PEOPLE & 



PLACES 



Hope Plantation: 

 Explore Histonc Treasure 



By Ann Green 



iside a large kitchen at Hope Plantation 

 near Windsor, a massive brick fireplace covers 

 almost one entire wall. 



"The fireplace is so large that five adults 

 can stand in it," says LuAnn Joyner, administra- 

 tor of Historic Hope Foundation, Inc. 



During the antebellum period, servants 

 toiled in the kitchen, preparing elaborate meals 

 for then North Carolina Gov. David Stone, who 

 served the state from 1 808 to 1 8 10. 



One would watch the set kettle that kept 

 water hot all day. Others would tend to ginger 

 cookies and other goodies in the bake oven or 

 prepare stews and soups. 



'The kitchen is one of the most accurately 

 reconstructed kitchens anywhere," says Reid 

 Thomas, historic and preservation restoration 

 specialist with the State Historic Preservation 

 Office in Greenville. "There is a dresser — long 

 board like a countertop where the workers 

 prepared most of the meals." 



Another special architectural feature is the 

 open ceiling that allowed smoke to vent through 

 the building, adds Thomas. 



The newly restored kitchen, which is in a 

 separate building near Stone's elaborate home, is 

 just one part of Hope Plantation that also includes 

 two historic homes and a reception center. The 

 largest and most elegantly furnished is Stone's 

 mansion that was completed around 1803. 



Visitors are introduced to the historic site at 

 the Roanoke-Chowan Heritage Center located in 

 a new building at Hope Plantation. 



One room is filled with exhibits on the 

 Hope restoration and Stone — who served as 

 governor, U.S. representative and senator, and 

 North Carolina superior court judge — as well as 

 books from Stone's 1,400-volume library, one of 

 the largest in the state. Another room showcases 

 dozens of Louis Orr' s black and white prints of 

 North Carolina. There is also a theater where you 



HOPE MANSION DINING PARLOR. 



can see a short film on the plantation. 



"Hope Plantation has an incredibly rich 

 history," says Joyner. "Gov. Stone was remark- 

 able, particularly in the field of education. Stone 

 was a member of the board of trustees of the 

 University of North Carolina and he was one of 

 five men who served on the committee to select 

 Chapel Hill as the site for the university." 



The plantation offers insights into the late 

 18th- and early 19th-century agrarian and rural 

 life in Bertie County. 



During Stone's ownership, the plantation 



— which was spread over more than 5,000 acres 



— was planted with a variety of crops, including 

 cotton, tobacco and peanuts. 



"Hope Plantation has been a tremendous 

 asset to Bertie County," says North Carolina 

 State University professor Turner Sutton, who 

 grew up in the county. "The restoration of Hope 



and the continued growth of Hope Plantation 

 is a remarkable achievement for a poor county 

 such as Bertie and an excellent example of 

 what can be done if people from all walks of 

 life are truly committed to a project," 



Tourism that focuses on the rich history 

 and culture of the region is important for local 

 people and visitors, says Jack Thigpen, North 

 Carolina Sea Grant extension director and 

 coastal and tourism specialist. "Research with 

 ecotourists has shown that there is a strong 

 interest from birders and other nature tourists 

 in the region's history and culture," he adds. 



18th-century Home 



Visitors also get a glimpse into 1 8th- 

 century life at the King-Bazemore House, 

 which was built in 1763. The house is now 

 "one of only two houses in North Carolina 

 with a gambrel or barn-style roof and brick- 

 end walls," according to the foundation. 



The old home — which was moved to the 

 site from four miles west — opened to the public 

 in 1986, says tour guide Betty Constable. "The 

 Bazemore heirs gave it to the Hope Foundation." 

 adds Constable. 



Inside the house, all woodwork is original. 



The furniture and knickknacks reflect the 

 simple lifestyle in 18th-century Bertie County. 



In a downstairs room used for entertaining, 

 a reed light adorns a Georgian-style mantelpiece. 

 "They burned reed instead of candles to save 

 money," says Constable. 



Upstairs, the children's bedroom is 

 outfitted with rope beds. "You have heard the 

 phrase, 'sleep tight and don't let the bedbugs 

 bite,' " says Constable. "They tightened the 

 ropes to secure the bed and make it comfortable. 

 To keep the bedbugs out, they washed and 

 cleaned the mattresses." 



Continued 



COASTWATCH 21 



