Somerset Place

Welcome to Somerset Place!

Somerset Place interprets enslaved and free life on what was once the third largest plantation in antebellum North Carolina. Our videos explore all aspects of plantation life through artifacts, buildings, personal stories, and more.

Somerset Place, once the third largest plantation in antebellum North Carolina and now a representative state historic site, is open to the public Tuesday - Saturday from 9:00am to 5:00pm. We offer 90-minute guided tours upon request, with tours beginning no later than 3:30pm. Directions are located in the About section of our channel. Be sure to check out our official website and social media accounts below to find out more information about the site and our upcoming events.

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Somerset Theme The Children, by Jeffery LittleJohn/copyrighted C.H. Publishing BMI

On a midwinter saturday morning, rain and mist shroud the ghostly grounds of Somerset Place. The only sounds echoing through the stillness are the distant honking of geese feeding in the swamps of nearby Lake Phelps.But as Dorothy Redford stands outside the plantation's mansion, gazing at the bare, towering cypresses lining the deserted estate's entrance, she sees the old plantation come alive. Suddenly, it is two centuries ago, and Redford sees 80 slaves just shipped over from Africa, planting those cypresses and digging a canal that would run through swampland from the lake, past the mansion's front door, to the Scuppernong River six miles away...
It was Alex Haley who first pointed Redford home. When his best seller, Roots, was published in 1976, it aroused blacks across the nation to seek their own heritage, and Redford was one of them...
Tracing her mother's maiden surname of LittleJohn, Redford discovered a bill of sale listing 37 slaves named LittleJohn sold to a Josiah Collins in 1828. Collins was the owner of Somerset Plantation, which had been created by his grandfather and two partners in 1785, and by the time he purchased the three dozen slaves from a white man named LittleJohn, Collins owned one of the largest slave populations in the state of North Carolina...
by Mike D'Orso



Jeffery LittleJohn is featured in Dorothy Spruill Redford's best seller book, published by Doubleday Books, Somerset Homecoming on page 252 playing his guitar amid the cypresses at Somerset Place, now a North Carolina Historic Site, located in Creswell, NC. Jeff was born in the 1950's and raised in the nearby town of Roper, where he first felt the call to music at a very early age. He began on the trombone but gave that up after hearing Chuck Berry and Jimmy Reid strumming the guitar. The craving to play the guitar lead to him later forming his first band at 16 called the Falling Stars, and playing local juke joints, school dances and around the area where he grew up. Then at 19 he joined the US Air Force. During his tour-of-duty, he played to all the troops while in Asia with the USO. After he got out of the Air-Force in 1973 he moved to England to pursue his dreams of playing in Europe. After touring the UK and living in England for two and a half years, he returned to the US, ending up in El Paso, Tx, where he met Jimmy Carl Black of Frank Zappa and the Mothers of Invention. Jeff performed and recorded with Jimmy Carl for Two years and toured the West Coast. The band was called The Mesilla Valley Lowboys and it was quite an experience for Jeff. Throughout his career, Jeff has had the opportunity to open up for B.B. King, Bad Company, Three Dog Nights, Jeff Beck, Frank Zappa, Dr. John, Osabisa and countless other big names acts. In 1988 he recorded Somerset Theme The Children on the Kosmos Record label and published by Christopher Hightower Publishing. This song is dedicated to the slaves and their descendents of Somerset Plantation in Creswell, NC, of which the LittleJohn Bloodline came to America in 1786. The late Alex Haley was in attendance at the first Homecoming, and Jeff cousin, Dorothy Spruill Redford author of the book, traced her family heritage, which ended up here. Today, Jeffery LittleJohn is very dedicated to his music, and after hearing him make his Guitar Talk, I am convienced that he is devoted more than ever to bring good music to people because the Blues and R&B is in his blood and he sweats that on to his audience...

creswell pep ralley 2015

homecoming in creswell north carolina :D

Erick flipping in Creswell, NC

This video was uploaded from an Android phone.

People and Places: Somerset Place

People and Places: Somerset Place

Reunion at Somerset Place

Somerset Place, a state historic site acknowledged for its accurate depiction of slavery conditions, hosts a family reunion.

Creswell, NC

04 Creswell

Pettigrew Confederate Cemetery in Creswell, NC

A view of the Pettigrew Confederate Cemetery, located in Pettigrew State Park in Creswell, NC.

Lost Buildings of Somerset: The Shoemaker’s Shop

Enslaved cobblers like Ned Haughton, Solomon, and Ishmael Harvey, Jr., manufactured shoes for the enslaved community in the Shoemaker's Shop. Each enslaved person was rationed one pair per year. Prior to Josiah Collins III's ownership, hired white cobblers made shoes off the plantation. If you have any questions about this video, please comment below.

Photo of awls from Wikimedia Commons.

Somerset Place, once the third largest plantation in antebellum North Carolina and now a representative state historic site, is open to the public Tuesday - Saturday from 9:00am to 5:00pm. We offer 90-minute guided tours upon request, with tours beginning no later than 3:30pm. Directions are located in the About section of our channel. Be sure to check out our official website and social media accounts below to find out more information about the site and our upcoming events.

Official Website:
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The Fall by Raymond B. In Creswell NC

My good pal Rayford busting his ass

Lost Buildings of Somerset: The Lake Chapel (Part II)

Enslaved persons adapted Christianity to themselves and did not always embrace the Episcopalian teachings in the Lake Chapel. While some newly freed African Americans maintained ties to the Episcopal Church after the Civil War, most gravitated to other denominations like the A.M.E. Zion Church. As a result, the Lake Chapel lost most of its congregation and was no longer standing by 1924. The title photo is a rendition of the Lake Chapel based on William S. Tarlton's archaeological research in the 1950s. If you have any questions about this video, please comment below.

Part I:

Somerset Place, once the third largest plantation in antebellum North Carolina and now a representative state historic site, is open to the public Tuesday - Saturday from 9:00am to 5:00pm. We offer 90-minute guided tours upon request, with tours beginning no later than 3:30pm. Directions are located in the About section of our channel. Be sure to check out our official website and social media accounts below to find out more information about the site and our upcoming events.

Official Website:
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Runnin the hounds

Ran dogs around creswell, nc and this is what we see. Three bucks.

Lost Buildings of Somerset: The Little Shed

The Little Shed was not as small as its name implies and may have been a barn or warehouse. It served as a storage building for agricultural equipment and also housed almost 12,000 bricks. If you have any questions about this video, please comment below.

Somerset Place, once the third largest plantation in antebellum North Carolina and now a representative state historic site, is open to the public Tuesday - Saturday from 9:00am to 5:00pm. We offer 90-minute guided tours upon request, with tours beginning no later than 3:30pm. Directions are located in the About section of our channel. Be sure to check out our official website and social media accounts below to find out more information about the site and our upcoming events.

Official Website:
Facebook:
Instagram:
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Lost Buildings of Somerset: Cabin No. 5

In 1843, twelve enslaved persons lived in Cabin No. 5: Ishmael Harvey Sr., his wife Nancy Buncombe, and their children Richard, Ishmael Jr., Davidson, John, and Tony Harvey. Their other child Jenny lived in Edenton, but her children Washington, Angelina, Victoria, and Ransom stayed in Cabin No. 5 with their grandparents. Nancy's son Harry Buncombe lived with her as well. If you have any questions about this video, please comment below.

Union Troops Visit Somerset Place in 1862:

Somerset Place, once the third largest plantation in antebellum North Carolina and now a representative state historic site, is open to the public Tuesday - Saturday from 9:00am to 5:00pm. We offer 90-minute guided tours upon request, with tours beginning no later than 3:30pm. Directions are located in the About section of our channel. Be sure to check out our official website and social media accounts below to find out more information about the site and our upcoming events.

Official Website:
Facebook:
Instagram:
Twitter:

Creswell columbia buzzer beater

January 29th game. Columbia verses Creswell.

14 Pea Ridge

Part 27 Arrival At Pettigrew State Park

Discovering the Northwest Passage

Glenn Stein discussed his book, Discovering the North-West Passage: The Four-Year Arctic Odyssey of HMS Investigator and the McClure Expedition, accompanied by Ryan Harris, who dove on the wreck of HMS Investigator.

Speaker Biography: Glenn M. Stein is an author and polar/maritime historian.

Speaker Biography: Ryan Haris is senior underwater archaeologist for Parks Canada.

For transcript and more information, visit