I.M.Lowry's photostream  

This needs some explanation:

There is a house, deep within the Salem Township of southern Pasquotank County. It is extremely isolated, even by rural standards. It rests beyond wide fields, just within site of the paved road, and near the border of a tangled pine forest. For many years, it was the home of the enigmatic and eccentric Snowden Sisters. They were spinsters, choosing to live their entire adult lives together in the faraway house by the woods.

Though not very interesting architecturally or historically, the Sisters' House has always fascinated me- as have the sisters themselves. I never knew them (though their lives were not actually ancient- they passed on in the 1980s, I think), but find them both pitiable and admirable. Were they happy? Nothing physical of financial kept them from the community- indeed, the Snowden name is very old here, and still well-received. Were they crippled by fear of others, or did they just prefer solitude? Who knows-

Sorry the quality of this photo (and the one below) isn't very good- it was taken in haste. I don't know how common such things are, anymore, so I'm glad I took it. You'll notice that the seat covers aren't very old at all- pretty modern, really. The small, hand-gathered broom is still intact on the bench, and there's even paper, though moldering, still on the roll.

The house itself is in terrible condition. Vandals have repeatedly had their way with it- most of the walls have been ripped apart, doors have been kicked in, and windows smashed out. Hunters have fired rounds inside. That said, the bones of the house are remarkably intact, and the roof is sturdy; it could be fixed.

From "The Historic Architecture of Perquimans County, North Carolina," published in 1982 by Dru Gatewood Haley and Raymond A. Winslow, Jr:

"Probably built by Robert Newby c. 1845, this house is a good example of a mid-19th-century dwelling being enlarged and modernized later in the century. Originally a story-and-a-half structure, probably with a rear shed, it is now a full double-pile two-story house with a double-tier attached porch. The out-of-scale chimney laid out in 1:5 common bond is original to the first structure, and the rear ell is the formerly attached kitchen. In 1881 Newby's son sold the property to Josiah Nicholson, who held it until 1890 when silversmith John Q. A. Rogerson purchased it. It has remained in the possession of Rogerson's descendants."

--------

Judging by the small photo accompanying the published article, this house was derelict even then- 29 years ago.

----------------------

This house is not very far from my own. While the wooded atmosphere looks very remote, the house is actually very close to a well-traveled country road (directly behind me as I took the photo above). There is even a community within walking distance- a tiny whistlestop called Belvedere. I visited it last January, but have only just now bothered to upload any photos taken at the time. It is/was/could be a wonderful structure.

I cannot imagine there is any hope for restoration. It certainly is old and beautiful, and displays many excellent vernacular features- but it is extremely decayed. While it could still, with enough time and effort, be repaired, I know it won't happen. There is absolutely no money coming in to the county for such things- no industry, no commerce, no new blood. Just look around the house itself- even the fields, whose crops financed the house in the first place, have grown wild and useless, and no longer produce.

But isn't that how it goes? At least I can share the house here,as it is, to those interested-

It's really quite imposing, from the side. If you study the chimney (see note) you can see where it originally ended (when the house was in its first form, c. 1845).

Formerly, this was a separate, free-standing structure. Note the debris on the porch in the photo below. That wooden object in the lower right is some sort of buffet- it was probably a very nice piece, once.

With a small addition on the main floor.