Currituck Co., N.C. Houses

 

Fisher farm House

Located just off Fisher's Landing Road in Jarvisburg.  Notice "ship-lap", or marine construction.
Addendum by Roy E. Sawyer, Jr.--
     Very little is known about the early history of this house, but it is likely the former home of a Fisher relative, and might have dated back prior to the 1820's.  The board and batten style was not typical of the area and is considered unusual.
     This house was occupied by black tenant families from the 1920's until it was torn down, probably in the late 1970's.  John and Caroline Bowser lived there for many years.  Caroline always called her husband, "Mr. Bowser".  One story which survives is that they were going around some of the sharp curves in their cart on Garrenton Road and Mr. Bowser had imbibed in a bit of alcohol.  Suddenly Caroline, who was extremely bow legged, rolled to the side of the cart as Mr. Bowser maneuvered a curve, and she fell out.  Some passersby stopped and asked her what happened to her husband's cart, because they had just seen her in it with him.  Poor Caroline explained the story of the catastrophe of her falling from the cart.  She explained that she yelled at her husband, "Vait, vait, Mr. Bowser" (Caroline was one of those who pronounced her "w's" as "v's" and her "v's" as "w's").  Then she sadly explained, "But Mr. Bowser didn't hear me, he just went right on".
     Caroline Bowser had a son, Dorsey (pronounced "Dossey"), who went by Bowser; however he had been born prior to her marriage to John Bowser.  Dorsey lived in another house on the Fisher Farm which was through the woods and southeast of this house.  In the early 1950's he killed his son, who was called "Little Dorsey", and was sent to prison.
     John and Florence Armstrong also lived in this house.  Their son, James Rudolph, was a constant companion of Marvin Fisher, and people remembered James Rudolph was frequently seen outside as a small child cooking potatoes over a fire to be given to Marvin's hogs.  Why in the world potatoes were cooked for the hogs is unknown today.  James Rudolph continued his cooking
skills as he matured and became a renown cook for the government as well as at some restaurants at the beach.
     During the 1950's, when I was growing up, a black man named Buck Little lived here.  He had a wooden leg, and local men referred to his house as "the Tea Room", because Buck sold moonshine whiskey.

 

This photo and information are from the project "Old Homes in Currituck County to 1860" originally compiled June 1960 by Alma O. Roberts and Alice Flora of the Currituck County Historical Society.   We are indebted to Barbara B. Snowden, president of the Currituck County Historical Society for permission to reproduce this collection on the internet, and also to Gerri Andrews and Diane Ferebee of the Currituck County Public Library who provided digital copies of the photos.  No part of this document may be used for any commercial purposes; however, please feel free to copy any of this material for your own personal use and family research.  Images are for personal use only, not for redistribution.

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© 2005 Marty Holland