The Patterson Plantation, also known as Holly Rock Farm, is a historic

Federal style Federal-style architecture is the name for the classical architecture built in the United States following the American Revolution between 1780 and 1830, and particularly from 1785 to 1815, which was influenced heavily by the works of And ...

plantation house located on the edge of

Durham Durham most commonly refers to: *Durham, England, a cathedral city in north east England **County Durham, a ceremonial county which includes Durham *Durham, North Carolina, a city in North Carolina, United States Durham may also refer to: Places ...

Orange County, North Carolina Orange County is a County (United States), county located in the Piedmont (United States), Piedmont region of the U.S. state of North Carolina. As of the 2020 United States census, 2020 census, the population was 148,696. Its county seat is Hil ...

. The home was once the center of a 2,200-acre plantation dating back to the 18th-century.

History

The Patterson Plantation was first listed in a 1770 Collet Map as "I. Paterson", at the time it was owned by a

planter Planter or Planters may refer to: Common meanings * A flowerpot or box for plants ** ''Jardiniere'', one such type of pot, mostly indoor types ** Cachepot, another term for the same ** Flower box, another type of planter, mostly for outdoors ** ...

named John Patterson, who built a cabin on the site. The family also operated a mill, known as Patterson's Mill, along

New Hope Creek New Hope Creek is a watercourse that rises in rural Orange County, North Carolina, in the United States. It drains the western portion of Orange County and the southern half of Durham County and flows into the northern end of Jordan Lake rese ...

in what is now

Duke Forest Duke Forest is a forest managed by Duke University for research, teaching, and recreation. It is located in the edge of the Piedmont (United States) in Durham County, North Carolina, Durham County, Orange County, North Carolina, Orange County, a ...

. The land later passed to Patterson's son, John Tapley Patterson. Upon his death, it passed to his son, Mann Patterson. Construction on the large Federal-style house began in 1834, shortly before the death of Patterson. His second wife Mary Cabe Patterson, who had inherited the 2,200-acre plantation, later completed the building. It was built at the intersection of Erwin and Whitfield Roads, less than a mile from Mt. Moriah Baptist Church. The Patterson's two sons, Mann and Robert, also lived at the farm. Two

house slaves A house slave was a slave who worked, and often lived, in the house of the slave-owner, performing domestic labor. House slaves performed essentially the same duties as all domestic workers throughout history, such as cooking, cleaning, serving m ...

, named Matthew and Phebe, were listed as part of the household in 1870. The plantation also includes a family cemetery, located further down Erwin Road, which includes 27 marked graves and 5 unmarked graves. In the 1950s, the plantation was under the ownership of Charlie and Josie Henderson Humphries, who had inherited it from family members. The Humphries later moved to Hope Valley Country Club, and members of the Henderson family came to live on the property, building a house across the street in the 1980s. The plantation was later purchased by David Dickson and renamed Holly Rock Farm.

References

{{Coord, 35.9754, N, 79.0052, W, display=title African-American history in Durham, North Carolina Federal architecture in North Carolina Houses completed in 1834 Houses in Durham, North Carolina Houses in Orange County, North Carolina Plantation houses in North Carolina