Historic foundation ornament features iconic Washington property

Published 6:52 pm Wednesday, December 19, 2018

Just in time for Christmas, the Washington Area Historic Foundation’s 2018 ornament has arrived.

Featuring the Jonathan Havens Moss Complex, the group of three buildings — the West Main Street service station,  a house, and the John Havens Mill which contains one of Washington’s most photographed and painted buildings, the Pamlico Rowing Club — are located just west of Stewart Parkway.

WAHF members selected the complex to be the 23^rd-annual Christmas ornament not only in an effort to preserve Washington history but to commemorate positive developments on the property for the first time in decades, according to Dee Congleton, WAHF’s vice president.

“I think it’s remarkable that all three of those structures are remaining, and they’ve all been sold and all of the buyers that bought them have a vision of what they would like to do with them,” Congleton said.

In past years, WAHF ornaments have featured structures that no longer exist in Washington, lost to demolition, such as the DeMille House, once located on Bridge Street. Prior to the Havens property being split into five parcels and sold, WAHF had concerns the complex’s structures would meet the same fate.

“When the Moss Complex came on the market, we were very concerned it would remain. The first group of buyers were going to demolish all three structures,” Congleton said. “We thought we should do this one because it may not be there.”

Long a collector’s item for Washington history buffs, it was the late Hazel Lassiter who started the ornament tradition 23 years ago, according to Congleton. Ornaments sell for $25 each and can be purchased at the North Carolina Estuarium on Water Street. At this late date, however, Congleton said ornaments can also be purchased at her home, located at 210 Water St., and at the home of WAHF secretary Dennis Vierling, at 744 W. Second St., as the Estuarium will not be open Sunday or Monday.