Rare 200-year-old slave cabin still stands. But will it be preserved?
A weathered, nearly 200-year-old slave cabin in northern Pasquotank County endures as its tenants once did.
The cabin, obscured by thick underbrush, is the only one of its kind in Pasquotank County and one of a handful in North Carolina that remains in its original state, said Reid Thomas, a restoration specialist for the North Carolina State Historic Preservation Office. Many were altered for rental homes and storage sheds.
“This is a nicely constructed building,” Thomas said.
Exposed hand-hewn studs and roof beams were once painted with oyster shell whitewash to brighten the room. Long flat clapboards, gray and cracked, cover the exterior of about 30 feet by 20 feet. A second story loft is likely where the families slept after cooking all day in the fireplace that once stood in the center of building.
(The Virginian-Pilot, 3/16/2016)