State

I' LACKS YOU CAN VISIT: Here's A Taste Of Plantation Life Plus «I notable* variety of <»flickr pos¬ sibilities iilony the Trent Iliver. By imi и noun; "The whole idea is lo preserve something of North Carolina’s heri¬ tage." Bill Parker said. "Plantation life here was different, and in many ways far better, than in most other southern states." Bill’s Trent River Plantation in Pol- locksville has shrunk over the decades from more than a thousand acres to only fifteen, bounded by Highway 17 and a la/y bend of the upper Trent River, hut Spanish moss 'still festoons the cypresses, the perfectly -main¬ tained Manor House is as elegant as ever, and the surrounding magnolias, azaleas, and camellias are no less beautiful. With some imagination, vis¬ itors can easily drift back in time to savor something of history. The house was built over a twelve- year span in the late eighteen hun¬ dreds. and the plantation was operated as a tenant farm. Unlike the typical plantation system across the old South, where the overlord worked the help hard and under tight supervision, the North Carolina custom offered a measure of independence to the tenant farmers, while leaving the plantation owner free to pursue an outside career in politics or a profession. On The River Along the Trent River, the planta- Th« Trent Rt»er Plontotion cover» fifteen ocre» bounded by Highway U S 17 ond the meondermg upper rcochctol the Trent River in the Villogc o* Pollockivillc Avonety of onimoHon the plontotion. ranging from gee»e to goat» ottroct vi»itor» of oil oge». The Trent River Plantation Monor Home is a »tatcly ciomplc of the ccntcr holl de»ign of the nineteenth century. lions were largely self-sufficient. Each had a loading dock, where steam pack¬ ets stopped lo barter loads of goods for the plantation's products. Life, at least for the owners, was serene. Horseback riding along forest paths. Fanning and sipping on the verandah on a sultry summer day. Relaxing on a winter's eve before a blazing hearth fire in the front parlour. A buggy ride to church on the Sabbath. Designed like many stately country mansions. Bill Parker’s Manor House has a wide center hall both downstairs and up. flanked on each floor by four large rooms. The fifteen-foot ceilings, interconnecting room doors through¬ out the house, the wide front porch, and tall surrounding shade trees, all combined to keep the house naturally air conditioned, while creating an at¬ mosphere of sumptuous affluence. The rooms are filled with the finest English and American antiques gleaned from up and down the cast coast, and a booklet in each room de¬ scribes the contents, all of which are for sale. Bill operates the Plantation along several different but related lines. Guests can write or call to reserve one of the four huge bedrooms, enjoy breakfast in a canopied bed. served on silver, of course, and then make a lei¬ surely sampling of all the other amenities available. These include guided river fishing sorties, swimming in the heated fifty-foot pool, and stroll¬ ing along forest lanes. "Guests have full run of the place." Bill said. "We want them to feel at home." Bill originally intended to operate the Plantation on only a very limited scale. After thirty years in successful business, he sold his prosperous Shiretown Inn on Martha's Vineyard in Massachusetts and came south 24 THE STATE, FEBRUARY 1983