PEOPLE & 



PLACES 



As you walk out of the back of the house 

 onto the porch, there is a guest bedroom with an 

 outside entrance. "There were no motels or hotels 

 then," says Constable. "When people were 

 traveling, they would knock on the nearest door 

 and ask to spend the night. A lot of homes had a 

 stranger's or traveler's bedroom." 



In the backyard, there is a meat storage or 

 smoke house that is simply furnished with three 

 tables, a small oven and kitchen utensils. 



"The original kitchen burned, so we rebuilt 

 it," says Constable. 



Stone's Palatial Home 



The highlight of the plantation is Stone's 

 elaborate home, which he patterned after the 

 popular 18th-century book: Abraham Swarm's 

 Tlie British Architect. Built on an above-ground 

 basement, the house has a basic Palladian design 

 with some neoclassical features and a hipped roof 

 topped with a "widow's walk." 



"This home is an outstanding example of 

 Georgian architecture in the late 18th century," 

 says Thomas. "The craftsmanship, design and 

 construction were superb. A large percent of the 

 people involved in the construction were free 

 blacks and slaves." 



As you enter the mansion, there is a long 

 center hallway with a huge archway and 

 elaborately painted floor cloths. "David Stone 

 lived here until he died in 1818," says tour guide 

 Evelyn Parker. "Then his daughter lived here 

 until 1833." 



The house was vacant for many years until 

 the Historic Hope Plantation Foundation began 

 restoration in the 1960s, Parker adds. 



Each room, including the dining room, 

 is elaborately furnished with period pieces, 

 many from Roanoke River cabinetmakers. 

 One of the most handsome dining room pieces 

 is a walnut and pine cupboard enscribed with 

 the initials "W.H.," who was thought to be a 

 local cabinetmaker. 



"The home has one of the finest collections 

 of Southern furniture, primarily from North 

 Carolina cabinetmakers," says Thomas. 



On the first floor, there is also a beautiful 

 family parlor that was used for entertaining 

 Stone's family and numerous guests. 



On the other side of the hallway, the master 

 bedroom gives a glimpse into the role of a 



plantation owner's wife. A traveling silk sash 

 lies on an antique chest of drawers. Nearby is an 

 apothecary chest. 



"The lady of the house made the medi- 

 cine," says Parker. "She used mostly herbs." 



The second level of the house has 

 bedrooms as well as rooms for entertaining. As 

 you go up the steep stairs, there is a handsome 

 drawing room with a piano and backgammon 

 table. 



"David Stone's wedding to his second 

 wife took place here," says Parker. "When they 

 had a special event, they placed the furniture 

 against the wall." 



Near the ballroom is a library furnished 

 with globes, overhead projector, bronze 

 telescope and bookcases. 



"Stone wrote a note to his wife on the back 

 wall of the bookcase," says Parker. 



On the opposite side of the hallway, a 

 boy's bedroom is furnished with a red chest, 

 single bed with canopy and drum used in the 

 War of 1812. "Of Stone's 1 1 children, six died," 

 as youngsters, says Parker. 



Like many plantation homes, the home had 

 separate servant stairs that ran from the 

 basement to the attic. 



In the basement, the servants likely ate in 

 the warming kitchen, according to Parker. 



Historians are continuing to uncover 

 important information about Hope Plantation. 



Through a N.C. Department of Transporta- 

 tion grant, the foundation began excavation in 

 December on Old Halifax Road, which runs in 

 front of the plantation. 



"We hope to find the old slaves quarters," 

 says Joyner. "Several artifacts have been found 

 already that seem to indicate a slave cabin that 

 stood to the southwest of the Hope mansion." 



With the project's completion, visitors can 

 get another perspective on rural life in Bertie 

 County. 



"This phase of the project will educate the 

 public about the history of the important people 

 who raised the crops and animals to sustain this 

 lifestyle," adds Thigpen. □ 



Hope Plantation is four miles west of 

 Windsor on Hwy. 308. The plantation is open 

 Jan. 3-Dec. 20, Monday-Saturday 10 a.m. to 

 4 p.m., Sunday 2 to 5 p.m. For more informa- 

 tion, call 252/794-3140. 



TOP: The Hope mansion, built in 1803, 

 is mostly Georgian in style with 

 Federal influences. 



BOTTOM: The Sans Souci ferry crosses 

 the Cashie River in Bertie County. 



CHARMING TWO-CAR FERRY 



As you wind down Secondary Road 

 1 500 in Bertie County on the edge of the 

 Cashie River, there is thick vegetation and a 

 sign: "Blow Horn for Ferry." 



After tooting the car hom, a small ferry 

 pulls off from the opposite bank. 



Within less than five minutes, the Sans 

 Souci ferry — one of only three river ferries 

 operated by the N.C. Department of 

 Transportation (NCDOT) in North Carolina 

 — has reached the other side. The other two- 

 car ferries run across Meherrin River in 

 Hertford County and the Cape Fear River in 

 Bladen County. 



The ride takes you to the other side of 

 the river where there is an abundance of 

 fields and farm land. 



"You get a great view of the black 

 river," says Eldridge Baker, one of the 

 NCDOT workers who captains the ferry. 



For more information, call the NCDOT 

 District 2 Office at 252/332-402 1 . — A.G. 



SPRING 2002 



