Quaint Houses of the South 
“ HAYES” 
The Historic Country Seat of Governor Samuel Johnston 
By RICHARD DILLARD, A.M., M.D. 
T HE road to “Hayes" from Edenton leads over 
a bridge, then across a small point of marsh¬ 
land, Hanked upon the right by a dense grove 
of cypress trees, with now and then 
a glimpse of the sheen of Edenton 
Bay through long drawn vistas. 
Upon the left of the drive, just be¬ 
fore you climb the hill to the 
plateau upon which the estate lies, 
is a bog filled with innumerable 
aquatic plants. 
“Hayes,” the beautiful seat of 
Governor Samuel Johnston, was 
built in 1801, and was named 
for the home of that versatile and 
knightly knight, Sir Walter Raleigh, 
a fact in itself which should lend 
additional interest to its history. 
The homes of the early settlers were 
characteristic of them; here the 
cavalier type prevailed, and he 
brought over with him his grand 
ideas of English life. Sir Christo¬ 
pher Wren, the famous architect 
of St. Paul’s, London, had for a long time set the 
fashion in architecture: the projecting second story, 
the gabled roof, and its most necessary embellish¬ 
ment, the lantern or cupola, which was lighted up 
GOVERNOR SAMUEL JOHNSTON 
From a portrait in the "Hayes" Library 
on the King’s birthdays, and other festive occasions. 
This aerie in summer became the social heart of 
the mansion, just as the great fireplaces and ingle- 
nooks were the center for winter 
evening’s amusements. 
When guests were present, tea 
would sometimes be served there, 
and the lord of the manor would 
spend hours up there looking out 
upon the broad expanse of Albe¬ 
marle Sound, watching for some 
overdue vessel, which was to bring 
him tidings and newspapers from 
England, or fruits and luxuries from 
the far off Indies. 
After the Revolution, when our 
forefathers had accumulated wealth 
and slaves, a modification of their 
architecture became necessary to 
keep balance with their munifi¬ 
cence, and they built with a 
spaciousness commensurate with 
their broad hospitality, and the 
pattern became classic, and for 
the most part Corinthian. 
“ Hayes, ” perhaps, is one of the purest types of that 
style, which now exists in this country. It generally 
consisted of a large central mansion, with its huge 
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