The William R. White House - 1911 - 2005 (when the photo was taken)

I’d like to take a few moments of appreciation to comment on the work that Trish has done over the past few years on our big ol’ historical house. Keep in mind, this is a small, slender woman with attitude – a mom who has suffered severe heart trouble in giving birth to our daughter Katie, and has been largely on her own for the greater part of the labor involved in repairing and preserving our home. Last year alone she nearly single-handedly painted the entire house. There are parts we can’t reach, of course – and some that I can reach, and she can’t, that I’ll be painting this year, but we are talking about a 6-7000 square foot, three story house. It has columns all around, a porch (also painted – and which we repaired last year) – shutters, leaks…you name it. She is one of the hardest working, most talented women I’ve ever met, and I present, without further ado, the fruit of her labor (so far). This is a photo of the Historic William R. White House as of 2005…this is the first of the Market St. Houses we’ll cover here. Eventually I’d like to have links to photo galleries covering each street, along with some stories about each of the older homes, the families who built and lived in them, and how they all fit together to form the basis of the town we live in. For now…here is the first picture of many.



David

Market Street in Hertford - Home Sweet Home

This is just a quick, introductory post for those of you who happen by and find our little news-on-the-net site. We are a family transplanted from Florida and Virginia. Trish and the kids lived, formerly, in Ft. Myers Florida, and now we all call Hertford, NC home. From the first time we rolled in around the curve and saw the water, crossed the "S" bridge and drove into town, we've known, somehow, that this would be home.

Our home is in the historic district downtown. William R. White worked for the Carteret Lumber Company and built the house in the early 1900s. Stephanie has been researching the history of the house, the families who have lived here and the ghosts who might have lingered. Mr. White went on to own a peanut factory that burned to the ground. We've yet to find a picture of that factory, but we've met some wonderful people who lived in our home, or knew those who did, and every time we learn something new it feels as if we've branched out onto a new street, with more to find around the corner.

Eventually we'll be posting short articles here, photographs, historical points, and announcements of current events and happenings in the town and area. For now...Welcome to the very first post in the Dismal Swamp Gazette. Kick back, put your feet up, and stay a while.

David