A Sunday afternoon fire has destroyed a Garner home that has been standing for at least two centuries.
Authorities said the Garner Fire Department responded to the fire at 4412 Wilmington Road at about 4:30 p.m.
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The homeowners said the house has been standing for more than 200 years and is known in the community as the "Big House."
"This property is very valuable. It's been in the home for a good many years, at least 200. We've all lived here at one time or another and, to see it on the ground like it is now, it's a hurting thing," homeowner Wallace Bass said.
The house had been passed down through six generations of the same family, but by 6 p.m. Sunday, it was a total loss.
"It's more valuable than money, than anything, because it's something that is tangible that our family handed down from generation to generation. The Bible talks about leaving a legacy for your children, leaving an inheritance, and that's what they did," said family member Barbara Bunch Mitchell.
The home represented love, community and ownership, which is something African-American families in the 1800s would have considered a badge of pride and honor.
"We're from a family of hard workers. We know the meaning of the word work and it's important for us to carry that on and to know that our parents and grandparents worked that hard to achieve the things they got out of life," Bass said.
Authorities were working to determine the cause of the fire Sunday evening, but said nobody was home when the fire started.