New Bern, Craven County, NC:Downtown Historic Homes Visited

Last week I had the pleasure of showing homes listed for sale in the downtown historic district of New Bern. It was picture perfect weather, a"bluebird" kind of day!

The first stop was the John Horner Hill House located on Pollock Street, not far from Tryon Palace. This home was built somewhere between 1770-1780. It is an example of Georgian architecture.

Another house visited was the Richardson House, built around 1920. It was a wedding present to Robert A. Richardson's daughter from her father and mother.

We also visited Stanley Hall, which was built somewhere around 1874. The second story was our point of interest, as it has been demo'ed and approved for conversion to condo's.

Stanley Hall has been a dance hall, court room and gymnasium at various times. This place is cavernous on the inside. This L-shaped structure faces Pollock Street and Craven Street.

The highlight of the day was the Dr. Edward F. Smallwood House. This home exhibits Federal period architecture on the exterior and Federal/Greek Revival influences on the interior. It has a side hall floor plan of the Federal period similar to the Issac Taylor house but then the Greek Revival influences are noted. Marble fireplaces, plaster cornices, wainscotings and plaster ceiling medallions are still there. In the gable ends you can see Palladian windows. She is a proud lady, but is in need of a lot of work.

I went back after the tour and tried to imagine what the owners through the years had witnessed and lived through, from the Civil War to recent occupants.

If you are interested in acquiring historic properties in New Bern, please contact me and we'll walk through history together on a sunny, afternoon.