Welcome to Historic Hope

Duration

2 hours

About

The restored home of former North Carolina Governor David Stone (1770-1818). Located four miles west of Windsor, NC, the complex offers unique insights into the late 18th- and 19th-century rural life in eastern North Carolina and the South. The centerpiece of the plantation is the c. 1803 Hope Mansion, Governor Stone's stunning example of an academic architectural combination of Federal and Georgian architecture. Restored and opened to the public since 1972, the mansion is meticulously furnished with an extensive collection of original period pieces.

The 1763 King-Bazemore House represents a fine example of vernacular architecture. It is one of the few remaining examples in North Carolina of mid-eighteenth century ""hall and parlor"" design. The home has been restored and furnished based on the 1778 inventory of owner, William King.

Both homes are on the National Register of Historic Places and are administered by the Historic Hope Foundation, Inc., a non-profit organization dedicated to preserving and interpreting the history of Bertie County and Roanoke-Chowan Region of North Carolina. Historic Hope is managed by a paid staff and board of directors. The site is open to the public.

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The story of the Historic Hope Foundation, Inc., is one of true grassroots participation. The Foundation was established in 1965 by Bertie County citizens concerned about the fate of the decaying Hope Mansion. Its mission is to provide educational, cultural and recreational benefits for the public by the preservation, maintenance and the administration of Historic Hope Plantation as an element of the heritage of the Roanoke-Chowan Region and as an illustration and interpretation of agrarian life in Eastern North Carolina from 1760 to 1840.

Through a combination of government funding, grants and private donations, the group purchased the home and surrounding land, and began the painstaking task of restoration. Seven years later, in 1972, the restoration was completed and the grand mansion opened to the public. Today, the Foundation, a non-profit organization, is comprised of over 200 members nationwide and continues its mission of restoration, preservation and education. The Foundation owns and manages 44 acres of land that comprise the Hope Plantation site, three historic homes, and the Roanoke-Chowan Heritage Center. In 2015, it celebrated its achievement with the 50th Anniversary of the Restoration of Hope Plantation.