Garrett White House facts for kids
Quick facts for kids |
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Garrett-White House
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 Location in North Carolina
Location in the United States
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| Nearest city | Colerain, North Carolina |
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| Built | 1780 or 1785 |
| Architectural style | Early Republic |
| NRHP reference No. | 82003425 |
| Added to NRHP | June 28, 1982 |
The Garrett-White House is a really old and important building in Colerain, Bertie County, North Carolina. It's so special that it's listed on the National Register of Historic Places. This means it's recognized for its historical value!
People think the house was built around 1780 or 1785. That's over 200 years ago!
Contents
Exploring the Garrett-White House History
The Garrett-White House is a type of old home called a late Georgian house. It's located near a community called Trap in Bertie County, North Carolina. This style of architecture is quite rare in the area.
How the House Was Built and Changed
When the house was first built, it had a simple "hall and parlor" layout. This means it had a main room (the hall) and a smaller room (the parlor).
But less than 20 years later, the house was updated. It was changed to have a "central hall plan," which is how it looks today. Many of the original wooden parts and fireplaces were kept and reused.
The house still has most of its first woodwork and some of its plaster. You can even see the huge wooden beams under the house!
Meet Jesse Garrett, the First Owner
The Garrett-White House was built by a man named Jesse Garrett. He was a farmer who owned a lot of land.
Much of the inside of the house is made from strong, old pine wood. It's possible that the skilled workers who created the beautiful woodwork were people forced to work on the plantation.
Jesse Garrett was born in 1725. He later moved to the west side of the Chowan River. He became a successful landowner and built this large house.
He farmed the land around the area now known as Trap. He also owned a grist mill (a mill for grinding grain) nearby. Besides his family of ten, he had many people working for him on his land.
The Garrett and White Families
For 200 years, only two families lived in the Garrett-White House: the Garretts and the Whites. This is a very long time for a house to stay in just two families!
In 1849, Jacob Hill White bought the property. He gave some of his land to a church called the Church of Christ at Philadelphia. This church later became the Mars Hill Baptist Church.
The area around the church, now called Mars Hill, became a center for education. Mars Hill High School was even founded there.
The House During the Civil War
During the American Civil War, the house was owned by "Mrs. White." This might have been Jacob's wife or Elizabeth White, who was a wealthy woman living there in 1850. She would have been 83 years old when a map of the house was made. Elizabeth White owned valuable property, including people who worked for her.
Bringing the House Back to Life
After the last White family member passed away, the house was sold. It was empty for a while until Preservation North Carolina bought it. They then sold it to the current owners in 1996.
A big project to restore the house began, and it's mostly finished now. Some of the original fireplace pieces had been taken from the house, but Preservation North Carolina found them and put them back!
The porch, which was built in the early 1800s, has also been rebuilt. They used special mortise and tenon joints, which are a traditional way of joining wood without nails.
