The Foscue Plantation House

This restored plantation home has a rich history and exhibits family artifacts and period pieces.

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• A House Divided: America in the Age of Lincoln Explores America before the Civil War, slavery, the slavery debate, the events leading to the war, the war itself, and how it affected politics and society. Learn also about the state of the country once the war ended and what obstacles lay ahead for the country at this tenuous time. Includes historical images and primary source documents.
• Documenting the American South Ten thematic collections of books, diaries, posters, artifacts, letters, oral history interviews, and songs for the study of Southern history, literature, and culture.
• Farms and plantations The great majority of free North Carolinians, rich and poor, lived and worked on farms before the Civil War. In this chapter, we’ll examine a variety of primary sources — from letters and diaries to recipes and novels — that show what life and work were like for these people.

Related pages

• Somerset Place (NC Historic Site): Located on the banks of Phelps Lake, Somerset Place is a representative antebellum plantation offering a view of life during the period before the Civil War. It became one of North Carolina's most prosperous rice, corn, and wheat plantations.
• Mendenhall Plantation: A visit to the Mendenhall Plantation shows students that there were dissenters to slavery in antebellum North Carolina. Buildings on the property include the main house, an old school house, the Madison Lindsay House and Medical School, a spring house, and a barn. There is also a restored wagon that may have been used to help runaway slaves.
• Poplar Grove Plantation: Students will enjoy touring the big house and tenant farmer's cabin, the craft shops, and the blacksmith's shop at Poplar Grove Plantation.

Related topics

• Learn more about 19th century, Civil War, Jones County, North Carolina, antebellum, history, plantations, and slavery.

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Located just 10 miles south of New Bern, the Foscue Plantation stands tall as a majestic reminder of a period in time more than 200 years ago. Built in 1824 by Simon Foscue, Jr., the plantation house has been in the family for eight generations. During the War Between the States, after the Battle of New Bern, Caroline Foscue, widow of John Edward Foscue, fled to Thomasville and Goldsboro with her two daughters while her son and brother fought for the Confederate Army around Richmond and Petersburg, VA. The Foscue Plantation House was occupied periodically by Union troops due to it’s strategic location between New Bern, which was Union occupied, and Kinston, which was Confederate occupied. Today, the house has been meticulously restored to it’s original construction in high-style antebellum décor that showcases a number of original furnishings. In addition, the family continues to acquire antiques correct to the period.

If you want to step back in time and find out about a fascinating tale of love and war and the strength of a Southern family, you have come to the right place! With three floors and a working basement, cemetery, garden, forest, plantation land, and the Trent River at the back of the property, there is certainly much to see. The home is available for viewing on Thursdays from 10:00am to 4:00pm and by appointment. Contact (252) 224-1803 for more information.

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