The Cole Family Cabin | Durham County, North Carolina | Built c. mid-1800s
Have you ever come across a place like this in the woods? Deep inside Eno River State Park near Durham, North Carolina, stand the remains of a weathered log house known as the Cole Cabin. For years, hikers have been drawn to its mystery while historians have debated its origins. Records suggest it may have been built in the 1820s and expanded later on, and we know it was home to the Cole family, although it is not clear whether it was built by Anthony Cole or his son, Thomas Cole.
The Cole Family of the Eno River Valley
No matter which man built it, the story of this home begins with Anthony Cole (1804-1889). Family tradition holds that the Coles traced their roots to Leeds, England. One account says Anthony’s brother, Levi, came to Hillsborough to help lay out a road through colonial North Carolina, and that Anthony followed soon after. A section of that early road runs through Eno River State Park today, and along that road, Anthony made his home with his wife, Susannah Browning, whom he married in 1822.
Their first child, Thomas, was born in 1823, the beginning of a large family of at least fourteen children. By the middle of the nineteenth century, the Coles owned and operated mills, farmsteads, and tracts of land that stretched for miles along the river.
As the patriarch of such a large household, Anthony had to be resourceful in making space for his growing family. It is possible that the first cabin was his, built in the 1820s, and that Thomas later expanded it when he married Susan Frances Lewis (1815-1875) and raised his own family.
That would mean the original structure dates to Anthony and Susannah’s early years, while the additions reflect Thomas’s time in the 1850s. While I can’t prove this, it remains a plausible explanation given the details of the family.
What we know for certain is that the Coles left a lasting mark on the valley. Their name survives in Cole Mill Road, Cole Mill Trail, and the old Cole Mill site.
Building the Cabin
The Cole Cabin is a strong example of early homes in the Carolina Piedmont. It was built from hand-cut logs felled on the property and native stones gathered from nearby creeks. The design changed over time. What began as a one-and-a-half-story cabin was expanded when another cabin was added alongside it, creating the familiar dogtrot form.
The half story upstairs was used for sleeping, and family stories recall that the mother and daughters slept on one side of the loft while the father and sons slept on the other. Whether it was Anthony or Thomas who built it, both men had large families, fourteen children for Anthony and ten for Thomas, so space would have been scarce. If you stand in the clearing today, you can almost picture the fire crackling in the hearth and the bustle of children filling the small rooms.
The Lost Community of Pleasant Green
The cabin is a reminder of the persistence of the Coles and their neighbors in the Pleasant Green community. This was once a thriving settlement anchored by Pleasant Green Methodist Church, founded in the 1830s. Generations of Coles and other families were buried in its cemetery. The Coles also operated several mills along the river until a devastating flood in 1908 swept them away. By the 1930s, contaminated wells along the Eno forced many remaining families to leave. Today, only relics remain, scattered across the park, including this cabin. However, many of their names can be found in the cemetery rows at Pleasant Green United Methodist Church nearby.
Visiting the Cole Cabin
Visitors who come across the Cole Cabin will notice its sagging timbers, the open dogtrot, and in spring, the daffodils blooming in the clearing. Some say a ghost has been photographed in the loft, while others remember it simply as a family home that sheltered generations. It has become a favorite stop for curious hikers along Buckquarter Creek Trail. On a bright day in March, when the daffodils cover the field in yellow, it is easy to imagine the Coles still tending their homestead.
If you visit, be mindful of the flowers and take care not to trample the bulbs so they will last another generation. The site is reached from the Buckquarter Creek Trail, accessible at the Few’s Ford entrance to Eno River State Park.
