Historical Homes
The Blades House in New Bern, NC was built in 1903 for lumber tycoon William B. Blades Sr. Designed by local architect Herbert Woodley Simpson, the home is one of the finest examples of the Queen Anne style with Colonial Revival details in North Carolina. The Blades family was one of the architect’s first clients and he went on to gain significant notoriety in the surrounding area. The Blades House remains a New Bern architectural highlight and is known for its intricate woodwork and details both outside and inside.
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William and his brother James B. Blades moved to New Bern around 1886 and became one of the area’s wealthiest families through timber and mills. Having already established wealth in Virginia with merchandising and oyster planting along the coast, they set their sites on the lumber industry in North Carolina. The Blades are credited with making New Bern an important center of lumber milling. In 1906 William sold his principal interests in the lumber industry along with more than 200,000 acres of timber lands. At the time, his other corporations also included banking, real estate development, and insurance, among others. William and his wife Amanda had two children, William Benjamin Jr., and daughter, Ivy.
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William B. Blades, Jr. (Will) continued his father’s businesses. Baseball legend Babe Ruth often traveled from New York to North Carolina to go duck hunting with him. Will died young at 45 years old in an automobile crash near Durham, NC.
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The home was added to the National Register of Historic Places in 1972.
