EDENTON — Julia Townsend and Lincoln Adams have spent 11 years renovating one of Edenton’s historic peanut processing mills, turning it into a haven for the arts and artists called The Peanut Factory.
That effort has been paying off for Edenton’s residents as their community art center and artist residency program has showcased some of the state’s premier artists, harnessing that talent to provide workshops, classes, and poetry readings for the community.
The building that has become The Peanut Factory was part of three industrial buildings along a two-block stretch of Badham Road in Edenton. Once one of Edenton’s busiest industrial structures, the building, built in 1932, had fallen on hard times when Townsend and Adams took it over. Structural pillars had decayed, the roof was in bad shape, the floor was weak, and flocks of pigeons had taken over the second story of the structure and a roasting tower.
Fixing the building and making it safe has been a challenge, but the structure now houses an art studio and teaching space as well as a picture frame shop that provides some income for the project.
As the facility has been stabilized, The Peanut Factory has hosted 19 artists-in-residence in fine arts. Artists from around the country, and even some from other countries, have presented work on subjects like painting, photography, installation and performance art, and poetry. Each residency has given the artist workspace and a chance to create. In return, the artists have given back to the community with shows of their work, teaching workshops, and performances.
Townsend also opened a frame shop in one portion of the building, purchasing the stock and equipment from a glass and frame shop that was closing in Elizabeth City. Two of the area’s most prominent framing shops had closed in recent years, leaving artists, photographers, and consumers with few local options.
But beginning this year, The Peanut Factory embarked on a new phase, accepting the gift of a 110-acre farm with 1,600 feet of lightly developed shoreline on the Albemarle Sound. The property will be turned into a conservation easement dedicated to nature research, wildlife conservation, education, and sustainable farming.
The Spruill Farm Conservation Project, located in Washington County near Roper, is a multi-faceted project. Part of the land has long been cultivated, concentrating on Non-GMO (genetically modified organism) crops.
Townsend and Adams will continue that work, which will provide most of the income for the project. There is also a campground that the Conservation Project will use for educational programs, youth groups, and private camping for a fee. Townsend said the campground will offer free camping to Boy and Girl Scout troops and other youth groups as one of its educational offerings.
The campground will offer the chance for visitors to experience wildlife along the Spruill Farm's shoreline. Trees of various species and a host of wild plants provide an adventure for would-be botanists. Townsend said they also have identified a den for foxes and nesting sites for a number of aquatic and other birds. The wildlife refuge will also offer regional scientists the opportunity to conduct research.
The farm also has a working fig orchard, which Townsend and Adams said will provide educational and volunteer opportunities for people in the region.
The farm is going to require a lot of work to make all those missions come together. Ditches need clearing, and water service to the campground needs to be hardened against the winter cold, allowing service 12 months out of the year. And, of course, the working farm needs to continue working.
Townsend said volunteers are sorely needed to make the vision for the Spruill Farm Conservation Project a reality. She said anyone who wants to help with the project is welcome, adding there is plenty of work to go around, especially for volunteers with skills or equipment.
Between the Peanut Factory and the Spruill Farm Conservation Project, Townsend and Adams have more than enough to keep them busy, but the needs of the Peanut Factory building and the Spruill Farm renovation have not kept them from continuing to offer creative opportunities to the Edenton community.
On Jan. 20, The Peanut Factory offered a workshop featuring visiting artist Sarah Ann Austin of Raleigh. Austin, a formally trained artist who holds a master of fine arts degree and specializes in paper making, taught students how paper is made from various fibers. She demonstrated how special craft papers used as components of other art and craft projects are made, along with some highly unusual techniques. She is known for incorporating natural materials like seeds into her papers with interesting visual and textural results.
The Peanut Factory is located at 919 Badham Road in Edenton, across the street from the Fisher Field Athletic Complex. Groups or individuals interested in either the fine arts program or the Spruill Farm Conservation Project may contact Townsend by email at Julia@thepeanutfacory.org. The Peanut Factory also has a website, www.thepeanutfactory.org, and its phone number is (252) 632-0346,
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