List of plantations in North Carolina facts for kids

A plantation was a large farm that grew crops like cotton or tobacco to sell, rather than just to feed the family. These big farms often covered hundreds or even thousands of acres. To manage such large areas and grow so many crops, plantations often relied on the forced labor of enslaved people.

What is a Plantation?

The Old Plantation by James Battle Avirett, 1901

It can be tricky to tell the difference between a regular farm and a plantation. Farms usually grew just enough food for the family living there. Plantations, however, focused on growing "cash crops" like cotton, tobacco, or sugar. These crops were grown in large amounts to be sold for money.

A common way to think about a plantation is that it was usually very big, often between 500 and 1000 acres or more. It would mainly produce one or two main crops for sale. Another way people sometimes defined plantations was by how many enslaved people worked there.

North Carolina Plantations

Below are lists of plantations in North Carolina. Many of these places are important because they are listed on special historic registers, like the National Historic Landmark list or the National Register of Historic Places. These lists help protect and remember important historical sites.

The tables are set up so you can sort them by name, location, county, or when they were built. This makes it easy to find information. If you want to learn more about a specific plantation, you can often find more details by clicking on its link.

Plantations Built Before the American Revolution (1712–1776)

Plantations in North Carolina started appearing in the 17th century. They were often named after the families who owned them or nearby rivers and landmarks. This helped people keep track of the land. By the early 1900s, records showed there were 328 plantations in North Carolina.

The Sloop Point plantation in Pender County, built around 1729, is the oldest plantation house still standing in North Carolina. It's the second oldest house overall in the state, after the Lane House (built in 1718–1719), which was not a plantation. Sloop Point was once owned by John Baptista Ashe, who was an important figure in early American history.

Here are some known plantations from the time when North Carolina was a British colony (1712–1776):

NRHP Reference Number	Name	Image	Date Listed	Location	County	Built Year and Notes
72000985	Sloop Point Plantation		January 20, 1972	Sloop Point	Pender	Built around 1729.
71000615	Newbold-White Plantation		June 24, 1971	Hertford	Perquimans	Built in 1730 by Abraham Sanders.
76001305	Belfont Plantation House		December 12, 1976	Latham	Beaufort	Built between 1700-1799. Burned down on January 10, 2024.
73001294	Orton Plantation		April 11, 1973	Smithville Township	Brunswick	Built in 1735. Owned by Roger Moore (1694-1751).
72000961	Old Town Plantation		January 20, 1972	Battleboro	Edgecombe	Built around 1742.
73001318	Clear Springs Plantation		March 14, 1973	Jasper	Craven	Built in 1740.
Unknown Status	Turkey Branch Plantation (The Lilacs)		NA	Turkey	Duplin	Built in the late 1730s by Thomas Kenan.
73001371	Ashland		March 14, 1973	Henderson	Vance	Built around 1740 by Samuel Henderson.
79001720	White Rock Plantation		February 14, 1979	Hollister	Halifax	Built between 1750–1799.
76001316	Greenfield Plantation (Fordice's)		May 6, 1976	Somer, near Somerset	Chowan	Built in 1752, with additions in 1840. Original owner: Levi Creecy.
	Green Hill			Hillsborough	Orange	Built in 1750 by Charles Wilson Johnston.
97001561	Potts Plantation		January 5, 1998	Cornelius	Mecklenburg	Built in 1753.
71000570	King House		August 26, 1971	Windsor	Bertie	Built in 1763 by William King.
	Lipscomb House			Durham	Durham	Built in 1775 by Joseph Brittain.
73001329	Oak Grove Plantation		February 6, 1973	Godwin (near Erwin)	Cumberland	Built around 1764.
79001711	Abrams Plains Plantation		November 29, 1979	Stovall	Granville	Built in 1766 by Samuel Smith.
70000462	House in the Horseshoe (Alston House)		February 26, 1970	Carthage	Moore	Built in 1772 by Philip Alston.
Family history	Gilreath Plantation			Gilreath	Wilkes	Built around 1776. Over 600 acres.
70000472	Joel Lane House		July 28, 1970	Raleigh	Wake	Built in 1769.
	Mulberry Island Plantation			Stoneville	Rockingham	Built by Nathaniel Scales.
	Patterson Plantation			Durham	Orange	Built in 1770 by John Patterson.

Plantations Built from 1776 to 1863

This table lists plantations in North Carolina that were built between the start of the American Revolution (1776) and the end of the Civil War (1863).

NRHP Reference Number	Name	Image	Date Listed	Location	County	Built Year and Notes
	Adelphia Plantation			Tarboro	Edgecombe	Built in 1854 by J. J. Garrett.
75001266	Archibald H. Davis Plantation		July 24, 1975	Justice	Franklin	Built around 1820.
02001718	William T. Alexander House		January 15, 2003	Charlotte	Mecklenburg	Built between 1820-1830.
93001132	Alston-DeGraffenried Plantation		November 18, 1974	Pittsboro	Chatham	Built between 1810–1825.
98001506	Andrews-Moore House		December 10, 1998	Bunn	Franklin	Built around 1790, with additions around 1830.
82003441	Aspen Hall		July 29, 1982	Pittsboro	Chatham	Built in the 1790s.
91000465	Avirett–Stephens Plantation		April 18, 1991	Richlands	Onslow	Built in 1851. Owner: John Alfred Alvirett.
71000606	Ayr Mount		August 26, 1971	Hillsborough	Orange	Built around 1815.
79001735	Beaver Dam Plantation House		March 19, 1979	Davidson	Mecklenburg	Built in 1829.
89002132	Bellemonte House		December 21, 1989	Rocky Mount	Nash	Built in 1817 by John F. Bellamy.
82003495	Belvidere Plantation House		June 14, 1982	Hampstead	Pender	Built around 1810.
86000157	Bennett Bunn Plantation		February 4, 1986	Zebulon	Wake	Built in 1833.
80002898	The Boxwoods		May 28, 1980	Madison	Rockingham	Built around 1815.
71000579, 05001412	Bracebridge Hall		February 18, 1971, December 16, 2005 (Boundary Increase)	Tarboro	Edgecombe	Built between 1830 and 1832. Home of Governor Elias Carr.
70000480	Buck Spring Plantation		October 15, 1970	Vaughan	Warren	Built around 1781. Home of Nathaniel Macon.
71000621	Burnside Plantation House		April 16, 1971	Williamsboro	Vance	Built around 1800.
80002881	Perciphul Campbell Plantation		December 8, 1980	Union Grove	Iredell	Built around 1820 by Perciphull Campbell.
70000843	Carson House		September 15, 1970	Marion	McDowell	Built in 1797 by John Carson.
	Carter Plantation			Wentworth	Rockingham	Built in 1782 by Thomas Carter III.
75001288	Cascade Plantation (Willow Oaks Farm)		October 14, 1975	Eden	Rockingham	Built in the 1830s. Original owner: William Edward Broadnax.
72000976	Cedar Grove Plantation		February 1, 1972	Huntersville	Mecklenburg	Built in 1831. Home of James G. Torrance.
	Deep Springs Plantation			Stoneville	Rockingham	Built in 1827 by James Madison Scales.
70000481	Somerset Place Plantation		February 26, 1970	Creswell	Washington	Built in 1830. This plantation had over two thousand acres of farmland.
73001334	Cooleemee		June 2, 1978	Mocksville	Davie	Built between 1853-1855 by Peter and Columbia Stuart Hairston.
71000581	Coolmore Plantation		June 2, 1978	Tarboro	Edgecombe	Built between 1858–1861.
80002897	Covington Plantation House		May 28, 1980	Rockingham, North Carolina	Richmond	Built around 1850.
74001344	Ellerslie Plantation		August 7, 1974	Fayetteville	Cumberland	Built between 1790-1801 by George Elliot.
72000963	Elmwood Plantation		February 1, 1972	Gatesville	Gates	Built in 1822.
73001337	Fairntosh Plantation		April 3, 1973	Durham	Durham	Built in 1800.
73001353	Farmville Plantation (Darshana Hall)		June 19, 1973	Elmwood area near Statesville	Iredell	Built in 1818. Owner: Joseph Chambers.
79003349	Fewell-Reynolds House		July 16, 1979	Madison	Rockingham	Built around 1820.
98000197	Foscue and Simmons Plantations		October 7, 1998	Pollocksville	Jones	Built around 1820-1825.
71000598	Foscue Plantation House		November 19, 1971	Pollocksville	Jones	Built in 1801.
72000996	Fox Haven Plantation		September 14, 1972	Rutherfordton	Rutherford	Built in 1823.
04001390	William Wright Faison House		December 23, 2004	Bowdens	Duplin	Built in 1830.
82003425	Garrett White House		June 28, 1982	Colerain	Bertie	Built in 1780 or 1785 by Jesse Garrett.
74001370	Green River Plantation		March 28, 1974	Columbus	Polk	Built in 1807.
71000616	Grimesland Plantation		March 31, 1971	Grimesland	Pitt	Built around 1790.
72000960	Hardscrabble		January 20, 1972	Bahama	Durham	Built in 1779.
71000588	Hare Plantation House		February 18, 1971	Como	Hertford	Built around 1815.
07001504	Harmony Plantation		January 29, 2008	Wendell	Wake	Built in 1833.
74001341	Hayes Plantation		November 7, 1973	Edenton	Chowan	Built between 1814–1817.
96000186	Herbert Akins Plantation			Fuquay-Varina	Wake	Built before 1863. Burned during the Civil War.
82003427	Hermitage		June 8, 1982	Merry Hill	Bertie	Built in the late 1700s.
74001373	High Rock Farm		April 26, 1974	Gibsonville	Guilford	Built in the early 1800s.
72000977	Holly Bend Plantation		March 24, 1972	Huntersville	Mecklenburg	Built between 1795–1800.
70000441	Hope Plantation		April 17, 1970	Windsor	Bertie	Built in 1803. Owner: David Stone.
88002608	Humphrey–Williams Plantation		July 24, 1973	Lumberton	Robeson	Built in 1784, with additions in 1846.
75001275	Johnson-Neel Plantation		June 20, 1975	Mooresville	Iredell	Built around 1830.
73001376	Crabtree Jones House		June 4, 1973	Raleigh	Wake	Built in 1795 by Nathaniel "Crabtree" Jones, Jr.
88001264	John P. Lawrence Plantation		August 31, 1988	Grissom	Granville	Built around 1845.
16000880	Dr. Calvin Jones House		December 20, 2016	Wake Forest	Wake	Built around 1820.
72000978	Latta Plantation		March 16, 1972	Huntersville	Mecklenburg	Built around 1800.
75001257	Leigh Farm		September 5, 1975	Chapel Hill	Durham	Built around 1834.
Unknown Status	Liberty Hall		NA	Kenansville	Duplin	Built between 1749-1799 by James Kenan.
75001269	Locust Grove		November 20, 1975	Ingleside	Franklin	Built around 1790.
72000995	Alexander Long Plantation		February 1, 1972	Spencer	Rowan	Built in 1783.
76001312	Longwood Plantation		September 15, 1976	Milton	Caswell	Built around 1810, 1833, 1855; destroyed in 2013.
84000071	Lower Sauratown Plantation		May 24, 1984	Eden	Rockingham	Built around 1825.
75001270	Massenburg Plantation		July 30, 1975	Louisburg	Franklin	Built around 1820.
72000964	Richard Mendenhall Plantation Buildings		November 3, 1972	Jamestown	Guilford	Built in 1811.
07000543	Midway Plantation House and Outbuildings		January 6, 1987	Knightdale	Wake	Built in 1848.
83001904	Mills-Screven Plantation		February 17, 1983	Tryon	Tryon	Built between 1820-1840.
70000474	Mordecai House		July 1, 1970	Raleigh	Wake	Built in 1785.
74001354	Mount Mourne Plantation		October 29, 1974	Mooresville	Iredell	Built in 1836 by Rufus Reid.
98000689	Oakforest		June 11, 1998	Wake Forest	Wake	Built in 1807.
72000924	Oakland Plantation		April 25, 1972	Carvers	Bladen	Built in 1780.
80002829	Oakland Plantation		April 2, 1980	Tarboro	Edgecombe	Built in the mid-1800s.
93001021	Oaky Grove Plantation		September 30, 1993	Shotwell	Wake	Built in 1818.
91000359	Historic Oak View		April 3, 1991	Raleigh	Wake	Built in 1855.
79003338	Palo Alto Plantation		October 10, 1979	Palopato	Onslow	Built between 1836-1840.
75001263	Dr. Samuel Perry House		June 5, 1975	Gupton	Franklin	Built in 1857.
NCPEDIA	Poplar Grove Plantation			Scott's Hill (Wilmington)	Onslow County, North Carolina	Built before 1792. Owned by Cornelius Harnett.
79003346	Poplar Grove		July 16, 1979	Scott's Hill (Wilmington)	Onslow County, North Carolina	Built around 1850 by Joseph M. Foy.
	Poplar Hill			Hillsborough	Orange	Built in 1794 by James Hogg.
78001977	Pool Rock Plantation		November 29, 1978	Williamsboro	Vance	Built in 1827.
74001381	Powell House		Wake Forest	Wake	Built around 1800.
	Pullen House			Raleigh	Wake	Built in the early 1800s.
76001329	Puppy Creek Plantation		December 12, 1976	Rockfish	Hoke	Built around 1821.
88000238	Purefoy–Dunn Plantation		March 24, 1988	Wake Forest	Wake	Built around 1814.
73001298	Quaker Meadows		October 3, 1973	Morganton (near)	Burke	Built before 1799 by Joseph McDowell Jr..
User supplied	Quewhiffle Plantation		NA	Magnolia	Sampson	Built in 1837 by Patrick Murphy.
08001365	Robinson Rock Plantation		January 22, 2009	Charlotte	Mecklenburg	Built around 1780-1810. This is an archaeological site.
82003492	Rose Hill		April 28, 1982	Nashville	Nash	Built in the late 1700s.
88000409	Marcus Royster Plantation		April 28, 1988	Wilbourns	Granville	Built around 1850.
74001342	Shelton Plantation House		October 29, 1974	Edenton	Chowan	Built around 1820.
73001338	Stagville Plantation		May 25, 1973	Durham	Durham	Built between 1787–1799. This was the center of the largest plantation complex in North Carolina.
01001132	Archibald Taylor Plantation House		October 20, 2001	Oxford	Granville	Built in 1840.
74001369	Waverly Plantation		October 9, 1974	Cunningham	Person	Built around 1830.
80002866	Wood Lawn Plantation		November 24, 1980	near Mount Mourne	Iredell	Built in 1836 by Dr. George Washington Stinson.
86000420	Woodside Plantation		March 6, 1986	Milton	Caswell	Built in 1838.
78001966	White Oak Plantation		February 7, 1978	Charlotte	Mecklenburg	Built in 1792.
88000418	Lewis Wimbish Plantation		April 28, 1988	Grassy Creek	Granville	Built around 1850.
73001351	Lebanon Plantation House		January 29, 1973	Near Erwin	Harnett	Built around 1824.
Preservation NC	Ashwood Plantation (William T. Smith House)			Godwin	Cumberland	Built around 1835.
05001030	Thompson House		September 15, 2005	Wake Forest	Wake	Built around 1853.
74001378	Wakefields		October 16, 1974	Wake Forest	Wake	Built around 1831.
	Walnut Hall			Bahama	Durham	Built in 1845 by Willie Person Mangum.
82003504	Wood Grove Plantation		September 23, 1982	Bear Poplar	Rowan	Built around 1825 by Thomas Cowan and Abel Cowan.
User Supplied	Ardnave		N/A	Manchester	Cumberland	Built in 1825. Home of Daniel McDiarmid. Burned in the 1960s.

Plantations Built After the Civil War

Even after the Civil War and the end of slavery, some large estates were still called plantations. Here is one example:

NRHP Reference Number	Name	Image	Date Listed	Location	County	Built Year and Notes
93000235	Chinqua Penn Plantation		April 8, 1993	Reidsville	Rockingham	Built in the 1920s by Thomas Jefferson Penn.

Notable Plantation Owners

The people listed below were important plantation owners, even if their specific plantations aren't fully identified in the tables above.

• John H. Wheeler: He was a planter, lawyer, and politician from 1806 to 1882. He served as North Carolina's State Treasurer and later as a United States Minister to Nicaragua.
• William Lenoir: Born in 1751, he was an officer in the American Revolutionary War. He also became a well-known statesman in North Carolina during the late 1700s and early 1800s.

See also

• History of slavery in North Carolina
• Plantation complexes in the Southern United States
• List of plantations in the United States