Homes in Bennett’s Creek area to open for tour

Participants in this year’s Suffolk Nansemond Historical Society Candlelight Tour will enjoy homes built in the area of the earliest English settlement in Suffolk.

“Between the River and the Creek … Homes in the Historic Bennett’s Creek Area” will be produced by the society Dec. 7-8 from 1 to 5 p.m. both days.

“I think this year is especially interesting and informative, because we’re there in the Bennett’s Creek area,” society president Fred Taylor said. “When you talk about the history of Suffolk, that is the start of the history of Suffolk.”

The acreage between the Nansemond River and Bennett’s Creek was explored by John Smith in 1608 as he looked for signs of the lost Roanoke Island colony, Taylor said.

By the 1630s, Richard Bennett, who came from England in 1628, owned more than 2,000 acres. All of the homes on this year’s tour are on what was once his land.

“The history of that area continues on from the early 1600s on into the American Revolution, the War Between the States and on up to the present time,” Taylor said. “In many ways, our tour this year brings that full circle. You move on right through the present.”

An extra piece of history is added by the inclusion on the tour of the circa 1870 but lately restored Obici House at 4700 Sleepy Hole Road, once owned by Amedeo Obici, founder of Planters Peanuts, and his wife Louise. The company celebrated its 100th anniversary of having a location in Suffolk this year.

Also on the tour is the Willis Home, also known as Town Point Farm, at 2527 Bridge Road. The home was built in 1895 for Confederate veteran Willis John Lee and his wife Jennie. They were involved in truck farming and had a store and cotton gin. They built a schoolhouse on the property, which will also be open for the tour.

The Cornell Home, at 5301 Bennetts Pasture Road, also on the tour, is also known as Eagle Point Farm. The original farmhouse was built in 1908, with additions and improvements having been made throughout the years. An original carbide gas light fixture and gas house in the yard are available for viewing.

The Northey Home, at 117 Riverside Drive, the last home on the tour, affords excellent views of the Nansemond River. It’s hardly historical, having been built in 1992, but it stands not far from the site where archeologists have found evidence of a substantial 17th-century dwelling. There has been speculation it may have been the home of Richard Bennett.

“I think it’s going to be informative for anyone,” Taylor said. “Whether you’ve lived here all your life or you’re a newcomer, I think you’re going to learn something.”

Tickets for the tour are $20 in advance or $25 the day of the tour. They are available at the Suffolk Visitor Center, Suffolk Seaboard Station Railroad Museum, A. Dodson’s, Bennett’s Creek Pharmacy and The 18th Century Merchant.

Call 539-2781 or visit www.suffolkhistory.org for more information.