Chadwick House circa 1858

Robert Withers Chadwick (1826–1884) was born January 30, 1826 near Beaufort in Straits, North Carolina, son of Gayer Chadwick and Caroline Hellen. Gayer Chadwick was the son of Barnabas Chadwick and Mary Polly Walpoole. Barnabas Chadwick’s grandfather, Samuel Chadwick, the whaler, came to the Core Sound area from Cape Cod in 1726. On November 14, 1854, Robert Withers Chadwick married Mary Elizabeth Potter (1832–1897), who was born in Beaufort to William Jackson Potter and Elizabeth Harris Davis.

The 1850 Hyde County census shows 24-year-old Robert Chadwick as a school teacher in the Currituck District. In 1870, twelve years after he built what is now known as the Chadwick House, census records show Robert having a residence in Wilmington, North Carolina, where he was customs officer. The Chadwicks evidently kept their Beaufort residence as a second home.
 

Elizabeth Chadwick Muse

Three children were born to Mary and Robert Chadwick. Robert Withers Chadwick Jr., born in 1862, died at the age of two. Elizabeth Hellen Chadwick, born in 1864, married William Henry Muse 1859-1931. One of the Muse children was Beaufort author Amy Bradley Muse who wrote several books including Granpa Was a Whaler, the story of the Chadwicks of Carteret County. The Chadwicks other daughter Mary Caroline married William Wallace Shaw, who worked for the telephone company in Durham, North Carolina. 

Local history tells us that Robert and Mary "adopted" a twelve-year-old Chinese boy, Charlie Soong, who was found as a stowaway on a ship docked in Wilmington. Young Charlie may have spent much time with the Chadwicks in Beaufort. Records show that Charlie also spend time in Wilmington and where others were also influential in his upbringing including Julian Carr who aided in financing his education at Trinity College (Duke University). (see Charlie Soong-A Beaufort Connection?)

This Greek revival style home was built with front porch pediments centered over three bays. Originally it was a “half-house,” consisting of a hall on the west side with four rooms on the east side-two upstairs and two downstairs.

When John W. Noe bought the house in 1882, for only $400, he added a dining room, kitchen and a porch on the north side. The next addition took place around 1906 when West Noe enlarged the front section by adding four rooms on the west side of the hall. The roof was changed, pediments were re-centered and two additional bays were added to retain the classic Greek revival style.

During the late 1930s, the main part of the house was converted into four apartments, but in the late 1960s the house returned to its original plan. In 1985 the rear wing was remodeled to provide an enlarged kitchen and dining area. The rear porches were enclosed for added living space. Windows were added on the enclosed east side to create a Florida room.

In 1987, Kenneth Wetherington, owner and heir, sold the house to Dr. Stephen Boone. The house had fallen into a state of disrepair due to extensive damage from termites, powder post beetles, water leaks and neglect. The huge 9-month renovation task was carefully planned in order to preserve the character and charm of the home.

The home’s garden lights were taken from the first highway bridge into Beaufort which was constructed in 1927. The “Beaufort Fence” was built from recycled original porch lumber. Through continued restoration by subsequent owners, this historic home reflects its classic nineteenth century origins.

Robert and Mary Chadwick are buried in The Old Burying Ground. More history of the Chadwick House is included in Porchscapes - The Colors of Beaufort, NC