Belvidere National Register Rural Historic District

Perquimans' history is woven closely with the rich heritage of the Society of Friends, or Quakers. With deep Quaker roots dating to the 1670s, the Belvidere National Register Historic District is a centerpiece of the rich Quaker history. Take time to savor a drive through the pristine agricultural setting and by the Friends meetinghouses-Piney Woods and Upriver Friends.

A centerpiece for the community for over 100 years is the Josiah Nicholson Jr. Store, today known as Layden's Store. On your drive through the Belvidere Historic District, stop at Layden's for some hand-stuffed sausage, hoop cheese and a taste of a time gone by.

Belvidere's Piney Woods Friends Meeting is the successor to this first Friends Meeting, dating back to 1854, making it the oldest religious congregation in North Carolina. Belvidere remains predominantly Quaker today.

Thomas Newby, a prominent Quaker merchant, was instrumental in Belvidere's eighteenth century growth. Newby was one of the first North Carolinians to make public the issue of slave emancipation. The community was named for his plantation home, Belvidere, built in 1785. The impressive house stands today and was the home of the radio personality Robert W. "Wolfman Jack" Smith.

The Quakers' strong educational principals were realized with the establishment of Belvidere Academy in 1834. It remained an influential Quaker school in the region until it became a public school in 1914. A fire destroyed the building in 1935.

The beautiful Queen Anne style houses still standing in Belvidere reflect the prosperity of the community in the mid-nineteenth century. As the community prospered, construction boomed. The 1870 Elihu White House is a good illustration of these Belvidere houses.