Preserving family history in Tillery: "The Hermitage" brought back to life

The Tillery family bought their farm in Halifax County, NC, in 1842. It was constructed in 1793.Today it is known as The Hermitage and is listed in the National Registry of Historic Places.

When Charles Tillery visited as a child, his grandfather June owned it, and it passed to some of his cousins. It wasn’t until college Tillery began pondering purchasing the place. Charles Tillery acquired the property in 1978 and spent two years completing renovations on the house. He is now approaching completion of the six outbuildings, including a schoolhouse, a smoke house, a wash house, an office and a dairy.

“It’s for posterity,” Tillery said. “The buildings should last now for another 150 years. If we hadn’t done it, they would be long gone.”

To read the complete story from the Roanoke Rapids Daily Herald, click here.