The Historic Pool-Kennedy Lumsden-Peters House

10/13/2026

🏡✨ TRANSFORMATION TUESDAY! ✨🏡

From Forgotten Beauty to Historic Charm! 💚

They say a picture is worth a thousand words, but these pictures tell a story nearly two centuries in the making!

Welcome to another Transformation Tuesday at the Historic Pool-Kennedy-Lumsden-Peters House in beautiful Elizabeth City, North Carolina!

📸 Take a look at the BEFORE & AFTER!

What was once a room with peeling wallpaper, damaged ceilings, and years of wear and tear is slowly being brought back to life!

Today, this beautiful space features refreshed walls, gorgeous original hardwood floors, antique furnishings, and a warm, inviting atmosphere that honors the home’s historic character.

But this transformation is about so much more than fresh paint and beautiful furniture.

❤️ It’s about preservation. It’s about history. It’s about giving new life to a home that has witnessed generations of memories.

When Dawn Young purchased this historic 1840 Greek Revival home, she saw beyond the work that needed to be done. She saw its potential, its history, and an opportunity to preserve something truly special for future generations.

And while there’s still much work ahead, every improvement brings us one step closer to our vision of transforming this historic treasure into a charming boutique-style event venue and unique short-term rental.

🏛️ We’re not just restoring a house. We’re preserving a legacy and creating a place where new memories can be made.

🙏 We are grateful for God’s blessings throughout this journey and excited to see what the future holds!

💬 We want to hear from YOU! What do you think of this transformation? What’s your favorite detail in the room?

Follow along as we continue bringing history back to life, one room at a time!

📍 Historic Pool-Kennedy-Lumsden-Peters House
Elizabeth City, North Carolina

10/10/2026

📸 ATTENTION LOCAL PHOTOGRAPHERS! 📸

Looking for a unique and historic backdrop for your next photography session?

The Historic Pool-Kennedy-Lumsden-Peters House, located in the heart of downtown Elizabeth City, NC, is exploring opportunities to welcome local photographers for portrait sessions, seasonal mini sessions, engagements, family photos, and more!

With its beautiful historic architecture and timeless character, this 1840 property offers a one-of-a-kind setting for capturing special memories.

✨ Hourly photography rentals
✨ Mini-session packages
✨ Seasonal photography opportunities
✨ Special introductory rates

We are currently connecting with photographers who would be interested in using the property for upcoming sessions!

📩 Interested? Send us a Facebook message or contact Eric at 252-207-7563 for more information.

We look forward to working with our local photography community!

The Historic Pool-Kennedy-Lumsden-Peters House
Elizabeth City, North Carolina

Historic Roots, Timeless Gatherings

10/10/2026

🌸💐 LOOKING FOR A FLORAL ARRANGEMENT INSTRUCTOR! 💐🌸

We are looking for someone who can teach a floral arrangement class for an upcoming event we are planning!

If you are interested or know someone who might be, please reach out!

📩 Send us a message through Facebook Messenger or contact Eric at 252-207-7563.

Please feel free to share or tag someone who may be interested!

10/07/2026

🏛️ THE HOUSE THAT HISTORY BUILT
Week Four: Dr. “Buck” Peters and Sue — Medicine, Family and Restoration

Over the past three weeks, we have followed the Pool, Kennedy and Lumsden families through generations of love, loss, service and change. This week, we begin the Peters chapter with Dr. William Anthony “Buck” Peters and his wife, Sue.

Buck was the son of another Methodist minister and often traveled from Virginia to visit his great-uncle, Dr. Will Lumsden, and Aunt Sadie. He deeply admired them both and was inspired to study medicine with the hope of one day practicing alongside Uncle Will.

Sadly, Dr. Will died in 1914 before Buck completed medical school. The following year, Buck moved into the family home with Aunt Sadie and reopened the medical office on the property—continuing the medical legacy his great-uncle had begun.

Buck was in love with Sue Powell of Emporia, Virginia. The couple married, and Buck brought his new bride to live in the old family home. Their son, William Anthony Peters Jr., known as William or Bill, soon completed the household.

Once again, three generations of the family were living together under one roof, and Aunt Sadie was delighted to have a child in the home.

After serving in the United States Navy during World War I, Buck returned to Elizabeth City, where he practiced medicine and enjoyed two of his favorite pastimes: hunting and fishing.

One family story tells of Buck attempting to hunt quail for his seriously ill father, the Reverend Peters, because quail was one of his favorite dishes. Although Buck was normally a skilled hunter, he was unable to shoot a single bird that day.

While traveling to Virginia, however, a covey of quail suddenly flew in front of his automobile, and several fell dead. The family writer described the unexpected moment as “obviously, a gift from heaven.”

Sue also left her own mark on the home and the Elizabeth City community. She remained active in civic and social affairs well into her seventies. Over the years, she shared the house with her five grandsons and lived long enough to enjoy two great-grandsons.

🏠 Refurbishing the House—Again!

Following Aunt Sadie’s death at age 86 in 1935, Sue undertook another major refurbishment of the home. Many of the Victorian-era additions made during the Lumsden years were removed in an effort to return the house to its earlier Greek Revival appearance.

The large front porch was removed and replaced with a smaller stoop near the location of the original 1840 entrance. The parquet flooring was taken up, and the decorative mantels were replaced with wooden ones.

The home’s Victorian character was gone, and its Greek Revival appearance had returned.

According to the family account, William Edward Cherry later took one of the marble-and-slate mantels to Oak Grove Cemetery, where the materials were used to mark his family’s graves—giving part of the old house another place in Elizabeth City’s history.

The Peters family continued the home’s medical legacy while helping preserve the house for the generations that followed.

📖 Next Wednesday: Four Families, One Remarkable Home

Join us for the final chapter of The House That History Built as we bring together the stories of the Pool, Kennedy, Lumsden and Peters families—and look toward the future of this historic Elizabeth City treasure.

Do you have photographs, documents or family stories connected to Dr. Buck and Sue Peters? We would love to hear from you!

10/05/2026

A message from Dawn about the Lumsden family and the lasting impact Dr. Will Lumsden had on the Elizabeth City community. 💚

Join us as she shares another chapter in the story of The Historic Pool-Kennedy-Lumsden-Peters House and remembers a man who meant so much to the people of our city. 🏡

09/30/2026

🏛️ THE HOUSE THAT HISTORY BUILT

Week Three: Dr. Will and Sadie Lumsden — Medicine, Marriage and a Changing Home

Last week, we shared the story of the Kennedy family. This week, we continue with Dr. William “Will” Lumsden and Sarah “Sadie” Kennedy Lumsden—a beloved couple who brought a new generation, a medical practice and major changes to the historic home.

Will Lumsden was the son of a Scottish minister living in Pasquotank County. At only 16 years old, he left school and joined the Confederate Army. After becoming seriously ill, his father was summoned to bring him home.

Will eventually recovered and enrolled at the Virginia Military Institute. In 1864, when Union forces advanced through Virginia’s Shenandoah Valley, he joined the VMI cadets who marched into battle at New Market.

As the Civil War drew to a close, Will evacuated Richmond following its fall and joined General Joseph E. Johnston’s army near Greensboro. When the war ended, he made his way home to Pasquotank County, reportedly sharing a mule with Thomas Fearing during part of the journey.

Back home, Will helped his family work their farm and taught school before attending medical school in Maryland. He later returned to Elizabeth City and began practicing medicine.

Dr. Will married Sarah Kennedy, affectionately known as “Miss Sadie,” inside the family home. Her father, the Reverend W. W. Kennedy, performed the ceremony at 5:00 in the morning so the newlyweds could catch the canal boat to Norfolk for their honeymoon!

Dr. Will became one of Elizabeth City’s most beloved physicians and citizens. Miss Sadie was equally cherished and remembered as a gracious Southern lady who loved welcoming friends into her home.

During the late 1800s, Sadie decided it was time to modernize the old house so she could entertain her friends in style. Among her circle were Mrs. Eva Little, Mrs. Grace Blades, Mrs. Camilla Woodley, Mrs. Mollie Fearing, Mrs. Jessie Skinner and Mrs. Sue Fearing.

Parquet flooring was installed in the hallway, decorative slate “marble” mantels and tilework were added, and a spacious front porch transformed the exterior. The front windows were lengthened, while velvet-trimmed lampshades and gas stoves truly “fancified” the old home.

Dr. Will also rebuilt his medical office on the corner of the property, adding to the stately appearance of the grounds.

A surviving account described the scene beautifully:

“The view from across the street—there was no church there then—of the two old homes and office was very stately.”

Standing over it all was the live oak tree Miss Lovey Pool had planted during the 1850s. She had brought the young tree from the woods of Nags Head, and by the Lumsdens’ time, it had already become an impressive landmark.

The Lumsden years brought medicine, hospitality and Victorian style to the house—but its appearance would later change once again.

📖 Next Wednesday: The Peters Family — A Medical Legacy and the Return to Greek Revival Style

Do you have photographs, documents or family stories connected to Dr. Will and Sadie Lumsden? We would love to hear from you!

09/28/2026

09/27/2026

A message from Dawn about Mary Jane Pool Kennedy and her special place in the history of the Historic Pool-Kennedy-Lumsden-Peters House. ❤️🏡

Come back this Wednesday for the next chapter of The House That History Built, as we continue the story with the Lumsden family and their chapter in this remarkable home’s history.

09/25/2026

📸 Flashback Friday: “The Neighborhood” 🐴🥕🍉

Today’s glimpse into Elizabeth City’s past features Uncle Charles McDonald and his “automobile”, a horse-drawn produce wagon making its way through the neighborhood.

This photograph, taken in 1913, shows the home before its double porches were removed.

Uncle Charles McDonald lived nearby on Dunstan Lane and was known throughout the community as a skilled “horse doctor” as well as a produce vendor. He traveled through the neighborhood selling fresh fruits and vegetables right from his wagon.

And in the summertime, residents could hear Uncle Charles coming before they ever saw him, chanting:

🍉 “Watermelon, watermelon, eat the meat,
pickle the rind, save the seeds for another time…
watermelon, watermelon!” 🍉

More than a century later, photographs like this give us a wonderful window into everyday life around the Historic Pool-Kennedy-Lumsden-Peters House and the people who made this neighborhood their home.

09/23/2026

🏛️ THE HOUSE THAT HISTORY BUILT

Week Two: The Kennedy Family — Faith, Service and a Love Story

Last week, we introduced Thomas and Lovey Pool and shared how Lovey built the home that still stands today. This week, the story continues with the Kennedy family—and a love story that changed the future of the house.

In 1845, the Reverend W. W. Kennedy of Richmond was appointed to the Virginia Conference and assigned to the Methodist church in Elizabeth City. During his time here, he fell in love with Lovey Pool’s beloved adopted daughter, Mary Jane Pool.

When Reverend Kennedy asked for Mary Jane’s hand in marriage, he was told that she could not be separated from Miss Lovey. Methodist ministers were frequently transferred from place to place, so the marriage could only be accepted if he agreed to remain in the area and preach locally.

Reverend Kennedy agreed, and he and 18-year-old Mary Jane were married inside the Pool home. The newlyweds remained in the house with Miss Lovey, beginning the Kennedy chapter of its history.

Reverend and Mrs. Kennedy welcomed three daughters. Tragically, Mary Jane died at only 27 years old, and their youngest daughter passed away soon afterward.

Although Reverend Kennedy preached in Pasquotank County churches nearly every Sunday, he was not tied down by the routine responsibilities of one congregation. This allowed him to pursue other interests and assist Miss Lovey with the family’s shipping business and other affairs.

By 1849, a warehouse stood on the back corner of the property, where G. W. Washill was employed to handle and sell merchandise purchased by the family. A separate two-story building also stood on the front corner and was used for several purposes. Dr. William S. Pool occupied that building until 1857.

Reverend Kennedy was deeply involved in the civic life of Elizabeth City and Pasquotank County. He served several terms as mayor—both before and after the Civil War—and was chairman of the county commissioners on multiple occasions. He was serving as chairman in 1862 when he signed county scrip, and again in 1882 when the present courthouse was built. He also chaired the courthouse building committee.

Despite his many business and civic responsibilities, Reverend Kennedy remained devoted to the church. When he died in 1889, it was written that he had preached more funeral sermons and performed more marriage ceremonies than anyone else in Eastern North Carolina—a testament to how widely known, trusted and admired he was.

Reverend Kennedy married Martha “Pattie” Dance in 1870. Following her death, he returned to this home to live with his daughter and son-in-law, Mr. and Mrs. Lumsden. He died here in 1889, inside the same house where he had married Mary Jane many years earlier.

From a young minister’s love story to decades of ministry and public service, the Kennedy family added another unforgettable chapter to this historic home.

📖 Next Wednesday: The Lumsden Family — A New Generation and a Changing Home

Do you have photographs, documents or family stories connected to Reverend W. W. Kennedy or the Kennedy family? We would love to hear from you!