Last of the Old Ordinaries
Ip at Littleton, the Homan** Club is re¬
storing ‘'Person** Ordinary.** a vanishing
partiele of the old America.
ft;/ KITH HIMTILK
The Iasi of North Carolina's "old
ordinaries" is to be saved. Warren
County Schools have deeded Person's
Ordinary — located on the Little¬
ton High School grounds — to the
Woman's Club, and a restoration pro¬
gram is already under way.
It is said to be the last of the old
stagecoach inns and relay points of its
type left in North Carolina and was
built by Thomas Person, at one time
Quartermaster General of North Caro¬
lina.
It was used as a popular inn during
the time of Cornwallis, who. legend
has it. slept there on a number of oc¬
casions. as did many other notables.
The inn was then used as a stage¬
coach stop between Halifax and Peters¬
burg, Va., and was a relay station for
Hillsboro. Halifax and Edcnton.
Stage Route
Person's Ordinary was the last stop
then until Halifax, for it was related
that that particular road was downhill
all the way. and the horses could make
it without tiring too much.
The building was surrounded with
oak and elm trees, and is said to have
had a wing on the right-hand side,
towards the back, believed to have
been a kitchen.
In the grove Nathaniel Green's
troops were bivouacked for a time,
gathering supplies for their march to
Valley Forge.
General Person's nephew’. William
Person Little, built his beautiful home.
"Little Manor." as it was called then,
now more familiarly known as Mosby
Hall, near by in 1780.
Work got under way several weeks
THE STATE. April 20. 1957
ago by contractor Jesse Pcgram. Jr.,
and his workmen, to complete the res¬
toration of Person’s Ordinary, using
as many as possible of the original
materials.
The building has been in almost
constant use over the years, as a school,
a hotel, a residence, and classrooms
since it was used as an inn. and is in
a fair slate of preservation.
The stone chimneys are characteris¬
tic of those built in that time, and
measure ten feet across. They arc
made of stone up to the small part of
the chimney, and this part is made of
brick. Only a part of them is having to
be repaired. There arc five fireplaces
in the building, all with the original
mantels. All of the chimneys draw well,
and cypress shingles are to be put on
the roof. New windows have been
replaced where needed.
Person's Ordinary restoration com¬
mittee is headed by Mrs. Horace P.
Robinson as chairman, with Mrs.
J. Milton Stokes. Mrs. I. L. Beane and
Mrs. Macon Moore, Jr., comprising
the restoration committee. Mrs. Roger
Moore is president of the Littleton
Woman's Club.
Mrs. Robinson and Mr. Skinner, Sr.,
have helped compile this history of
the Ordinary. Credit for definitely
establishing the building as the actual
Person's Ordinary goes to the late Dr.
Lenah Hawkes of Warrcnton. For
many years the building's past was
more or less shrouded in doubt, and it
was simply called "The Ordinary."
When it is completed, the Littleton
Woman's Club and the surrounding
countryside will have something of
which to be justifiably proud.
Already, Person’s Ordinary has been
placed on a number of lists of impor¬
tant historical buildings to visit.
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