Hope Plantation is in Windsor, NC. It was the home of former NC Governor David Stone…read more Hope Mansion and the King-Bazemore House can be toured with a docent on certain days and times so check the website before visiting to make sure it will be open. You start your visit and buy your ticket at the Roanoke-Chowan Heritage Center. It has restrooms, a gift shop and two rooms to view that provide background information about the property. You can either walk or drive to the houses as they are a distance away. I was not sure what to expect when I decided to visit Hope Plantation and did not expect that the tour would be as long as it was and so thorough. It is possible that my tour was longer than normal as I was very interested in all of the facts provided. I was very impressed with this property; the history and the restoration. I try my best to find the hidden gems to visit so was excited that I found another. Both houses are on the National Registry for Historic Places. The land of the plantation sits was from a land grant by King Charles II of England. It was to lure settlers from Virginia and was given to Francis and Elizabeth Hobson. Elizabeth inherited the property after her husband died and later married Zedekiah Stone. The story told is that Elizabeth missed her homeland Hope Parish so the property was named Hope. David Stone was given the Hope tract of land as a wedding present. He constructed the Hope Mansion. The house was completed in 1803. It is of a Georgian style with Federal Period influences. The enslaved community provided the labor to run the plantation. The highly skilled labor can be seen with the craftsmanship of the home. After David Stone died, his son sold the property. It changed owners many times. In 1960 though the property was deteriorated and Bertie Country residents worked to save the property. They created a historical association and raised the funds to purchase the property. Then went on to restoring the mansion through research. The outside was completed in 1969 and by 1972 the restoration was completed. The King-Bazemore House was relocated to the plantation in 1974 to be restored. It is an example of a colonial home and would be compared to the Hobson-Stone House that was destroyed when the mansion was built. I highly recommend visiting this property in Bertie County if you love history and historic properties. You will not be disappointed. These properties are amazing and the restorations impeccable.

From the owner: Restored home of former North Carolina Governor David Stone (1770-1818). Located four miles west of…read moreWindsor, NC, the plantation complex offers unique insights into the late 18th & 19th century rural life in eastern North Carolina and the South.

Yes, I drove an hour round trip to take a picture of a sign but this one is special. It denotes the…read moretime that the United States bombed North Carolina, nearly a hundred years after the end of the Civil War. The marker reads, "Nuclear Mishap. B-52 transporting two nuclear bombs crashed, Jan. 1961. Widespread disaster averted; three crewmen died 3 miles south." Okay, all kidding aside. Three Air Force crew died and in the process, prevented what would have been an unspeakable tragedy. It is a serious matter. During the height of the Cold War, the United States had a policy of keeping armed aircraft in the air at all times in the event of a conflict. Nuclear deterrence and all that. Well, this B-52G Stratofortress took some structural damage during an air refueling and while preparing to land at nearby Seymour Johnson Air Force Base, it experienced a major failure of the right wing. The plane broke up and exploded at 8000 feet. "As a result of the breakup of the plane, two MK39 nuclear weapons were released at a height of between 10,000 and 2,000 feet. Seven of eight arming, fusing, and firing switches and devices in one bomb automatically actuated. Only a crew-controlled switch prevented a nuclear detonation. Since its parachute deployed, one bomb had only minor damage when it fell about a mile from the crash site. The second bomb fell free, without its parachute deploying, and broke apart on impact." "Components of the bomb were sought for several weeks. The decision was made to leave remaining portions of the weapon containing uranium, believed to have entered the water table, in the ground. As a precaution, the government purchased part of the site and still maintains an easement in order to prevent digging in the vicinity. Periodic groundwater tests, still conducted by the state, have revealed no contamination." As the sign mentions, the actual crash is three miles away and the grounds are secured. Here in downtown Eureka, there isn't much. A small sandwich shop is near the sign if you're hungry. [Review 15486 overall, 990 of 2021, number 3029 in North Carolina.]

We had an incredible time exploring the battlefield and driving from location to location. My…read morehusband is a veteran so we got free admission which pleasantly surprised us that I also qualified as his wife. The staff was so nice and explained everything. We took the map and went to each site, read the plaques and paid our respect to those lost. The weather was perfect and everything was clearly labeled and well taken care of. We had a great time learning all about the battle and touring the grounds.

We stopped at this attraction as part of the free trolley tour that circles Yorktown. My husband…read moreloves military historic and we were both bummed that the museum on site was closed for the government shutdown. We did however make the best of walking around the site and taking in all of the history we could on the grounds. We also observed a ceremony that was going on when we arrived at the Victory Monument and viewed various artillery pieces on the grounds. The town of Yorktown has lots of historic buildings and things to see and do. We enjoyed walking around and taking the trolley around this beautiful village.

Hello everyone, I had an absolutely fantastic, once in a lifetime experience at Patrick Henry's Red…read moreHill. The property is beautiful, relaxing and well-maintained. I highly recommend checking out this place. The admission is very affordable and the experience is worth the cost. I really enjoyed learning about the property from Patrick Henry's descendant. He was very kind and well-informed about the life of Patrick Henry. The first part of the experience includes a short film about Patrick Henry's life and family. Patrick Henry's descendant explained everything about Patrick Henry and was passionate about history. My family and I were very fortunate to have the whole property to ourselves. The property has breathtaking views and is very peaceful. I enjoyed walking the grounds and seeing the different historical buildings. The whole experience was truly memorable and enjoyable. I will definitely visit again when I travel to Virginia from Florida. I went to purchase a book in the gift shop about Patrick Henry and his descendant gave me a free copy. I really appreciated that and enjoy learning more about the founding fathers.

It's off the beaten path but a neat look back to Colonial times. A great patriotic look at one of…read morethe more outspoken voices of the American Revolution. Also has a nice display to honor the slaves and freedmen who made their homes there. It was a nice history lesion and afternoon spent in the beauty of the Virginia countryside

This place is pretty amazing even if you're not a history buff. Kids enjoyed the place. There's…read moreunmark parking available. Picnic tables available for a luncheon. They have a visitor center for all your questions. They offer ghost tours as well! If you're in the area definitely stop by and check it out!

Built in the 1600's. At one time the largest private dwelling in colonial America. One of 3 large…read moreplantations. 17 fireplaces, 33 bedrooms! Burned down in 1916. This house has been through a lot over the past centuries. A nice stop to see an interesting architectural feat. Stop by the visitor's center for admission and information about this mansions previous grandeur and storied history.

Harmony Hall was built in 1772 and is a real gem. It is open to tour Wednesdays through Saturday…read morefrom 10am to 4pm. When you arrive at the front door, just knock as they keep the door locked. The volunteer working will provide the background of the house. North Carolina's first Governor made Harmony Hall act as the Capital of the state during the war to protect the records. The house may have been used as a hospital at one point. 10 of 12 children of one family died here and another man committed suicide. So there has been a lot of tragedy there. Two floors of the restored house can be toured as well as the one room schoolhouse and garden. The house has 18th and 19th century furnishings. Upstairs one room has a very large doll collection. The schoolhouse shows what it would have been like to attend school in a room with desks and blackboards. A skeleton key is used to unlock the building. A garden club keeps up the garden's beautiful flowers. Harmony Hall is worth a visit. There is no admission fee but donations are accepted to maintain the property.

I just had the HONOR to tour this BEAUTIFUL Historical Park. I am an Army Combat Veteran and by me…read morehaving the Honor to walk where there were Thousands if NOT Hundreds of Thousands Soldiers who marched into the Heat of Battle to stop the clutch and horrors of Slavery. The Battle sites is what I first went to view and yeah it hits you hard at all of the losses we had. Then I went to the Appomattox Court House and toured the grounds. Amazing place to take your kids there and to hear all of the History that we don't want to lose. To me, it was an Honor to walk where Victory for our Soldiers and our Country. I would for sure drive another 15 hours from Louisiana to go and Tour the grounds again.

I love this place. It's so peaceful. There is rarely anyone here, so you get to walk the…read morebattlefield in peace in the shady woods and imagine what it was like to have soldiers camped out there, each army so close to each other. Parking is plentiful and easy to access. When you get to the settlement where the houses are, you encounter beautifully preserved homes that are set up as they would have been during the war. Unlike other battlefields that feel oppressive with death, Appomattox feels like hope for me. Maybe it's my imagination -especially because people died here too, but the way the two generals conducted themselves went a long way in restoring peace. It's a beautiful place to spend an afternoon.

This confusing setup has a bunch of national park land adjoined to a privately owned historical…read moresite. Focusing only on the national park site, I found a visitor center with an introductory movie. While I was perusing the exhibitions right outside the theater, they managed to close it and lock it without letting me know the movie was starting. Which is a little irksome, but may have worked out for the best as I got to the outdoor site and managed to get a run of it and take some pictures just as a weather front was heading in. Some people had traveled from Michigan to tour the area, which I think was a good decision for them as you don't get this kind of history up there. The national park site has some ruins and signage after crossing a boardwalk over the swamp. While not huge in scope; I spent maybe an hour on the site in total, it gives you a feel for the challenges that settlers would have faced. The signage provides compelling information for visitors of all ages, and the views of the waterfront and nearby ferry are majestic as well. You'll get a sense of historical nuance with a lot of players in the area, and an aesthetic experience as well. There is a wildlife drive and this place does have a parkway running to Yorktown, albeit currently not fully open due to major construction. I did not have time for everything the area has to offer on this passing visit, but there is a lot regardless of how much time you have.

September 2024- I visited the historic & original Jamestown , the colony was established there in…read more1607. Jamestown is remembered for its iconic historical figures like Pocohontas and Captain John Smith. In the Visitor Center, there is a small museum exhibit of Jamestown. The admission to explore all of Jamestown requires the purchase of two tickets since Jamestowne managed by two separate organizations, Preservation Virginia (Jamestown Rediscovery) and the National Park Service (Colonial National Historical Park). This can be very confusing when entering and getting admission inside Jamestowne. Entrance inside the visitor center & museum as well as the grounds are free for active military and their families, who get free passes to all the national parks. Standard fee is $15. An additional ticket of $15 is required to purchase by ALL (even with a free military entrance pass to all National Parks). It was worth it to me and a fair price to pay. Jamestowne was a fascinating visit to walk through the well maintained and reconstructed historical buildings & ancient ground of Jamestown. I like how they reconstructed Jamestown to show how it appeared during colonial times and showcased the ruins of the old church within its duplicated replica. I spent most of my time in the church, drinking in the views by the River, and walking through the grounds of Jamestowne. We ended our visit at Jamestown by going to the Archaearium, the archaeology museum, last. It covers the history of Jamestown 1607-1624. There was so much unknown information uncovered there about Pocahontas and the dark history of the colonists during times of famine. 1609 - 1610 was a dark and horrific time period of cold winter weather & starvation for the colonial settlers of Jamestowne. Many starved to death, some resorted to cannibalism of dead corpses or killing the living for food to survive. They reserved a room about this dark period and restrict the use of cameras & taking photography/ videos of that area in the museum out of respect for the remains of the dead in the room. Very macabre yet still fascinating. There were many areas we did not have time to explore due to time constraints and our travel agenda, yet we made the best of what little time we had there.

The Brady C Jefcoat Museum is located in Murfreesboro, NC. There is parking for the museum on the…read morestreet. The museum is open on Saturdays and Sundays. Admission is currently $10. The museum is located in the old Murfreesboro High School and all three floors are used for the museum. Stairs are the only way to get to the other levels. The elevator appeared out of order. The building is showing its age and needs some maintenance and upkeep. The restroom sink did not have water and did not appear very clean. Some of the rooms had mold or mildew on the walls. Brady Jefcoat was a collector and collected everything you can think of from phonographs to tools to taxidermy to washing machines to toasters to butter churns to telephones to records to bedpans to toilets to toasters. The museum holds all 17,000 items he collected. Every inch of space in the building is filled with the collections from the hallways to the stairwells. I enjoyed aspects of the museum as there were some unique items and the overabundance of some items made the museum unique. Some of the items were labeled so that was helpful. I liked the first room the best with the sofa from Gone With the Wind and the harp. Some of the rooms are so filled with items that it is overwhelming. But there is something special with the everyday items in the collection as the variety of items shows how everyday people lived and how much has changed with technology and innovation. I think a visit to the museum will have something for everyone to enjoy.

This is an amazing museum. It's not like your typical one, very unusual. It's Mr. Brady Jefcoats…read morepersonal collection. He collected anything that tickled his fancy, and then he collect all types of that item. I was told it takes 3 hours to go through, at first, we were like "yea, right, 15 minutes and I'm outa here". Well, we were wrong. He has the largest collection of phonographs/victrolas around, music boxes, toasters, pipes/cigar making items, bedpans, toilets, bathtubs, tape meastures, office suppies, guns, washing machines/boards. Have to see to believe. I've been in a lot of museums, and this one is one of my tops. It is guided $8/person; and you can't wonder freely due to many items could be stolen. So plan accordingly to the hours open, and give yourself at least 3 hours to go through. Talk about a trip down memory lane!

So I know I can't be the first person to want to hit the Thelonious Monk Trail in Rocky Mount. But…read moreit looks like I'll be the first to write about it. I was visiting Raleigh, and I wanted to do the pilgrimage so bad that I hit the road early one bright Sunday morn headed east. Here's what I saw: 1) Thelonious Monk Plaza - I came into town this way, just a slight bit north of the main downtown strip. This plaza is one in the old-school sense - you won't find a minimall with Bath & Body Works around here, rather it's the old train station. This is where the historical marker is planted that identifies one of the true American greats. It makes sense to have jazz markers by the old train stations - it brings back the America of old, and also reminds you that the musicians generally built their careers by moving out. 2) Thelonious Monk Mural - I walked about half a mile from the Plaza to see this (incidentally, on a bright Sunday morn I was the only sign of life in downtown Rocky Mount). If you didn't know it was a tribute to Monk, you would just think it's a slightly unusual mural - a triangle of houses with a trompe l'oeil river stream/piano keyboard that literally flows out onto the pavement (entitled "Monk's Corner"). This was apparently one wall an arts center that no longer exists, sadly - it's near the Harambee Street Apartments. I walked back to my car via Main Street, which allowed me to look at the attractive old historic buildings in downtown, none of whom were doing any business on Sunday. 3) Thelonious Monk Park - Now this was a slight hunt, considering not even Old Man Google registers this park as a place. Further, there's a street address given near Washington/Dunn, but the sign that names the park is over on Wye which spurs off of Washington. That confused me a bit - you can basically identify the park, but I felt like I was slightly trespassing when I wandered along the residential neighborhood to get there. This is a "park" in the sense that you can have a picnic under the gazebo or push your kids on some swings - otherwise it's just a small green space. Monk's childhood home no longer exists but would have been somewhere on the grounds. 4) Monk Rd - This road, just a block south of Monk Park, was obviously named after the man, but there's about as much significance to the name here as there is to the man they named Washington Street after (whoever that was) - its just the name. Nice that it runs parallel to the train tracks, at least. And that's pretty much it at this point. There's been talk about erecting a statue for Monk here, which would be a great idea - the great John Coltrane statue in High Point would be the model to follow, down to the sound samples and all. Here's hoping that happens. Until then, though, you've got this at least. And if you check it out, put on "Pannonica" for the soundtrack - that's what I was listening to, and it seemed to capture the feel perfectly.