By Miles Layton

Real estate — it’s always been a hobby, looking at nice homes. Today’s column touches on grand homes in Edenton, a historic home in Hyde County and a farmhouse in Perquimans County.

Pembroke Hall has come down in price — originally listed at $3,995,000 in May of 2025 — this historic home by Edenton Bay is now listed at $3,495,000. 

Broker is Berkshire Hathaway HomeServices RW Towne Realty/Chesapeake.

Overlooking Edenton Bay, this historic estate is being highlighted as one of the town’s premier examples of Greek Revival architecture.

The 2.53-acre property sits atop a bluff in Edenton’s historic district and is listed on the National Register of Historic Places. Surrounded by private gardens, the estate is located within walking distance of downtown and the waterfront. See our previous story here.

The home features grand center halls on both floors that open to double-tiered porches with sweeping views of Edenton Bay and King Street. Inside are soaring ceilings, detailed plasterwork, hand-carved moldings, floor-to-ceiling windows, and eight fireplaces with marble mantels.

And a Confederate soldier is rumoured to haunt the place, so if you ever get insomnia on rainy nights during football season, maybe you’ll have someone to talk to about the color of the Pembroke Hall’s painted fence; there’s a story there…

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Wessington House

Next stop, across the street — Wessington House – listed at $2,249,000. Most every night, I walk past that house on my 3-5 mile loop around Edenton — great place to walk.  

Anne Rowe lived in that house on West King Street for a long time – I think the grand home was in her family for around 120+ years until it was sold several years ago, maybe 2008. Sold since then — see our previous story here.  

Listed by Maryscott Haigler of Perry & Co Sotheby’s International Realty, here is the listing.  

Located in the heart of the Historic District, Wessington is listed on the National Register of Historic Places. Note, that’s a cistern next to the house, not a wine cellar or one of Dr. Evil’s secret underground bunker lairs.  

Built in 1850, this home is three stories plus a fully renovated basement, according to the Zillow listing that’s reprinted below.  

Distinctive exterior features include a full-length double-tier portico, 9′ French doors opening to ornate iron balconies, and four massive chimneys and a roof top ”widows walk”. The brick exterior walls are 18” thick and the foundation is solid slabs of granite. The interior is equally impressive with three 12’x50′ center halls, 15′ ceilings on the first floor, original plaster ceiling moldings and chandeliers, 10′ four-panel doors, marble mantels and 15 fireplaces. Wessington has been totally renovated with up to date amenities and custom energy-efficient utilities.

What was once a utilitarian English basement is now a bedroom with full bath, recreation room with kitchenette, media room, and large laundry…all with fireplaces. This level offers the option of independent living, and the ground level entry with an elevator servicing three floors makes the home handicapped accessible. 

The main level features a formal parlor, dining room, small parlor, library and the kitchen. Complete with fireplace and butler’s pantry, the kitchen complements the warm sophistication of the home yet easily accommodates the needs for entertaining on a grand scale.

Upstairs, there is a primary suite with a large dressing room and bath. There are two other bedrooms with private baths and an office. 

The third floor is accessed by the same impressive stairway, has the same wide center hall and 4 multipurpose rooms. 

The grounds include the old cistern and the old smokehouse houses the impressive utility systems  including the geothermal HVAC, elevator hydraulics and other utilities.

“Wessington is one of the most magnificent antebellum residences in North Carolina,” writes Thomas Butchko, author of Edenton An Architectural Portrait.

Been in the house a time or two — HUGE!

Historic Hyde Home

Next property comes by way of Hyde County — 519 Church Street, Fairfield – 4 bedroom, 2 bath – list price of $114,900.This historic home at 519 Church St., built in 1869, features a blend of Greek Revival and vernacular architectural influences. One of its most distinctive exterior features is the ornate sawnwork decorating the two-story front porch, which highlights the craftsmanship typical of the era.

Inside, the house includes large, spacious rooms that reflect the elegance of 19th-century design. A prominent interior chimney serves as a central feature of the home, providing both warmth and a reminder of the building’s historic character.

The property sits within Fairfield’s Historic District, a neighborhood listed on the National Register of Historic Places. The designation recognizes the area’s historic significance and architectural heritage.

Special renovation financing is available through preferred lenders for buyers interested in restoring or updating the property.

Listed by Thomas Bohlmann — see here.

Yeah, you’ll have to put some work into the property, but the peace and serenity of life in Hyde County is worth it.  

The home is also part of a “First Look” program, which gives owner-occupant buyers the first opportunity to purchase the property. Offers from buyers planning to live in the home as their primary residence will be negotiated after the property has been listed for eight days. Investor offers will also be considered beginning on the eighth day of the listing.

As to Fairfield, that community is a short hop to Lake Mattamuskeet and maybe 30 minutes to Columbia. Quiet community – good churches, good school, great people. I’d buy it in a heartbeat if I could — put in the work, and you’ll have an ancestral home.

Farm House

Moving onto Perquimans County — if you want to own an old farmhouse – I do – check this out – 231 Deep Creek Road – $231,000 – 3 bedroom/2 bath – 1.82 acre lot that’s way out in the country. Listed by Jonathan Moore/Brokered by Water Street Real Estate Group. Time to sing the theme song to Green Acres!