The 250 Year Rise, Legacy, and Fall of a Southern Landmark

A plantation house is a neoclassical architectural style common in the American South, built primarily between the end of the Revolutionary War and the beginning of the Civil War. These homes often featured gabled roofs, cupolas, and front and rear entrances. The interiors were as majestic as the exteriors, with large dining rooms, ballrooms, and expansive foyers.

In the antebellum South, plantation homes served as the main residence on large farms. While some grand homes were built from brick, many others were modest wooden frame structures. Contrary to popular imagery, most plantations did not boast opulent manor houses as their centerpiece. In North Carolina, the primary cash crops on plantations were tobacco and cotton. Other crops included corn, wheat, rice, peanuts, and flax. Families also maintained vegetable gardens for subsistence, and raised hogs and cows for meat and milk.

My family’s farm, located in eastern Beaufort County, North Carolina, sits adjacent to one such plantation. Our farm was once part of a 300-acre estate that predates the War for American Independence. I grew up hearing stories of British redcoats, Union soldiers, and Native American attacks. I could see the plantation house from our land and often imagined tales of bravery—Revolutionary War hero Major Reading Blount defending his home, settlers warding off attacks, praying that the invading hordes from the North would spare their land.

Before I was old enough to hunt, I roamed the surrounding woods, letting my imagination run wild. Sticks became muskets, swords, and pistols as I waged imaginary battles against the British, the Yankees, and native warriors. Exploring those woods was pure heaven.

The oral histories passed down by older relatives and neighboring farmers fueled my imagination. The original inhabitants of the region were members of the Pamlico tribe, who later assimilated into the Tuscarora; over time, English settlers arrived. One such family established a plantation and built what would become known as Bellefont Plantation near Washington, North Carolina.

The plantation house was constructed around 1760, before the War for American Independence. Built in the Georgian architectural style, it stood three stories tall, with double brick chimneys on one side, a single chimney on the other, and a basement on the eastern end. Hidden compartments were built into the walls and beneath floorboards to conceal weapons, munitions, and valuables in the event of an attack—whether from Crown forces or nearby Tuscarora or Pamlico tribes. A smokehouse on the property was used to cure pork after the fall hog slaughter. After 1753, the property was owned by the Kennedy and Lanier families. A few years later, our story truly begins.

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Reading Blount was born on February 22, 1757, in Pitt County, North Carolina. In April 1776, he enlisted in the Continental Army at the Assembly in Hillsborough. Commissioned as a captain in the Fifth Regiment of North Carolina Continental Troops, Blount was promoted to major in 1781. He fought in several engagements, including the Battle of Guilford Courthouse, and served under General George Washington and General Nathanael Greene.

After the war, Major Blount returned to eastern North Carolina and briefly entered the mercantile trade before deciding to become a gentleman farmer. In 1796, he purchased the 300-acre farm and house near Tranters Creek, naming it Bellefont. He built a sawmill on the creek and cultivated wheat, corn, tobacco, cotton, and other crops. He also speculated in land and participated in the lumber industry.

Blount was elected a North Carolina state legislator from Pitt County and, in 1800, was appointed major general of the First Division of Infantry in the state militia. He died on October 13, 1807, at age 50 and was buried on his farm near his beloved Bellefont.

The farm thrived in the antebellum years. In 1860, Bellefont was purchased by the Hodges family, whose descendants still own the property. On April 12, 1861, the War Between the States began with the shelling of Fort Sumter. Many believed it would be a brief conflict. Young Southern men enlisted in search of adventure, but by May 1862, rumors swirled that Union troops would soon reach Bellefont.

Union forces under General Ambrose Burnside had occupied the nearby town of Washington. A detachment of cavalry and artillery, commanded by Lieutenant Colonel Francis Osborne, was dispatched to reconnoiter the western side of Beaufort County, including Bellefont. When they reached the plantation, they discovered Major Blount’s sawmill guarded by Confederate soldiers. The bridge over Tranters Creek had been destroyed, and the Confederates, numbering around 450 under General George Singletary, had fortified themselves.

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On June 5, 1862, about 50 infantrymen and cavalry from the Third New York Cavalry set out with artillery to reconnoiter eight miles west of Washington. The Confederates, battling heat, humidity, biting insects, and venomous snakes, opened fire, initiating a skirmish that lasted several hours. Union artillery eventually dislodged the Confederate defenders. General Singletary was killed during the engagement, and the Confederates retreated across the swamp toward Greenville. Lieutenant Colonel Osborne chose not to pursue, returning instead to file an after-action report. The skirmish resulted in 40 casualties.

Union troops seized geese, horses, and a mule before leaving. Bellefont survived that attack in 1862 and endured again in 1864, when General William Tecumseh Sherman’s scorched-earth campaign devastated the town of Washington.

The plantation remained in Hodges family hands throughout the 19th century. It operated as a working farm until the early 2000s, when it was renovated and transformed into a venue for weddings, reunions, and other celebrations. The land itself continued to be leased for growing row crops—much like it had been for over two centuries.

In 1976, fittingly during the nation’s bicentennial, Bellefont was added to the National Register of Historic Places. By the 2000s, Bellefont once again stood resplendent and grand, just as it had during Major Blount’s time. On June 20, 2015—153 years after the Battle of Tranters Creek—my sister was married at Bellefont. The day was as warm as that long-ago skirmish, and the reception featured a traditional Eastern North Carolina pig picking, complete with all the fixings.

The grounds of Bellefont are rich with history. They have witnessed revolution, civil war, and conflict with native peoples. Yet, on Tuesday, January 9, 2024, Mother Nature accomplished what centuries of war and turmoil could not: a severe winter storm triggered a power outage, and a surge caused an electrical fire that completely destroyed the plantation house. It was a heartbreaking loss—for the owners, the community, and the state of North Carolina.

It is too soon to know what the future holds for the charred remains of Bellefont. Yet, history lovers, descendants, and dreamers still hope that, like the mythical phoenix, Bellefont will rise from the ashes—restored once again as a proud symbol of North Carolina’s storied past.

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About the Author

Cecil Cherry is a native North Carolinian who graduated from East Carolina University and retired as a law enforcement officer from the North Carolina State Bureau of Investigation. He enjoys outdoor pursuits, traveling to North Carolina wineries with his wife Pam, and sharing the bounty of field to plate with friends and family. He is established outdoors and travel writer; his words can be seen in publications ranging from Feathers and Whiskey, Porch and Prairie, and Modern Clubman to The Southern Voice, On the Fly, and Strung.