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.

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!

The only screw-pile lighthouse still standing in North Carolina is the Roanoke River Lighthouse…read morenear Edenton, a unique and durable piece of maritime history. It was constructed in 1886 and lit in 1887 with the intention of directing ships into the Roanoke River from the Albemarle Sound. An inventive answer to the delicate, changing soils of coastal rivers was its distinctive screw-pile foundation, which consisted of steel pilings that were physically screwed into the riverbed. In contrast to the majority of lighthouses of its type, this one was two floors tall and had a lantern tower with a fourth-order Fresnel lens positioned on a corner of the roof instead of in the middle. The Coast Guard sold the lighthouse to Elijah Tate in 1955 after it was discontinued in 1941 because of dwindling river traffic. The building was severely damaged by Hurricane Isabel in 2003, which led to a preservation effort. With the help of the public and private sectors, the Edenton Historical Commission bought it in 2007, relocated it to Colonial Waterfront Park, and repaired it. It now proudly sits on Edenton's port as a museum and a testament to the tenacity of the local community and historical preservation. The lighthouse is free to tour and the "grounds" are accessible 24 hours. It is well worth a stop. I'm only bummed that I wasn't here to see it at sunrise or at sunset as I am sure it is quite magical. [Round number review 24000 overall - 841 of 2025 - 4271 in North Carolina]

Very cute and quaint lighthouse in an amazing part of North Carolina! The history is fascinating,…read morethe building is well-preserved, and the surrounding waterfront views make it a great stop to explore and take photos.

The Gates County Confederate Soldiers Monument, unveiled on July 8, 1915, stands in Gatesville,…read moreNorth Carolina, as a marble statue of a common Confederate soldier atop a tall granite base. It was erected by the Gates County Confederate Monument Association to honor local veterans of the Civil War, with particular emphasis on William P. Roberts, a Gates County native who became the youngest brigadier general in the Confederate Army at age 23 -remarkably, without formal military training. Architecturally, the statue follows the early 20th-century Southern tradition of commemorative memorials: a solitary soldier in uniform, standing at attention, symbolizing sacrifice and valor. Its placement in front of the Board of Elections building underscores its civic prominence. Over time, the monument has become a focal point for reflection and debate, especially in light of evolving public conversations about Confederate symbolism and historical legacy. The granite marker nearby provides that context, "The honors given to these veterans in the past do not represent our values as of today." and it closes with a quote from Dr. Martin Luther King, Jr., "Darkness cannot drive out darkness. Only light can do that. Hate cannot drive out hate. Only love can do that." [Review 916 of 2025 - 4320 in North Carolina - 24472 overall]

This stuff is phenomenal! It is beautiful, well deserved, well maintained, and well staffed. The…read moreRoanoke River is absolutely gorgeous and the accompanying grounds are immaculate. There is the Welcome Center there that we went into and the women were total sweethearts. It didn't appear that they got much business because they were very glad to hear that the three of us were all from different cities in Florida so when we signed the register book it was three different cities along with three different names. These women were totally in character for this part of the country and you could feel the butter melt with their warmth and kindness. The National refuge was really unexpected and quite beautiful. It was informational and educational. This was one of the best stops we unexpectedly made on our road trip. Just goes to show you never know what you're going to find when you pull over and stop in to someplace new, no matter where it is in the country. What's a girl to do? Hey, when you're on a road trip you want to stop and see and do everything so take your time and see as much as you can.

The Cashie River Center at the Roanoke River National Wildlife Refuge is an amazing, little-known…read moreresource in the area. I live just 20 miles away and had overlooked the place. I didn't know what I was missing! It has a nice little museum-type display inside with info about local wildlife--animals and plants. The carry all the science type of stuff that you'd expect, and it fascinated my daughter. The people who work there are volunteers, and they are absolutely knowledgable about the area. Just when I thought it couldn't get any better, I discovered that they give free nature boat rides in the summer. I will def come back for that when it starts for the season.

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.]

I recently attended an event by the Virginia Opera which Battersea played host to. I was not really…read moresure what to expect from or about Battersea itself, up until now I had never heard of it. The house or "villa" was built in 1768 by Col. John Banister, the first Mayor of Petersburg. It is located on 30 acres in Petersburg it is very picturesque and beautiful, I learned that the PBS series "Mercy Street" used the land surrounding the house for filming in their second season. The Battersea Foundation purchased the property on June 14, 2011 and hosts cultural events throughout the year. If you are into architecture and history, I can tell you this may be a place you might want to visit, as there is restoration ongoing and the foundation will be partnering with the University of Virginia to use Battersea as a historic classroom, since little is known about it and its former inhabitants. If planning a visit know that there is electricity indoors, but no indoor bathroom facilities, and it's pretty tucked away off the beaten path. You might want to have an additional destination in mind in the area, or just visit here as a stop-off when passing through the I-95 Petersburg area.

A great aerial view of Battersea home, grounds and surrounding area…read more https://youtu.be/v67vRq4AW0U

Yes, *that* Walter Reed. This marker points out that a famous physician lived here and also married…read morea woman from here in Murfreesboro. The marker has the same text on both sides. It reads, "Head of U.S. Yellow Fever Commission in Cuba, 1900-01. Lived here as a young man and married Emily Lawrence of this town." Walter Reed, born in Virginia in 1851, spent part of his early life in Murfreesboro, North Carolina, where his father served as a Methodist pastor. Reed entered the University of Virginia at just fifteen and graduated from its medical school at seventeen, later earning a second degree from Bellevue Hospital Medical College in New York. After working in public health in Brooklyn, he joined the U.S. Army Medical Corps in 1875, eventually rising to prominence as a pioneering bacteriologist. During the Spanish-American War, Reed led the fourth U.S. Army Yellow Fever Commission in Cuba, where he conducted groundbreaking experiments that proved mosquitoes transmitted yellow fever. His work was notable not only for its scientific impact but also for introducing informed consent in human experimentation. Reed's findings revolutionized public health and disease control in tropical regions. He died in 1902 from complications of appendicitis and was buried at Arlington National Cemetery. His legacy lives on through the Walter Reed Army Medical Center and the National Museum of Health and Medicine, institutions that honor his contributions to medicine and public health. [Review 925 of 2025 - 4329 in North Carolina - 24481 overall]

This marker is near the center of Murfreesboro and points out the birthplace of this local who went…read moreon to service his country and travel the world. It is marker number A-18 and it was erected in 1948 by the North Carolina Archives, Conservation and Highway Departments. It has the same text on both sides, reading "Historian, legislator, superintendent U.S. Mint at Charlotte, state treasurer, minister to Nicaragua, born 1806 in brick house 300 yards north." John H. Wheeler was a lawyer, historian, and public servant whose career spanned law, politics, and diplomacy. Educated at Columbian College and the University of North Carolina, he served in the state legislature, led the Charlotte branch of the United States Mint, and was appointed ambassador to Nicaragua, though his tenure ended controversially after helping aid Tennessean William Walker's attempted coup within the nation. A prolific writer and Unionist during the Civil War, Wheeler published several historical works, helped found the North Carolina Historical Society, and spent his final years in Washington, D.C., where he died in 1882 and was buried in Oak Hill Cemetery. There is more information online. There is room to stop and pull over here to read the marker. [Review 1011 of 2025 - 4357 in North Carolina - 24565 overall]

Not far from the intersection that marks the center of Murfreesboro, this marker is along the…read moreroadside and points out a local citizen with a history of history. It has the same text on both sides. It reads, "Folklorist and publisher. Left newspapering 1962 to chronicle folkways & peoples of northeastern North Carolina. Office stood here." "F. Roy Johnson is a hunter of sorts, a man after rare game. His prey is often elusive as a fox, and the terrain he covers can be delicate. He stalks the folk tales and memories of another time." So began a feature story in the September 1, 1981, issue of the Norfolk Virginian-Pilot. The subject was Frank Roy Johnson, a native of Bladen County who moved to Murfreesboro in 1940. He was a 1932 graduate of Duke University, where he worked on the student newspaper and met his future wife, Margaret Hamlin. Beginning his newspaper career in 1934, Johnson founded and merged two titles in Murfreesboro before selling them in 1962 to focus on documenting northeastern North Carolina's history and folklore. Through Johnson Publishing Company, he produced twenty-two books on topics ranging from Native American history and Nat Turner to riverboating and regional legends, often setting type and binding each copy by hand using salvaged equipment. A mentor to scholars like Thomas Parramore and Frank Stephenson, Johnson collaborated with the Division of Archives and History, earned recognition from the North Carolina Folklore Society in 1976, and left behind a rich archival legacy upon his death in 1988. This is marker number A-86 and it was erected in 2014 by the North Carolina Office of Archives and History. [Review 1012 of 2025 - 4358 in North Carolina - 24566 overall]