The Hickory Hall House

In the twelve years, I have lived in Calabash, NC, I've heard this house is the oldest one in the town.  I borrowed info from the internet to share - perhaps more than you want to know.  The extra is the same shot in mono.

Hickory Hall House:  Over the years the area that was to become Hickory Hall Plantation passed through many hands. Joseph Allston was issued a patent in 1771 for 1,200 acres, and by 1809, Joseph Green became the owner. In 1814, Joseph Green sold to David Treadwell, who in 1841 sold it to Dr. Lorenzo Frink, and by 1880 Hickory Hall Plantation had come into the Thomas Family. The best historical guess is that Joseph Green built the original Hickory Hall House, which consisted of seven rooms and was completed in 1819. Two majestic chimneys graced the original house and, at some point in time, a small kitchen was built at the back corner, which was later moved toward the Calabash River and used as a home.  For years, many thought that the front of Hickory Hall faced the Old Kings Highway; however, the front actually faces the Calabash River. Legend has it that when Fort Randall at Little River Neck fell in 1863, the Union soldiers used Hickory Hall as a hospital and command center.  The original part was built around 1819 out of cypress and pine. Most of the sills and siding are of cypress and the floor planking is heart-native long leaf pine. A number of wall studs are from small cypress trees with one side hand-hued to a flat surface. A few of the original cypress shingles attached to the slats remain. Short blocks were cut from choice cypress trees, split, shaped and beveled, with a drawing knife. In addition, thousands of wall and ceiling slats were made from cypress trees. These slats were nailed in place with nails made by blacksmiths. Plaster was pressed against these slats, which had small openings between each other and held the plaster in place, and then it was smoothed.  Wooden pegs, notches, blacksmith nails and hand-hued construction held much of the original house together. Even the window frames were put together with pegs and small hand-made nails.  Some of the hand-made wooden doors still stand, and the stairway rail is exceptionally crafted to fit and is pegged.  A ladder leads to the attic which is shrouded in mystery and legend. Recently, a friend indicated seeing chains in the attic years ago