, the church became

actual name of Primitive Baptist. Old side

expense.

extinct and the title to the church was passed

referred to the Primitive Baptist maintaining

Although a sad time, Alston and the others

to the Kehukee Association.”

original views after the denomination splitting.

took comfort in knowing the sale meant the

At that time, he recalled there were around

A few years later, the family again passed

20 churches still active in the association.

the church and this time saw vehicles on site.

church would be in the care of a family who

It was a common practice to turn a meeting

And again, the young Alston posed questions

house over to the association at the time of

to his mother, such as what was the difference

the last member’s death if other arrangements

in the “old side Baptist” and the Missionary

had not been made.

Baptist church their family attended.

recalled having met Schackel once.

In 1980, Kehukee was removed from the association list.

“Well they all used to be together and they had a disagreement and they split up,” he

had nothing but respect for her purpose and her history. Today, the Mother Church sits on private property and is cared for by people who have made her a part of their own walk with the Lord.

A committee was appointed to attend

explained. His mom went on to explain the

Sarah Hodges Stalls is a Staff Writer for

to the potential sale of the property, which

Primitive Baptist did not believe in sending

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Greene County

St. Barnabas Episcopal Church

The historic

house on the hill

Story & Photos by Thadd White

t is literally the light on the hill. St. Barnabas Episcopal Church, one of the many beautiful

historic churches in eastern North Carolina, calls to the people of Snow Hill from a hill that is the highest point of the town. The Gothic Revival style church is in a frame rectangular building three bays wide and four deep with a gable roof chancel extending beyond the rear of the church. The central entrance features a double door surmounted by a solid narrow vertical boards. The windows contain simply sash without tracery and the walls are covered in board and batten. The interior of the church is, like the exterior, straightforward Gothic Revival character - well-preserved and intact despite

“

It is not unusual for families to have a special place for significant moments in their lives. For many in the Warren family, St. Barnabas is certainly that place.

”

vandalism that forced repairs. Two banks of pews are separated by a central aisle that

baptismal font, ornate wood organ and other ecclesiastical furniture.

leads to the chancel. The chancel

St. Barnabas is surrounded

is set off by a wide-pointed

by a historic cemetery which is

arch that ends in a stained

both shaded and quiet and has

glass window. The window is

a collection of various types of

dedicated to the memory of a

stones, all of which are well-kept

young woman – Ann Hyman

by the community.

Harvey – who died at 28 and is

Though St. Barnabas ceased

buried at St. Barnabas. It depicts

to be used as a place of worship

the beauty of lilies in a field with

in the early 1960s, it is still an

the saying of Jesus, “Consider

important home to those who

the lilies of the field, how they

love the beauty of the simple,

grow. They sow not, neither do

hallowed building.

they reap, yet Solomon in all his

One such person is the Right

glory is not arrayed as such as

Rev’d Tom Warren, who now

these.”

serves as Rector of St. Mary’s in

Stained glass also fills the

- The Rev’d Tom Warren

Kinston.

two side windows nearest the

“To many people in Snow Hill,

chancel. One features Jesus as

St. Barnabas Church is a sacred

the Great Shepherd and the

place, set apart for the unique

other shows Jesus surrounded by

purpose of experiencing the

a group of children. The stained

presence of God,” Rev’d Warren

glass windows came from the

said. “From the beautiful grounds

original St. Mary’s Church in

where God’s Creation sings His

Kinston after it was torn down.

praises, to the cemetery that is a

The pews are believed to be

visual reminder of the Christian

original to the church, which was

hope of the resurrection, to

built in 1884. Other furnishings

the church building that has

which remain include the stone

held – and continues to hold –

countless prayers and celebrations of God’s grace, it is no surprise that St. Barnabas means so much to so many people.” Frank Warren Jr., Rev’d Warren’s father, was instrumental in having St. Barnabas added to the National Register of Historic Places. He has also written histories of the building and been instrumental in its upkeep. Rev’d Warren said his family has a long and deep connection with St. Barnabas and has been involved with the church in many ways for many years. “It is not unusual for families to have a special place for significant moments in their lives,” he said. “For many in the Warren family, St. Barnabas is certainly that place. “Over the generations we’ve gathered for casual daily prayer and more carefully organized weekend worship, enjoyed community fellowship, celebrated weddings, mourned our losses in funerals, and visited our faithful departed laid to rest there,” he continued. Those memories flood back, Rev’d Warren said, and there are many of them. “There are so many special memories, it feels risky to single one out at the expense of any other, but the one that comes to my mind most frequently in recent years is when so many gathered there to give thanks to God for the life of my father, Frank Warren Jr.,” he said. “That was a power day which, to me, was a glimpse of Heaven. “The congregation overflowed into the church yard, the singing could be heard throughout the neighborhood, the Good News of Jesus Christ was shared and enjoyed, and it all ended with a delicious feast.” Families like the Warrens have gathered at St. Barnabas for more than a century as they learned to call the beautiful historic church home. The cornerstone for St. Barnabas was set in 1884 and was located at the highest point in town above Long Branch. W.T. Faircloth and the firm of Porter and Graham constructed the white frame building between 1884 and 1887 and the church was consecrated in 1893. One of the tragedies of the church came in 1951 when, following an Ash Wednesday Morning Prayer service, the building caught on fire. Extensive damage was done despite the efforts of the Snow Hill Volunteer Fire Department. The church was saved and then painstakingly restored due in part to contributions made in the memory of Mary Wall Bose Exum, who died in 1973. Some of the ministers who served St. Barnabas included J.H. Griffin (original minister in 1917), A.C.D. Noe, J.W. Eyes, H.G. England, J.Q Beck with, H.R. Roberson and the final ministers, Hume Cox and Frank M. Ross. The church ceased having regular services in 1962, but has hosted a variety of community and other services since that day. St. Barnabas Church was made to be a simple place capable of reminding us of God’s embrace throughout all of life’s fullness and complexity,” Rev’d Warren closed. Thadd White is Editor of Eastern North Carolina Living, the Bertie Ledger-Advance and The Enterprise in Williamston.

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Martin County

Fond memories persist from

W.W. Griffin Farm

Story by Jim Green Photos by Jim Green & Contributed

he W.W. Griffin Farm is located at 1871 Wendell Griffin Road, 0.9 miles north of route 1505 in Martin County and approximately 10

miles east of Williamston in Williams Township. It was added to the National Register of Historic Places on Oct. 20, 2001. The farm is situated on a 6.8-acre tract of land and is bordered on the west by Devil’s Gut, a tributary of the Roanoke River. Much of the land is swampy and unsuitable for farming. Approximately 100 acres was cleared and put into cultivation, while much of the rest has been timbered for lumber over the past century. The auxiliary outbuildings were clustered primarily north and west

modern kitchen appliances to detract from the historic integrity of the house. The original circa 1926 telephone remains hanging on the wall on the back porch. Although occupied until 1995, the house was in a somewhat deteriorated condition due to neglect but remained structurally sound and amazingly intact, however, the dwelling underwent renovation following the secretary of the interior’s standards for rehabilitation. Contributing

and

non-contributing

outbuildings included a storage shed (1920), machinery shed (1970), corn crib/garage (1900, 1940), machinery shed (1960), cotton barn (1910), machinery sheds (1960), hay barn (1940), a well (1930) and an additional ranchof the main house.

An additional room was added to the

Landscape features which fanned out

house in 1930 when W.W. Griffin returned to

from the farm buildings included vineyards,

his farm after spending time in a sanitarium

cultivated fields, pastures and wooded areas.

recovering from tuberculosis.

Although the farm in its entirety includes

The living room, or parlor, is located on the

approximately 1,200 acres, the nomination

south side of the central hall. The remaining

comprised only the farmhouse, the immediate

three rooms housed a kitchen, a bedroom

surrounding outbuildings and several adjacent

and a dining area. A stove connected to an

fields, amounting to 6.8 acres.

interior chimney provided heat for the small

The farm encompassed a stylish, turn

bedroom.

of the century I-house, along with five

While the house was wired for electricity

outbuildings and a modern ranch house. The

in 1946, it was never updated with indoor

rural setting of the complex continues to

plumbing or mechanical systems such as

evoke the character and setting of the late-

indoor heat or air conditioning. There are no

19th and early 20th-century agrarian society of Martin County. The W.W. Griffin House is a classic example of the popular I-house built throughout eastern North Carolina around the turn of the 20th century. The two-story frame house with weatherboard siding rested on brick piers and featured a stylish front porch. The sheathed porch wall with diagonal boards laid in opposite directions. A wide board emphasized its function as a warm-weather sitting room. A one-story ell with an engaged side porch is attached to the rear (west) side of the house. Three separate doors on the porch,

style house, built in 1994 for Griffin’s youngest son to reside in when he became too sick to live in the “Old Home Place.” The

surviving

architectural

landscape

which continues to contribute to the historic character of the W.W. Griffin Farm consists of a farmhouse, a dirt lane which provides access to the rear of the property for farming and timbering purposes, and two vineyards cultivated by Vernon Griffin, a self-taught horticulturist. Mary Alice (Griffin) Myers, 89, is the oldest surviving grandchild on both sides of the family. She grew up on the property, as her

“

As soon as I could hold a hoe, I was helping granddaddy up and down those long fields.

each flanked on one side by a six-over-six sash window, open into three separate interior rooms. The west end of the porch is enclosed to incorporate a small pantry room with its own entrance. A standing metal roof has replaced the original wood shingle roof.

”

- Mary Alice Myers

father farmed on her grandfather’s land. “As soon as I could hold a hoe, I was helping granddaddy up and down those long fields (in the 1940s),” said Myers, who currently lives in Durham. “He didn’t have an education but was extremely bright,” she continued. “His wife taught him a lot and he valued education; he was interested in everything and his desk was the front porch. He grew champion sweet potatoes and I helped with the turning of the sweet potato vines. “We were up at 6 o’clock in the morning, worked till 12, had lunch and then had to be back to the fields by 1, where we worked until dark,” she added.

He was also referred to as a “champion

in much of rural North Carolina – the most

Griffin was the first farmer in the county to

timberman,” as he sold rights to various

popular house form between the Civil War

build a sweet-potato-curing house and grow

companies for more than 30 years for them

and World War I remained the I-house, a

to have timber rights to his property.

traditional two-story dwelling that is one

the yams on a large, commercial scale. Myers, who worked with her grandfather during summers from her preteen years until she graduated from college, said her grandfather’s farm “was a wonderful place to be.” “I didn’t look at it as work,” she said. “He never allowed any cussing – I never heard a

Griffin also served on various committees – he donated a tract of land for a schoolhouse to be built; he bought the first school bus in the county and rented it to the school system. His son, Henry, was the first school bus driver in the county.

room deep and two rooms wide. The W.W. Griffin House is a typical I-house found in Martin County with some additional stylistic details. It was built in 1902 and the property is an intact example of a typical early-20th century farmstead in the county after meeting applicable register criteria:

Griffin died on July 20, 1957.

the property is associated with events that

Some of the crops Griffin grew on his farm

The farm is of architectural significance

have made a significant contribution to the

included cotton, corn, soybeans and peanuts.

because, in Martin County – as elsewhere

broad patterns of the county’s history, and it

curse word.”

embodies the distinctive characteristics of a type, period or method of construction or represents the work of a master, or possesses high artistic values, or represents a significant and distinguishable entity whose components lack individual distinction. Jim Green is Interim Editor of The Enterprise, Prep Sports Editor of The Daily Reflector and a Staff Writer for Eastern North Carolina Living.

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Washington County

Somerset Place

Many know their historical ties

Story & Photos by Deborah Griffin

“I

believe that in order to know

On the northern banks of Lake Phelps, at

860 men, women and children were

where we are going in life, we need

the edge of where Washington and Tyrrell

enslaved there - some brought directly to

to know where we came from,” said Paulique

counties meet, a stately, restored plantation

the plantation by boat from their homes in

M.D. Horton, the great, great granddaughter

home rests peacefully among deeply rooted

Africa, according to historic records.

of William Spruill, who was born into slavery

pines, regal oaks and sprawling magnolias,

in 1862 at Somerset Place in Creswell.

seven miles from the town of Creswell.

About

200

descendants

those

enslaved, live only miles from the long

Somerset Place is a peaceful, pastoral,

Generations have passed since Somerset

sprawling antebellum plantation, and at the

Place was one of the South’s largest, most

same time, a powerful reminder of one of the

productive antebellum plantations, made

For many of them, the abhorrent stain of

most turbulent, abhorrent eras in American

possible only by the backbreaking labor of

slavery does not overshadow how they feel

History. It is a milestone along the nation’s

enslaved people.

about Somerset Place.

long road toward unity and racial equality, still being traveled today.

shadows cast by the plantation’s remaining structures.

During its 80-year span as an active

For many, the former plantation is a

plantation (1785-1865), it is believed over

monument to their history – it is the place

“

I believe that in order to know where we are going in life, we need to know where we came from.

”

-Paulique Horton

where their stories began. In fact, numerous

Paulique even serves on the Somerset

That is not something we have to repeat,”

family reunions and weddings have been

Foundation Board.

added Paulique.

held on the palatial grounds, a freedom their ancestors could never have dreamed of. Paulique Horton and her grandmother, Betsy Spruill, 78, live six miles from the sprawling

antebellum

plantation,

“I believe that in order to know where we are going in life, we need to know where we came from,” said Paulique.

She learned her family’s story as a young child and never forgot it. “Part

our

family

originated

Paulique’s great, great grandfather (Betsy’s

Barbados,” she added. “They worked on a

which

grandfather), William Spruill was born into

sugar plantation and got picked up by the

has been converted into a historic site and

slavery, as was his mother, Betsy Spruill

Caribbean Trade and were brought this way.”

museum.

Riddick, for whom Paulique’s grandmother is

They hold no ill feelings about the place. For these two women, it represents history.

named after. “[Somerset] is one place we came from.

Somerset Place was developed when enslaved labor was brought to the denselywooded, swampy land bordering Lake Phelps, to convert it into thousands of acres of high-yielding fields of rice, corn, oats, wheat, beans and flax. The earliest slaves were forced to dig out, by hand, a six-mile, 20-foot wide, 12- to 20foot deep canal linking the land-locked Lake Phelps to the Scuppernong River, which took two years to complete. This played a major role in the success of the plantation, allowing for transportation, drainage and the ease of moving heavy freight to and from the river. By the mid-1800s, Somerset had over 50 structures including barns, stables, sawmills, gristmills, 26 slave houses, a kitchen complex, a laundry, a dairy, a storehouse, a smokehouse, a salting house, a hospital and a

chapel, as well as homes for overseers, tutors

buildings

and

the

immediate

and ministers.

became a state historic site.

grounds

should know the story and repeat it to our

According to the 1850 census, 288 slaves

The present-day site includes 31 of the

resided at the plantation. By 1860, it housed

original lakeside acres and seven original

328 slaves.

19th-century buildings. The Division of State

Records show that Betsy Spruill Riddick,

Historic Sites and Properties reconstructed

(who would have been Paulique’s great, great,

representative one-room and four-room

great grandmother) was born at Somerset

homes where enslaved families once lived,

in 1844. She would have only been 18 when

along with the plantation hospital.

William was born in 1862 – during the midst

Eventually,

Paulique’s

great,

great

grandfather and his wife, received land as

of the Civil War.

we should take part in the history. I think we

Riddick most likely could never have

retribution. Paulique’s grandmother, Betsy,

imagined within three years they would be

now holds the deed to the remaining 30

free.

acres.

children, and their children.” “I like to focus on the blessing part,” Paulique added. Many of Spruill’s relatives would end up owning land around Creswell in the years following the Emancipation Proclamation and became successful farmers. “I am a business owner in Creswell. I can own my businesses anywhere in the world, but choose where our ancestors did the same,” she said. “Knowing what our ancestors

William Spruill died in 1954, when Betsy

sacrificed...They didn’t spend nights of crying

which

was 11. One year later, she left Creswell to

and protesting and doing so much social

Abraham Lincoln would call on the Union

live with her brother in Philadelphia. The

justice for us to forget about what they did.

Army to liberate all enslaved people in the

youngest of 11, she is now the only surviving

It is very important to me to open up my

areas of the South still in rebellion.

grandchild of Spruill.

business on Main Street, where it was once

William was born a year before the Emancipation

Proclamation,

However, the enslaved at Somerset

Betsy made her home in Philadelphia for

were not immediately affected by the

50 years, marrying a Frenchman with whom

proclamation, according to history.

she had a daughter. Later, her granddaughter,

But, by the end of 1865, all but 10 of the freedmen had left the plantation, according to the official website. Many of the former slaves fled the area. Some stayed in the area and worked for pay. Some, but not all, were later given retribution in the form of land.

Paulique, was born, whom she raised. For years, Betsy continued paying the taxes on the land back home in Creswell. The women would visit during summers and on holidays. After a long career at Temple University, Betsy returned to her roots in 2005. She followed Paulique, who had come

again without enslaved labor. The financially

back to her great, great grandfather’s land,

crippled owners eventually sold and left the

upon high school graduation in 2004, to

property, never to return.

attend college in North Carolina. Now, four generations live on the land,

and the loss of most of the original buildings,

including

Paulique’s

13-month-old

Somerset’s plantation house and six adjacent

Vernon Lamar Rhines Jr.

son,

structures were incorporated into the newly

“I think [Somerset] is part of history and it

formed Pettigrew State Park. In 1969, these

should stay there,” said Betsy. “Today, I think

and to see it flourish again.” Paulique

owner

Horton

and

Associates Financial Services, owner of a hair

The plantation was never profitable

In 1939, after 70 years of decay, looting

predominately black-owned [businesses],

salon on Main Street and has plans to open an eatery named after her grandmother. Paulique also has big plans for her son, Vernon. “We haven’t been to Somerset yet because of COVID,” she said. “He is going to have to know these stories - how we got our land - and all the work we are trying to do to better our town and community. “He’s a special young fellow. He’s going to be doing a lot - I don’t think he knows it yet,” she continued. Deborah Griffin is a Staff Writer for Eastern North Carolina Living and The Daily Reflector.

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Northampton County

Woodland-Olney School

Now home to many

Story & Photos by Gene Motley

itting on nearly nine acres of land

and decorative yellow brick horizontal bands.

surrounding region and assisted in drawing

close to Main Street (US-Highway

It operated as a public school from the late

the community together. The school and its

1920’s until 1992.

history have become an integral part of the

258) within the Woodland town limits, the Woodland-Olney School is a historic school

The

Woodland-Olney

School

was

building located in northeastern Northampton

nominated under criteria A, significant for its

County.

community and the building stands as a local landmark.

association with education and the school

Woodland was known as Harrell’s Cross

Originally built in 1929, the two-story, 11-

consolidation movement which occurred

Roads in 1800, being named for the Harrell

bay, U-shaped Classical Revival style brick

in North Carolina from the early 1920s to

family, early settlers in the area. The town

building boasts a one-story auditorium, flat

approximately 1947.

changed its name to Woodland when it

roof, and two-story three-bay portico, pilasters

The school provided a focal point for the

incorporated in 1884. Although public schools

“

were virtually non-existent in North Carolina prior to 1839, education was always a high priority for the Quaker community; hence, the earliest schools in the region such as the Union School near Eagletown, were established by the Quakers. The Quakers of the Woodland school district operated Olney School in George, a town several miles south of Woodland and the school was named after Richard Olney (18351917), a Quaker from Oxford, Massachusetts. The school is one of two dominant public buildings in the town of Woodland, founded as a Quaker community.

Woodland still today. A semicircular driveway, in front of the building. A rectangular one-

office space for the Woodland-Olney School. The annex currently houses a Head-Start day care program, while the general structure is used for low-income housing. The 1960s brought further consolidation of school districts, resulting in the construction of Northampton County High School in 1964 which reduced the grades taught at Woodland-Olney School to kindergarten through eighth. The later construction of a new middle school in the mid-1970s resulted in converting Woodland-Olney School into

school for grades K-thru-12 back in the 1940’s

they had in Conway, Rich Square, Jackson, Seaboard, Murfreesboro and all the small towns around it.” Christison adds that many of the staffers and students were related, but many on the faculty made impressions that lasted a lifetime.

Christison related. “My 12th grade English teacher, Mary Ellen Lassiter, was probably my

Due to general deterioration of the building, it was recommended to the Board of Education that the Woodland-Olney School be closed as of July 1992. Subsequently, in May of 1993, the Board of Education sold the Woodland-Olney School site to Northampton County and several months later the property was sold by the County to the town of Woodland and the Choanoke Association

was just a regular 12-grade public school like

was the principal for all 12 years I attended,”

grades pre-kindergarten through fifth.

Development

Occupational Therapist Connie Christison. “It

Elizabeth Outland, and Benny Lee White

an elementary school, providing education for

Area

and 50’s, graduating in 1957,” says retired

“My first grade teacher was my aunt,

- Velma Outlaw

with brick entrance piers on either side, curves

was originally built to provide a cafeteria and

“I attended when it was a community

”

the school and are in use by the town of

situated immediately east of the school and

important structure in the community.

My best recollections are when I came back and taught there under Mrs. Mary P. Lee.

Large fields for recreation are behind

story, flat-roofed 1956 brick annex building is

will continue to maintain its presence as an

(CADA),

who later renovated the school building and converted it into a housing complex for senior citizens, thereby ensuring the facility

favorite. I enjoyed the writing and how she made us think. She added, “Hazel Copeland taught 8th grade and did a lot of creative hands-on work with us and that made an impression on me. Using my hands created a love of hand-work which I used in becoming an Occupational Therapist.” One of the greatest things she says students took away from Woodland-Olney School was pride in oneself and a sense of community. “It was a close knit community, since so many of us were kin to each other,” Christison said. “It was just a good small town-small school atmosphere. It was a highlight of the community for all of us who went there. Every day when we passed by it we realize how the building and the people who taught there mean so much and will always be a part of us.” Velma Outlaw was one of 10 children and she attended Woodland-Olney School in 7th and 8th grade during the school’s early years of desegregation in the 1970’s. She later returned as a teacher’s aide before ascending to a full-time teaching position, from which she is now retired. “My best recollections are when I came back and taught there under Mrs. Mary P. Lee,” Outlaw said. “Teacher, janitor, cafeteria people, whoever, it was just a wonderful place to work. I put teachers on a pedestal in my mind. I can

over as head of administration for the next three years. He saw it become legacy as its education purpose came to a close. “It was a good little school,” Matthews maintained.

“Everybody

kind

knew

everybody. The teachers were probably more in contact with the parents and community people than I was, but within a year I had the same connections. “Louise Cook was the School Secretary when I was there and she was pretty much the glue that held the place together. I could rattle off so many names of the staff but I don’t want to leave anybody out,” he noted. remember so many of their names.

gave you the attention and they took the

“It was a transition from an all-black school

time, and made it the best part of my day,” she

to an integrated school, but I don’t recall a lot

acknowledged. “They knew who your people

of negativity, any negativity, really,” she added.

were; they had an interest and made me feel

“They just took time and they were interested

like I counted. I mattered to my family, but

in the students. Any ‘ugliness’ was dealt with

coming from them it was special. These were

and just not tolerated.”

smart women and I admired and looked up to

Outlaw says the attention the teachers gave to the students made her hungry to learn more. “Coming from a large family like I did, they

them, and I’m very appreciative.”

“It was a good staff, good environment, and part of a good community,” he concluded. “We had somewhere around 300 students by the end.” Woodland-Olney was listed on the National Register of Historic Places beginning in 1997.

Bill Matthews was the last principal of

Gene Motley is a retired Sports Editor and

Woodland-Olney, arriving as interim principal

Sports Director and regular contributor to

for one month in the late 80’s before taking

Eastern North Carolina Living.

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ERN EAST G N A O L I C A R

LIVIN T H N O R

m: Museu y anch or Fort Br eces of hist pi Unique

eum: th Mus ts Plymou tifac Port O’ al local ar Find re

eum: re Mus ad Eu akes plans The Th m County Gates 1

Bertie Ledger-Advance 109 S. King St. Windsor, NC 27983

EASTERN

LIVING N O R T H

Historic Gallery Theatre takes visit ors on ‘world tour’

C A R O L I N A

Davenport Homeste offers rich history ad off the beaten path

N.C. largest veteran mural in Edgecombe Coun ty

Beaufort County

‘The Old Lady’

finds new relevance Story & Photos by Kelly Grady

nce a beloved school - and now fondly referred to as “The Old Lady” by several of the locals - the Pantego Male and Female

Academy in Pantego has since been transformed into a fascinating museum. Martha (Shavender) Baynor, a graduate of Pantego High School is a wealth of knowledge and always eager to share the history of this special building through her own personal scrapbook and oral history. In rural Pantego during 1874, a group of men organized themselves to provide education for their children. This would become the first school by subscription in North Carolina. In 1877, the group received a deed for one acre of land on which the Pantego Male and Female

Academy was built.

Pantego Ladies Auxiliary raised funds to

In later years, when the school could

purchase a bell that sat atop the building.

not pay its debt, a beloved town resident,

It notified students it was time for school,

Walter Clark, took on the debt as his own to

and the beautiful ringing of the bell could

keep the school open.

be heard for a three mile radius.

The county transformed it into a public school for all students in 1907.

The Pantego community took much

As the

pride in their school. In 1955, Pantego High

students grew and expanded, an additional

School won the Bellamy Award for their

brick building was built for use as a high

display of citizenship and patriotism. This

school, becoming known as Pantego High

Award was given by the Francis Bellamy

School in 1925. The original building was

Foundation. Frances Bellamy wrote the

then used for elementary classrooms.

draft of the Pledge of Allegiance. The Award

Much pride was taken by the students in

was only given to one school in each state,

their education studying Latin, arithmetic,

and out of all the schools in North Carolina,

history and music while parents paid for

the school was chosen to receive such an

their education by subject. The Academy

honor. Governor Luther H. Hodges was one

graduated many students who moved on

of the speakers at this event.

to become doctors, lawyers, teachers and heroic soldiers.

The Academy closed in 1981 after graduating its last class. Shortly and sadly

The most notable section of this building

thereafter, it was vandalized; the building

construction is the horseshoe staircase

suffered several broken windows and many

leading up to the school’s second floor used

damaged items.

by the fifth and sixth grade students. (The

Fortunately, a group of alumni set goals

fifth grade students walked up one side of

to restore and protect this beautiful and

the staircase and the sixth grade students

historic building.

walked up the other side.)

According

It was then renamed the Pantego

to research done by several residents,

Academy Historical Museum and began

including Baynor, it is the only building

housing an amazing history of area items.

left standing with such a unique exterior staircase.

As one walks through the museum and listens to Baynor share, they will hear stories

As for tardiness to school in the

and see fascinating artifacts from previous

mornings, these area students had no

generations and stories about how “country

excuse to be late for class. In 1879, the

folk” lived in the late 1800s.

“

Visitors may be lucky enough to hear the “thump, thump, thump” sounds indicating the possible presence of Principal Snell.

”

Visitors may be lucky enough to hear the “thump, thump, thump” sounds indicating the possible presence of Principal Snell. Mr. Snell was the first principal of the Academy and, having lost a leg during the Civil War, walked with a peg leg making thumping sounds across the wooden floor.

Or, perhaps, you

may feel the eerie cold presence of the former music teacher, Lena Windley. Visitors can see the chair where a woman was found deceased from an unsolved murder in the area, and a basket of eggs that promised great riches. In addition to the school, two other buildings have been added to the alumni’s care. The first being the Pantego Jail (a one

When asked if she feels Pantego Academy

open to the public Saturdays and Sundays

cell jail) and the other, a lumberman’s office

deserves

replied,

from 2-4 p.m. and other times by appointment

building owned by George D. Old, one of the

“Absolutely! This building needs to be on the

at 46 Academy Street in Pantego. Admission

founders of the Academy.

list to preserve the history of the building and

is free but donations are always welcome and

our community during its time as a school

are used to maintain the building.

Since October 25, 1984, the Pantego Academy has been listed on the National Register of Historic Places.

this

status,

Baynor

building.” This historical and interesting museum is

Kelly Grady is a retired educator and a new contributor to Eastern North Carolina Living.

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Edgecombe County

Worsley-Burnette House ‘I love this place’

Story by John H. Walker Photos by John H. Walker & Contributed

he Worsley-Burnette house, located alongside Burnette Farm Road in southeastern Edgecombe County, holds a special place in history,

as it is one of a handful of Edgecombe County properties listed in the National Register of Historic Places. At 191 years, it is one of the older properties in the county and is considered to be a representative example of a group of well-detailed Federal style plantation houses built during the 1820s and 1830s in rural Edgecombe County. The house was most probably built in 1830 for Nathan Mayo Worsley and enlarged by Worsley in 1850. It was nominated for inclusion and accepted into the National Register in 1990.

Joshua Wilkinson’s property and on which she appears to have lived. This tract is probably the one on which Mayo and Nancy Worsley built a house in about 1830. The use of cast iron butt hinges on early doors in the house suggests an early 1830s date. Nancy Wiggins died in 1841, leaving Mayo with five children — Delphia, Caroline, Edwin, James and Nancy. Worsley was married again on Feb. 22, 1842 to Mary Louise Staton and they in turn had nine children — Virginia Elizabeth, Laura Melissa, Aneliza, Thadeus Alphonza, Franklin Lafayette, Nathan Mayo, Mary Louise, Frances and Ida. Today, it serves as the home for

can not be compared to in newer homes.”

As was noted in the National Register

Noreen and Eddie Dail — the folks who

Noreen and Eddie Dail have two children

of Historic Places nomination, with 14

grow delicious strawberries and make and

— a son, Scott, and a daughter, Emily. Scott

children, the need for a substantial addition

sell homemade ice cream and jam in the

and his wife, Tracy, have a daughter, Katie.

to the original six-room house was obvious.

community and at their fruit stand on the

Emily and her husband, Bryan, have two

farm.

daughters — Anna Claire and Willow.

As he aged, Worsley’s wealth grew and was documented through Census records

“I am honored to have this old house

According to the National Register of

and noted in the nomination. As the Civil

own me for many reasons,” Noreen said. “I

Historic Places nomination form, neither

War neared, he owned 700 acres, 400 of

have a long history here on this farm. My

the parents nor the county of origin of

them improved, worth $25,000.

father was the manager of the farm for the

Nathan Mayo Worsley is known, but he was

previous owner, Archie Burnette, so I grew

probably born in 1808 or 1809 in either

up here. Not in the house, but out on the

Martin or eastern Edgecombe County.

farm. So it has a special place in my heart.”

He was named after Revolutionary War

She said that the house was rented out

officer and prominent early citizen Nathan

after Burnette moved to The Fountains at

Mayo from the same area. He seems to

the Albemarle and was in a run-down state.

have gone by the name Mayo Worsley

“My husband and I were approached by

throughout his adult life.

my cousin, Earl Roberson, about moving in

Worsley first appears in Edgecombe

as renters. We told him we were interested

County records on Dec. 8, 1828, when

in buying it. The rest is history,” she said.

he married Nancy Wiggins. According to

She said they moved into the house in 2002 following months of renovation. “I love this place,” she said, adding, “Not just the house, but it and this farm. My

Census records, Wiggins was as much as 10 years older than Worsley, and had been married twice before. She

had

outlived

both

husband and I have worked hard to take

husbands, as well as a son, Allen D.

care of it. We feel we have been given an

Wilkinson, who died in 1826, but had a

opportunity of a lifetime. We have been

surviving daughter by Wiggins named

blessed greatly. And give God all the credit.

Delphia.

We love sharing it and try to do so as much as possible.”

Nancy

Worsley

had

acquired

considerable personal property and life

She continued talking about her home.

interests in real estate as a result of her first

“Every day is a discovery in a home

two marriages, according to Edgecombe

built in 1830. The beauty of the floors, the

According to records, his plantation

County records.

woodwork, the light shining in through the

In 1828, she purchased rights to a 200-

hand-blown glass panes... such beauty that

acre tract of land that had been part of

“

I have a long history here on this farm.

including another farm of 282 acres in Martin

Worsley property in 1936 from other Keech

County.

heirs.

Daughter Mary Louise received dower

A native of Edgecombe County, Burnette

rights to 300.25 acres of land, “including the

returned from Hopewell, Va., in 1921. It is

Mansion House, which they think she is justly

possible that Burnette had been living on the

entitled to.”

farm for several years before he purchased it.

Mary died in 1881, and the house passed to sons Thaddeus and Nathan Mayo Worsley, who had paid $6,101 in 1874 for 690 acres of the home tract, subject to the widow’s dower. In 1882, the Worsley brothers sold the house and home tract to Bryan J. Keech of Tarboro. Keech was the owner of a Tarboro

”

general store and continued to live in Tarboro, presumably using tenants to farm the acreage. After Keech died in 1902, the property - Noreen Dail

produced a variety of crops in abundance, but primarily corn and cotton while also maintaining herds of cattle, swine and sheep. The 1850 agricultural census also shows that he experimented with growing rice, producing 460 pounds.

was held in a life estate by his wife. In the early 1920s, a suit led to the property being

Unlike other owners of the property since the 1880s, the Burnette family lived in the house and farmed the land themselves. They made a number of minor alterations to the house, the most significant of which involved rebuilding the front and side porches. During the 1930s, surviving outbuildings on the property burned, leaving the house the only 19th century building on the tract, which must at one time have included a full complement of outbuildings. Following Archie R. Burnette Sr.’s death in 1944, the house was lived in by his widow, daughter and son Archie R. Burnette, who

subdivided and Lot 1 of the Worsley Farm,

farmed the land. The younger Burnette lived

including the house and 271 acres, was

on and farmed the property until moving to

allotted to William A. Hart, subject to Mrs.

Tarboro about 1985.

Keech’s life estate. Hart apparently lost or sold his interest in the property to the North Carolina Bank

The nomination form noted that between 1985 and its 1990 date, tenants occupied the house and farm.

Worsley died at the age of 59 on Feb.

and Trust Company, because in 1935 Lot 1

John H. Walker is a Staff Writer for the Rocky

28, 1867, of erysipelas and left a substantial

was sold to Archie R. Burnette Sr. for $2,125.

Mount Telegram and a regular contributor to

estate, despite the ravages of the Civil War,

Burnette also acquired the remainder of the

Eastern North Carolina Living.

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Bertie Ledger–Advance Community News at your Fingertips Thadd White Editor twhite@ncweeklies.com

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also itat and dso In the plic ers s to The five days As theoutbreak. suffered r gionSee – COwere ion. MURDER, ations. WINDSOR pneumonia as – whi ARHS 3 serv death a Cross double con- in Ber FILE PHOTO Cho American Red of the novel toll wan ch include ice tinues tie Cou from a result clim nty, says says plasma bed ofquotank , Perquim s Ber reto clim the effects dueittoalso t h o s e coronavirus. the con goal.Curritu , Hertfor ans, tie, changed to a drive-thru b met yearly While battling natiits with event was ck and d, Cam Paswho have chapter still nearly onally be back outdoors Rev. Denton COVID-19. The county For Life hopes to Gates den, recovered disease Bertie County Relay possible. Last year’s Remdesivir, May 14, 2021 if counf r o m receivedmany COVID-19 an event on Friday, have See DEAT COVID-19 as including HS, A6 may help patients, Donald t h o s e President s u f f e r i n g Trump. it was when But, from the plasma Rev. Denton they gave him virus. a person who County from from One Bertie LESL IE BEAC it had recovered Rev. THADD WHITE that Bertie HBO man says he knows delighted with COVID-19 ARD iner-Ad Ledg did thru event. I’m cerns. Bertie Ledger-Adv and I’m does, or at least well before vance Denton saw a dramatic ance we raised yearlong goal, set shut the funds Askewv his case. offWINDSOR American the THADD WHITE change. ille the novel coronavirus delighted we keptGloria All talk Rev. for now -R.O. ASKEWVILLE Mayor The Carolina. particularly Bertie Ledger-Advance – One Bryant Society s are The down much of North not Cancer Ber- and tie able Denton . Jr. County town isat the said the See PLASMA, A5 “Buddy” cancer CommostBer townbattling behind “Given we were or those tie was audits, the have mis would subject had what said.but“We on its year filled with our event cussed sioners County WINDSOR – In a of LocalJordan forefront,” it is closures, to host working with had been thinkGovern ment Commis possibl the COVID-19-related fundraisers, I disboth sion (LGC) e exp future the action last auditor and the their of week. LGC to catch up. gion Bertie-M ansion She said to al Town officials one audit has sessionJail dur artin Rebeen , howing ever, say ted and others submitThe on Tue a work they were sday. not are be houses jail curren Bertie inmates tly Joe Huff ties. and Mar from view THAD s the D offic Chowan tin cou WHIT Bertie newly ials E Ledg upda Countynterest have er-Ad ted Civil vance MAR Mar in join shown inWar tin Trails ing ERLA GRATEN, house Regiona Bertiesign NDS at the – Tho THE NETH care county. inmates l Jail Wind LEWIS sor Boa in Theof a sold se taking from to HOGGA Acc t Land the RD / Netherier’s grav Windso look ing. Countyording r/Bertie ing Chamb Bertie for his lands aree er of Vaugha Man to Bertie Comm County. family age erce Rec cials n II, cou r Jua in who ently, Lisa – bot and the nty offi-n h sep jail boa citiz is a Uni Kulka en ted arat rd livin States ely g in and the

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109 S. King St • PO Box 69 • Windsor, NC 27983 Phone: 252-794-3185 • Fax: 252-794-2835

history meets adventure

ing

Tyrrell County

Gone but not forgotten

Scuppernong River Bridge

Story & Photos by Thadd White

t was beautiful in its simplicity and function. In fact, the Scuppernong River Bridge was so beautiful and

unique it was placed on the National Registry of Historic Places. Now,

unfortunately

the

two-lane

wooden

swingspan

drawbridge is simply a part of the history of Tyrrell County and Columbia. It is a part of history, however, that is still beloved by many of the people who grew up using the bridge. In fact, two photos of the Scuppernong River Bridge still hang on the walls of the Columbia Town Hall, celebrating its heritage and history. “I grew up a mile and a half downstream,” current Columbia Town Manager Rhett White said. “Any time I came to town as a youngster, I would come across the bridge.” White said the bridge was beloved by the community, even though it could sometimes be tedious to open. “We had tug boats with wood and others with oil which would

come through and the bridge

The two-lane bridge, which

would have to be opened,” White

was built in 1926, sat on a site

remembered. “The guy who was

of timber trestle. The bridge

responsible for the opening of

remained in its original location

the bridge often let the young

through it’s entire lifespan over

people of the town help,” White

the

said. “He would take a pipe, if you

bridge went through only minor

will, and drop it into the center of

alterations – the most extensive

the draw. The boys would then

of which was in 1949 which saw

push the pipe around and open

the removal of a tender’s house

the bridge.”

and traffic gates.

Scuppernong

River.

The

White laughed as he recalled

White said the building of the

he and the other youngsters

new two-lane bridge on what

being stuck out on the bridge

became U.S. 64 didn’t end the

until the tugboat passed and they

historic drawbridge’s use. In fact,

were able to work together to

both stayed in place from 1964

close the bridge.

until 1992. those

“At some point they decided it

who loved the old bridge, N.C.

Unfortunately

for

was no longer feasible to maintain

Department of Transportation

the old bridge,” he said. “To say

officials first built a two-lane

there was considerable resistance

bridge over the Scuppernong

to DOT’s decision would probably

near Columbia and then a four-

be an understatement.”

lane bridge. The new bridges left

White indicated both Tyrrell

the old one obsolete and led to

County and the town of Columbia

its removal.

opposed the bridge’s removal, but

The drawbridge was located

in the end lost their battle.

at the western end of Columbia’s

“DOT made a decision that

Main Street, taking traffic across

was not universally accepted,”

the beautiful river and onto Main

White said. “The people of

Street. The bridge, in fact, led

Columbia and Tyrrell County

“

In fact, the Scuppernong River Bridge was so beautiful and unique it was placed on the National Registry of Historic Places.

”

wanted to keep their bridge and what it represented.” White pointed out that part of the

bulkhead can still be seen on one side of the river, while the other side now boasts a town park and pier. Thadd White is Editor of Eastern North Carolina Living, the Bertie LedgerAdvance and The Enterprise.

straight to another place on the National Registry, the historic Tyrrell County Courthouse. White said the townspeople loved having the old bridge lead straight down to the historic courthouse. “It was a sense of pride that you could take the bridge and see the beauty of downtown Columbia,” he said. The form filled out for the national which

registry was

application,

handled

the

Bridge Preservation Committee - headed by Ray McClees and Laura Wolke – said the bridge was “an important visual and historic link to the historic area (of Columbia).”

Bertie County

True Americana: The Colerain Historic District

Story & Photos by Lewis Hoggard

olerain sits just off the Chowan River in Bertie County at the intersection of North Carolina Highways 42 and 45.

Originally in the late 1700’s, Colerain was the location of a crossroads

with a trading post and a few other buildings. The area developed economically as an agricultural community impacted heavily by fisheries on the banks of the Chowan River of which the last one was destroyed by Hurricane Isabel in 2003. The mechanization of agriculture and the reduction in the number of small farmers has reduced the economic viability of the community as the twenty-first century advances. Communities across eastern North Carolina are having to adapt to the loss of revenue providers like the fisheries in Colerain or sawmills in other communities in the region. Colerain has brought some attention from the nomination and approval of a historic district around, and including, the downtown area. There are numerous structures in the district which highlight architecture from the mid-nineteenth century through mid-twentieth century structures. Michelle A. Michael prepared the nomination

“

Colerain has such a rich history. I thought it would be important to highlight that history through the recognition of obtaining a historic district designation.

”

- Jaquelin Perry

application of the historical district and in the

district.

remodeled in the early twentieth century.

application stated, “Colerain’s well-preserved

Some examples of the type of architecture

The two storied four column portico is

rural setting, extant historic architecture, and

that are found in this district are Greek Revival,

the most visually impressive detail of the

rural small-town feeling is indicative of the

Italianate, Colonial Revival, Southern Colonial,

residence. Many other residential structures

special character of small rural communities

Tudor Revival, Gothic Revival, Bungalow/

are noteworthy and certainly a number of the

in northeastern North Carolina.”

Craftsman and Art Deco. Notice that in a

Main Street commercial buildings add to the designation of the historical district.

Someone who helped spearhead the

number of these styles the word “revival” is

project was Jaquelin Perry, who is a local artist.

included. Most of the properties in Colerain

The oldest surviving house in the district

“Colerain has such a rich history, I thought

range in age from the 1850’s to the 1950’s.

is the Henry-Beasley house which was the

it would be important to highlight that history

That time span encompasses a lot of “revival”

residence of Dr. Peyton T. Henry and built in

through the recognition of obtaining a historic

periods. In this case the “revival” is just the

1850. A graduate of Wake Forest College and

district designation,” she said. “Additionally,

bringing back of a style of building that was

North Carolina State Legislator from 1858 to

the designation itself may lead to future

popular in other eras such as the colonial era.

1865, Dr. Henry served the local community

tourism and to people visiting, and possibly buying and preserving homes in the district.”

A contributing property is the Colerain

and area as a medical doctor. The facade of

Baptist Church, which is located at 202 North

the house remains basically unchanged, but

The application was approved and listed

Main Street. The church has a Gothic Revival

there was a two-story addition around 1900.

in April 2020. The Colerain Historic District is

style with stained glass windows across the

Many more structures and houses are

part of the National Register of Historic Places

front of the church with two recessed towers.

worth viewing and mentioning, but would

under the National Park Service and United

One tower has the church bell and the other

best be taken in by a visit. The North Carolina

States Department of Interior. The purpose of

tower is enclosed with stained glass windows.

State Historic Preservation Office has the

an Historic District is to preserve the original

The church was constructed in 1906.

Colerain Historic District application online, so

character of buildings and streets within a defined area.

Also on Main Street is the Oaks, a residence

that it may be viewed or printed.

built in 1924 that is in the Colonial-Revival

Around the country there are a few

A district consists of contributing and

Style. A distinguishing feature is the hipped

thousand historic districts and within the state

non-contributing properties. Colerain has 175

roof portico on the front of the residence.

of North Carolina there are more than a few

contributing buildings and sites accompanied

Reportedly the residence was named for

hundred. In Bertie County there are three

by 52 non-contributing buildings. A non-

the amount of oak trees in the yard on Main

historic districts: Colerain Historic District,

contributing building may be so designated

Street.

Windsor Historic District and Woodville

by its date of construction, alterations or other

Another structure on Main Street is

Historic District. The importance of the

factors that do not contribute to the historical

the Revel-Wade house built in 1858 and

historical district may include attracting some

tourism and retirees to the area. Reid Thomas, a well-known restoration specialist

with

North

Carolina

State

Preservation Office, stated “One of the many benefits of having a property listed on the National Register is the availability of historic preservation state and federal tax credits for the rehabilitation of incomeproducing and non-income producing historic properties.” The availability of these tax credits may well lead to restoration of some of these properties by individuals moving to the community. Visit Colerain and take in a slice of Americana from a by-gone era. Currently Café 45 operates as a restaurant at 105 South Main Street and provides breakfast, lunch and dinner Monday through Saturday and would provide an excellent stop for a visit. Lewis Hoggard is Executive Director of the Windsor/Bertie Chamber of Commerce and a regular contributor to Eastern North Carolina Living.

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Hyde County

The Rose Bay Plantation:

It’s all about the journey Story & Photos by Sandy Carawan

t the end of a lengthy lane amidst pine, gum and cedar trees, their branches draped in Spanish moss swaying softly, sublimely stands

the Rose Bay Plantation — an architect’s vision, a carpenter’s case study, and a family’s dream come true. An exquisite example of Greek Revival style architecture, the house’s façade leads one’s attention to the four fluted columns that accentuate the porch’s entry as well as the balcony above reminiscent of a Greek temple. Once inside and beneath the twelve-foot ceilings, four rooms both downstairs and upstairs each share a chimney. Generous amounts of sunlight from the massive six-over-six windows spill into the central hallway that leads in other directions to additional architectural marvels in craftsmanship from three centuries ago. Because of its unique architecture, the Rose Bay Plantation – the home’s original name - is regarded as one of the most distinctive nineteenth

have found,” says Anna. “In the family papers,

She adds that Nathaniel’s daughter, Martha

we saw letters from a caretaker at Rose Bay

Ann Credle (1891-1929), owned and operated

to the Grimes family, so it’s possible that the

it.

Grimes weren’t counted in the census in Hyde

After her sister’s death, Melissa stayed

County, but at their main plantation. We also

busy operating the filling station for several

saw the records of the ‘Rose Bay Plantation’

years, but she was also active with the Rose

added to their other plantation notes about

Bay Home Demonstration Club that would

how many crops and animals were harvested.”

occasionally meet in her home to talk about

While the National Register of Historic

topics such as gardening, home beautification

Places application states that George V.

Pete reveals that Melissa was nicknamed

and speculates he may have built the house

Witchy because as a toddler she couldn’t speak

soon after, Dawn believes that the house was built in 1859 by Bryan Grimes adding that, “He lived there ten years and it was sold to George V. Credle in 1869.” Regardless, George V. Credle, a large-scale farmer, merchant and active community century houses in the Rose Bay community of Swan Quarter Township. In 1985, when known as the George V. Credle House, it was added to the National Register of Historic Places. Now, a new family has brought life and love to the once vacant house that had sat

“

Because of its unique architecture, the Rose Bay

in disrepair for so long. Current owners, Anna

Plantation – the home’s

and Clark Twiddy, like to think of restoration in

original name - is regarded

two ways: a journey and a story to tell. “I was raised in a historic home and grew

as one of the most distinctive

up helping my father work on all the projects

nineteenth century houses in

that come with an old house,” says Anna. “My

the Rose Bay community of

husband is an avid history lover and his family

Swan Quarter Township.

has a passion for restoring old buildings.” have formed a special bond with the descendants of George V. Credle (1831-1914). Pete Credle and Kevin Gibbs, both distant for the memories made there as well as the family stories. Dawn, Pete’s wife, who has

child, Nathaniel Credle (1864-1945) who,

Plantation. “In the Grimes’s family papers, the first mention of the plantation was in 1847. It is

them as children to venture upstairs and to keep them in check told them of the satchel man who dwelt upstairs. “I never went out of the living room until I was twenty years old,” says Kevin. After Melissa’s death, according to Dawn, the house passed to Seth Bridgman Credle, Jr., Pete’s father. From 1981 until 2014, the house remained unoccupied and the outside wreaked havoc upon the inside. Upon first entering, Anna recalls, “Saplings and poison ivy were growing inside, bats and critters had taken up residence, the porches were rotten, and no true plumbing or

According to Dawn, when he died, the

familiar with the history of the house.

window of initial activity for the Rose Bay

During Pete’s childhood as well as Kevin’s, generations apart, Witchy would not allow

during his lifetime. house and property passed to his youngest

suggest the 1850s-1860s as a two-decade

she was saying “witchy.”

member, built up the plantation and property

shared special memories there, too, is very Historical research and family lore both

her name, and when she tried, it sounded like

”

As a result of the restoration, the Twiddys

great-grandsons, recall the house fondly

and food preservation.

Credle purchased the 1,798-acre tract in 1855

in turn, left the homeplace to his daughter, Melissa (Credle) Sadler (1895-1981). According to Pete, he remembers other outbuildings such as a long barn, cooking house, smokehouse, chicken house, orchard, garage, open shelter and filling station.

widely thought the house was built around

“The filling station was located in the

1850, but there is no solid record of it that we

middle of the yard near the road,” says Dawn.

electricity to speak of. “The house had a grand elegance about it, but was so wonderfully simple at the same time. It was remarkably solid, so much of the plaster still smooth, gorgeous old glass, and the floors and woodwork were stunning— filthy, of course, but beautiful. I can remember being amazed that the stairs and floors didn’t even creak.” Despite its condition, the Twiddys fell in love with the old house and decided to restore it to be as historically accurate as possible. They hired Kevin Gibbs of Gibbs Building, Inc., who has twenty-nine years of experience working with his father, Calvin Gibbs. Bringing the house back to life proved meaningful to Kevin, and he restored just about everything he could. “The heart of pine floorboards are all pretty much original. All the plaster has been recovered. Just about every bit of the trim is original except for where we had to add a couple of boards,” Gibbs said. “We repainted the original weatherboarding. Some of those old boards hadn’t had paint on them in a hundred years.” At

the

beginning

the

two-year

restoration, Anna says, “We felt like the house was waiting to be saved and it had a good, happy feeling about it. We knew we could restore and preserve it to its original glory without taking anything away from it by adding modern conveniences.” They divided an upstairs room to make two bathrooms. They enclosed the original pantry and some of the back porch to make a mud

sconces in the front parlor. I kept the pieces

It is remarkable how something as simple

room/powder room. In an upstairs room, they

to an old sewing table to make it a functional

as a house, its design, and its remaining

table again one day.”

possessions not only help to tell a story and

built an extra closet and a sitting room. Also, they screened in the upstairs porch. Being built for centuries and not just for its day, the Twiddys believe that with the house’s strength in materials bolstered by the superior

Anna even emptied Witchy’s vintage

connect us to past memories, but how all

Mason jars, the canned foods having long

of it inspires us to appreciate its history and

soured since her death.

cherish its beauty as we go on to make new

“I will fill them with things and use them,”

restoration, it will endure another century or longer.

Anna says. “They belong here.”

memories. Sandy Carawan is an English Language

“I’ve always loved old things,” says Anna.

“We love the house,” Anna says. “We have

Arts teacher at Mattamuskeet Early College

“I had the electrician wire for electric sconces

literally put a lot of blood, sweat and tears into

High School in Swan Quarter and a longtime

where the nails still hung from Witchy’s candle

it.”

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Hertford County

Mill Neck School:

‘It’s MY school...’ Story and Photos by Sarah Davis

n the 2012 documentary, “Children,

Hertford County were able to say, “It’s MY

Go Where I Send You,” by Caroline

school.”

Mill Neck. Mill Neck School, located on a one-acre

Stephenson and Jochen Kunstler, detailing

With a total of approximately 10,000

tract of land southeast of Mill Neck Road,

the history of Rosenwald Schools in Hertford

schools built, there were more Rosenwald

approximately one mile northeast of Como,

County,

and

schools in North Carolina than in any other

and bordered by an area known as “Big

Rosenwald School alumnus Dr. Dudley Flood

Hertford

County

native

state in the union; Hertford County boasted

Woods,” was built between October 1926

talks about the importance of a student’s

of 10; of them, four survive (about 500 of the

and March 1927. Prior to that time, Mill Neck

being able to say, “It’s MY school.”

original 10,000 do): C.S. Brown (built with

Baptist Church had operated a one-story

Thanks to the Rosenwald Foundation

Rosenwald funds though not technically a

frame schoolhouse southwest of the current

(where the funds of Sears CEO Julius

Rosenwald school), Vaughantown, Pleasant

school. Coming full circle, the later, historic

Rosenwald made reality of the vision of

Plains (a picture of which graces a recent

building is owned by Mill Neck Baptist Church,

Booker T. Washington), many students in

Smithsonian article about the schools) and

having received it in 1998 by a deed from

the Hertford County Board of

most importantly, window lights.

Education.

Arranged for maximum benefit,

Mill Neck Pastor, the Rev. Darrell T. Partlow, has a vision for the building with plans to

the original windows have been replaced and are now boarded. In addition to the school

engage in adaptive restoration

building,

that will bring it up to code while

buildings were built - a privy and a

preserving the historic integrity as

shed used for firewood and coal,

guided by the National Historic

but the dependencies have not

Preservation Society.

survived.

least

two

out

Partlow plans a community

Between 1928 and 1930, a

center that will welcome all

one-story side gable extension

from young children to seniors.

added a third classroom, moving

For the youngsters, he wants to

the school from a two to three-

provide an environment with

teacher school, and in the 1940s

the appropriate learning tools

a bathroom was added.

that will give every child the

Significant teachers were Katie

ability to succeed and thrive in

Hart, Fostina Worthington and

life. He anticipates a homework

James Felton, who also served as

and tutoring center, especially

principal.

equipped for the digital age. For

the

older

County, Felton, a Montford Point

imagines senior center support

Marine, earned his Bachelor’s at

services that will include in-home

Elizabeth City State and Master’s

assistance, shopping, transport

at NC Central. First teaching at

medical

folks,

Originally from Perquimans

appointments,

a Rosenwald School in Snow

meal preparation and property

Hill, he then came to Hertford

maintenance. The school will

County, his wife’s home, where he

once again become a cultural

served as assistant pastor at Mill

center

Neck Church and principal at the

for

the

community,

housing arts and crafts, theatrical

school.

productions and serving as a

His

daughter,

Michele,

museum to educate all about the

although too young to remember

Rosenwald Schools.

the actual time at Mill Neck,

Conforming to the Rosenwald

recalls his recollections of life

School Floor Plan 20A for a two-

there, and what it was. The school

teacher school, the standing

and church were intertwined,

seam metal roof sits atop a wood

serving as the meeting place, the

weatherboard structure that rises

venue for civic events.

from a concrete foundation. The

She recalls how much her

building still retains much of the

father loved the community,

original material, especially inside

how he described it as a “sweet”

where original beaded board and

community with the people all

tongue and groove wainscoting

working together and being very

with a chair rail as well as tongue

supportive of the school.

and groove three or four inch pine

Rosenwald

original chalkboards and built-in

state, county and local support.

bookcases.

The school was built on land

bulb in a porcelain socket and,

The school and church were intertwined, serving as the meeting place, the venue for civic events.

”

As a condition of funding,

floors can be observed as can the

Light was provided by a single

“

Schools

required

originally given to Maney’s Neck Mill

Neck

Missionary

Baptist

Church, dating from 1866 but originally a part

often had to miss school in order to work the

reminds us of that importance. With the Rev.

of Buckhorn Baptist Church, by Julian Picot,

fields, but they wanted to be in school. Dr.

Partlow’s dream, the Mill Neck School will once

who gave the land for a church and school as

Flood recalls hating to see summer come,

again be a beacon of light in the community,

long as used for that purpose.

finding it absolute “torture” to be away from

the meeting place, the venue for civic events,

school.

and all can say, “It’s MY School.”

In 1925, his son, Guy, deeded the school lot to the Hertford County Board of Education.

Noting that one of the greatest influences

The African American community raised $200

on education is the student’s perception of

To contribute to the restoration of

for the building; Rosenwald Funds contributed

self, Dr. Flood talks of the importance to the

Mill Neck School, please go online to the

$700, and $2,475.00 was provided in public

students of knowing someone cared enough

GoFundMe page for MIll Neck Rosenwald

funds to build the school for a total cost of

to provide a school for them, thus making the

School

$3,375.00.

Rosenwald schools a special gift.

Lawrence. For more information about the

Information for boxes:

Association

created

Sonya

The school housed grades 1-7; students

Michele Felton remembers her father’s

restoration, contact the Rev. Partlow at

then went to Riverview in Murfreesboro and

keen support of education, his encouraging all

dtprap59@gmail.com or Paulette Lawrence at

C.S. Brown in Winton for junior and high

the parents to allow their children to attend

lawrencepauletteb@gmail.com

school

school as much as possible in spite of the

For more information, see the North

farming. She echoes Dr. Flood’s statement

Carolina Listings in the National Register of

about the importance of Rosenwald Schools

Historic Places; Solender, Michael J.“Inside the

The school operated until 1959 when it was consolidated into Riverview in Murfreesboro. The school was far more than a building;

because they showed the youngsters that

Rosenwald Schools.” Smithsonianmag.com,

it was a center of culture; students took great

someone cared enough to build a school in

March 30, 2021;

pride in having their school, in being able to

proximity to their homes, to provide a place

say “It’s MY school.”

for them to receive an education.

They thought it the best place you could

Perhaps those who could say “It’s MY

be, one alumnus even recalling it heresy not

School” are fewer today than they once were

to want to go to school. With so many of the

(six alumni of the Mill Neck School died in

students the children of share-croppers, they

January 2021 alone), but Mill Neck School still

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Tribune, May 25, 2012. Sarah Davis is a retired librarian and regular contributor to Eastern North Carolina Living.

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Red Oak Community Building: The ‘log cabin’ is still in full use Story & Photos by Amelia Harper

hile the Red Oak Community

Community Building not only fulfills the

Building was constructed more

needs of the community, but is a source

than 85 years ago and was placed

of pride among its residents.

on the National Registry of Historic

“I think people enjoy the uniqueness

Places in 2006, it still serves as a hub

of the log cabin, and I think it is also well-

for community activities for the Town of

used because of the big open room,” he

Red Oak.

said. “There are no partitions or anything,

The one-story Rustic Revival log building exudes a sense of naturalism, tradition and warmth. It is used regularly

which allows people to have 75 or 80 people there comfortably.” While many local buildings are

by local churches, Scout groups, clubs

constructed

and other organizations. Families hold

functional

reunions and wedding receptions there.

construction of the Red Oak Community

When it was built in 1935, it was the only

Building lends it a charm that places it out

public venue in Red Oak, and it remains

of the ordinary public venue experience.

so to this day.

along lines,

more the

ordinary,

history

and

While the building now has amenities

Tony Bennett, who serves on the Red

such as appliances and central heating

Oak Town Council and has called the

and air, it retains its simple lines and

town home since 1967, says the Red Oak

natural features. The log construction

“ I think people enjoy the uniqueness of the log cabin...

”

- Tony Bennett

and pine floors add a sense of earthiness and

property owned by these churches and still

relief” for “persons in rural areas or stranded

solid, old-fashioned appeal.

serves as a meeting space for both churches

populations” to provide work that was not in

when needed.

competition with private industry. More that

The building features exposed saddlenotched log construction, according to the

However, the building was not constructed

107 public works of “permanent value” were

documentation provided to the National

for religious purposes. Rather, it was built

undertaken in North Carolina during this time

Registry of Historic Places. It has one large

with a more utilitarian social and educational

period using such public funds.

room with an exposed log ceiling. A kitchen

reason in mind.

In a letter dated May 8, 2006, former

with a pass-through window is located on

The Red Oak Community Building is

State Historic Preservation Officer Jeffrey

one end of the building while a storage area

one of 22 community buildings built under

Crow announced to former Red Oak Mayor

with a small bathroom and separate entrance

the direction of the Emergency Relief

Alfred Wester that the Red Oak Community

completes the construction on the other end

Organization in North Carolina between

House had been entered into the National

of the building.

1932 and 1935. Most of these buildings are

Registry of Historic Places.

The building went through a major renovation in 2014, according to Bennett. He

constructed of materials native to each

“You are fortunate to own and preserve a property that justly deserves this honor,” Crow

location, such as logs or stone.

said extreme cold temperatures required the

In Red Oak, the building was initially

said. “The National Registry has been justly

building to be wrapped in plastic and heaters

constructed primarily as a site for the Home

called ‘a roll call of the tangible reminders

to be brought in to help cure the building.

Demonstration

of the history of the United States.’ It is,

Club,

North

Carolina to

therefore, a pleasure for the Office of Archives

everything came out well and the building is

provide educational and social opportunities

and History to participate in this program

beautiful.”

to women in rural communities.

and thereby make our nation aware of North

“I guess it was bad timing,” he mused. “But

Extension

Office

program

designed

Carolina’s rich cultural heritage.”

Bennett said the knockout roses in front of

Home Demonstration Clubs were set

what some locals refer to as the “Red Oak Log

up and money was set aside through the

Bennett said like most properties, the Red

Cabin,” add even more beauty to the facility.

post-Depression work relief program for

Oak Log Cabin found itself sitting empty for

The building is located on Church Street

construction of buildings to house them.

most of the last year because of COVID-19,

in Red Oak, very near the intersection with

These were seen as a way to improve the

but it has returned to usefulness and is being

N.C. 43. Church Street is aptly named as the

plight of farmwomen, these officials decided.

rented on a near-weekly basis. He said it is

two oldest surviving churches in the town —

The

construction

the

Red

Oak

the Red Oak Methodist Church and the Red

Community Building and others built for

Oak Baptist Church, both have property that

this purpose came through the Emergency

touch the street. The Red Oak Community

Relief Administration. This was a program

Building — or Red Oak Community House, as

created by the federal government during the

it is officially known — is nestled between the

Great Depression as a “temporary means of

wonderful to see the historic site so vibrant again. (Eastern North Carolina Living Editor Thadd White contributed to this story.) Amelia Harper is a Staff Writer for the Rocky Mount Telegram.

For where two or three are gathered together in my name, there am I in the midst of them. Matthew 18:20 KJV

church page CSIC is a multi-ethnic, multi-generational body of believers whose vision is to love all people, win them to Christ, build them in discipleship, and send them out to fulfill their divine destiny!

www.csicministries.com

Historic Preservation Program Sets Edgecombe Community College Apart

Story & Photos by Mary Tom Bass On the Tarboro campus of Edgecombe Community College, a

Edgecombe Community College (ECC) is one of only five community

unique program in historic preservation is teaching students how to

colleges in the nation that offers a degree in historic preservation and

restore historic structures.

only one of two in North Carolina that offers a program in preservation-

The comprehensive program, the first of its kind in North Carolina,

related building trades.

includes a two-year degree program in Historic Preservation

The program was launched in fall 2008 with a daylong trades school

Technology and two short-term certificate programs in Preservation

that featured demonstrations by preservationists. This popular Historic

Research and Historic Construction, as well as popular weekend

Preservation Trades Fair continued annually until the pandemic paused

continuing education classes.

the gathering in 2020.

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Tri-County Airport opens new terminal

S tory

and

Photo B y LewiS hoggard

he wait was worth it! The brand-new terminal on Henry Joyner

Field at Tri-County Airport opened last week. The modern well-designed terminal now welcomes visitors by air to Bertie, Hertford and

Commissioner Tammy Lee said, “We are absolutely thrilled with this beautiful facility” and she went on to thank all of the parties involved including Henry Joyner, who is the general manager of Tri-County Airport and the namesake for Henry Joyner Field. Joyner actually cut the ribbon. The late Hertford County

Northampton counties. The old terminal had long since served its

Commissioner Johnnie Ray Farmer was thanked for his work on this

purpose and needed to be replaced many years ago.

project and his widow, Paula Farmer accepted a plaque on his behalf.

A first impression only happens once. Now visitors from prospective

North Carolina Rep. Howard J. Hunter, III was thanked for his work

businesses and from current employers will be greeted upon arrival at

in the North Carolina legislature on this project as well as Rep. Michael

the airport by a state-of-the-art facility. The new terminal has over

Wray. Trey Lewis representing Senator Tom Tillis’s office and Betty

3,000 square feet of space including a conference room for meetings

Jo Shephard from Senator Richard Burr’s Office were present at the

at the airport. Representatives from Perdue and Republic Services were

ceremony.

present to celebrate, and also donated for the purchase of furniture for the terminal.

The importance of this new terminal and the impression that it makes on businesses looking to relocate was echoed by Biggs.

$1.4 million was spent on the facility with the funding from the

“Imagine the owner of a manufacturing company visiting our area

Division of Aviation of North Carolina Department of Transportation

to potentially relocate before the building of this facility landing and

and Federal Aviation Administration program. Around 10,000

seeing the old decrepit terminal might tell his pilot keep the engine

aircraft operations are done a year at the airport. The airport has

running because we are not staying.”

4,500-hundred-foot runway, that was first paved in 1965.

The terminal certainly states by its appearance that this area is in

Bertie County Commission Chair Tammy Lee hosted the ribbon-

the 21st Century. The Wilson Group were the architects of the building

cutting for the terminal, as well as serving as the Chair of Tri-County

with Talbert & Bright Engineering as the planning consultants. Calvin

Airport Commission. On the commission from Bertie County and

Davenport, Inc. was the general contractor. The Windsor/Bertie

attending the event were Bertie County Chief Deputy Kenny Perry and

Chamber and Ahoskie Chamber served as hosts for the event. A much

Steve Biggs, Bertie County Economic Developer.

larger celebration is planned for when Covid-19 conditions are better.

Additionally, Commissioners Ron Wesson and Ron Roberson were present as well as Bertie County Manager Juan Vaughan II.

Lewis Hoggard is Executive Director of the Windsor/Bertie County Chamber of Commerce.

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ALL IN A

Day’s Trip Across the border

Story by Leslie Beachboard Photos by Michelle Leicester & Leslie Beachboard

Suffolk, VA

hose looking to spend a day filled with history, adventure, shopping and a variety of foods to

delight the tastebuds should look no further than just across the North Carolina-Virginia state line. Suffolk has all of these things and more. The city has a rich history dating back 400 years to the first exploration of the Nansemond River in 1608. It offers a restored and thriving downtown, along with other unique communities for activities for everyone. Suffolk is nicknamed “Virginia’s Caffeine Capital” because coffee producers from around the world import, roast and distribute from the area. Lipton Tea has been processing tea in Suffolk for over 60 years. Planters Peanuts has been processing a variety of peanut flavors in Suffolk for more than 100 years, and the birth of the iconic “Mr. Peanut” began here. The Suffolk Visitor Center offers excellent displays of the rich history of the city, along with brochures filled with information about local museums and exhibits for anyone’s interest. There is also information about other towns and attractions all over the state available. Inside, visitors can browse a wide variety of gifts available in the gift shop. There is something for everyone from artwork, clothing, glassware and books. The Suffolk Visitor Center is located at 524 North Main St. in Suffolk. The Suffolk Visitor Center Pavilion is a location for many outdoor events hosted. The Suffolk Farmer’s Market is held from 9 a.m. - 1 p.m. every Saturday from May through November. Visitors can browse a variety of fresh produce,

plants, baked goods and more from

museum

local participants.

furnishings, art and artifacts many

Looking

for

something

which

showcases

period

little

belonging to the Riddick family. Penciled

more spooky, then look no further.

messages on the walls from Union

The “Legends on Main Street” ghost

soldiers and Confederate prisoners can

walk is a guided walking tour through

still be seen today.

the shadows of historic Main Street. The tour is offered once a month, and

Riddick’s Folly is located at 510 North Main St. in Suffolk.

reservations are required. For more

All aboard. The Suffolk Seaboard

information, contact the Suffolk Visitor

Station Railroad Museum is one of

Center at 757-514-4130 or visit www.

Suffolk’s most recognized landmarks.

visitsuffolkva.com.

The

Suffolk

Seaboard

Station

was built in 1885 and was used as a

Suffolk is nicknamed

passenger train station until the 1960s.

“Virginia’s Caffeine

abandoned and fell into disrepair.

The

station

was

eventually

Capital” because

The building again suffered extensive

coffee producers

station in danger of being demolished.

from around the

damage from a fire in 1994, and put the The Suffolk-Nansemond Historical Society worked to have the station

world import, roast

repaired. Inside the museums, visitors

and distribute from

including train artifacts, old train menus

will find a wide array of memorabilia and other unique items from the six

the area.

railroads that serviced the city. The largest display is a two-room

Just next door to the visitor’s center is Riddick’s Folly Museum and Gift Shop. Riddick’s Folly is Suffolk’s only historic house museum, and the only museum in the tidewater area dedicated to the early 19th Century.

model of the railways and Suffolk in 1907. The museum is located at 326 North Main St. in Suffolk. Cedar Hill Cemetery dates back to 1802. Originally constructed as Green

The museum is a reminder of times

Hill Cemetery, the 32-acre features a

past. Mills Riddick built the mansion in

beautiful landscape of hills and cedar

1837 after the Great Suffolk Fire of 1837.

trees.

Riddick died five years after the house

This historic cemetery is the resting

was complete. After his death, his son,

place for many Confederate Generals

Nathaniel, and his family lived in the

and soldiers, as well as many prominent

house until retreating to Petersburg

families, and state and local officials

during the Union occupation.

from Suffolk.

During

the

Union

occupation

Cedar Hill offers many unique

of Suffolk, the house served as the

examples of tombstones, structures and

headquarters for General John James

several family mausoleums.

Peck of the Union Army. The tour leads visitors through the

The cemetery is located at 102 Mahan St. in Suffolk.

Suffolk also offers much outdoor adventure for those who are looking to spend some time in nature. Adventure awaits on the guided kayak excursions through the Suffolk Visitor Center. These

excursions

are

scheduled

March

through

November and participants can reserve a slot in one of the kayak adventures through the Great Dismal Swamp’s Lake Drummond, Nansemond River, Bennett’s Creek or the Lone Star Lakes. These guided expeditions are facilitated by a water adventures outfitter with years of experience. The excursions are $40 a person and reservations are required. Participants must be at least 10 years old or older. For more information or to reserve a trip, call 757-5144130. The Great Dismal Swamp National Wildlife Refuge and Trails offers many ways to experience nature. The 112,000 acres of forest and wetland, along with 3,100-acre Lake Drummond, visitors may participate is a variety of activities including hiking, biking, nature photography, wildlife observation, hunting, fishing or boating. Downtown Suffolk boasts a shopping community with stores for everyone. Take a stroll through downtown and browse a variety of unique shops that house antiques, clothing and speciality gifts. While downtown walk over to the park and take a picture with the famous “Mr. Peanut” statue. If one is hungry while in Suffolk, there is an option for whatever it is one craves. Suffolk is the home of a variety of restaurants with foods, coffee and sweet treats of all kinds. Amicis specializes in Italian cuisine, including pastas, subs and pizza. It is open for brunch through dinner. Amicis is located at 159 East Washington St. in Suffolk. Baron’s Corner Pub serves American comfort food in a casual atmosphere. These are just two of the many options to choose from. Need a pick-me-up? Stop in Pour Favor for a speciality iced or hot coffee drink. Have a seat inside or outside by the fire pit to relax. Suffolk offers activities for all ages and most can be seen in just a day. Leslie Beachboard can be reached at bertienews@ ncweeklies.com.

Explore Washington Washington Harbor

Treat yourself to world class restaurants, eclectic shops and one of a kind boutiques

Great Rates & Service Since 1950 4 Home 4 Flood 4 Life 4 Auto 4 Business 4 Boat 245 W. Main St., Washington, NC

252-946-6114 www.sloanagency.com

Q uestions with

Shenon Beachboard

Shenon Beachboard is the contractor/owner of Beachboard Carpentry and Repair. He completed a major restoration of the Freeman-Mizelle-Beachboard House in Windsor in 2016-17. 80

What led to your decision to restore a historic home?

What was the most difficult part of the task?

It was the architecture and the charm. The first time I walked

My family and I lived in the house through the 14-month

into the house it was a diamond in the rough. There were

restoration process. There were many challenges. We moved

unique features that I could not walk into a building supply or

in late winter and had no heat. I remember we all laughed

home improvement center and purchase new. I knew that a

about it. The plumbing failed about three weeks later. We

house that was 154 years old would last a lifetime rather than

went three months without a fully operational kitchen while

just for a mortgage. I envisioned what the house looked like

it was being restored. We moved all of our possessions from

back then and not the condition it was currently in. The house

room to room as the work was being completed due to fear

had survived the elements, natural disasters and many other

that everything would be ruined from the dust and debris. One

things long before me or several generations of my family was

of the bathrooms didn’t have a floor. Finding specific items

born. I wanted to bring it back to life. It was too grand to let

needed was difficult. There were many trips to architectural

it fade into the past. I wanted to preserve it for many other

salvage dealers hoping to find an exact match of something

generations to come.

that was in better condition than what you had. The most difficult part was the amount of work it needed. Every room

What about your home in particular interested you?

needed major repairs. I spent every night and weekend working on a project. If I was lucky I would get 4 hours sleep a

One of the main things was it had never been remodeled or

night. It made for a long, tiring 14 months.

upgraded since its original 1890 Victorian makeover. The house still had many of its original features. I loved the front entry with the marble steps, and the fireplaces with unique mantels

How do you feel now that your family is residing there?

with encaustic tile. The house had the original plaster walls that had never been painted, only covered with wallpaper. It

I feel at home. In the beginning many people were watching

had the original hardwood floors and plaster moldings that

and I didn’t even realize it. As the project progressed people

had survived throughout time.

would stop to cheer us on and offer encouragement. It has made me appreciate the wonderful people in my small town.

How different is the restoration of a historic home and one

There was so much relief when it was complete, but truly it

that is not?

will never be complete. The house will always be a work in progress. Something will always need to be done. There will

You try to save as much of the original features as possible. If

always be preventive maintenance. The plaster will crack

you remove all of the unique features it erases the historical

and need to be repaired. The paint will chip and need to be

charm of the house. You have to try and blend the new

touched up. But I know the major work is behind me. I can now

repairs to the original features. You don’t want anything to

concentrate on the things I would like to do and not what has

look repaired. You want everything to look as it was originally

to be done.

supposed to be. With newer homes it is easier because you can create any style rather than trying to duplicate a historic

Would you do it again?

home’s original style. It took alot of research. Sometimes I wouldn’t know the proper name or reason for something until

Most definitely, just for the thrill of it. I have always dreamed

I researched it. Historic homes have many features not seen in

of having a big, historic house. Not because it is fancy, but

modern construction.

because I appreciate the rich history that comes with it. Plus, as a family of 6 we needed the space. Each historic house tells a story. It is exciting to watch the story unfold as the house is brought back to life. Although, I would want to take my time, and not have to work to meet a deadline.

Grandma’s

Kitchen Sylvia Hughes with her grandmother, Bertie Dameron.

This issue is about history and I love it. It has been my favorite subject since I was first introduced to it in elementary school. I find it fascinating to learn how people in the past lived. That makes archeology a great love of mine. It seems to prove King Solomon’s observation, “There is nothing new under the sun.” While it took a great deal more work, people in Colonial America ate some of the same things we do today. Men fished and hunted for food to put on the table. Many of the colonists brought goats, chickens, pigs. cows and sheep with them. They also brought seeds for planting. The seeds were for food, but they brought flower seeds as well. Women were in charge of the home garden and of making butter and other dairy products. Preserving food for the winter was necessary or the family would starve. Meat was smoked or layered in salt. Some vegetables were placed deep in the ground with sawdust around them. Vegetables, fruits and herbs were also dried. Butter, milk and dairy products were often kept in houses built around springs. Pickling was another method of preserving food. I can remember vaguely going with my grandmother to a relative’s home in the Shenandoah Valley. It was a dairy farm but they had maintained the old way of living.

The home was built next to a spring and the spring was in a room off the kitchen. The room was constructed of stone which helped keep the room cool. In it were benches built around the spring. Dairy products were kept on the stools to keep them cool. I think the reason I remember it so well is they gave me a cold glass of milk that was straight from the cow. It was stringy and thick. I thought it was the worst thing I ever tried to drink. Another memory is of an elderly woman who lived a block up from my grandmother. She still dried the fruit grown in her yard for the winter. My clearest memory is of her drying apples. She sat on the back steps and cored the apples. Then she cut them in thin rings across the whole apple. She next put them on sheets and covered them with cheesecloth to dry in the sun. It was a rare and great treat when she would give her granddaughter and me a slice or two of her dried apples. I still love them today. I have dried them in my oven and while they are good, they don’t compare to my memory of those sheet dried apples. Some of the things we still enjoy today are meat and vegetables cooked together in pot roasts and stews, pies, cobblers, cakes and cookies.

Perfect Apple Pie Filling rably granny smith), • 6 to 8 tart apples (prefe ed (six cups) pared, cored and thinly slic • ¾ to 1 cup of sugar (to taste) • 2 tablespoons flour • 1 teaspoon cinnamon • 2 tablespoons butter namon and a dash of salt. Combine sugar, flour, cin Mix with apples t Fill with apple mixture. Do Line pie plate with pastry. with butter. ges. steam to escape. Seal Ed Adjust tip crust. Cut slits for Sprinkle with sugar. 50 minutes. Bake at 400 degrees for nned sliced apples. Note: Can use 5 cups of ca

Heat oven to 200 de

Dried Apples

grees Slice 2 apples as th in as possible (Gra nny Smith for tart, Hone y Crisp for sweeter) Mix 4 cups of water and ½ cup of lemon juice, place apple slices in mixture to prevent slices browning. Dry with paper towe ls Place on parchment

Bake one hour, turn

lined cookie sheets.

over and bake one to two more hours. Check occasionally, add or reduce time to desired dryn ess. Turn off oven, crac k the oven door an d let cool completely.

Sylvia Hughes is a retired newspaper editor and columnist residing in Windsor. In addition to three sons, she has a gaggle of grandchildren, many of whom love cooking with her just as she did with her mother and grandmother.

Grace & Truth

The person everyone needs Pastor Webb

very person wants to make a

One day by the leading of God, he becomes

friend of Jonathan’s, was on the run from

difference. We are often unsure of

the first prince of Israel. He walked in that

Jonathan’s father. Jonathan remained loyal to

how to do it. We suffer many days

favor bringing honor to God and Israel daily.

his father, but also honored the covenants

believing that we are insignificant, and most

A few years later, the nation found itself

he had made to keep David alive. One day

people battle feelings of lacking worth. When

at war with the Philistines. He woke up that

when David was at his lowest, Jonathan got

we get this way, we tend to be needy. We beg

morning and said to his armor-bearer, “Let’s

away from the camp to encourage David.

others for attention.

go defeat some Philistines today.” The two of

Jonathan strengthened the hand of David.

It is a sad digression to fall from a

them climbed the hill where the army was,

purposeful world changer to a whiny leech.

This is an action that David would need to do

and Israel took an incredible victory! Jonathan

You know the kind of person I’m talking about,

for himself the rest of his life. Jonathan taught

knew his destiny as a warrior and walked in

right? Some need so much. I’m not saying that

David how to be ready for anything.

courage during the battle that day.

we shouldn’t care for people like that, but I

Many years later, David, a close and intimate

hope to encourage us to find our adventurous

to be formed by God and walked in favor.

side again and run after being healthy and

Prepared to accept his destiny in the Philistine

helpful.

battle, Jonathan courageously met his most

I believe our existence flows from three positions. We are here to discover identity, destiny and legacy. The person that everyone needs is someone who knows who they are, knows what they are capable of, and knows who they are here to help. The person in the Bible that embodies this purposeful living is Jonathan, Saul’s son. Jonathan knew that his identity emerges from God. He was a man who listened to the Spirit’s leading and was ready to make grand steps when called. One day, his father, Saul, is announced as the first king of Israel. He literally woke up one day a prince. He wasn’t born a prince. He didn’t earn the prince’s title.

Jonathan was the type of man that every person needs. He trusted his identity

intimidating challenge. He was a man of valor

I believe our existence flows from three positions. We are here to discover identity, destiny and legacy.

and honor. He knew that his real legacy wasn’t to be on a throne but to build the man who would follow his father. Legacy is not what you leave behind, it’s who you leave behind. The person that everyone needs stands firmly in their identity, destiny and legacy. Someone needs you to be confirmed and comforted in who God designed you to be. When His design and your desires work together, the world is changed forever. Pastor Emanuel Webb Hoggard is Pastor at Askewville Assembly of God. He can be reached via email at pastorwebb@hotmail.com.

biography •

Jackie Lyons White Story by Leslie Beachboard Photos Contributed

very year, the United States recognizes May as Lupus Awareness Month.

who have the disease.”

diagnosis.

According to White, research shows that

Lupus is a chronic disease that can cause

But for Jackie Lyons White and more

a staggering two-thirds of the public know

inflammation and pain in any part of the

than 200,000 other Americans, Lupus

little about Lupus, have never heard of the

body. It is a long-term autoimmune disease.

affects their lives 24 hours a day, 365 days

disease or know little about Lupus and its

It becomes hyperactive, and the disease

a year.

effects on those who have received such a

attacks the healthy tissues and organs within

White,

who

currently

resides

the body.

Durham, is a Bertie County native, and the President/CEO of Bertie Alumni Community Association. She was diagnosed with Lupus 15 years ago, and since then has become an advocate to help share the facts and her story about Lupus. “Being

Lupus

warrior

and

local

ambassador, I want to share information to help the world understand Lupus and raise awareness. I allow myself time to echo my voice to speak for me and the other people living with the disease,” White said. “Lupus is more persuasive and severe than people think. It has a devastating impact on those

Patients with Lupus can experience

“B eing a L upus warrior and LocaL amBassador ,

want to share

significant symptoms. The disease can affect many parts of the body including organs, such as the kidneys and liver, may cause severe pain throughout the body, inflammation, extreme fatigue, swelling, painful and damaged joints, hair loss, cognitive issues, cardiovascular disease, stroke, shortness of

information to

breath, disfiguring skiing rashes, memory

heLp the worLd

and physical impairments. Lupus can affect

understand

L upus and raise awareness .”

loss, vision problems, sensitivity to sunlight daily lives and tasks. “Lupus is not contagious, and you cannot catch Lupus from someone or give Lupus to someone else. The person’s genes play a role

in the predisposition of the development of Lupus in their bodies,” White added. According to White, those with the disease

White was diagnosed with the most

“I never gave up. I will never forget the day

common form of Lupus, known as Systemic

I got sick at work in March 2006, and had to

Erythematosus.

receive emergency care. Three days later on

can live with Lupus, although many days may

Cutaneous Lupus is a form that is limited to

March 23, my son’s birthday, my doctor told

be difficult. However Lupus can be fatal in

the skin. It causes rashes or lesions caused by

me the antinuclear antibody (ANA) test came

some patients. There is currently no cure for

the sunlight. The disease is made worse by the

back positive for Lupus,” she continued.

the disease.

exposure to ultraviolet rays from the sunlight.

Since her diagnosis, White has been

“I was also diagnosed with this type of

through some life altering changes, a lot of

“Each individual with Lupus has a different battle,” White insists.

Lupus too,” said White.

severe pain and four surgeries.

Lupus is known as a silent disease because

The third type is Neonatal Lupus. The

“With me having Lupus, the onset

patients may seem like nothing is wrong on

disease comes from the antibodies from the

triggered other medical issues including

the outside. However, looks can be deceiving.

mother that affect the fetus. The baby inherits

anxiety, depression and other health ailments

Lupus patients have flares when the disease

diseases like congenital heart defects, low

like degenerative bone disease, osteoarthritis

ravages the person’s body. Sometimes

blood cell count and rashes.

and fibromyalgia. The battle is not easy,” said

sufferers hurt daily and live in pain most of the

Drug-induced Lupus is caused by certain

White “You must be strong minded, and

time unless medicated with Lupus-specific

prescription medications that patients have

willing to beat the disease in order to survive.”

medications or other treatments.

taken in the past.

She said she has her good days and her bad days, but she is still alive thanks to God.

White said Lupus can affect people of

“Some Lupus patient’s disease turns to

all ages, genders, racial and ethnic groups.

cancer, and they sometimes have organ

“Several years ago, Lupus took an effect on

However, Lupus is more prevalent among

failure. Lupus can be life threatening.

my body that left me disabled. I had to close

people of color: African Americans, Hispanic/

Although there is no cure for Lupus, there are

both of my businesses, Dolly’s Cafe formally

Latinos and Asians than those who are

medications, treatments and lifestyle changes

in Aulander and Flowers by Jackie, a home

caucasians.

that can help patients manage the symptoms

based florist for the funeral homes,” White

and continue to live,” she added.

continued.

Lupus is about nine times more common in women than in men. There are four kinds of Lupus.

White said her battle with the disease has been uphill and downhill.

Despite all of the challenges she is faced, White said she is still trying to help others in

“Put On Purple” during the month of May. The foundation chose the color purple and their symbol as a butterfly. The butterfly was selected because a lot of patients would have a rash in the shape of a butterfly on their body. “The organization asks for Lupus warriors and their supporters to wear purple clothing or a purple ribbon for awareness each Friday in May. Every year May 10 is considered World Lupus Day, and there are scheduled walks in October,” said White. This year the Lupus Foundation of America’s walk will be held nationwide on Oct. 16. This year the walk will be held virtually due to COVID-19 because Lupus sufferers are considered high risk. The funds raised through the event will benefit research, education, awareness and support for Americans living with lupus. “I am here to help make a change and advocate for Lupus sufferers. I am committed to making a difference in Bertie and Durham counties Bertie County when she is not in a health crisis. White’s mission and ministry has always been to help others, especially at-risk youth, promote education, assist with disasters and offer support through her nonprofit organization. Several years ago, the Lupus Foundation started “Purple Friday” or

to promote the awareness of Lupus. I attend conferences and different programs to keep myself and others informed on research, available resources, educational resources and to be an encouragement to others battling,” White closed. Leslie Beachboard is Managing Editor of Eastern North Carolina Living, the Bertie Ledger-Advance and The Enterprise.

MARKER TEXT

County: Halifax Marker ID:E-78 Original Date Cast: 1968-P

PERSON’S ORDINARY In operation by 1770. Revolutionary tavern & stage stop. Named for family of Thomas Person. Restored by Littleton Woman’s Club. One blk. E.

MARK IT! Title To Begin Here

Rabore et dolore magna aliquyam erat, sed diam Information courtesy of the voluptua. At vero eos et accusam et justo duo dolores et N.C. Department of Natural and Cultural Resources ea rebum. Stet clita kasd gubergren, no

he oldest landmark in the Halifax County town of Littleton, Person’s Ordinary is a restored, one-and-one-

half-story house with a three-room plan which once served as a tavern owned by Thomas Person (1733-1800). Active in the Regulator movement and in time a prominent Anti-Federalist leader, Person was also a planter. His nephew and adopted son, William Person Little, inherited Person’s plantation, which took the name “Little Manor.” The town of Littleton, in turn, took its name from “Little Manor.” The town’s first mail service originated at the ordinary and Little served as the first postmaster. Person’s Ordinary, in operation by 1770, was a stagecoach stop between Hillsborough and Halifax. It became a popular stop for many travelers. The following advertisement appeared in the Virginia Gazette in 1779: “Stolen from the subscriber in Warren County, near Thomas Person’s Ordinary, a sorrel horse, etc. The thief has been seen with the above horse in his possession near the Butterwood Ordinary in Amelia County.

NC 4 (Mosby Avenue) at Warren Street in Littleton

Reward $100 etc. signed, Unity Coleman.” In 1925 the old inn became the property of

REFERENCES Catherine W. Bishir and Michael T. Southern, A Guide to the Historic Architecture of Eastern North Carolina (1996) Rebecca Leach Dozier, Looking Back on Littleton, North Carolina (1994) (Williamsburg) Virginia Gazette, June 9, 1779

the Warren County Board of Education. In 1957 the Littleton Women’s Club leased the building from the school board and subsequently restored the structure. Staff of the Department of Archives and History advised on the restoration and state funds were appropriated for the purpose.

PARTING SHOTS Thadd White is “Out at the Ball Game.”

My favorite subject in high school was

But, what we learned was interesting

who lived that history, enjoys that history

always history. I think part of that was because

always. He never let us think our history was

and shares that history. We were lucky

my football coach – Bill Hawkins – taught U.S.

dull or something that could be learned simply

enough to talk to some people who wrote the

History with the same gusto he used on the

by answering fill-in-the-blank questions on a

narratives to get places placed on the National

test. He made us think, and for that reason, he

was one of my favorite teachers and history

communities we wrote about and those who

was my favorite subject.

grew up there.

football field. We had to learn the first 100 words of President Abraham Lincoln’s address at Gettysburg, the preamble to the U.S. Constitution and a host of other things that memory no longer allows me to hold onto.

or Edgecombe County folks know where Bill Hawkins is today, please let me know!) My mother has also been a history buff

I asked our writers

for most of her life. She’s done genealogy

to not only tell the

day, and taken my children to see some of the

history

each

place, but to talk to someone who

research that I’m certain I’ll appreciate one

historic parts of North Carolina and Virginia. She and I were talking about a place that was on the National Register of Historic Places a few days before the idea for this edition’s theme hit me. I took a few minutes to look through our 14 counties and found there

Thanks to the excellent work by our staff and contributors, you’ll read the stories of historic homes, neighborhoods and buildings from people to whom they matter. You’ll read not just the history of a text, but the history of having lived there, grown up there and worked there. This is the real history! We hope you enjoy some of the vast history of our region. We’ll be back in July with something I believe we have all been waiting for – things to do outside. We’ll take a look at parks, trails, amusements, fishing and more.

lived that history,

were a number of historic places, homes and buildings from here that are on the National

Until then, remember… all who wander

enjoys that history

Registry. That’s when we confirmed the idea

are not lost. Continue joining us as we wander

of sharing the history of some of those places

through Beaufort, Bertie, Edgecombe, Gates,

and

with you.

Greene, Halifax, Hertford, Hyde, Martin, Nash,

history. 90

(As a side note, if any of you Bertie County

that

I asked our writers to not only tell the history of each place, but to talk to someone

Northampton, Tyrrell, Washington and Wilson counties.

VISIT US AT YOUR LOCAL BRANCH AHOSKIE

JACKSON

RED OAK

506 E. MAIN ST.

208 WEST JEFFERSON ST.

8315 RED OAK BLVD.

AURORA

KILL DEVIL HILLS

ROANOKE RAPIDS

298 N. FIFTH ST.

202 S. CROATAN HWY.

1580 E. 10TH ST.

AYDEN

KITTY HAWK

ROBERSONVILLE

236 3RD ST.

4804 N. CROATAN HWY.

111 N. MAIN ST.

BELHAVEN

LEWISTON

ROCKY MOUNT

148 E. MAIN ST.

127 MAIN ST.

BETHEL

MANTEO

7458 MAIN ST.

704 S. HIGHWAY 64\264.

107 S. FAIRVIEW RD. 3690 SUNSET AVENUE 230 SUNSET AVENUE 1405 BENVENUE ROAD

EDENTON

MIDDLESEX

101 W. QUEEN ST.

11438 EAST FINCH AVE.

SCOTLAND NECK

ELIZABETH CITY

MURFREESBORO

1875 WEST CITY DR.

336 E. MAIN ST.

FARMVILLE

NASHVILLE

4217 E. CHURCH ST.

209 S. BARNES ST.

GATESVILLE

PINETOPS

203 MAIN ST.

102 E. HAMLET ST.

GREENVILLE

PLYMOUTH

2310 S. CHARLES BLVD. 2275 STANTONSBURG RD.

612 WASHINGTON ST.

810 S. MAIN ST.

SHARPSBURG 3938 S. HATHAWAY BLVD.

TARBORO 422 MAIN ST.

WINDSOR 101 N. KING ST.

WINTERVILLE 4259 WINTERVILLE PKWY.