The news & observer. [volume] (Raleigh, N.C.) 1894-current, 1897-04-04
NATHANIEL MACON'S HOME
A HISTORIC COUNTRY SEAT IN
WARREN COUNTY.

Many Distinguished Guests nave Oeeh
| Entertained--The Resort of States
men and Patroits- A Noted Deer
Park, &c.
| DIR. l.. J. Picot in Littlcton News Re
pOrtCr)
Many persons still make pilgrmages
| to see the historic old country home OF
| Nathaniel Macon, the patriot and states
man of Warren county, \. c., and TO hear
the stories OF his simple, everyday life.
The quaint old house in which he often
entertained distinguished guests like John
Randolph, of Roanoke, still stands almost
as he left it, The ample fire places, re
quiring wagon load of wood to fill
| them, are unchanged. The old moss
covered house stands in a 5O-acre grove
! of lordly oaks. In shady glen there
flows Il bold, magnificent spring of pure
cold water. This is called the Buck
| Spring" and has been SO known for Il
| hundred years 1t was famous deer
stand" in the old days. and many a
goodlv buck has been killed in few
rods of it, When Mr.. Macon settled
| this farm he gave-it the name of Buck
Spring" which it still bears. He or
gained some high old hunting parties
| in this. then out OF the way place. 1t
was his often expressed opinion that
| neighbors should not live near enough
| to each other, to hear the dogs bark at
night. And he lived to this belief when
he built his home in the mddlcof Il thou
sand acres, noted for many miles around
| for II great abundance Of large game,
| especially deer.
| There are some few men in this com
munity who can remember Mr. Macon's
| deer park and the large herd of tame as
well as wild deer ii contained. The one
hundred acre park was i'll Il beautiful.
obong valley, well-watered, shady and
| fertile. producing the greatest abundance
| of tender grass. 1t was surrounded by
| n high strong fence, running along few
yards from the foot of the hill and so
| inclined inward that it was an easy leap
| for Il deer to jump inside the enclosure.
But when once within. there was no es-
cape, it being impossible for one to jump
enough to overcome the ACTIVITY of the
| hill and the height Of the fence.
| 1t was quite n common sight to see
| two large bucks engaged in furious com
! bat. the half tame fellow resenting the
| intrusion of the wild visitors to the ha-
rem. while the mild-eyed does gazed on in
| Indifferent wonder, and the speckled
| fawns friSked about like playful kittens.
| Generally the visitors proved the strong
| or, and in consequence more wild blood
| was infused into the herd.
They had food thrown about the en-
, closure in winter, and venison was al
most as common and staple an article of
| food upon Mr. Macon's table as beef
or mutton. In fact, after the building
of the fence and the capture of few
| fawns, always easy enough when they
are young, the trouble of rearing was
at an end. and they gave him not as
| much concern as a flock of sheep,
or any other of the domesticated animals
| The gambols of these graceful animals
| gave much pleasure to this old man.
great in his simplicity, during his vaca-
| ton from Congress.
| His son-in-law William Eaton, like
wise a resident of Warren county, own
err of thousands of Roanoke river low
| lands and hundreds of slaves, widely
known because of his wealth and high
| social standing. had constructed a deer
park similar to that of Mr.. Macon, except
that he only arranged that part of the
park lying next to the woodland for the
wild deer to jump in. He, too, was very
successful in his venture, and raised a
| large herd Of deer, many of them com
| ing to his call and eating from his hand.
Both of these parks were only five or six
miles from this place and often serve as
theme of discussion for the old lovers of
| the chase. A former neighbor owned a
large yard enclosed with high picket
| fence. / have seen eight or ten tame
| deer grazing around the house. 1t was
his habit to tie small bell to their necks
when he allowed them to run at large in
fields or woods so that persons would
know that they were tame and not shoot
| them.
If they were molested by dogs they
would make bee line for home. One
old doe that had been raised in the yard
produced a pair of twins every season.
| There are large bodies of woodlands
in this immediate vicinity, and deer are
quite plentiful. | notice their tracks very
often when 1 am shootin quail in the
low lands along the creeks and branches.
Farmers are very anxious to have them
shot very often because they are de-
structive to the pea fields.
During the fall season yenison is ex-
posed for sale in our markets at the
| nominal price of ten cents per pound
1t is almost as easy for Jim Reid and
Sharper kerney to kill deer as it is for
me to shoot a rabbit. They know of
all their lairs and runaways, their walks
and rambles. If John Reid could write
poetry he could tell more of q deer hunt
than you can find in the Lady of the
Lake" John delights in driving a buck
right slap over you" as he describes it.
and has often offered to serve me that