Last year when we went to the Outer Banks on vacation, one of the places we visited was the Bellamy House in Wilmington. I never got around to posting about it, so here it is. I love old architecture, and this 1859 Greek Revival and Italianate home was a delight to see.
Just look at the intricate detail under the eves, amazing. Such craftsmanship is rare today.
The detail of the front door is just as ornate.
Preservation of the home is ongoing. There was a devastating fire by arson just after the home was taken over by a preservation group. The damage was severe, and has taken years to recover, slowing the restoration and refurnishing of the rooms. This marvelous fireplace graces a front room.
The interior upstairs has amazing woodwork, wonderful original wood floors too.
The small room at the top of the house is called a belvedere. The windows were opened in warm weather with an elaborate vent system to draw hot air up and out from the lower levels, keeping the rooms more comfortable. It makes me wonder why we don’t still have vents today that would open at the top of the house to let out warm air in the summer.
I love looking at old kitchens, and this one was just as fascinating. It had an indoor sink, which was an innovation at the time. Period correct items were set out on the table and countertops to illustrate the types of foods and utensils people used over a century ago.
There was a pantry on one wall, filled with various storage containers and serving dishes.
The tools of the time would give an antique collector the vapors, like this wonderful old coffee grinder. All over the kitchen were small frames with information on the surrounding items and how they were used.
This fireplace in the kitchen was the main way of cooking.
Out in the butler’s pantry, just off the main dining room, glass fronted cabinets hold a myriad of dishes.
Outside, the fountain is on the square next to the mansion.
All around the house, magnolia trees were blooming with those gorgeous white flowers.
If you go to Wilmington, be sure to take the audio guided tour. The amount of information, tidbits and details is amazing. The tour points out things you wouldn’t ordinarily notice, like worn places on the flooring where servants walked and stepped over decades of use. This home had many new innovations of the day, including a water system for showers and toilets not seen in most homes of the day. We had a wonderful tour here, and would recommend the tour for anyone visiting Wilmington.
There are historic homes near us too, yet we haven’t been to any of them in years. Of course, there is the Biltmore House, but the Carl Sandburg house is very close too. Maybe we should go hiking there soon. The Thomas Wolfe home is in Asheville, just up the road, and the Angel statue of his Look Homeward Angel novel is in a Hendersonville cemetary.
Are there any historic homes near you?
Sharing..
From My Carolina Home 
The Molly Brown house is here in Denver, gorgeous, but too ornate for me, I prefer Craftsman and simpler. There’s also a Victorian house with a toy museum in it near the zoo and natural history museum. Still has it’s original woodwork etc but the furniture is mostly long gone, and it’s full of old toys, dolls and a huge living room full of doll houses! lots of fun… Near Fredericksburg VA is George Washington’s brother’s farm, where George grew up. The original house burned and was rebuilt in 1809 I think. It’s being restored by the Smithsonian as well as the Historic Williamsburg Society. We went there in 1987 in midst of reno. If you google GW’s boyhood farm, you’ll come up with it. It has the outdoor kitchen, and the center hall house is fairly simple. The kitchen was fab, but I can imagine how hot a brick building with a huge open fireplace would have been for the servants! Thanks for sharing the home, it’s beautiful in it’s bare bones, isn’t it!
sharon in CO
Good Morning Carole! This was amazing to see, thank you for sharing it with us! I have always enjoyed going through historic homes and businesses that have been set up for touring like this. I do not think there are very many right in our general area but our center of town is filled with homes that were built over 100 years ago and they are always occupied by people who want to help preserve them. Thank you for sharing this with us and have a fantastic creative day!
Loved your photo tour today. I live in Hull, England (Kingston Upon Hull is the official name) birth place of William Wilberforce (who helped abolish the slave trade) and his home is now a free museum. All museums in Hull are free entry.
https://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/William_Wilberforce
Next year Hull takes it’s turn as *HULL CITY OF CULTURE 2017* and there will be different events happening every day of the year.
https://www.hull2017.co.uk/
I guess I will be taking lots of photo’s throughout the year 🙂 Hope you’re still enjoying your break.
I loved the pictures of the stately home. The woodwork detail is awesome, imagine what it would cost to duplicate today. Near me, in Boulder City, Nevada there is the Boulder Dam Hotel. It is quite lovely. I have had lunch there. It was built in 1933 during the building of the dam. Shirley Temple once stayed there. There are few truly old sites here compared to North and South Carolina.
We have the George Eastman House(Kodak) in Rochester. Haven’t been there in awhile. Thanks for all the info. The Hull celebration in England sounds grand.
I’m sure there are lots of historic homes here but favorite is from when we lived in Springfield Il. and there was a completely restored Frank Lloyd Wright home… the Dana Thomas House. It was within walking distance if where we lived so my daughter and I went there often. They would decorate it with the seasons and it was beautiful ♥
Our house is 150 years old, and there are several beautiful homes in Port Hope which are open occasionally to the public (the local Architectural Conservation Association runs an annual fundraising event), but other than that I haven’t visited any historic museums or homes in recent years. It is funny how often we forget to be tourists in our own home town, and yet there are usually many fascinating things to see and do.
Very nice post, thanks for sharing- Have a nice time where ever you are. Loredana
What beautiful architecture with those grand columns and intricate details. I love touring historical houses. I don’t think I have been to many in New Jersey but I spent the day touring some “cottages” in Newport, RI years ago and was just blown away! Thanks for taking us on a tour and for joining the Take Me Away party!
Shelley
What an incredible historical house. Thanks for sharing on Take Me Away. Glad I found your blog!