Coolmore Plantation, also known as Coolmore and the Powell House, is a historic
plantation house located near
Tarboro
Tarboro is a town located in Edgecombe County, North Carolina, Edgecombe County, North Carolina, United States. It is part of the Rocky Mount, North Carolina, Rocky Mount Rocky Mount metropolitan area, Metropolitan Statistical Area. As of the 2020 ...
,
Edgecombe County, North Carolina. Built in 1858–61, the main house is one of the finest
Italianate style plantation houses in the state. The house and its similarly styled outbuildings were designed by
Baltimore
Baltimore ( , locally: or ) is the most populous city in the U.S. state of Maryland, fourth most populous city in the Mid-Atlantic, and the 30th most populous city in the United States with a population of 585,708 in 2020. Baltimore was d ...
architect E. G. Lind for Dr. Joseph J.W. and Martha Powell. Coolmore was designated a
National Historic Landmark for its architecture in 1978, and is a
Save America's Treasures projects.
Description and history
Coolmore is located west of Tarboro, on the south side of ALT
United States Route 64
U.S. Route 64 (US 64) is an east–west United States highway that runs for 2,326 miles (3,743 km) from Nags Head in eastern North Carolina to just southwest of the Four Corners in northeast Arizona. The western terminus is at U.S. Rou ...
east of McNair Road. Set on a curving drive, the main house is a two-story wood-frame structure, with single-story wings to either side. Its roof is hipped, but there are gabled projections with wide overhanging eaves supported by elaborately cut brackets. First-floor windows are paired narrow rectangular sash, set in segmented-arch openings with molded bracketed hoods, while second-floor windows are paired round-arch sash. The interior is divided into elaborately decorated and unusually shaped chambers. At its center is a freestanding elliptical staircase. One of the downstairs parlors features a high-quality ''
trompe-l'œil'' mural on the ceiling. Outbuildings with similar exterior styling include servants quarters, smokehouse, and a carriage house, all of which sport cupolas similar to that on the main house.
The property was donated to Preservation North Carolina in the early 1990s. Opening Coolmore to the general public at this time is not realistic, due to the fragility of its signature oval stairwell,
Trompe-l'œil paneling, elaborate plasterwork, and decorative painting. So the property has been leased long-term to resident curators, direct descendants of the original builder who open it periodically by appointment and take care of routine operating and capital needs. Preservation North Carolina has taken responsibility for developing a conservation plan for the property and for dealing with the extensive artwork in the main house. An endowment for the property has been started at the North Carolina Community Foundation to help with Coolmore's long-term care.
Coolmore was listed on the
National Register of Historic Places in 1971 and declared a National Historic Landmark in 1978.
[ and ]
See also
*
List of National Historic Landmarks in North Carolina
*
References
External links
Preservation North Carolina Stewardship Properties*
Our State: Tarboro Tradition
{{National Register of Historic Places in North Carolina
National Historic Landmarks in North Carolina
Houses on the National Register of Historic Places in North Carolina
Houses in Edgecombe County, North Carolina
Italianate architecture in North Carolina
Houses completed in 1859
Plantation houses in North Carolina
National Register of Historic Places in Edgecombe County, North Carolina