A Summer Stroll Revisited
By Beth Yarbrough
Sharing top billing for 2024 with my Bronson Pinchot interview was this summer post from Hayes Farm in Edenton, NC. Happy New Year to one and all. Stay tuned in 2025 for more updates from the restoration of Hayes.
A recent visit to Hayes Farm in Edenton, NC brought into focus just how much progress has been made since the Elizabeth Vann Moore Foundation began work on this 207-year-old historic treasure a little over a year ago.
Those of you who have been following my monthly updates since last September know that the house, the contents, the surrounding acres, the contributing structures, the gardens, and even the mile-long fence have all been given attention by the expert team of architectural historians, preservationists, local volunteers and restoration experts who have been a part of the journey.
Along the way, the stories of the people who built the place and those whose lives were spent here have emerged. The stories go back as far as James Johnston, the original occupant, and William Nichols, the renowned architect who designed the house and the gardens. They carry forward to more recent occupants such as Richard Cox, the faithful keeper of the keys whose original paintings will soon be housed here on the grounds, and Leila Budlong Wood, a resident of many decades whose passion for gardening continued the legacy put in place by architect Nichols and brought it into the modern era with camellia gardens and a beautiful pergola of her own design.
The dairy, recently restored, sports a new wooden shake roof with a pine tar and linseed oil coating to protect the wood.
And work is progressing on the Richard Cox house, which will become the Richard Cox Museum in the future.
Inside the carriage house, which was one of the first structures to be stabilized and restored, the original Johnston carriages are now safely tucked away.
And the rebuilt pergola, originally designed by Leila Wood, is ready for the next half-century of enjoyment.
Meanwhile, a bench design that is apparently unique to Hayes is being celebrated for its inventive reversible back, which pivots from one side to the other, affording a completely different view without having to move the bench at all.
And the hard work of the volunteer gardeners is fully on display here in the rear garden.
Inside, many of the original pieces of furniture commissioned for the house have returned.
These furnishings are not only beginning to populate the main rooms, but also one of the original kitchens, where this pie safe will reside.
In the Hayes library, preservation expert Wade Rogers stands beside an antique basket filled with large-scale rolled maps from the period.
The octagonal room still retained a treasure trove of documents, artifacts, and original details. Among those was an engraving of James Johnston himself.
And as if to make sure we all understood that this was once his home, a quantity of calling cards bearing his name was also discovered in this room.
The enthusiasm of my friend, Sam Dixon, who is displaying one of the cards in this photo, is emblematic of his personal dedication to the rebirth of Hayes Farm. Dixon for many years has been a leader in the cause of historic preservation on a local, state and even national level. He currently serves on the board of the National Trust For Historic Preservation, and as a lifelong Edentonian whose family roots in Chowan County go back many generations, his efforts to maintain Edenton’s efforts at historic preservation are widely acknowledged.
The opportunity at Hayes Farm might never have come to fruition in a place other than Edenton, a community that has always been on the leading edge of historic preservation. With many thanks to the Wood family, the most recent stewards of Hayes, and to the EVM Foundation for picking up the torch, the future continues to unfold. We can’t wait to see what comes next.
Photos by Beth Yarbrough.