Tourist Attraction
The house was once open for tours, and the plantation offered tours through March 17, 2012. The Phelps family planned to restore the grounds and add some of their own furnishings to enhance the authenticity of the tour by showcasing the splendor that was evident during the Penns' residency. Their attempts to restore the house contributed to the Phelps' bankruptcy.
Jeff Penn and his wife were both well-traveled, Penn having lived for some time in San Francisco, where he represented family tobacco interests in the East, including China. The Penns went on three world tours and amassed an extensive collection of priceless art, artifacts, and architectural pieces. Among those on display are a replica of King Tut's chair (one of only two such replicas), and a full-size Chinese pagoda. Elements of Spanish architecture and Don Quixote-related art works are plentiful.
Farmland adjoining the property is still operated as an experimental agricultural station by North Carolina State University.
The property was not an antebellum-era (pre-Civil War) farm tilled with slave labor, thus not a true "plantation."
Read more about this topic: Chinqua Penn Plantation
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