Wilmington journal. [volume] (Wilmington, N.C.) 1844-1895, 1874-05-01

"A correspondent OF the LlinDefGOn
RoJe8onion, in a well written letter
about Baden county, after describing
Elizabethtown, says:
We had the pleasure of accompany
ing Messrs. Thomas F6rman and Dun
can Cromartie to BrOmptOn, the an
cient palace of Governor Gabriel John
ston.
If any history of the place has ever
been published we have never seen it
An interesting communication appear
ed about twenty years ago in the Fay
ettevillo ObscrrcT, written by James
Banks, Esq, who simply published
hood, respecting this interesting
locality.
Gabriel Johnston was appointed
Governor of the province in 1854, and
took the oath of office at Oil Brunswick.
He resided here in 1736.
Brompton is situated about three
and half miles above Elizabethtown,
on the west side of the Cape Fear,
and on the southern bank of Bakers
Creek, in one of the most romantic
spots in Eastern North Carolina. The
palace was intended to be of great
size. The arch facing the river
spanned about one hundred and fifty
feet. Only two wings of the palace
were completed, and these, together
with all the combustible material in
the main building, were consumed by
fire many years ago. The ancit Mt pal
ace well, originally ninety feet deep,
is situated on the northern slope of
the hill. Across an islmense ravine on
the south side are seen the rocks
which We're the foundation of a silk
house, built by Governor Johnston,
who, tradition says, was the first to
introduce the EuglIsh mulberry into
America. The palace road from the
West is lined With large mulberries,
all of which are now dead.
Governor Johnston was a Scotch
physician, an able polite Il writer, and
to his influence is due in some degree
at least the immigration of the High
landers to the Cape Fear. His admin
istration of nearly eighteen years is
marked by rapid increase in the pop
ulation and wealth Of the colony. Why
he abandoned the palace at Brompton
tradition is silent.
Some few points can be gathered of
the history of this place from tie case
of Norman VS.. Fitzrandulph in North
Ca1 DINA Term reports.
Immediately west OF the palace ran
the "King's Road, along which p lssed
Lord Corvallis army in April, 1871,
1t was here that Lieutenant Colonel
Wilson Webster die Il white the wagon
was ascending the hill ncf,r the palace.
H. had be- en- wounded at G1lilfo-d
Court House on 18th of March.
The present proprietor OF Brompton
Is Thomas Norman. Esq. to whose
kindness we are indebted for the
pleasure of this visit.
At tie time of the Governors resi-
dence here the Bladen Court House
stood in what is now the plantation of
Hon. = ID. Mcdowell, about one mile
south of Arompton.
It is remarkable that so little effort
has been made To preserve the colonial
and revolutionary history of the Cape
Fear region Graham, Hawks, Swa' n,
Wheeler, CAruthers, Foot>, and 9TH
ers, have detailed principally the
events that occurred in Western North
Carolina. The history of this region
when written will be full of thrilling
events Traditions are fading fast,
the past will soon be forgotten aud no
one has patriotism enough to ''gather
the fragments that remain
We cannot take leave of Baden with
out mentioning the universal hospital
ity among the citizens 1t is said that
there is no instance from the earliest
times to the present, of Il person hav-
ing to pay for nights lodging, except
at "a public house Many of the estates
along the river are laid off in square
miles and in several instances are
held by the fifth generation OF the
family of the original proprietor. We
will close our article by reminding the
reader that old Bladen once was
bounded on the East by New Hanover
and on the Wnst by the Pacific ocean,
aud embraced within It's limits ter
ritcry now occupied by South Carroll
ma, Georgia, Alabama, Mississippi,
Arkansas, Texas, New Mexico and Cal
ifornia."