Museum of the Albemarle: Builder-contractor Overton helped shape EC's 'rebirth'

Museum of the Albemarle collects artifacts whose historical significance — the who, what, when, where, and how they came to be — must be justified before they can be added to the North Carolina Historical Commission collection.

These histories are used to assemble lists of artifacts for exhibition purposes. For example, the exhibit “Crafted from Wood” is a survey of various objects made of wood and tools used to make things of wood in the Albemarle region. In the display case in Gallery B, there is a wooden block plane used by carpenters and a float used by masons to finish concrete. Both artifacts belonged to Elisha Overton, who lived from 1852 to 1911.

Overton was born to Joseph T. and Chrify Overton, free people of color who lived in Gates County before the Civil War. That war brought many changes to northeastern North Carolina. It bankrupted many of the commercial businesses along rivers and towns. Newly freed people like the Overtons found independence, changing labor dynamics and the workforce in the agricultural areas outside towns.

The end of the Civil War created interesting new dynamics as repatriated Americans and formerly enslaved people reinvented ways to work together to rebuild the economy and region. U.S. martial laws were eventually lifted, as civilian law and order were reinstated during the post-Reconstruction era.

Overton experienced these changes as a child. He appears in the U.S. Census of 1870; his family had moved to Parkville in Perquimans County. He was listed as an 18-year-old farm laborer, the oldest of seven children. Overton learned carpentry and masonry, both sought-after trades, and the opportunities he found in the building trades brought him to Elizabeth City. He excelled as a brick mason, providing him a prominent place in the boomtown community.

The end of Reconstruction brought families from the North and Midwest to the region, helping it rebound from the lows of the war. These people were seeking a more vibrant place to live and work, one that offered significant opportunities and more natural resources.

Elizabeth City was a place of rebirth, becoming a “hub” of the Albemarle region around 1879. It was here that Overton met and married Mary Virginia “Jennie” Lane (1860-1951), a daughter of Whitmel Lane (1824-1901) and Mary Simmons Lane. The union merged two families known for their building skills, community leadership, and promotion of education for African Americans in northeastern North Carolina.

A year later, Overton purchased a lot at the corner of Speed and Road streets and built an elaborate, two-story framed Victorian house where he and Jennie would reside until their deaths.

Overton and Whitmel Lane were the foremost builders and contractors in the area, building many homes and stores; however, there are few remaining records of their achievements.

Thomas R. Butchko’s book, “On the Shores of the Pasquotank,” lists Overton as the builder and contractor for the Elizabeth City Cotton Mill, which was built in 1895, and Mount Lebanon African Methodist Episcopal Zion Church in 1905. The church is built in the Gothic Revival architectural style and includes impressive examples of his brickwork.

We invite you to visit the museum and learn more about the history of northeastern North Carolina.

Note: This article relied heavily on the Elisha Overton Collection held in the archives at Elizabeth City State University and Thomas R. Butchko’s book, “On the Shores of the Pasquotank: The Architectural Heritage of Elizabeth City and Pasquotank County, North Carolina.”