“The Old Homeplace”

Image Size: 18″ X 24″

This print frames to approximately: 26.75″ X 32.5″

Price: $50.00

About the historic art print “The Old Homeplace” of the Hobson Family

This historic art print comes form my humble beginnings of realistic landscape painting. It was my first attempt at painting a building. Boy, Have I come a long way. I painted this piece back in 1989 and wanted to sell the prints of it to raise money to restore this old historic home. Well, to be honest, I had never tried to market my work on that large scale before. I just naively thought that since I wanted to restore this house that all my friends and anyone who was related to the Hobson family would want to purchase a print and support the project. Needless to say, I was so very wrong. We did sell a few prints and were able to do some repairs to the place. Then interest faded. We have over the years tried to keep the house from going into further disrepair.

Thankfully, at the time of this writing, spring of 2019, interest in this print and the restoration project seems to be slowly coming back. All sales are greatly appreciated and we are still using all the profits from this print to keep this old house repaired. Unfortunately, the house now needs more love than we have been able to give at this time because of the medical expenses that we have incurred due to my illness and being confined to a wheelchair.

All of this being said, the following is a bit of interesting history about “The Old Homeplace.”

It all began when Stephen Hobson II and his brothers moved to Yadkin Co, NC from Alamance Co, NC in 1785.  Stephen immediately build his home here on his plantation that originally consisted of several grist mills, iron works and a plug tobacco factory.  The foundation of the tobacco factory is still partially in place about one quarter of a mile from this house.

Stephen II passed away in 1801 and was buried at Deep Creek Friends Church, here in Yadkin Co, where his grave is still marked.  Upon his death, he left full control of the estate to his wife provided that she never remarried.  Later she became involved with an evangelistic preacher the Reverend John Bond.  It is reputed that she then moved with him to Missouri.  The estate was then divided among Stephen II’s eight children with the youngest child, Stephen II, getting this house and 1,000 acres.  

Stephen III outlived four different wives with whom he raised eighteen children in this home.  After the Civil War, Stephen and part of his family moved to California due to severe economic times.  The house and property was then sold to his distant relatives, the Fleming Family.  The property remained in their family until hard times hit hit once again.  The house and property was then purchased at auction in 1960 by a descendant of Stephen III, my father-in-law, Clay Hobson and his wife.  After their passing, the house and land was passed down to their son Felix and Me.  It is our hopes that we will still someday be able to restore this old home to it’s former glory.