Col. Jack Martin completed building of his Rock Home round 1785, after his outstanding service within the Revolutionary Warfare.
PINNACLE — Positioned on a winding nation highway, about midway between Danbury and Pilot Mountain, sits the historic Col. Jack Martin Rock Home.
John “Jack” Martin was born in Essex County, Virginia, in 1756, and died within the acreage round his home in 1822. It’s believed, although not confirmed, that he died whereas preventing a hearth on the home.
At one time Col. Martin owned greater than 7,100 acres of land in Stokes County.The Stokes County Historic Society owns the property now, and new signage must be added to provide among the historical past to assist onlookers in understanding what they’re taking a look at. The signal there has little or no info aside from an inventory of Martin’s youngsters.
John “Jack” was a lieutenant within the Revolutionary Warfare however was identified regionally as a “Colonel” within the native militia. (Which makes me marvel if he ran with the Swamp Fox, Francis Marion.) Martin really served within the native militia within the French and Indian Warfare previous to the Revolution. Martin was a member of the celebration that rescued Col. William Cleveland when the Tories captured Cleveland. Later he fought with Colonel William Davidson from Western North Carolina to rout a band of loyalists. In October 1780, the “Overmountain Males” marched to King’s Mountain, Martin was performing as a scout when he was wounded and left for useless. Martin recovered and rejoined his firm after the battle at King’s Mountain and was in a position to be part of Basic Nathaniel Greene on the Battle of Guilford Courthouse in March 1781. Martin was wounded no less than two extra occasions whereas preventing the British and did rise to the rank of militia colonel in 1799. He served within the N.C. Home and was a Stokes County Justice of the Peace/decide for greater than 30 years.
He married Nancy Shipp in 1784 and completed constructing the Rock Home in regards to the time of his marriage. They’d 10 youngsters, 9 dwelling to maturity. He and Nancy, and their youngest son William Gilliam Martin, are buried in a cemetery close to the home. (William has no seen tombstone.)
The home initially was 4 tales tall with three-foot-thick partitions, and was initially lined in white stucco. The fireside within the basement was massive sufficient to carry an ox. You possibly can nonetheless see remnants of that hearth, although a lot has been dilapidated attributable to hearth and vandalism.
It was fascinating to go to this home that dates again to a American militia rallying level in the course of the Revolutionary Warfare. As a result of Martin was an officer within the America militia, it begs the query, did Alexander Hamilton come by right here? Did Basic Greene or Basic Cornwallis draw blood on that very floor? There isn’t a document that it occurred, however is a neat thought, nonetheless.
The Rock Home is within the means of being restored and is at present surrounded by a tall steel fence. You possibly can nonetheless stroll all the best way round and see it nicely.
The Stokes County Historic Society web site additionally has nice info on Col. Martin and the home.
Standing there on that historic floor this week, a number of occasions got here to thoughts; The Inventory Market Crash of 1929, the Titanic sinking in 1912, the signing of The Declaration of Independence in 1977, the invention of the airplane in 1903, and Stokes County itself shaped in 1789. What do all these occasions have in frequent? This home was right here earlier than all of them.
Enterprise out in Stokes County; historical past is in all places. Y’all watch out on the market!
