SUFFOLK, Va. — I recently visit The Obici House and got a tour from house manger Terry Tagg.
If Mr. Peanut is the icon, then Amedeo Obici is the peanut king, and this was his castle.
Watch: Suffolk celebrates 100 years of Mr. Peanut
"We have bricks that go back to the 1890s. But the house is attributed to be finished [around the] 1920s," says Tagg.
This beautiful house along the banks of the Nansemond River was the home of Amedeo Obici and his wife Louise.
The Obici story doesn’t start here in Suffolk, but in Pennsylvania. An Italian immigrant at the age of 10, Obici got his start selling fruit. He made the change to peanuts because of the longer shelf life. Obici started the Planters Nut and Chocolate Company in 1906 and later moved to Suffolk to be closer to the growers and the factory.
Now a popular wedding venue, you can still see some of the original design in the Obici house, including the 100-year-old woodwork and flooring, the original chandeliers on the first floor, and the colorful stained-glass windows. There is even an intercom system, impressive for the 1920s.
Watch related: The history of peanuts in Suffolk
"There's actually one located under his dining room table so when he is entertaining guests, if you needed a glass of wine refilled, he would just tap it with his foot and his guests would be amazed about his staff coming in so quickly," said Tagg.
The Obici House is located at Sleepy Hole Golf Course in north Suffolk.
