Gates-Chowan County NcArchives News.....LOCAL1770,S PLANTATION HAS STORIED HISTORY November 27, 1985
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GERALD WIGGINS snoopy841road@yahoo.com October 10, 2009, 9:29 pm

GATES COUNTY INDEX November 27, 1985
   WARICK PLANTATION IS THE OLDEST HOUSE IN GATES COUNTY. IT SITS ON A GENTLE
SLOPE BESIDE WARWICK SWAMP WHICH DIVIDES GATES COUNTY AND CHOWAN COUNTY, ONE
WOULD NOT GUESS FROM LOOKING AT IT TODAY IN 1985 THAT IT ONCE IT WAS A PLACE
OF STRATEGIC IMPORTANTANCE IN THE REVOLUTION WAR.
   IN THAT FAR AWAY TIME , WARICK SWAMP HAD BEEN NAVIGABLE STREAM THAT GAVE
ACCESS BY WATER TO WARRICK PLATATION FROM CHOWAN RIVER. A TUNNEL FROM THE BANK 
OF WARRICK SWAMP TO THE BRICK-FLOORED BASEMENT THE COLONIAL PLANTERS HAD 
STORED AMMUNITION AND SUPPLIES FOR USE IN THE REVOLUTION WAR.
   THERE WERE NO ROADS SO THE PLANTATION HOUSE STOOD THERE IN THE WILDERNESS
OF PINE WITH ACCESS TO THE SMALL WATERWAY THAT LED TO THE MIGHTY CHOWAN, THE 
ALBEMARLE SOUND AND EVEN THE ATLANTIC OCEAN, ONE WOULD SURMISE THAT THE 
ENTRANCE TO THE TUNNELL HAD BEEN CAMEOUFLAGED WITH SMALL GROWING PINES MAKING
IT HAVEN THAT ONLY THE NORTH CAROLINA PLANTERS AND FISHERMAN FAMILAR WITH THE 
MYRIAD WATERWAYS COULD FIND.
    THUS WARICK PLATATION HAD PLAYED AN IMPORTANT PART IN THE COLONIST FIGHT 
FOR INDEPENDENCE.
     TODAY THERE IS NO TRACE OF THE TUNNEL BUT THE BRICK BASEMENT STILL STANDS
BEING USED TODAY BY THE HEIRS WHO INHERITED THE PLATATION FROM THE LATE EDWARD
LEE WINSLOW WHO WAS BORN ON THE ESTATE, MRS O. C. TURNER, WHO WAS MARY WIGGINS
AND GREW UP HAS CHILD NEAR THE PLATATION AND HER SISTER THE LATE VIRGIE WIGGINS
WINSLOW WAS MARRIED TO EDWARD LEE WINSLOW. ACCORDING TO MRS. O. C. TURNER HAS
SHE EXPLANS THE PLATATION HOUSE . THE FIRST PART OF THE HOUSE , THE STORY 
SECTION HAD BEEN BUILT  ABOUT 1748, IT WAS 50 OR 60 YEARS LATER BEFORE THE TWO 
BACK ROOMS WITH A PASSAGEWAY BETWEEN THEM AND THE MAIN HOUSE HAD BEEN BUILT.
     THE FIRST OCCUPANTS OF THE HOUSE HAD BEEN ESTER SUMMER MITCHELL AND HER 
HUSBAND RICHARD. THE HOUSE HAD BEEN BUILT FOR THEM BY ESTER'S FATHER CAPTAIN
JAMES SUMMER, WHO AT ON TIME HAD RECEIVED A HUGE LAND GRANT, HOWEVER THE LAND
GRANT HAS NOT BEEN VERVIFIED.
     MRS. O. C. TURNER FURNISHED A COPY OF RICHARD MITCHELL'S WILL ABOUT 
WARRICK PLATATION HAVE BEEN USED HERWITH:
      IN THE NAME OF GOD AMEN I RICHARD MITCHELL OF GATES COUNTY AND THE STATE
OF NORTH CAROLINA BEING OF SOUND MIND AND DISPOSING MEMORY THANKS BE TO GOD FOR
THE SAME. DO MAKE AND ORDAIN THIS MY LAST WILL AND TESTAMENT IN MANNER AND 
FORM FOLLING.
      FIRST MY WILL AND DESIRE IS THAT MY LANDS AND PLANTATION SAY FOUR HUNDRED
ACRES MORE OR LESS KNOW BY THE NAME OF THE HEADOW OR WHITE OAKES OR HOBBS 
PLATATION WHICH I DO CLAIM BY VIRTUE OF A CONVEYANCE FROM ESTER MITCHELL TO ME 
THROUGH THE HANDS OF WILLIAM MCDONALD OF EDENTON BEARING DATE FEB 18TH 1788
THEN REGISTER AT THE OFFICE OF GATES COUNTY IN BOOK A AS FOLLOWS BEGGING TWO 
HUNDRED ELEVEN MARCH 8 1788 SAID LAND FROM THE WARICK PLATATION.
      I DO DIRECT THE LANDS AND PLANTATION BE SOLD BY MU EXECTOR FREE FROM MY 
EXPENSE OF SAID SALETO BE PAID OUT OF MY ESTATE THE NET PROCEEDS OF THE SALE OF
THE LANDS THE PURCHASER GIVEN BOND WITH SECURITY TO THE PRESIDENT AND 
DIRECTORES OF THE BRANCH BANK OF EDENTON FOR THE SOLE PURPOSE OF BUILDING A 
BRICK WALL AROUND THE CHURCH YARD AT EDENTON. AND MY EXECUTORS TO ADVERTIZE 
THE SALE OF SAID LANDS IN EDENTON NEWSPAPER.
      THE WARICK PLATATION STRUCTURE HOUSE TODAY IN 1985 IS AN AMAZING PIECE
OF ARCHITURE SOME OF ITS FEATURES WILL REVEAL HOW IT MANAGED TO SURVIVE THE
STORMS OF 237 YEARS.
      ON A STILL NIGHT WHEN THE MOON GLIMMERS FAINTLY THROUGH THE FOG SUSPENDED
OVER THE WATER'S OF WARWICK SWAMP. IF ONE STANDS ON THE BANK AND LISTENS 
CLOSELY,ONE MIGHT HEAR THE SWISH OF AN OAR. IF YOU ARE THE LISTNER, DON'T BE
AFRAID IT'S JUST THE GOST OF A REVOLUTION AMMUNITION HAULER SEARCHING FOR THE
TUNNELL.
 



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