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1936. Halifax County, North Carolina. "Prospect Hill, Airlie vicinity. Built 1825 by Wm. Williams Thorne." 8x10 inch safety negative by Frances Benjamin Johnston for the Carnegie Survey of the Architecture of the South. View full size.
I keep coming back to this photo.
I especially like the details of the first floor window. The carving above and below is lovely, the little fan window above the shutters, and the carving along the edge of the roof.
It puts to shame all those tract-houses with the pillared fronts mimicking this style (not very successfully).
That's what the landscaper was going for. You hit the nail right on the head, buddy.
From the Historic American Buildings Survey notes dated 1940:
Owner: Myron Horn, Woodbury, Conn. Begun 1825; completed 1828. Builder owner: William Williams Thorne; Architect: Mr. Burgess. Condition: Poor. Description: two-story; frame; interesting two-story columns on east porch; Palladian windows; delicate front door treatment. Paneling and mantels removed to Woodbury, Conn., by owner. Gable roof; end chimneys, Flemish bond, two on right, one on left. Facade three bays with trifle windows. Center door with fanlight and sidelights. Stoop porch, coupled reeded colonettes. Lower windows 9/9 surmounted by dummy lunettes; 3/3 sidelights. Cornice has crude triglyphs and metopes; open loggia with two-story colonettes behind left room under main roof. Central hall plan, elliptical spiral stair.
Now THAT'S something you don't see every day... a two-story porch on a Federal-style house! The detailing is spectacular, and attributed to an architect/builder named James Burgess of Virginia. I would take fanhead's
double dog dare, but sadly Prospect Hill was destroyed in the mid 20th century. Once again I am stunned by FBJ's photographic skill - simply amazing.
Cost $3545.30 to build.
Lets see if we can get Luther Heggs to spend the night in this house for a front page story. Don Knotts was great in that movie.
The architect was one James Burgess; A bit more about the history of the house.
I'm not spending the night in that place! Let Mikey do it!
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