Collection Timeline

1590 to Unkown

1590
White Debry 1590 Map of the Carolinas

1657
The south part of Virginia, now the north part of Carolina; map created by Nicholas Comberford, 1657

1810
The Vanns hired enslaved people to labor for them. A woman named Sara was hired in 1810 by John Vann for one year. She was “to have a blanket and be kept in good warm clothing and returned in the same and one blanket”.
Figure 5. List of births located on loose pages in the John Vann Papers at the North Carolina State Archives. They include birthdates for people born in captivity on the Vann plantation in the 1810s and 1820s.

1834
1834 Map of Winton

1840
A note dating to around the 1840s about selling 45 cords of pine from the Vann plantations to Joseph Jordan. Helps provide an idea of the different economic activities that occurred across plantations.

1850
Hiring Accounting Page
A page from John Vann’s mid-19th century account book records the births of enslaved children alongside everyday plantation transactions. These entries—brief, often fragmented—trace the lives of women like Celia, Cinthia, and Cherry, whose children were born into bondage.
Page documenting the work of two individuals named Peter and Ben on the remodeling of the house likely dating to the early 1850s when the house seems to have been rebuilt. This document gives insight into the types of labor on the Vann plantation.
A note describing how oat cultivation was damaged by a storm. Likely addressed to another enslaver because it refers to ‘a boy’ that Vann is keeping a bit longer because of the storm. I would date to the 1850s.

1851
This 1851 estate division record details the distribution of approximately forty enslaved people from the Vann plantation among John Vann’s heirs, dividing them into six shares. The document lists individuals by age and sex, and their monetary value.
A detailed account of hog production and consumption on the Vann plantation from the 1850s to the 1880s, tracking pounds of pork killed, sold, salted, and kept—offering a vivid picture of how livestock shaped both business and daily life.

1853
From 1853 to 1855, John. A. Vann hired a man named Peter for two summers’ duty from Lawrence Eley for $45. In addition to stipulating the term of his labor, it also established that Peter must have with him a hat and blanket.

1855
The Vanns routinely hired out the people they enslaved. On this page, John A. Vann listed the amount of hires, and who he hired to.

1857
In April 1857, a boy named Tobe Lang “commenced work” on the Vann plantation. John Vann had hired him from Joseph Lang at a rate of $3.25 a month. Tobe labored through the spring, but on July 20 he left the fields to go to school. A few weeks later, on August 13, he returned to work, staying for three more months. Vann’s notes record the cash he sent for Tobe’s wages, including $1.25 for clothing. On September 26, Tobe departed for good, after four and a half months of labor that year (John Vann Papers, 1841).

1861
A store account from 1861 between John A. Vann and J. Anderson, listing everyday purchases like food, tools, and household goods—offering a window into the rhythms of plantation life and the kinds of items people relied on.

1865
All of the sharecropper accounts are from post emancipation/post Civil War (1865). Notice the titles “Bedford of Vann” (the possessive). These accounts provide insights into the lives of the formerly enslaved people at the Vann plantation (for example, their diet and work).

1879
Winton Town Plan and Lot Deeds, 1819-1879

1938
The Vann Family History

1954
1954 Town of Winton Map

1981
Map of the cemetery and tombstones at the Vann Family Cemeter. Part of the Carolina Archeological Services Cultural and Environmental Study of the Proposed Winton Spray Irrigation Facilty in 1981.
Map of the proposed spray irrigation facilities construction area at the Vann Farmstead. Part of the Carolina Archeological Services Cultural and Environmental Study of the Proposed Winton Spray Irrigation Facilty in 1981.
Map of the proposed spray irrigation facilities construction area at the Vann Farmstead. Part of the Carolina Archeological Services Cultural and Environmental Study of the Proposed Winton Spray Irrigation Facilty in 1981.
Vann Farmstead Environmental Survey 1981

1999
Map of the proposed prison site from a Department of Justice Environmental Impact Report

2023
A photo of RCI, taken from the Vann Cemetery.
Stop sign located at Parker’s Ferry on the Chowan River, less than a mile from the RCI property. 
Tombstones of John Vann and his wife, Nancy Cross, with the prison watchtower to the rear. The prison watchtower casts a shadow on the landscape of the nine-tombstone plantation-era cemetery connected to the main road by a narrow dirt and gravel road.
Rear view of the tombstones of John A. Vann (1822-1902) and Martha A. Vann (1831-1920)
Tombstone of Henry Vann Rhodes Sr. (1924-2011)
Tombstone of Sallie W. (1858-1915), wife of Henry B. Vann, engraved with "Thy trials ended, thy rest is won"
Tombstones of William Judson (1857-1934) and Sallie R. Vann (1863-1940)
Tombstone of Robert Lee Vann (1868-1890), son of Martha Vann
Tombstone of Harriet L. Vann
Tombstone of Edward Shaw, the southernmost grave in the cemetery.
Stone foundation of what is likely the original Vann house.
Video of Vann cemetery
Image of forest, soy field, and lawn adjacent to RCI
Video of forest, soy field and lawn adjacent to RCI
View of the fenced exterior and RCI building with its watchtower in the distance
GEO Group sign that forbids trespassing and designates the area as private property
View from "Justice Dr," the road that passes in front of the entrance to the Rivers Correctional Institution that was operating from 2001 to 2021.
American flagpole located on the grounds of RCI
The blue street sign with "Justice Dr" sits across from the gated RCI facility and watchtower.
Front entrance to Rivers Correctional Institution, a navy blue and gray concrete prison building in unincorporated Hertford County, North Carolina
View of the fenced exterior and RCI building with its watchtower in the distance.
Notice located at the front entrance to RCI that reads: Law Enforcement Officers contact vehicle sallyport for firearms security instructions. No firearms, ammunition, destructivee device, weapons, narcotic drugs, controlled substances, ccell phones, tobacco, alcohol allowed beyond this point. All persons are subject to searches of their persons and property. Violations may result in a fine and/or imprisonment. [Repeated in Spanish]
Signs posted on the front entrance to RCI that direct FedEx and UPS deliveries to the side door, prohibit cell phone use, and provide a number to call in case of emergency.

Unkown
Undated photo of the Vann Family House.