Sloop Point Plantation Sloop Point Plantation, located in
eastern Pender County, was constructed around 1726, making it
the oldest surviving house in North Carolina. John Baptista Ashe
acquired a land grant including an estimated 1,000 acres,
extending across what is today U.S. 17 to the Intracoastal
Waterway. The name derived from an early shipyard and port that
served as a center for sloops arriving in the region from other
colonies, the Caribbean, and England. The sloops made landfall
at the plantation. A single broad roof of long rafters
integrates the piazza into the main room structure of the house,
a feature typical of the Caribbean trading areas. Between two
interior fireplaces serviced by one large chimney, twin doors
lead to an outside porch. The doors swing in and out from the
corners of the fireplaces in such a way that one room at a time
opens to the porch. When fastened at an angle, the doors provide
a passageway from room to room. Another unusual feature of the
house is its ingenious cooling sy