Woodville Homes

Contributor's Note:  To view pictures of historic homes in Woodville, go
to: http://www.rootsweb.com/~ncbertie/woodville/houses/strctur2.htm

King-Freeman-Sharrock-Speight House c. 1911

This farmstead is best known as the brithplace of the landscape painter
Francis Speight, who returned to eastern NC late in his career and painted many Bertie Co. scenes, including this place.  The unusual dwelling consists of two separate houses.  The earlier one, circa 1800,
evolved in phases from a 1-story hall parlor dwelling, a form to which
it has been returned recently.  The second house, circa 1830 set at right angles to the first, is a 2-story, Federal style structure iwth a parlor and side-passage plan.  The house retains such early 19th c. details as rapered porch posts and original paint and woodgraining.  A smokehouse, a kitchen, and a 2-room schoolhouse or office survive.

 Grace Episcopal Church c. 1855

An intact Gothic Revival frame church with a belltower built by Lewis
Thompson and  landscaped with large boxwoods and old cedar and magnolia trees,  this church will soon be designated as part of  "Historic Woodville" by the National Register of Historic Places.  This church served 
all the related families in this 19th c. historic planter community, and
houses an original pipe organ, and beautiful stained glass windows. The cemetery contains hundreds or gravestone of marble and granite (see "Cemeteries" under Bertie Co. Archives page).
The church is still in use.


Wooten-Grant-Griffin House c. 1876

This house is part of "Historic Woodville" and it will soon be on our
page, along with the other houses/churches that are on the National Register of Historic Places.  A little  history: Built as a rectory for Grace Episcopal Church, given by Margaret Ann Cathcart Clark, wife of Lewis
Thompson.  The first rector to live there was Rev. Edward Wooten.  It
continued as the rectory until 1904 and had several owners until 1915 when CB Griffin bought it.
After he died, his wife,Louise lived there until her death in 1978.  Their grandson, John M.Griffin and his family now live there.


St. Francis United Methodist Church c. 1845

This simple Greek Revival frame church was built in 1845 in Woodville
then moved in 1896 just a mile away to Lewiston.  St. Frances' membership died out years ago and it is now abandoned.
Historic Woodville, Inc.has raised money to restore the church and  now
has plans to move it back to its original Woodville site (cemetery), to be included in the Woodville historic district by the National Register of Historic Places.  It is one of the few surviving works attributed to
regional builder Thomas Bragg.  This church has a fine interior with
fluted Doric columns carrying a curved gallery.