Dr. Stan Corbin has a passion for historic restoration. A horse veterinarian by profession, Corbin discovered the historic Summers Plantation property purely by chance when he left a paved road in northeastern Guilford County in search of a scenic view of the Reedy Fork River. It was there where, in addition to the Federal-style house and accompanying 20 acres, Corbin also found the bordering Whitsel’s Mill — the site of a recorded skirmish between local militiamen and British Regulars just days before the Battle of Guilford Courthouse. He was hooked.

After purchasing the property in 2001, Corbin, with the help of others, began exhaustive historical research, eventually laying the foundation for proper restoration techniques and an application for nomination to the National Register of Historic Places. Their research revealed that wealthy planter Ludwig Summers, son of Captain Peter Summers who had fought at Whitsel’s Mill, built the house in 1819-1820.

A weather-boarded residence with an attached piazza and rear ell, the house has two stories plus an attic set slightly higher atop a partially raised basement at its southern end. Built on a hill above Whitsel’s Mill, the home’s strong vertical form was reinforced by tall end chimneys made of stone and brick. These chimneys and the detached summer kitchen in the back reduced the risk of fire and isolated the heat in the warm Southern summer.

In a variation common in the Piedmont, the symmetrical façade of the house has two front doors that open into two principal rooms, known as the “hall-parlor.” These doors, and the location and size of windows throughout the house, maximized ventilation by capturing the prevailing summer cross-breezes. This technique was but one of the ways Summers and his builder relied on common-sense methods to manage the environment when they built the plantation.

Inside, a door to the side of the central fireplace opens to reveal an example of vernacular architecture at its best — a steep spiral staircase that ascends to a second-floor room above. “It is the architectural jewel of the house,” Corbin says.

At the top of the stairs sits the most intact room in the house, in terms of the interior’s original fabric. With its flush-sheathed walls and ceiling, wainscot and mantel, and remnants of original robin’s-egg-blue milk paint on its wide-planked floor, it was most likely the master bedroom. This is where Corbin made his base camp during his restoration work last summer; the mosquito netting still rests on a chest at the foot of the bed.

The room also connects to the upper balcony of two-tiered porches. Decorated with scalloped cornice boards, chamfered posts with lamb’s tongue, and octagonal hand rails, these porches provided a magnificent view of the Reedy Fork River, Whitsel’s Mill, and the orchards, meadows, and fields that made up the plantation.

Inspired by this space, Corbin’s passion for historical authenticity has prompted him to experience the past in interesting ways, from recreating a five-mile-per-hour horse-and-buggy ride from Greensboro to his property to joining local re-enactors in full gear at the Battle of Guilford Courthouse. He also recently visited Hart’s Square in Catawba County to attend the site’s annual heritage day and try his hand at period trades. Hart’s Square founder Robert Hart has been another inspiration and guiding force in Corbin’s approach to historic preservation.

It was at Hart’s Square that Corbin met Eustace Conway, an environmentalist and creator of Turtle Island Preserve near Boone, and the subject of the book The Last American Man. After Corbin complemented Conway’s horsemanship, the two became fast friends. Later that year, during a visit to the Summers Plantation, the two men sat down to dinner and discussed the challenges of living an authentic life and completing historic restorations. To his eager apprentice, Eustace gave his sage advice — “take it one room at a time.”

Corbin says he owes his sincere thanks to the many people who have come to his assistance and guided him through the often perilous journey of restoration. “I couldn’t have done it without them,” he says. “They’ve really been collaborators in every sense of the word.” And while he sees himself as the current steward of the old Summers place, Corbin says he hopes that this historic property will blossom over time to become a location where people can reconnect with their heritage and discover the lessons of self-reliance.

Look for a second installment of this story when the Summers Plantation restoration is complete.