A look at one man’s dedication to breathing new life into an 1800s homestead with deep roots and countless stories to tell.

Front of the “main house” taken in August 2025.

For a little over a year now, I’ve been visiting places that people are restoring—or have already lovingly brought back to life. So far, I’ve made two visits to John’s farm—once in December of 2024 and again in August. Back in August, he told me he had already hauled away eight full dumpsters of trash and debris, each weighing around 13,000 pounds. The transformation was incredible, and he’s continued to maintain and care for the property beautifully ever since.

An old wooden door lock found in one of the out buildings.

Behind the main house stands a barn that John has been converting into living quarters—something like an in-law suite above a garage with workspace below I think—while continuing the maintenance and restoration work on the rest of the property. There are so many outbuildings here, eight in total! The smaller structure, behind the “Main House”, is the original log cabin, believed to date back to the 1840s. The larger home, pictured in the first photo above, dates to around the 1850s–1860s, and there’s also a detached two-room summer kitchen behind it from about the same time period.

Old, wood hinges found in an outbuilding.

When I was first invited out to take photos, John had already done an impressive amount of work on his own. He had cleared away years of overgrowth and debris—some buildings had been completely hidden—made repairs where needed, replaced the front porch on the main house, and has obviously since continued making steady progress on the restoration. Inside a few of the outbuildings, we found old farm equipment, and even original mule tack still hanging on the side of a barn—quiet reminders of the farm’s working past.

Today, the property still stands as a testament to John’s hard work and determination to bring it back from years of neglect. Though he continues to care for and maintain the place, he’s currently considering offers, as he may be moving south in the near future.

If anyone has any interest in the old place, located North of Greenville, you can send me an email and I will pass your information along: AbandonedENC@gmail.com.