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The origin of Patterson School
Often I reprint articles that have been written by others. When I know the original writer, I am very happy to give credit to that person. Today I am reprinting an article about "Palmyra," the plantation that is now Patterson School. Some of the material is written in first person, but I do not know to whom to give credit. "The first mention of Palmyra that I have been able to find is in a letter from Mrs. Israel Pickens (Martha Lenoir) whose husband had moved to Alabama where he became governor. She and Mrs. Edmund Jones were sisters. The letter is from Washington and dated Jan. 10, 1815. "The house was built by Col. Edmund Jones. General Lenoir gave the land on which Palmyra was built to his daughter, Ann, for a wedding gift. The home built by General Jones was a square building of red brick with a small porch in front. He was a member of the State Legislature. He led an active and patriotic life for his state during his almost continuous service in the Legislature from 1798 until 1838. He died in 1844, his wife, a few years earlier. "After the death of General and Mrs. Jones, Palmyra was inherited by Edmund, the youngest and only surviving son, who had married his cousin, Sophia Davenport, and built 'Clover Hill.' General Jones' daughter, Mrs. Samuel Patterson (Phoebe Caroline) who was then living in Wilkesboro inherited from her father's estate, lands in Mississippi. Brother and sister were devoted to each other, and in order to live near together, Edmund gave his sister Palmyra, taking in exchange the lands in Mississippi. Others say the place was bought outright by General Patterson because his wife wanted her old home. A letter says: 'In 1851-52 General and Mrs. Patterson remodeled and enlarged the old place, adding the East and West wing, the dining room with its pantries and the large room above with its closets. The large staircase was built in the hall between the parlor and dining room, and a small staircase runs up from the 'dark room' in the center of the house. These improvements were made in contemplation of the marriage of the eldest son, Rufus, to Marie Louise, fourth daughter of Governor and Mrs. Morehead. The room over the dining room was built especially for the bedroom of the bridal couple.' Mrs. Patterson was a woman of great charm and was an expert on flowers and plants. "'The Biographical History of North Carolina' says of General Samuel Finley Patterson, that 'he was born in Rockbridge County, Virginia, on March 11, 1799, and at the age of fifteen was induced by his uncle, Major John Finley, to remove to Wilkesboro, NC, where he was employed as a clerk in the store of Waugh and Finley until he attained his majority in 1821. "'In 1828 and 1829 he was Junior Grand Warden of the Grand Lodge of Masons of the state and in 1830 and 1831 Deputy Grand Warden Master; in 1833 and 1834 he was Grand Master, and no one in the state was more highly esteemed by his fellow Masons. His career had been one of unvaried success and good fortune. His association with the public men who during the fifteen years of his connection with the Legislature had been members of the General Assembly had won from him their confidence and esteem, and his promptness, fidelity, and integrity had made a most favorable impression through out the state. Having begun business on his own account upon living the employment of his uncle, he had no successfully managed his affairs that he enjoyed the reputation of being an excellent financier and business man. At the General Assembly of 1835, although he was a strong opponent of the policies of General Jackson, and the Legislature was largely composed of the friends of General Jackson, he was elected public treasurer of the State, succeeding William S. Moon. He held this position for the years, part of the same time likewise discharging the duties of president of the Bank of the State, and adding to his reputation as one of the best financiers of NC. But in 1837 he retired from office and returned to the business in Wilkesboro. In 1840, three days in June had been devoted to festivities celebrating the completion of the Capitol and of the Raleigh and Gaston Railroad, and that year Mr. Patterson, who was an early promoter of internal improvements and an able financier, was elected president of that, the first railroad completed in the State, and he moved to Raleigh so as to discharge the duties of that office. In 1845, however, his father-in-law, General Jones died, and Mr. Patterson resigned his position as president of the Railroad Company and returned to the Yadkin Valley, intending to devote the remainder of his life to his farming interests. Largely through his influence, in 1841, Caldwell County had been erected out of portions of Burke and Wilkes, and Mr. Patterson's home, known as Palmyra, was in the new county. Immediately on his return to Caldwell County, he was elected chairman of the Court of Pleases and Quarter Sessions, having the management of all the internal affairs of the county, and he held this office until the old system of county court was abolished by the constitution of 1868." Palmyra later became Patterson School, with was an Episcopal Church school for many years. The school still exists as a private school. John O. Hawkins is a native of Caldwell County with an interest in local history. He resides in Buffalo Cove.
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