Hope Plantation facts for kids
Quick facts for kids |
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Hope Plantation
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 Location in North Carolina
Location in the United States
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| Location | 4 miles (6.4 km) northwest of Windsor, off NC 308, near Windsor, North Carolina |
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| Built | 1803 |
| Architectural style | Federal |
| NRHP reference No. | 70000441 |
| Added to NRHP | April 17, 1970 |
Hope Plantation, built in 1803, is a historic house located near Windsor, North Carolina. It was designed in the Palladian and Federal styles. This grand home was built by David Stone, who was an important person in North Carolina. He later became the state's Governor and a United States senator.
The house is a great example of Palladian design made from wood. It has a beautiful front with a double porch and fancy railings. Inside, the rooms are very tall and impressive. They are filled with old furniture, art, and other items from that time.
By the 1960s, the house was in need of repair. People from Bertie County and other parts of North Carolina worked together. They formed a group called the Historic Hope Foundation, Inc. This group bought the house to save and restore it.
Contents
Hope Plantation's Early History
The land where Hope Plantation stands was once home to Native American groups. These included the Meherrin and Tuscarora tribes. They used the area for hunting, though they didn't have permanent villages here.
In 1663, King Charles II of England gave a special paper, called a Charter, for the Carolinas. This paper went to eight Lords Proprietor. They were important people who helped the King. These Lords Proprietor then encouraged settlers to move to the new land.
In the 1720s, the Hobson family received a large piece of land. It was about 1,100 acres near the Cashie River. Francis Hobson and his wife Elizabeth moved there from England. Elizabeth was from a place called Hope Parish.
How Hope Plantation Got Its Name
After Francis Hobson passed away, Elizabeth inherited the land in 1765. She then married Zedekiah Stone. He was a settler from New England. The land became his, and he named it "Hope." This was to honor Elizabeth's hometown in England.
Zedekiah and Elizabeth Stone built a house and started their family. Archeologists have studied the remains of their home. They also looked for where the living areas for the workers on the plantation might have been.
David Stone, their son, was born in 1770. Even though his family was from England, he grew up as an American patriot. His father, Zedekiah, helped with early meetings to support the American Revolution.
In 1793, David Stone married Hannah Turner. Before their marriage, his father gave him the Hope land. David had studied at Princeton University and was very smart. He read many books and wrote letters to important people like Thomas Jefferson. When he built his new house, he wanted it to be grand, like European homes. The design of Hope Plantation is very similar to a plan found in a book called The British Architect. David Stone owned this book.
Design of the Mansion
Outside the Hope Mansion
The Palladian style was popular with American patriots, especially in the South. They admired its balanced and orderly look. This style reminded them of ancient Roman ideas.
The Hope Mansion is built on tall brick supports. This creates a "basement" level above the ground. Large stairs lead up to the main entrance. The front has a double porch with fancy railings. These railings have a unique Chinese Chippendale design. On the roof, there is a "widow's walk" with matching railings. This is a small platform often used for looking out.
The house has four chimneys and eight windows on each side. This makes the house look perfectly balanced from front to back. The back of the house has a single porch, also with the Chippendale design.
Near the main house, the kitchen has been rebuilt where it originally stood. The elegant dairy building has also been restored.
Inside the Hope Mansion
The inside of Hope Plantation is very special for eastern North Carolina. The main rooms used by David Stone and for entertaining guests are on the upper floor. The bedrooms, family sitting room, and dining room are on the entry level.
The central hallway is very grand. It stretches from the front doors all the way to the back. An archway divides the hallway into two parts. The main staircase is partly enclosed.
Upstairs, there is a large, impressive landing. This area might have been used as an upper sitting room to catch cool breezes. From here, you can enter the drawing room, which is a very large space. Also on this floor is David Stone's library. It once held about 1,400 books, which was a huge collection for that time!
Other smaller rooms on this floor might have been for guests. Today, they are shown as bedrooms. The best materials were used to build the house. Most of the wood was local pine. However, letters show that marble and red stone for the fireplaces came from New York.
When David Stone passed away, a detailed list of all his property was made. The Historic Hope Foundation used this list to furnish the house. This means the furniture and items inside are very accurate to how they would have looked when David Stone lived there.
Other Buildings and Gardens
On the Hope Plantation site, you can also see the 1763 King-Bazemore House. This house is a great example of a simpler, local building style. It is one of the few remaining examples of an 18th-century "hall and parlor" house in North Carolina. This home has also been restored. It is furnished based on a list of items owned by William King in 1778.
Other buildings on the site include a restored kitchen and the original dairy. There is also a smokehouse and store buildings. You can also visit an herb garden and a kitchen garden.
The grounds around the house cover about 45 acres. The original property was much larger, nearly 1,000 acres. This land was worked by many people who lived there. An old barn from around 1800 and other historical spots are part of a walking trail. This trail is often used for exercise.
Saving and Restoring Hope
David Stone's son sold the house in 1836. After that, many different people owned it. For decades, the house was not well cared for. In the 1960s, local people wanted to restore it. They asked the state for help. At first, an official from the North Carolina Department of Archives and History said, "Hope is hopeless."
But the people who loved Hope Plantation did not give up! On February 2, 1965, the Historic Hope Foundation, Incorporated was officially started. The foundation bought the house. Then, a big effort by many local people began to restore it.
By the late summer of 1972, the restoration work was finished.
Hope Plantation Today
The Historic Hope Foundation, Incorporated, manages the Hope Mansion. They help keep the buildings open for the public to visit. The State of North Carolina appoints a person to manage the site and help with tourism.
The foundation also supports several educational programs. They work with schools and universities. They also host special events, like the Governor Stone Ball, to raise money for the site.
