U

w w

form 10-JOO (July 19(9)

U "II T D S T II. T LSD P 1\ R T /vi E 1\1 T 0 F Til II\j T [R I 0 f\ 1'1;\ TI 01'1;\ L PM;: I( S [<VI CL

n/! entries C Oll1p/c t C' (/ (J{J I i cab Ie ,<.;cc f ion.':;)

Plantation

ET ANt::' NUMBER:

CATEGORY OWNERSHIP

(Check One)

0 Oi strict 0 Bui Iding 0 Public Public Acquisition:

0 Site 0 Structure Q9 Private Din Proces~

0 Object 0 Both o Being Considered

PRESENT USE One or fllore as Appropria(e)

Q9 Agricultural 0 Government 0 Pork

0 Commercial '-1 Industrial 0 Privoie Res idcnce L-J

0 Educational Mi lilary 0 Rcligious

0 Entertainment 0 Museum 0 Scientific

I-<OPERTY

Craven fOR "IPS US

STATUS

0 Occupied

lXJ Unoccupi ed

o Pfeservation work

in progress

o Transportal; on

[]I Oihcr (Specify)

Source for coquina

TE

ACC ESSI BL E

TO THE PUBLIC

Yes:

0 Restricted

0 Unrestricted

lXl No

o Comments

!z; o

--------------------------------------------------I~ s: Route 3

CITY OR TOWN:

Chester

TY OR TOWN:

n o c z

;-- " " ,';\ fl-f I ' ~ C' ) ,1;' I j

(J ,) I ''If

NOT FOR P"lffiLICATION 011. PUBLIC KNOWL:~DGJ~

On west side of 8.Ru , 0 3 mile from

[] Ileni CO~lDl TIOt'l

[] Good o Fair

(ell,:eh Ono)

1X1 Deteriorated

(Check One)

Altered LJ51 Unaltered

DES C n I GET H E 1-' r, c S 1-: N TAN DOH 1 GIN A L PHYSICAL APPE:ARANCE

o Ruins

(C/iOCk One)

Cl Moved Original Sile

Clear Pl::rntation, knOlrJJ1 also as Green I s Thoroughfare or the Davvson Place is a Ge house constructed on a coquina (locally known as "marl") outcropping west of Bachelor1s Creek The structure faces the creek fed by a sprj_ng which flows by the west side of the coquina hummock Large cedar ~1d pec~l trees fill the spacious yard which surrounds the house The story~and~a-half frame structw:'e is five bays wide and two bays

-' pedimented dorm_er on both front and rear It has two interior end chimneys Both a front and rear porch were present, although only the rear porch remains intact~ Beaded flush siding covers the front and rear, and plain weatherboarding protects the sides" The steep gable roof is now covered with standing seam tin The structure is set over a partially raised full basement whose exterior walls and interior partition wall are of coquina" A pegged wooden grille Within each basement opening provides ventilation . Entrance to the basement is tlu"ough a coquina bulk­head at the rear bay of the southwest side A single rmv of brick headers marks the water table"

The main (northwest) elevation is almost perfectly sY(ffiTletrical The small-scale central raised-panel entrance door is set in a molded archi-trave On either side of the entrance are tvIO vJindows re taining their original twelve-over-twelve sash, molded architraves, and gracefully molded sills (the only early example knovJ"n in the county) Each windm'l is pro-tected by shutters, each leaf of vJ"hich contains three raised panels These shtl.tters are hung on I-JL hinge s of wrought iron The of the window arc hi traves nearly abut the molded cornice applied beneath the eaves Directly above each of the first-story windolf1Ts is a pedimented dormer, each containing original six-over-six sash,s The side s of each l' are n01I,j" covered with wooden shingles A coquina foundat=-on in front of the main facade supports an uncovered porch deck Each of this foundation probably contained a 1ATooden grille like those in the baseHlento The porch balustrades and the porch roof, the notches for tvhich are visible in the corner beams of the main facade have also disappeared Wide central steps, each step consisting of a single dressed granite slab set upon a brick base, rise to the POrCh@TheWalltreatment,entranceandfenestrationofthell

rear elevation is identical to that of the front A shed porch roof supported by plain posts protects the entire rear facade The porch rests on brick pillars and is reached by brick steps Chamfered pilasters apPlierl to the corner beams of this elevation are the rerrmants of earlier porch supports I

I The original symrnetricali ty of the side elevations was achieved I

through exterior disguise, for the northeast side has two interior end chimneys, while the south"\ATest side has one interior end chimney" The facesl of only the northeast front chirm1ey and of the southwest chimney, both ex­posed to the eave level and flush wi th the viTalI surface, are visible on the exterior The face of the northeast rear chinmey is concealed beneath siding, and the stack merges in the second s Hith the front chimney stack to form a cornrrlOn stack t,rhich exi ts at the roof A small four-light closet window with a molded architrave and a wide plain sill

flanked each of these exposed stacks The "\AJindmv in the re ar bCky of the sou thwe st side has been replace d by a large t1;'lO-Over-t1;'lO

m

JO~300a

(July 1965' ) UNI[::I)ST/\T D U IN 1<1 C;F~

;(VIC.

DATE

architrave) destroying the s;ymmetry" The "\undows as t side are in tac t

The interior of Clear hall on the north and a small (liJe of equal depth behind each front room® two rooms but the 'wooden partition has rises in the inne:c corner of the ently the stair originally rose in a (south) room" The stair is now reached to meet the original st.'r'aight run '~lThich

On the northeast side the front as a central fireplace) and the smaller

unus·u.al conSlS of a to the 'tATi th a smaller room

Tha t behind the hall was originally been removed" The enclosed stair

cente parti tionu Appar- I entered from the rear the hall and uses liJinders/

retains tread and baseboard

rear (east) room as a corner fireplace 0 The southwest fireplace into the parlor and into the southVJ8st bedchamber floor

ts as a on the second

An unusual amount of the very fine inteI'ior 'VIToodvJork .~~as

survived Each room on the first floOT (vn. tb the on of the which has been al tered) contains a beaded baseboard) a molded chai:c ra,il) and a molded cornice Each sash \crlndo\rJ and each door of six raisdd panel is set in a molded ax'chitrave" Ne all of the interior doors retain their original HL s Nost of the inte:cior' IATal1s are of -cer) except for the partition t;,Tall dividing the rear rooms) v,Thich J.s const:L"ucted of ve:c'tical beaded shea The rear parti tion wall which l'JO exists was of the same cons truc tion

The vJall of the hall is occupying I the space on either side of the central T~e large rec tangular fire is c1 ), ;Jove I this chamfere d end b:cacke ts she If cons of a I single unmolded bOctrdo This shelf appea:cs to be a latar addition Above the shelf j,s na:L/TOW horizontal raised panel belm'll a wider one These are I flanked by jiarrOW vertical panels <. The close t do or 1::; a:ce identical to t':18 other interior doors The baseboard, waj .. n.scot) and cornice of the 1 .• 11 (:"lls continue .3Tound this v.Tall Raised cover the viall surface around the close t doors to comple te the fu11

The livall of the {(lay helve been identical to the fully vrall of the hall the man te lone of the close ts.:J the

paneling and the moldings no exislJ" The door of the remaining chirrmey close t (nOT;J a bathroom) is identical to those vThich flank the hall lTlantel The s area beneath the stair in th~is 'oam is accessible small

vn th a c; door

The corner chimney in the a:c' east room has no mantel It is covered th plaster and contains a small square opening and a

GPO 921.724

1 O~:1n()" (July lS'6'?)

7 B

a

'; f/\ f I

COI!11 r Y

Cl'~I,ven

Ie The other occurrence of interior pane is in this the door in the beh'Jeen this and the south rear room,

occupies the area between the lintel and the cornice

The second floor contains a bedroom on each side of a central stair hall The , and chinmeys on this level are rough plastered, alld beaded baseboards occur throughout The stairwell is protected by a simple balustrade consisting of a single plain supported by plain posts; it is probably a replacement.. The southwest bedchalnber chinmey has a small square fireplace opening and a deep shelf at one ) but no mantelo The chimney breast, which is not in the center of the end ~'Tall, be to angle at this level so that the shaft ewerges from the apex of the gable on the exterior In the northeast room ,separate shafts rise from the first floo and curve toward one another TI1ey join in the cra~\Tl space above the ceiling and emerge in a single shaft above at the apex of the gable

GPO S '.724

PEnlOD (ellecl, 01lL' Or Morn {]8 Approprinln)

Pre-Columbian I o '16th Century

o 15th Century o 17th Century

SPECIFIC DATE:(S) (lfApplic{lblo and Knot)'n)

AREAS OF SIGt'>IIFICANC (Chock Ono or Moro as Appropriate)

Abor iginal

o Prehistoric

o Historic

o Agriculturo

Archi lecture

o Art

o Commorce

o Communications

o Consorvation

STATEMENT OF SIGNIFICANCE

0 Education

0 Engineering

I:Kl Industry

0 Invention

0 Landscape

Architecture

0 Literature

o Military

o Music

181h Century

19;h Century

o Political

o Rei igion/Phi-

I050phy

o Science

o Sculpture

o Socia I/Humon-

itoriun

o Theater

o Transportation

o 20th Century

o Urban Planning

o Olher (Speci fy)

The origin and date of the house at Clear Springs cannot be determined exactly, but its style and the unusual survival of architectural elements indica-be it may be the oldest standing structure in Craven County and probably one of the oldest in the state~

Farnifold Green paten-bed the land on vThich the house Was later built His will, written in 1711, left his considerable property to his sons, and by division of a grant on the Neuse River, the Clear Springs property came to his son, James Farnifold vlas killed in an Indian uprising in 1714 when James Was only four years old, If James had built upon his property by the time he was thirty, then the present house be dated at circa 1740, and this is stylistically possible

As late as 1756 the mmership of the property Wa,s still in que stion, wld Jrunes petitioned Governor Arthur Dobbs to settle the dispute That petition notes that the land was granted to Farnifold in 1707 and that he

; se ttled and c ul ti va te d [it] un til l7lL.) and 111Tas in the ye ar wi th one of his sons, one white servant, and two negroes, murdered on said plantation by the Indiwls. The said IndiaJls at that time also shot one other son of your petitioner's father the shoulder [who escaped L and his said plantation house, stock and cattle and hogs entirely destroyed and plillldered by the said Indians but before that time having made his will disposed of said land to youX' petitioners, the quiet and peaceable possession of ~vhich they have enjoyed ever since the ending of said IndiaJ1 1JJar

The petition noted that IIsome evil minded personil had suggested that the Neuse River grant willed to James and Farnifold Green) Jr., contained mars land than originally intended and uTged Governor Dobbs to order a resurvey of the grant"

The outcome of the petition lmlGl0Wn, but it does suggest that Farnifold1s house v,Tas here before J though it burned in 1714" It also implies that both Farnifold, Jr. and James "\del'e on the land before 1756 It seems probable that James at that time in the house called Clear Springs or Green1s

James Green played a significcmt role in the American Revolution, as di d other member s of his family, rnos t of whom serve d in various tary

f orrn 10~~100a

(July 1969) i: Ii"! 1\ i Ol~' ':' r 1\ I I

CC)Ui'i i"(

capacities) attaining ranks from sergeant to colonel J'ames J Jr , for , Was secre to the General of the colony before the Hevolution, and to the Provincial ss which me t in Halifax in , 1776, on the eve of the He on Later he was secre to the convention pre over Governor HichaX'd Cas'well;, ~.,yhi.ch ted the firs cons for the state

When J~ames Green 3r) die d 1788 he de sed the house and lands to his son, and the ~vill indicate that John Has alre Ii there, since the ,specific mention of the land s in a sec tion of the Hill be queathing slaves That mention is addition to vThat I have him alre II J'aI11eS was blll"'ied in the Green ceCile to the rear of the house That grave and ,stone survive) along IJJ:Lt}~1 the grave of his mother, who was there in 1765 Farnifold vJas buried here in 1714, but if so, no mal'ker exis ts The bW.:>ial has sel''I,Ted succee genera tions of the Green and DalrJ'son families, vV'ho stlll UlrJn the land u

ThE:, 110use and land were James1s death in 1788 but cer before 1798 In that year John agreement noted that it covered

b10liHl as Cleere' before had been to the property proper and the

a of land la10W11 by the name oi' the CLEAR SPRINGS in Crc.\ren COlU1ty, with all the ways) IJvaters, vJQods and By [

the same conveyed to John Jaxi1e.:3 Green, deCeased]

Colonel John D Whitford, in s bistoY'y of Ne~v Bern, suggosted than early school liJaS held at Clear ) that it the liJheI'e Robert G lVioore first school in Craven County, '!jvhichvJas the John Gree n 1 s re sidence 11 Hoore had come to Bern from Ireland) arJd Ie:. te l' became master' of the New' Bern and e ch tor of the Ne~v Bern John, to whom James had 'willed the land in 788) died in 1791, and his wife Willed the land to his son) J'ohn) then four years old It is likely that it was the lifetime of John Green that Hoore held school at Clecu'"' Springs

The second John Green, who did not bear the suffix II or, II was one se v8~:'al Greens of that, name" There~J8re also se veral Farnifolds the

of the OCcupancy of the Y'ty somewhat difficul t) though oVJnership is not questioned the deGds and ~vills of the Green family vIhich concern the are extant.,

It s intere to note that or natural marl (a

cOl1str'uc the foundation its :3Ucce SSflJ~ use here led to its the earliost houses in Nmv Bern

Cle had been built on an out-and this material was used in

of th.e house fOlU1Clation

Coor-Gaston House, circa

GPO 921.724

Fori\1 )O~300a (July 196'7)

UNIT HATl=S DEr:>M<Tiv\OH OF THE: IN RIOI"< 1'1/\ TIONAL PAI~I< SC:RVI

ST 1\

North CDTolina COUi'J TY

Cra'.len

(i'/Iffl1I>,,( 1111 ontdos)

8 B

certain from e:Aristing records that most of the material for the Cedar tvall came from the qUal"ries at Clear :; and it is likely that the mal"l in New Bern house s did as well since no other e the stone ax'e knoif,lYl Remains of the quarrie s immedi the Green house, are still obvious, and it is like that provided considerable income for the Green since crushed and used in road construction at an eaTly date

JOM Green I s will, written in 1863, left the house and property son, Cicero, born in 1827 John died in 186L~, and Cicero lived at Cle Springs until his de 30th in 1891 At some point Cicero! s (between 1864 and 1891), a newspaper article on the property (in an book in the collection of C'harles Duffy, Jr :; of Nev.! Bern undated and vIi th no source noted), described the proper in some detail

Belonging to Mr Cicero Green, distant 12 miles from New Berne:; is probably one of the most beautiful and picturesque s in Eastern Cax'olina Through the portion of the farm in front of the dwelling, runs a beautiful, clear, cold stream of water fed running from under a huge boulder of c of the stream, for a distance of several hundred rugged rock lying in detached boulders of enormous size a huge slab of stone has been throvJl1 by some titanic force across two boulderso Standing in 311 erect position) forming a natural bridge, underneath of which runs the stream of '/'Jater The baJlks on each side of the stream rise gradually and T;Jould be very easy of ascent, if it were not for so many boulders pro from the

All along the banks on both sides is an immense grove of very many varieties of trees Some aTe of u111Jsua1 sj_ze" I counted L~3 cedar trees in a row) tlJvO of them measLlred over ele'ven feet in circuri1ference The shade is dense and almost ous to the rays of th.e summer sun, and in the hottest v-J8ather the a re is deli cool~

is a spot one loves to in, ~nd aside from its great beauty, there are association connected vv-ith it, that makes it one of the most interesting places in North Carolina

The wri tel' of the same article also describe s the bu.; Idings and pose s a mystery about their date

The building and kitchen were erected in 1763 as recorded on the kitchen chimney top) and upon an iron slab in the back of one of the fireplace s in the dwelling w The fj_re in the dlilJ81ling is very large, will take a stick of v.TOod fee t in Ie the fireplace in the kitchen is thrice as as the one in the dwe

Since the kitchen no s are closed and

GPO 921.724

F'orrnl0-:300o (July 1'169)

Ui'll 5T D !~)(\:~-(!/\E::NT ()i~ -II

I~;\'J lOr! i\ r: V! l~ i-':

CrD.I/en

DATE

nil {'nlries)

not be examined tho date on the fireback cannot be checked d Because the style of the lei tchen cannot be compared ~vith

the house) it is impossible to tell if the tlVO were c firebclck confirms only the date of ts man-lIfac t'lU:-'e) and the existence

a fire in VJ'hich it could be aced 'The overall form and finish the house;J e specially the size and finish of the ndow Tl1untins, the de

and finish of the end \~'alls -' and other detailE:, sugge st an r house" vTith the lOlm,7l1 historj_cal fac ts and tradi a date would seem to be more

From Cicero Green the passed 18 d Ay B" Daw-son The property is still in thtJ

to hls Da~vson

alone and is 'The se ems to

been interested in to mOTe compact and useable on the interior to the latest tic

Indeed the house seems to hciVG been de dW-l th t (~f'),i,s in mind) to the rear of the fir'st floo:~ there \iJere tvJ'O Ylloveable

) 1Jhich could convert the ;space into one room across llltO tw-o rooms on each 8nO . 01Tith a like space ::Ln the One of the se partition walls rem.ains) as do almost all of the sash> s one fully d vJa~l mos t of the shutters ~ and most of the

j'he stair has been partially d J as has the on the ends house but othe::c'wise) the survival is almost c te (4

Clectr Plantation) v,Jhich has been in the settled before the arrival of deGraffeLried and the

date for this area of Nortil Carolina 0 'The is earliest extant Craven County and is one of

te of a ,lery small group houses of its era =-n tne s-~a

exhibits the fir,st kn01rJl1 use of constructlO:i.l features that ·v.]8re County, the use of c () foundations and exposed-i'ace

end chimneys,. These factors combine to maIm one of t important early eighteenth house IS in the state

GPO 921·724

Cravon COUll n,ocord::;) Crel. 17811 Coun Coucth01.13e) Offic(:; of tIle He tel' of Deed,s loo,so pape ) 0

Craven COUJl rlccord:3, J\Jol'th CaTolj_na

Colonel J Or1l1

copy in posse North Carolina

L!\TITUDE AND LONGITUDE COORDIi'I/\TCS

FINING A RECTANGLE LOCATING THE PROPERTY

ER LATITUDE r-------~------------------~---------------------4

Degrees Minutes Seconds Degrees Minutes o 0

o 0

o o

APPROXIMATE ACREAGE OF NOMINATED PROPER,-Y:

New Bor'D) ,s Daods)

and lhs

Seconds

03"

--- ---------_._--------------------------j iL 1ST ALL S TAT E SAN D CO U N TIE S FOR PRO PER TIE 5 0 II E R LAP PIl'-I G S TAT E 0 R CO U .'1 T Y B 0 UN DAR I E S

STATE:

STATE:

BY NAME AND TITLE:

Staff ORGANIZATION

sta te Department of Archive s and STREET AND NUMBER:

109 East Jones Street CITY OR TOWN:

Raleigh 112. STATE '-IAISON OFPI

As the designaled State Liaison Officer for the [\a­

tional Historic Preservation Act of 19G6 (Public Law

89-()(););, I hereby nominate this property for inclusion

in th.c j'\dtional Rpgister and certify that it h8s been

evaluat.ed according to the criteria and procedu res set

forth b) (he National Park Service. The recommended

level of significance of lhis nomination is:

Tilit

Archives and History

COUNTY

COUNTY:

COUhITY: COOE

COUNTY: CODE

ust 1972

I heceby certify that this property is included in the

National I<egist2r.

Chic{, Ij{{icc o[ ArcilC%gy and Historic Preservation

A TTI'~S')·:

GP 0 !) 0 1 .087

IO~JOOa

(.July I '!6Y) U I'll T [ D 1\ T I.e S D

nil enlricCi)

;1 Elizabeth t1Green Gene II hed "Gravestone Records, Green Ceme

t II lU1.dated ne'J'Tspape

manuscript collection of Charles Saul1ders, v\TilliaTi1 Ted" ords of

I, II and V Rale the State) 1888

CL'Cl,Vf; n

EI'-1

source) oe tvJ8en Bern

VoltlIl1e s Printer to

GPO 921-724

'inter

COVE POP.

,), -:-1 )lL' h iJ II

Tu'rk~Y Quarter

Ch.

Ch.

v. / ' .J)

, 141\ => o

t,

~'

,\,

(; 1~: 1 "/

, . r J ~-'l

DE::rhcny Ch~

MAP NOT FOR PUBLICATION OR PUBLIC KNOWLEDGE Clear Springs Plantation (Dawson Place: Green's Thoroughfare) Jasper vicini ty North Carolina

state Highway Commission Map of Craven County Sc ale: 1 II : I mile Date: January 1, 1961

Lati tude Longi tuqe degrees minutes seconds degrees minutes seconds

35 12 57 77 12 03 ,,--ove ,-reet< i:: /< i 'j JO

Ch. ; ,.? // ) ., "

i ~. ';/ \