109 W Ridgeway St, Warrenton, NC 27589

This home has lots of history! The original house was built around 1830 and underwent major renovation in the 1920/30’s with contemporary updates made in 2004. Originally the home of a well known carriage maker, William Bobbitt, the home was purchased by Louise Jones, widowed by the Civil War, in 1865 as a home for herself and her daughter. Here, she began a “young lady’s school.” She soon garnered the attention of Captain Pendleton and they were married. The Pendleton’s had three children, Katherine being the only daughter. Katherine married Peter Arrington and they spent their time in New York and traveling the world for Mr Arrington’s work in the tobacco industry. Upon Mr Arrington’s untimely death, Katherine returned to her childhood home where she became an advocate for architectural preservation and the arts. Miss Kate, as she is fondly known, was a founder of the NC Art Society, which preceded the establishment of the NC Museum of Art. She sat on the Board of Trustees for UNC and donated several statues and artworks to the University. Many Warren County architectural elements were rescued by Miss Kate and are incorporated into the 1920/30 renovations. Miss Kate’s love of art extended to the outdoors and she commissioned a formal garden be designed and built by Charles Gillettte, a famous Southern Landscape Architect of the era. The central focal point of the garden was a fountain featuring one of a limited number of “Frog Baby”, a bronze fountain designed by artist Edith Parsons. Sadly, the fountain was sold, along with other estate items, when the last family member left the home in the mid 1960’s. Miss Kate was a pillar of the community organizing the making of clothing for local children during the depression, spearheading the Red Cross efforts in Warren County during WW II, and being an active member of the Episcopal Church. After the last family member left the home, it went through many owners and uses...family home, apartments, bed and breakfast, sitting empty...until 2004 when it returned to being a family home and received updated plumbing, wiring, HVAC, and a raised brick foundation. With new owners in 2014, the formal garden brick wall was rebuilt and antique columns gathered from salvage/antique stores to rebuild the accompanying arbor as pictured in a 1936 photograph in a WPA photography project. Bringing the house and lawn back to the beauty of its original design is an ongoing labor of love ready to be passed on to a new family. Situated in walking distance of four churches and the many commercial offerings of Warrenton’s quaint downtown, this home transports you back to a simpler time of walking where you need to go and to knowing your neighbors. You could not ask for a more wonderful home or a more hospitable town to call home.