In the months immediately preceding the Civil War, the North Carolina Legislature passed a bill that extended Williamston’s town limits to a tract of land west of the riverfront community and stretching to the Roanoke River.
Known since 1857 as New Town (or, Elmington), this area was originally cleared and developed on higher ground above the Roanoke’s flood plain where Williamston was located. Elder C.B. Hassel created the town’s first development there and was a force in getting the town boundary extended to facilitate the sale of lots.
In 1895, John Biggs, Sr. bought a parcel of land in “New Town” on which he built a home on the southeast corner of South Biggs and Ray Streets. By 1902, with Williamston’s population at a historic high of 912 residents, John Biggs, Sr. transferred a portion of his land on the southwest corner of So. Biggs and Ray Streets to his son, John Dawson Biggs, Jr. John Dawson and his wife Lucy (nee Dunn) started construction that year and moved into their Queen Anne Victorian in 1903.
Though trained as a dentist, John Dawson Biggs only practiced dentistry for a few years before changing careers and entering the banking business. He was the major stockholder when the Farmers and Merchants Bank was incorporated in 1905, and served as the bank president for many years.
In 1934, the Biggs sold the house to attorney Robert Lee Coburn (1895-1973) and his wife Martha (Harrison) Coburn (1905-1986). After attorney Coburn’s death, their son, Robert (Bobby) Coburn, Jr., added a small first-floor wing where he cared for his mother until she passed.
In 1990, Bobby Coburn sold the house to Millard (Buddy) and Frances Sumner. The Sumner’s not only refurbished the kitchen area, but also made a positive contribution to the landscaping that you can enjoy today.
The next owners, Victor and Pauletta Borchardt, bred and trained internationally acclaimed Irish Setters during their tenure.
Matthew and Aline Shulman purchased the home in 2003. They extended the first floor wing and added a full bathroom to accommodate Matthew’s father, Dr. Bernard Shulman, until he passed away. During this time they decided to operate a bed and breakfast within the home adding one more bathroom and opened two bedrooms upstairs to guests.
Dottie DiTomaso purchased the house from the Shulman’s in 2006, and is continuing operation of the bed and breakfast. She occupies the added wing for her personal living quarters and has converted four of the rooms in the house as guestrooms. The dining room and kitchen have been converted to a small commercial restaurant.
The Queen Anne style, rich and varied in ornamentation and form, was wildly popular after its American introduction at the 1876 Exposition in Philadelphia. If any one phrase can describe the elaborate style it's "the more fanciful, the better." In Martin County, where the tobacco driven economy was booming at the turn of the century, this style coincided with the economic exuberance of the times.
Queen Anne style houses are composed of a number of parts, including towers, dormers, bay windows, and corbelled chimneys. Wall surfaces such as coursed shingles, clapboards, and inset panels of sawn wooden ornament are combined with irregular roof lines and decorative wrap-around porches. Windows may include small square or diamond panes, and the more typically 
2/2 double-hung sash.
The Biggs-Coburn house (as it is known today) features polygonal 2-story bay windows crowned by pediment gables to simulate towers. The downstairs features pressed tin ceilings, three fireplaces and inlaid heart-wood floors. The formal dining room even has its own column-framed stage in front of which guests enjoyed refreshments during social declamations.
The light and airy garden cottage on the first floor overlooks the Jasmine Garden. A wraparound formal front split staircase leads to the Coburn Room, the 500+ square foot Biggs Suite and the White Camellia Room. All offer modern amenities housed in (what we hope are) tasteful settings.
Though fully modernized with central air, heating and FEMA-compliant safety features, these have been installed discreetly and do not minimize the charm of an era long passed.
