430 S. Church Street – Rocky Mount, NC A House Biography

I’m happy when reading, researching, and writing, which has led to a new project. A series I have been writing of house biographies, trying to capture not simply the architecture of an old house, but the people who built it, lived there, loved it, and sometimes stepped forward just in time to save it.

One of those houses is 430 South Church Street, the Summerlin House in Rocky Mount, NC

Its owner, Celeste Beatty, has shared the story of how this remarkable house found its way into her life, along with memories of her grandfather, Raymond Patterson, who worked the Southern Railroad line that once stopped here in Rocky Mount.

I hope you will visit Celeste’s Bed and Beer Facebook Page and read her words about the Summerlin house. They add something to the biography that only an owner can give, the reason a house matters personally.

The photograph she posted of 430 South Church Street: Saving a House, Discovering Its Story is the third house in the series.

Soon this House Biography will be available digitally, with an opportunity to contribute $5 or more. Together these contributions can become something tangible for the Summerlin House:

a new roof.

We aren’t quite ready yet, but soon.

Stay tuned, and in the meantime,  save your quarters in a jar for the Summerlin House roof.

Saving a house can begin with one person breathing new life into it with a dream for its future. This house is the last of its kind on S. Church Street, once a prominent architectural neighborhood. A future Summerlin Bread and Breakfast needs a new roof. Let’s put on our preservation Rocky Mount outfits and help Celeste preserve, restore and repurpose this treasure.

Honoring the Past, Building a Future.