When we picture the Piedmont region of North Carolina today, many of us envision forests…
.jpg "Four Hours in the Triangle: Historic Stagville, Parker and Otis, and Respite")
Photo courtesy of Historic Stagville
10 a.m. Arrive at Historic Stagville, 5828 Old Oxford Rd, Durham, NC 27712. At the Welcome Center you can either choose a one-hour guided tour or head out to explore on your own.
10:15 a.m. Start at the stately Bennehan Home, begun sometime after 1787 and completed in 1799. According to Historic Stagville, “on its hill top location surrounded by fields the house was a visible statement of the Bennehan’s social and economic status.” This house was once the center of a wide range of smaller outbuildings, including a kitchen, a smokehouse, and slave houses.
10:30 a.m. Continue on to the Horton Home, which was purchased by Richard Bennehan from the Horton family in 1823. The Horton Home is smaller than the Benneham Home, built before the Revolutionary war and the subject of a recent major restoration. Smaller and more subdued than the Bennehan Home, the Horton Home was once the home of a plantation overseer or an enslaved family.
11:00 a.m. Take a tour around Horton Grove; “Constructed between 1851 and 1860, Stagville’s two-story, four-room timber-frame quarters are rare survivors of an unusual form of enslaved homes” that were two stories.
11:15 a.m. End the tour at the Great Barn. Once surrounded by fields, the barn features unique hand hewn carpentry and was the last building to be constructed on the plantation. To make your visit even more special, Historic Stagville is putting on Christmas at the Big House, Christmas at the Quarters on December 7, 2013 from 10 a.m. - 4 p.m.
11:30 a.m. After exploring Historic Stagville, drive twenty minutes to Downtown Durham for lunch at Parker and Otis, 112 S Duke St, Durham, 27701. Open seven days a week, Parker and Otis sports a unique and eclectic gift collection as well as a café, bakery, and coffee shop. With eggs from Latta’s Egg Ranch in Hillsborough, milk and cheese from Homeland Creamery in Julian, bread from the Rue Cler Bakery, coffee from Counter Culture Coffee, and many other community favorites, Parker and Otis is committed to partnering with local producers. With indoor as well as expansive outdoor seating, Parker and Otis has delicious food and a great atmosphere. My special favorite? Their grilled cheese!
12:45 p.m. Take time to unwind and relax in the comfy chairs of Respite, a local coffee shop a few blocks down S. Duke Street from Parker and Otis. In addition to their specialty coffees from Carrboro Coffee Roasters Respite offers locally made pastries and sandwiches. Their shop not only features local food, but also sports the work of artists from around the Triangle.
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