Somerset

… plantation of Josiah Collins on Lake Phelps in Washington and Tyrrell Counties, developed between 1780 and 1788. At one time the plantation comprised more than 100,000 acres, 880 slaves, and about 20 buildings. The main house, Somerset Place, was built about 1830. The estate was abandoned and ruined before the end of the Civil War, and the property passed through various owners before it was sold at public auction in 1946. The state previously had purchased the mansion house and 16,628 acres in 1939. Somerset House has been restored and is open to the public as a State Historic Site. See also Pettigrew State Park.