Boyette Plantation Slave House and School | Johnston County, North Carolina | c. 1830s
In Eastern North Carolina, alongside a rural highway, stands a small, unassuming structure with layers of history embedded in its walls: the Boyette Slave House. This rare surviving one-room log dwelling offers a window into 19th-century enslaved life and later served as an important schoolhouse for local children.
The Architecture Tells a Story
The Boyette Slave House features distinctive architectural elements brought by European colonists: hand-hewn wooden planks joined with full-dovetail notches and dowels. Its most unique feature is the gable-end stick and mud chimney—a construction method common in slave dwellings when more substantial buildings used stone or brick. This well-preserved example is particularly rare, as many similar structures were demolished or deteriorated after Emancipation.
The George Boyette Plantation
The cabin sits on what was once a 400-acre farm granted to George Boyette (1770-1852) by North Carolina in 1797. George and his wife Tamsey O’Neal raised their family here in Johnston County. Their oldest son, Larkin Boyette (1820-1901), likely built the structure in the 1830s. The working farm utilized 100 acres for crops like corn, sweet potatoes, and hay, alongside livestock.
By 1850, the farm was valued at $600, with eight enslaved people recorded. As George became blind in his later years, Larkin took over operations. When George died in 1852, his will, which passed the plantation to Larkin, documented five enslaved individuals who were living here: Silvia, Caroline, Maryan, Alfred, and James. As the cabin featured here was the only known slave house, it is likely that some or all of those 5 named individuals lived in this one-room house.
After his father’s death, Larkin married Chloe Bagley, and they started their own family on the plantation. The building continued to house some of the four enslaved people under his ownership until the Civil War, when Larkin joined North Carolina’s 65th Regiment Cavalry as a Confederate private.
A Building Transformation
Following Emancipation, the building found new purpose as a school for local white children. Before centralized education, small communities hosted schools in modest buildings like this one, sponsored by local families. From 1890-1910, the Boyette School operated as one of the few “graded schools” in the area, meaning it met special educational requirements and was known for excellent teaching.
Like other rural schools, the Boyette School’s schedule aligned with the agricultural calendar: classes ran just four months a year (November through February) so children could help on farms the rest of the year. Students included John Archer Stancil, Delia Hill, and Ronia Hill.
In the early 1900s, as newer schoolhouses were built across North Carolina, the Boyette School closed in 1910.
Preservation and Recognition
After sitting empty and deteriorating for decades, the building was recognized by the National Register of Historic Places in 1979. In 1981, restoration efforts repaired the damaged roof, chimney, and planks.
Today, this privately owned and well-maintained structure offers visitors a glimpse into 1830s life and stands as a powerful testament to the lives of those who were enslaved here, their stories preserved within these humble walls.
