Wayne County, NC - Heritage Series Reprinted with permission of the Mount Olive Tribune and cannot be reproduced without permission. Transcribed by Linda Harmon. SHINE TOWNSHIP "Our Heritage" By Claude Moore Henry Best's great great grandfather was Rufus Best and this is a story of how Shine Township got its name. Shine Township received its name from a romance. Rufus Best received a land grant from the King of England that covered most of the territory that is now Shine Township. He was desperately in love with Miss Shine Oliver of New Bern, N. C. Although he never married her, his devotion for her was so great he named his plantation for her. From that day to the present time, this section has been known as Shine Township. In this township is the old home of Henry Best (1762-1839), who was a Revolutionary soldier, and whose grave is in Bullhead Cemetery. The house was built by Henry Best's Grandfather, Henry Best I, around 1735. He owned land from Snow Hill to the Wayne County line, a distance of about 12 miles from Contentnea Creek to LaGrange. It took from 5 to 6 years to build the house. Windows, as well as the mahogany handcarved hand railing were brought from England. Bricks were made in a kiln on the plantation. All paneling and mantels were done by workmen brought from England by Henry Best I. There is a brick basement and the servants lived in the basement. The porch was originally ten feet wide and was supported by columns front and back. Henry Best III erected a double decker porch supported by six columns. Henry Best I had eight children, but none of them were reared in this house. It was devoted to entertaining his English friends. His family was reared in a house near by Mr. J. R. Mewborn, three miles from the Best home. The present owners of the Best home are Mr. and Mrs. E. B. Carlisle. This property was left to them by Mrs. Carlisle's aunt, Mrs. Mattie C. Best. Until the earthquake of 1886 there was not a crack in the plastering. It was called the "White House" and people came for hundreds of miles to see it, because when it was built, paint was rare and glass windows were little known. It was one of the show places of N. C. in the 18th century. The rooms are 17 1/2 feet square. The original blinds were removed about 20 years ago while the Carlisles were living in Snow Hill, N. C. ============================================================== USGENWEB NOTICE: In keeping with our policy of providing free information on the Internet, data may be used by non-commercial entities, as long as this message remains on all copied material. The electronic pages may NOT be reproduced in any format for profit or for presentation by other persons or organizations. Persons or organizations desiring to use this material for purposes other than stated above must obtain the written consent of the file contributor, and contact the listed USGenWeb archivist with proof of this consent. The submitter has given permission to the USGenWeb Archives to store the file permanently for free access. File contributed for use in USGenWeb Archives by Linda Harmon ==============================================================