This Is the Oldest House in North Carolina

Lane HousePhoto byLane House (Edenton, North Carolina)/ Wikipedia

Lane House is a historic house in Edenton, North Carolina that has been identified as the oldest house in the state by dendrochronology.

The one-and-a-half-story house is located within the Edenton National Register Historic District. The earliest part was built in 1718–19 and possibly moved to the site from nearby.

The house's original dimensions were 16 feet by 25 feet, with two rooms on the first floor and two in the attic. It was most likely built in 1719. Nobody knows who the original owners were.

Steve and Linda Lane are the current owners of the house.

The contractor discovered older hand-hewn beams within the structure while renovating the house, which they were using as a rental property.

Dendrochronological studies on the building were conducted by researchers from Williamsburg and elsewhere.

Unfortunately, not a lot of information about the house exists.

The house has historical value because it provides a unique look at a type of typical North Carolina vernacular house, a style of construction that is now and almost gone. It offers important details regarding the different types of buildings, housing designs, and building techniques used in eastern North Carolina as early as 1719.

EdentonPhoto byEdenton, North Carolina/ Wikipedia

About Edenton

Edenton is a town in and the county seat of Chowan County, North Carolina, on Albemarle Sound. The population was 4,397 according to the 2020 census. The Inner Banks region of North Carolina is where Edenton is situated.

In recent years, Edenton has grown in popularity as a retirement community and as a spot for historical tourism. These are the main drivers of Edenton's local economy.

Edenton functioned as North Carolina's second formal capital during the colonial era as the Province of North Carolina, albeit it did not hold any other governmental activities other than the governor's official mansion. From 1722 to 1743, it served as the capital before being relocated to Brunswick.

The city is the birthplace of Harriet Jacobs, an enslaved African American whose 1861 autobiography, Incidents in the Life of a Slave Girl, is today considered an American classic.

Sources:

• Lane House (Edenton, North Carolina)/ Wikipedia
• https://web.archive.org/web/20130201025923/http://news.ncdcr.gov/2013/01/16/discovery-of-the-oldest-dated-house-in-north-carolina/
• Edenton Historic District/ Wikipedia
• Edenton, North Carolina/ Wikipedia