Welcome to Riddick Town
“My grandaddy’s childhood friend said, “Noah, why don’t you just sell the land?” and my grandaddy said, “No, John. I want to leave the youngins something.”” — Lydia Whitley, Family Historian
Homecoming is a land justice project that focuses on the experience of a Black Southern family, the Riddick Family, navigating the challenges of stewarding heirs property.
Heirs’ property is a term often intertwined with the legacy of Black and Indigenous land ownership and land loss in the South. Sitting on over 30 acres of land purchased by sharecroppers Noah & Annie Riddick in 1965 in Pantego, North Carolina—that we call “Riddick Town”—we are claiming our inheritance to preserve our ancestral land.
Our Vision
Our goals for this effort are:
Building a hub for local economic development and environmental justice on over 30 acres of legacy farmland
The Land will serve as a hub to support the region in building skills and strategies to be prepared for the future of changing landscapes in the South.
Land reclamation and historic preservation
Reclamation and preservation of family forest and game land, ensuring it remains under the stewardship of our native Eastern North Carolina family, which dates back to free people of color in Hyde County, NC. Every plan will honor our ancestors’ sharecropping legacy, including a archive of images, oral histories and artifacts that trace our lineage over time.
Narrative shifting and creating heirs’ property stewardship resources
We will shift the narrative of heirs’ property ownership within the South and amplify the struggles and opportunities that shared ownership can bring. This effort will serve as a resource for other families navigating heirs’ property in the future.
We are the Noah & Annie Riddick Heirs.
We are the descendants of Noah Chapman Riddick (1904) and Annie Mae Boomer Riddick (1909). They were a hard working family of sharecroppers and descendants of enslaved Black people in Beaufort and Hyde County North Carolina.
On December 18th, 1965, Noah & Annie signed a deed of trust to eventually become owners of the land that we now call “Riddick Town”. This land was held in common by their eight children, who have since transitioned, and their descendants now stand as the holders of this rich legacy.
Cleophus Heirs
Gerald Lee Heirs
Doris Heirs
Berlie Heirs
Margie Heirs
Charlie Heirs
Aulander Heirs
Clearthur Heirs
photos by Cornell Watson from the Noah & Annie Riddick Heirs Archive
*Heir photos are representatives of each of the original 8. Not all heirs are pictured above.
Get in touch with us
Interested in learning more about our efforts or partnering on a project? Reach out to us and let’s be in conversation.
