April 18, 1936
THE STATE
Page Three
The Old
Brick
House
ii is oiuk of llio oldest
buildings in Norlli
Carolina and Is soon
to be restored to its
original uppearanee.
«»/
G. E. DEAN
The Old Brick House is located in Pasquotank County, about three miles from
Elizabeth City, and was built some time between 1725 and 1750.
A REMARKABLE Elizabeth
City business woman, Mrs. Paul
.1
аскноп,
whoso after-oflicn
hours hobby is collecting and restoring
antiques, recently purchased the “Old
Brick House,” time and legend-mel¬
lowed building in the 'Possum Quar¬
ter section of Pasquotank County,
three miles north of Elizabeth City,
and long reputed as one of the many
river hide-outs of Edward Teach, alias
“Blackboard,” the notorious Carolina
buccaneer.
When not busy up at
П.
S. Const
(iuard district headquarters in Eliza¬
beth City, Mrs. Jackson usually is out
searching the countryside for antique*
to add to her already priceless collec¬
tion of early North Carolina pieces.
She plans to restore the “Old Brick
House” to something of its former
splendor when it was the finest coun¬
try house in Northeastern North Car¬
olina something like 200 years ago.
Built by Lord Murden
The “Old Brick House,” as it bas
lieen culled from time immemorial, is
said to have been built somewhere be¬
tween 1725 and 1750 of materials
brought across the Atlantic from Eng¬
land by Lord Murden, an English aris¬
tocrat, who settled in North Carolina
for a short while before returning to
England at the outbreak of the Rev¬
olutionary War. It is situated on a
fertile 60-acre farm that gently slopes
to the water on one of the more pic¬
turesque Lends of the upper Pasquo¬
tank River.
The ends of the house are of brick
and stone with two massive chimneys
containing thousands of small bricks.
The main body of tho old house is of
native wood. It is thought that the
house was intended to have been built
entirely of brick hut when the end
walls wore completed there were not
enough brick left to finish the job.
Inside the old house downstairs are
four large rooms whose original
panelling and handsomely-carved man¬
tle were brought from England many
years before the Revolution. On either
side of the old mantle there were closets
or cupboards let into the wall, one of
which communicated with the spacious
basemen l by a secret door. It is
through this secret passage that Black-
beard, tlio pirate, is said to have made
many an escape, while using the bouse
as a rendezvous, to bis ship anchored
in tho river nearby.
About the old structure many weird
tales of cruel murder, hidden plunder
and tragic romance have been told. Al¬
though many of tho more gruesome
legends connected with the “Old Brick
House” have been exploded it remains
today ono of the most interesting old
buildings in Eastern North Carolina.
And after over half a century in use
as an ordinary farm dwelling house it
is soon to be restored and will become
one of tho most interesting historical
spots in this section.
All of the early brick house* in the
Colonies were built from bricks which
were brought to this country on sai ling
vessels from England. Quite a num¬
ber of them are still standing, prom¬
inent among them In-ing St. Thomas
Episcopal Church at Bath, which was
erected during the reign of Queen Ann.
Used Wooden Pegs
Another peculiar feature about con¬
struction of the “Old Brick House” in
Pasquotank County — and also of many
other early structures— is the fact that
no nails were used in keeping the struc¬
ture together. Wooden pegs took the
place of nails and were used in door¬
frames, window frames and other
places. So far as actual serviceability
is concerned, tho pegs apparently an¬
swered the purpose just as well as
nails.
As is usual with houses of this type,
many stories and legends have grown
up around the ancient structure in
Pasquotank. Outstanding among these
are the tales concerning tho activities
of the pirate. Teach, which have been
handed down from generation to gen¬
eration. Teach had several favorite
stopping places. One of theso was at
New Bern, another at Bath, and a third
near Elizabeth City. It U said that
after a successful foray against Brit¬
ish or Colonial shipping, he delighted
in sailing his vessel up the Pasquotank
River and sojourning at the Old Brick
House for two or three weeks, where
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