Famous Carolina Estates
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description of some of tlie leading estates
in various parts of North Carolina from the
Colonial period cloun to modern times.
FORKMOS’r ill tin* baronial pre¬
revolutionary estates was Hayes,
the -oat of Colonial Governor
Samuel Johnston, fronting on Albc-
inarlo Sound, lie named his estate
after the sent of Sir Walter Raleigh
in England, and it bears that name to
this day. This is the handsomest home
in the Albemarle, and, with Orton,
the handsomest Colonial home in
Carolina. It had the largest library
in the State, was simply full of rare
Colonial furniture and bric-a-brac, and
possessed a picture gallery filled with
oil paintings now priceless. The estate
is preserved in its integrity, and is
one of the show places of the Albe¬
marle.
The only other pre-revolutionary
estate which can compare with Hayes
is Orton, on Capo Fear below Wil¬
mington. Ruilt in 1725 it was the
manor house of an estate of 10,000
acres. It is the last of the many fine
Colonial homes which once doited
the Cape Fear section, and its resi¬
dence is generally regarded as the
finest example of purely Colonial
architecture, not only in Carolina,
but in the United States. It was
originally granted by the Lords Pro¬
prietors to "King" Roger Moore,
"finest gentleman in all Cape Fear.”
who left 250 slaves when he died. The
property remained in the Moore
family for three generations, and was
at one time the estate of Governor
Benjamin Smith, who possessed a
little land in his own right, making
a gift of 20,000 acres to the University.
The estate now belongs to the Spruuts
of Wilmington.
Governor Tryon’s Palace
Hard by Orton was the palace of
Colonial Governor Try on. and near
at hand were the extensive estates of
Rocky Point, the seat of Colonial
Judge Maurice Moore, said to have
been in it.** day the "finest in all Cape
Fear”; Castle Hayne, the seat of the
famous patriot soldier General Hugh
Waddell; Lilliput, seat of Colonial
Chief Justice Eleazar Allen; billing-
ton Hall, seat of the patriot leader at
Moore’s Creek, Col. Alexander Lilling-
ton. These were but a few of the many
extensive estates of lower Cape Fear.
««/ П.
C. LAU RENCE
Rack to tho Albemarle, and we find
Collins, tin* 1(1,000 aero estate in
Tyrrell. Contemporary historians say
that the owner of this estate was the
largest planter of bin day and also the
wealthiest. In the same county was
the manor of Col. Edward Huncombe,
killed during the Revolution, so hospi¬
table by di*|>osition that he caused
this distich to bo graved over the en¬
trance* to the estate: "To Buncombe
Hall: Welcome AIL* Buncombe
County was named in his honor.
Also in Tyrrell, and on Lake Phelps,
was the 10,000 acre estate of the
Pettigrew family— Bonvara. A son of
its founder, Charles Pettigrew, was
elected as the first Bishop of the
Diocese of Carolina, but died before
he could take office. Another scion of
this family, General .lames Johnston
Pettigrew, led the left wing in Pickett’s
famous charge at Gettysburg, and was
killed a few days later at Falling
Waters. In a short time a portion of
this estate will In* dedicated as a
State park.
On the Roanoke
There were also famous plantations
on the Roanoke, such as the seat of
Senator Matt W. Ransom, which com¬
prised several thousand acres, and
where lavish hospitality was dis¬
pensed; the extensive Halifax estate
of the Devereux family; the broad
acres of the Hawkins family in War¬
ren, where were raised United States
Senators, Governors, and high rank¬
ing military officers.
In Pitt was the largo estate known
as Cottondnlo, founded by R. R.
Cotton. His son, Bruce Cotton, has
privately circulated a thin volume
As H'e Were, which is a prose poem
of Southern Plantation Life, so much
worthwhile that I could but wish it
were given to the general public. I
know but one other picture of Caro¬
lina plantation life which can com¬
pare wiih it, the Plantation Sketches
of Margaret Devereux. Both these
books have a distinct Southern flavor,
reminiscent of Peter M. Wilson'**
Southern Exposure.
In Edgecombe, wo find tho famous
Cool Spring plantation of (he Battle
family, started by Elisha Rattle, first
Senator from Edgecombe, and pro¬
genitor of tho Rattle family, who ac¬
quired the title from Lord Granville.
At one time this estate comprised 20.-
000 acres and was the show place for
all that section, and here were raised
men eminent in the life and letters
of the State. Hard by was the ex¬
tensive estate of Governor Elias Carr
— Braeebridge Hall.
Now we come to Wake and to the
plantation of Isaac Hunter near the
city of Raleigh. Tho legislature speci¬
fied that the State Capitol must be
located within ten miles of this planta¬
tion, and the commissioners finally
located it upon tho plantation of Joel
Lane. The Lane Houso is still in
existence and is one of tho show
places of our capital city. The planta¬
tion of Isaac Hunter was located upon
a high escarpment overlooking the
city of Raleigh, the estate being now
the property of Judge .1. Crawford
Biggs-
Near Hillsboro was the colonial
estate of James Hogg. Poplar Hill.
He was th«* Secretary of Judge Hen¬
dersons famous Transylvania Com¬
pany, but when not trading with the
Indians, he developed his estate until
it became a landmark throughout the
Piedmont. IIU descendants, the Nor¬
woods, sold the property to General
Julian S. Carr, who changed its name
to Occoneecheo by which it is known
today; and the General lavished money
on it until a trip to tho University
or to Hillsboro was not complete un¬
less it included a visit to Occoneeehee.
The Dockery Estates
Near Rockingham was the vast
domain of the Dockery family. Other-
might be agriculturists, but the Dock¬
erys were plain dirt farmers, and they
farmed Richmond real estate at whole¬
sale. The descendants of General
Alfred Dockery for more than a
century were the largest farmer* in
Richmond, if not in the State. Tin-
General and his son both served in
