Carrie Talton, third from left, greets visitors attending the Sunday, Dec. open house for her family’s new business venture, The Southerland-Burnette House, an historic event venue and tea room. The venue will host small weddings, receptions, luncheons, dinners, weddings and baby showers and bridal portraits (Steve Herring|mountolivetribune.com)
The Southerland-Burnette House, built around 1870, is listed in the National Register of Historic Places. It is where Keven and Carrie Talton held their wedding reception in 1996. The Taltons and family now own the house that will be the site of their new business, The Southernland-Burnette House,an historic event venue and tea room (Steve Herring|mountolivetribune.com)
Those attending the Sunday, Dec. 4, open house for The Southernland-Burnette House were treated to refreshments and an opportunity to tour the historic and festively decorated house (Steve Herring|mountolivetribune.com)
Emily Farmer, fourth from left, greets visitors who attended the Sunday, Dec. 4, open house for The Southernland-Burnette House, an historic event venue and tea room. Farmer, her husband Bill, far right, and their daughter, Carrie Talton, third from left, welcomed people to the event (Steve Herring|mountolivetribune.com)
It was nearly 30 years ago that Carrie and Kenny Talton enjoyed a perfect ending to their wedding with a reception at the historic Southerland-Burnette House.
Listed in the National Register of Historic Places, the house has held a special place in the Taltons’ hearts ever since.
It is a feeling that the Taltons hope others can experience through their new business venture, The Southerland–Burnette House, a historic event venue and tea room.
The Taltons were married in 1996 and wanted a reception venue that was unique and special — they found both in the Southerland-Burnette House.
Sunday, Dec. 4, the Taltons and their family hosted an open house at the festively decorated house located at 201 N. Chestnut St.
“Kenny and I, we had our wedding reception here 27 years ago, and some of our family owned the house at the time, Linda and Charles Turner,” Carrie Talton said. “We loved the house. We just thought it was so beautiful, and we asked if we could have our wedding reception there, and they were gracious enough to say yes, we could.
“Then we moved two doors down from the house. We walk to church, and as we walk to church we pass by the house, so it’s very special to us.”
The Taltons and family were able to acquire the house in September 2021 with the plans of making it into a special events venue for small weddings, receptions, luncheons, dinners, weddings and baby showers and bridal portraits.
“We’re excited to offer all of that, and we will have teas on Wednesdays at 11 and 3,” she said. “That will be exciting, too.”
The house was in good shape when they acquired it so not a lot had to be done to prepare it for its new life as a special events venue, she said.
Some of the work included landscaping.
“We wanted to offer the house,” Talton said. “We wanted to share it because it is such a part of our history here in Mount Olive. We just wanted people to kind of learn more about it, and then be able to have their special event here, too.”
It is a team effort that includes family and friends, Talton said.
“So it’s definitely been a family affair, and with the help of everybody we’ve been able to present it today,” she said. “We look forward to being hopefully a bright spot in the town and help the town remember our history a little bit and then offer something and somewhere special to have occasions.”
It is a unique venue to the town, but Talton said she hopes to offer it to the surrounding areas, including Goldsboro and Duplin and Sampson counties.
“We want to offer a vintage-type set with some vintage pieces, and our showers that we’ve had here we added a special touch to those,” she said. “We include the china and the serving pieces and the linens and that type of thing.
“We have had some events here and then we have some scheduled in the New Year as well, but we have space and room for more.”
The grounds are available for events as well.
Talton and her mother, Emily Farmer, are handling the scheduling. Her husband, Kenny Talton, who also is the mayor of Mount Olive, helps with yard and house maintenance.
Her mother’s sisters, Carolyn Withers and Patricia Turnage, have been “just invaluable” when it comes to preparing the food, she said.
“We are able to prepare some foods here, for teas,” Talon said. “So they will be helping on Wednesdays with the teas.”
The original house was built in 1874 by Joseph Shine of Duplin County.
When he moved to Mount Olive, Shine purchased the entire block where the house was built, Talton said.
He was friends with R.J. Southerland. The Shines did not have any children and when they died they bequeathed the house to Southerland’s children.
Ben Southerland and his wife ended up with the house and renovated it in Classical Revival style, she said.
“What you see now is what Ben and his wife, how they remodeled it,” Talton said. “That was in the early 1920s.”
It has been a labor of love to get the business up and running, she said.
“Like I said, we’ve always loved this house,” Talton said. “With Kenny and I having our wedding reception here, it’s just… it’s been very nice to be able to see other people enjoy it the way we enjoyed it.
“So, we want to offer these special services to all kinds of groups who want to come. Just contact us and we will be glad to help them. Remember our tea services on Wednesday and just just check out our website so you can see what other services we offer.”
For more information, contact Talton on Facebook at Southerland Burnette House; Instagram at sbhhomeandevents; online at www.sbhevents.wordpress.com; send email to sbheventsmo@gmail.com; or call 919-299-4491.
