The original colonial house of Joseph Montfort, 1724-1776, no longer exists, but in 1984, a large modern structure, simulating a frame house, representative of his home, was constructed over the original site of his house.

Visitors can see exposed foundations of the original house and archaeological exhibits of artifacts found during explorations. One particularly interesting feature is the green wine bottles found in the basement with cherry pits in the bottom of the bottle attesting to the popularity of a spirit known as “Cherry Bounce”, a concoction made of whiskey, cherries, mint, and lemon, a favorite of George Washington. Source: George Washington’s Cherry Bounce | Almanac.com

The England-born Joseph Montfort moved from Virginia around 1752 to North Carolina after receiving a grant of 419 acres from Lord Granville. It is said that he eventually owned around 30,000 acres of land. In 1753, he married Priscilla Hill, the daughter of Colonel Benjamin Hill of Bertie County in North Carolina. Shortly after, he was appointed clerk of the Edgecombe County Court. When Halifax County was formed in 1759, he was named clerk of the Halifax County Court and later, the clerk of Halifax District Superior Court. Montfort was a representative of the county in the General Assembly several times and was a town commissioner. He was appointed provincial treasurer for the northern district of North Carolina and was a delegate to the Second Provincial Congress that was held in New Bern in April 1775, but ill health prevented his attendance. In 1768, he was appointed the Masonic Lodge as their first master and three years later, appointed the Grand Master of America. When he died in 1776, he was originally buried near his residence in Halifax, but his remains have been relocated to the grounds near the White Hart Masonic Lodge, where his grave is enclosed by an iron fence. Source: Joseph Montfort - Wikipedia