Greenfield Plantation

Greenfield Plantation
Greenfield Plantation is located in North Carolina
Greenfield Plantation
Location within North Carolina
Greenfield Plantation is located in the United States
Greenfield Plantation
Location within the United States
LocationE of Edenton on SR 1109, near Somerset, North Carolina
Coordinates36°3′13″N 76°26′33″W / 36.05361°N 76.44250°W / 36.05361; -76.44250
Area9 acres (3.6 ha)
Built1752 (1752), c. 1840
Architectural styleGreek Revival, Georgian
NRHP reference No.76001316[1]
Added to NRHPMay 6, 1976

Greenfield Plantation is a historic plantation house located near Somer, near Edenton, Chowan County, North Carolina. It was built about 1752, and is a two-story, five-bay-by-two-bay, T-shaped Georgian-style frame dwelling. It features a full-width, double porch. The interior was remodeled in the Greek Revival-style about 1840.[2] It was listed on the National Register of Historic Places in 1976 as a privately owned residence.[1]

The plantation is one of twenty six places located in Chowan County that are on the National Register of Historic Places.[3] It is located on the north shore of the Albemarle Sound, 14 miles east of Edenton.[4] The owner of the plantation on the nomination form for the National Register of Historic Places is listed as being Thomas Benbury Wood and the building was nominated due to its architectural significance.[5]

In the mid nineteenth century Greenfield Plantation was owned by businessman Edward Wood, who purchased the property from Richard Benbury Creecy. Some of the 1,934 acres was used for agriculture (wheat, oats and corn) and farming (cattle, sheep and pigs) and a fishery was established. Edward's other business interests included a sawmill, another fishery and a steam mill. In 1860 he is listed as being the owner of 46 enslaved people.[4]

Greenfield Plantation is associated with Hayes Plantation, as both were owned by Edward Wood, after he inherited Hayes Plantation from James Cathcart Johnston, a descendant of Samuel Johnston. A collection known as the Hayes Collection is held by the University of North Carolina with artefacts from the Johnston and Wood families.[4][6][7]

The owner prior to Edward Wood, Richard Benbury Creecy was born at Greenfield Plantation and purchased his siblings stake in the property in 1837. He later became a newspaper editor.[8]

References

  1. 1 2 "National Register Information System". National Register of Historic Places. National Park Service. July 9, 2010.
  2. ↑ Elizabeth Moore; Catherine W. Cockshutt; Mary Alice Hinson (November 1975). "Greenfield Plantation" (PDF). National Register of Historic Places - Nomination and Inventory. North Carolina State Historic Preservation Office. Retrieved August 1, 2014.
  3. ↑ "National Register of Historic Places - North Carolina (NC), Chowan County". nationalregisterofhistoricplaces.com. Retrieved April 21, 2026.
  4. 1 2 3 "Wood, Edward | NCpedia". www.ncpedia.org. January 2023. Retrieved April 21, 2026.
  5. ↑ "North Carolina SP Greenfield Plantation". National Park Service. Retrieved April 21, 2026.
  6. ↑ "Hayes Collection, 1694-1928". finding-aids.lib.unc.edu. Retrieved April 21, 2026.
  7. ↑ "Hayes Collection | FromThePage". fromthepage.com. Retrieved April 21, 2026.
  8. ↑ "Creecy, Richard Benbury | NCpedia". www.ncpedia.org. Retrieved April 21, 2026.