This report was written on April 5, 1983
1. Name and location of the property: The property known as the Query-Spivey-McGee Building is located at the corner of College and Stonewall Streets in Charlotte, North Carolina.
2. Name, address, and telephone number of the present owner and occupant of the property: The present owner of the property is:
Mr. and Mrs. Maurice H. Wilson, Jr.
3929 Kitley Place
Charlotte, North Carolina 28210
Telephone: (704) 552-1268
3. Representative photographs of the property: This report contains representative photographs of the property.
4. A map depicting the location of the property: This report contains a map which depicts the location of the property.
5. Current Deed Book Reference to the property: The most recent deed to this property is listed in Mecklenburg County Deed Book 4037 at page 115. The Tax Parcel Number of the property is: 125-121-01.
6. A brief historical sketch of the property: This report contains a brief historical sketch of the property prepared by Dr. William H. Huffman.
7. A brief architectural description of the property: This report contains an architectural description of the property prepared by Thomas W. Hanchett.
8. Documentation of why and in what ways the property meets the criteria set forth in N.C.G.S. 160A-399.4:
a. Special significance in terms of its history, architecture, and/or cultural importance: The Commission judges that the property known as the Query-Spivey-McGee Building does possess special significance in terms of Charlotte-Mecklenburg. The Commission bases its judgment on the following considerations: 1) the building, constructed in three stages between 1902 and 1914, is the only remnant of a substantial commercial district which existed on South College Street at the turn of the century; 2) the building represents a type of brick and beam commercial architecture which was once common in Charlotte but is now rare; 3) the building has served as a hardware and feed store for many years; 4) the building is substantially unchanged from its early appearance.
b. Integrity of design, setting, workmanship, materials, feeling and/or association: The Commission contends that the attached architectural description by Mr. Thomas W. Hanchett demonstrates that the Query-Spivey-McGee Building meets this criterion.
9. Ad Valorem Tax Appraisal: The Commission is aware that designation would allow the owner to apply for an automatic deferral of 50% of the Ad Valorem taxes on all or any portion of the property which becomes “historic property.” The current appraised value of the .506 acres of land is $154, 350. The current appraised value of the building is $51,430. The total current appraised value is $205,780. The property is zoned B3.
Date of Preparation of this Report: April 5, 1983
Prepared by: Dr. Dan L. Morrill, Director
Charlotte-Mecklenburg Historic Properties Commission
218 North Tryon Street
Charlotte, North Carolina 28202
Telephone: (704) 376-9115
Dr. William H. Huffman
The Query, Spivey and McGee Company building at the corner of College and Stonewall Streets in Charlotte has played an interesting, and changing, role in the industrial and commercial life of Charlotte. Since its origins in the early twentieth-century, it has seen some great changes in its surroundings while retaining much of its own early character. At the turn of the century, South College Street ended at Stonewall, and East Stonewall only extended one block from South Tryon Street to College, ending at the large rock quarry. Tryon and its immediate side streets, including Stonewall, were mostly residences, some quite large. At the corners of Tryon and Stonewall were St. Mary’s Seminary on the northeast and a fine house on the southeast, owned by Christian Valaer. Just behind Mr. Valaer’s home was the Porter Brewing Company, and next along Stonewall at the end of the block was the Allen and Hunter Planing Mill.1 William H. Allen (1870-1964) had bought the property, which measured about 145 feet on Stonewall and went back to the old A.T.& O.R.R. (Atlantic, Tennessee and Ohio, later Southern) tracks, from Cornelius McNelis (1847-1930), a native of Ireland who was in the real estate business in the city. Mr. Allen’s partner, Joseph Nick Hunter (1859-1945) was involved in a number of businesses in the city, including groceries and a onetime partnership in the Tidal Wave Saloon at 16 North Tryon. Hunter, who had bought the land from Allen in 1900, sold the property to Charles A. Black (1860-1950) in 1902.
It was during Mr. Black’s ownership that the location was changed to a different use to meet another need of the early twentieth-century community: he built a wood-frame livery stable which encompassed the area of the present Faison Building at 122 E. Stonewall and about one-fourth of the Query, Spivey and McGee building.4 Apparently drayage was a profitable business in the growing community, since less than three years after starting with livery at the location, Charles Black sold off sixty-five feet of his Stonewall property (the present Faison location)5 and built a new brick livery stable running the entire length and width of the remaining land.6 It is not clear whether the original building was one or two stories, but on August 22, 1905, the Charlotte News announced that “Mr. C. A. Black has moved his stable into his handsome new brick building on Stonewall Street. The new stable was erected at a cost of about $3,500.”7 That year, Black ran this advertisement in the papers every day: “WANT A DRAY? I have all kinds of wagons for doing all kinds of light or heavy drayage and give careful personal attention to all orders. I make a specialty of moving and packing household goods. Phone 105, C. A. Black, Corner Stonewall and College 8, Streets and Southern Railway.”
Although he continued his business in the brick building for eight years, in 1908 Black sold the property to some investors, presumably to raise money for his operation.9 One of the investors who bought the land the following year was Dr. Robert L. Gibbon (1866-1953), whose practice was located at 7 West Trade Street, just off the square.10 It appears that about this time there was a fire which destroyed the southern one-third of the building, and, in 1909, Black bought the property back for 40% less than he sold it for just a year before.11 He continued to operate a transfer company and stables there until 1913, when the land and building were sold to the Charlotte Builders Supply Company.12 Charlotte Builders Supply, headed by J. P. Hackney and managed by Willis Brown, operated at 228-230 South College, four blocks to the north. It is not known whether the company intended to use the building for its own business, but it appears that in 1913-14 it rebuilt the southern part of the structure and probably added a third story at that time.13 In September, 1914, the enlarged building was sold to the Fidelity Bonded Warehouse Company, which was an investment concern of local businessmen, including Judge J. A. Russell (1859-1949) and Walter Davidson (1872-1945).14 When the changeover to a warehouse took place, Charles Black moved his transfer company to 500 South Cedar Street, and also operated the Black Coal Company.15 From 1924 to 1936, he moved to Waynesville to operate an apple orchard, following which he retired and returned to Charlotte. Black spent the remainder of his years and died at another historic property in Charlotte: the home of his daughter, Frances Moody Black (Mrs. Jake) Newell (1884-1966) at 819 Sunnyside Avenue.16
In 1918, ownership of the Query, Spivey and McGee building passed by deed to Walter L. Nicholson, who, doing business as the Southern Bonded Storage Company, operated a warehouse in the building for sixteen years.17 During that time, a variety of users shared the premises with Southern, including People’s Loan and Realty (1920), B. T. Crump Company Truck Bodies (1924), Piggly Wiggly Markets (1926-28), White Transfer (1928-31), and Wilson Motor Company (1923-25).18 The large elevator in the center of the building was particularly suited for storing automobiles on any level, as it probably had been for drays.
The economic calamities which accompanied the Great Depression of the Thirties unfortunately caught Mr. Nicholson in their grim net, and he lost the site by foreclosure in 1934.19 About the same time Southern Bonded Storage went out of business, a new tenant took up residence in the middle section of the building: Scott Feed Company, a business recently bought out by Luke W. Query (1882-1951), who had previously operated Carolina Hardware. The following year, Charlotte Feed and Gin Company opened in the northernmost College and Stonewall section of the building (600 S. College), headed by Everett B. Solomon. For a time (1936-8), an auto repair shop, the Stonewall Service Company, operated at the southernmost end of the site.21
In 1940, after a series of owner/investors, the building was taken over by Arthur W. Pearson (1890-1976) and his brother Nathan A. Pearson (1910-1980), who established the Queen City Mattress and Upholstery Company there. Query, whose business now went under the name of the Query Feed Company, moved to a building one block to the south at 700 S. College.22 In order to accommodate their manufacturing enterprise, the Pearsons did some renovation work to their new location.23
Four years later, in October, 1944, when victory in the European theater of World War II seemed assured, Luke Query and a new partner, James L. Spivey, purchased the building from Arthur Pearson.24 A new concern, the Query, Spivey and McGee Company was formed to deal in seed and hardware, with Luke Query, president, James Spivey, vice-president and John McGee, who also had hardware experience, secretary-treasurer.25 In 1946, Query and Spivey transferred ownership from themselves as individuals to their own corporation, the Stonewall Company, where it remained until 1978, when the present owners, Maurice H. Wilson, Jr., and Marilyn C. Wilson bought the concern.26 After Luke Query’s death in 1951, James Spivey became head of the company, and he was in turn bought out by John McGee about 1956.27
What can be seen as significant about the building at Stonewall and College is not only its continuous use since just after the turn of the century, but the variety of businesses there which reflected the growing community and the changes of neighborhood in which business was conducted. In the beginning, Charles Black operated a livery stable at the very edge of the business part of town; directly to the east of him was a residence with a cow barn and a shed for farm implements behind it. Just beyond that was the city rock quarry, and College Street dead-ended at Stonewall. In the Twenties, when mass-production of automobiles, pioneered by Henry Ford, made them accessible to a wider public, cars were parked where buggies used to be. About the same time, the rock quarry was transformed to a large rail yard for the Southern Railway. Also, as Charlotte grew with its corresponding need for business space, the residential character of the area gave way to an increasing number of manufacturing and service industries. For a time the Piggly-Wiggly Markets used part of the building to accommodate its store at 500 S. Tryon, for example. But since the mid-1930s, the corner location has been (except for four years when Queen City Mattress and Upholstery was there) used primarily as a feed, seed and hardware store, and it is with that business and Query, Spivey and McGee that it is most closely identified. Even though times and indeed the neighborhood have changed considerably (the Southern rail yard is now office buildings, for example), to step into the Query, Spivey and McGee building is to travel back at least fifty years to an old-fashioned store, and without much effort; it almost seems there is a smell of hay, horses and leather in the air.
NOTES
1 Sanborn Insurance map of Charlotte, 1900, p.l8.
2 Deed Book 127, p.57, 8 June 1898; Charlotte City Directory, 1902, p.361;Certificate of Death, Book 37, p.642.
3 Charlotte City Directory, 1902, p.429; Charlotte News, March 28, 1945, p.7A; Deed Book 140, p.542, 4 January 1900; Deed Book 170, p.434, 29 September 1902.
4 Sanborn Insurance Map of Charlotte, 1905, p.23.
5 Deed Book 200, p.271, 14 June 1905.
6 Sanborn Insurance Map of Charlotte, 1911, p.15.
7 Charlotte News, August 22, 1905, p.5.
8 Ibid.
9 Deed Book 228, p.690, 23 March 1908.
10 Charlotte City Directory, 1910, p.230.
11 Sanborn Map of 1911, p.15; Deed Book 246, p.413, 22 May 1909.
12 Deed Book 314, p.336, 30 May 1913.
13 Deed Book 325, p.625, 23 September 1914.
14 Ibid.; Record of Corporations, Book 4, p.209; Register of Death No. 61, January, 1949; Register of Death No. 771, August, 1945.
15 Charlotte City Directory, 1914, p.584.
16 Charlotte News, November 30, 1950, p.10B.
17 Deed Book 383, p.507, 1 February 1918; Charlotte City Directories, 1918-1934.
18 Charlotte City Directories, 1918-1934.
19 Deed Book 802, p.116, 9 May 1931; Foreclosure 15 January 1934.
20 Charlotte City Directory, 1934, p.445; Charlotte News, June 6, 1951, p.lB.
21 Charlotte City Directories, 1934-1940.
22 Deed Book 1022, p.69, 30 August 1940; Charlotte City Directory, 1941, p.829.
23 Interview with J. P. Probst, Charlotte, N.C., 7 February 1983.
24 Deed Book 1131, p.227, 30 October 1944.
25 Charlotte City Directory, 1948-49, pp. 487 and 595.
26 Deed Book 1212, p.218, 21 September 1946; Deed Book 4037, p.115, 1 March 1978.
27 Interview with John McGee, Charlotte, N.C. 7 February 1983.
Thomas Hanchett
The Query, Spivey and McGee Building is a very simple three-story warehouse building with brick walls and a wooden frame. Historical research shows that it was constructed in three stages between 1902 and 1914. It appears to have changed very little since it was finished. The oldest part of the structure was a two-story rectangular block at the corner of Stonewall and College streets. In 1913-14 this was increased to the present three stories. At the same time, a three-story trapezoidal wing was added next to the original unit on the College Street side. Its angled rear wall conformed to the railroad track, now taken up, that curved next to the structure. The additions were built to match the exterior of the main building, and today one cannot tell from the street that the Query, Spivey and McGee Building is made up of three different “builds.”
Walls are of brick laid alternating five stretcher courses with a single header course. They extend up above the roof line to form a parapet capped by terracotta tile. Inside the building a brick wall divides the old and new wings. All exterior brick and most of the interior brick has been painted. Windows are twelve pane steel frame units, with a center panel that swings out for ventilation. These window units are decades old, but likely are not original. The framing system of the building is almost all wood. Wooden columns approximately one foot square are set at intervals of approximately fifteen feet. A few on the first floor have been replaced with pipe columns, the only metal in the framing. Each column is topped by a rude “capital,” simply a chunk of 12″ x 18″ beam used to distribute the load of the main beam that rests on it. Main beams are 12″ square wood and they carry 2″ x 12″ joists. The first floor is poured concrete while the upper floors are of heavy planking. The structural system is identical in the old and new wings, except that the beams run parallel to College Street in the old wing and parallel to Stonewall in the new one. The floors are largely open space, partitioned off into an office here or a bathroom there as needed. The ground floor is used as retail area and storage for the hardware store. The second story is workspace for Browder Displays and the third floor is their storage area. Each floor has bathroom facilities added after the building was completed.
The single stairway is on the College Street side of the original wing, with its own door on the street. There is also a massive freight elevator, still in use, with wooden slat gates at each floor. It is long and narrow, big enough for a pair of wagons end to end, or the largest 1920s car or truck.
The third floor structural system is slightly different in that the columns do not support horizontal beams, but rather pairs of sloping beams that form the gently pitched roof. There is no attic and all roof framing is exposed. There are three clerestories on the ridgeline which give this floor a great deal of natural light.
This report was written on July 6, 1976
1. Name and location of the property: The property known as the Providence Presbyterian Church is located on Providence Rd. in the southeastern portion of Mecklenburg County.
2. Name, location, and telephone numbers of the present owners and occupants of the property:
The present owner of the property is:
Providence Presbyterian Church
10140 Providence Rd.
Matthews, NC 28105
Telephone: (704) 847-9585
3. Representative photographs of the property: Representative photographs of the property are included in this report.
4. A map depicting the location of the property: This report contains two maps. Map A shows the 3.99 acres which the Church owns on the western side of Providence Rd. Map B shows the 7.28 acres which the Church owns on the eastern side of Providence Rd.
5. Current Deed Book Reference to the Property: The most recent reference to both parcels is found in Mecklenburg County Deed Book 2665 at page 5.
6. A brief historical sketch of the property:
Providence Presbyterian Church is one of the oldest Christian congregations in Mecklenburg County. Indeed, Alexander Craighead, the noted minister of Colonial Mecklenburg, regarded it as “one of his houses.” The first meetinghouse was a simple log structure which was erected in 1767 and stood to the east of the cemetery overlooking a rock spring. William Richardson, pastor of the Waxhaws Presbyterian Church and son-in-law of Alexander Craighead, preached the first sermon in the edifice as the initial minister at Providence. Members of the congregation played an important part in local affairs during the turbulent years of the American Revolution. Three signers of what according to some was the Mecklenburg Declaration of Independence are buried in the Providence Cemetery: Neill Morrison, John Flennekin, and Henry Downs. General Cornwallis’ Army moved through the area on its march toward Charlotte in September 1780. In 1804, a new and larger building was erected to the east of Providence Rd. and in front of the cemetery. The first old log structure now became a schoolroom, the Providence Congregation. Also worth noting in this regard is the fact that two of its early ministers, Dr. Robert Hall Morrison and Dr. Samuel Williamson, later became the first two presidents of Davidson College.
The present sanctuary dates from 1858. The refinement of the structure, especially of the interior, confirms that these were prosperous times. The farmers of the Providence Community were enjoying the benefits of the cotton economy of the Old South. Of course, their way of life was to end with the defeat of the Confederacy. But the church remains as a symbol of the affluence of that era. It continues to serve as the place of worship for the congregation.
7. A brief architectural description of the property: This report contains an architectural description by Jack O. Boyte, A.I.A.
8. Documentation of why and in what ways the property meets the criteria set forth in N.C.G.S. 160A-399.4:
a. Historical and cultural significance: The historical and cultural significance of the property known as the Providence Presbyterian Church rests upon two factors. First, it has strong associative ties with one of the oldest Presbyterian congregations in the county. Second, it has architectural significance as one of the oldest and most refined frame churches in the county.
b. Suitability for preservation and restoration: Providence Presbyterian Church retains much of its original integrity and therefore is suitable for preservation and restoration.
c. Educational value: Providence Presbyterian Church has educational value as one of the oldest frame churches in Mecklenburg County. Moreover, its members have played a significant role in local history since the coming of permanent white settlers to this region.
d. Cost of acquisition, restoration, maintenance or repair: The Commission has no intention of purchasing this property nor is it aware of any intention of the owners to sell. The Commission asserts that all costs associated with renovating and maintaining the property will be paid by the owner or subsequent owners of the property.
e. Possibilities for adaptive or alternative use of the property: The Commission concurs with the present owners’ intention to maintain the property as a viable church. The structure and grounds, however, could be adapted to a wide variety of uses.
f. Appraised value: The current tax appraisal value of the improvements on the property is $108.990. The current tax appraisal value of the land is $55,580. The Commission is aware that designation of the property would allow the owner to apply for a special tax classification.
g. The administrative and financial responsibility of and any person or organization willing to underwrite all or a portion of such costs: As indicated earlier, the Commission has no intention of purchasing this property. Furthermore, the Commission assumes that all costs associated with the property will be met by whatever part, now owns or will subsequently owns the property. Clearly, the present owners have dominated the capacity to meet the expenses associated with maintaining the property.
9. Documentation of why and in what ways the property meets the criteria established for inclusion in the National Register of Historic Places: The Commission judges that the property known as the Providence Presbyterian Church does meet the criteria of the National Register of Historic Places. Basic to the Commission’s judgment is the knowledge of the fact that the National Register of Historic Places functions to identity properties of local and state historic significance. The Commission believes that the property known as the Providence Presbyterian Church is of local and regional historic significance and thereby meets the criteria of the National Register of Historic Places.
10. Documentation of why and in what ways the property is of significance to Charlotte and/or Mecklenburg County: As noted earlier, the property known as the Providence Presbyterian Church is of local historic importance for two reasons. First, it has strong associative ties with one of the oldest Presbyterian congregation in Mecklenburg County. Second, the structure itself is one of the oldest and most refined frame churches in Mecklenburg County.
Bibliography
An Inventory of Older Buildings in Mecklenburg County and Charlotte for the Historic Properties Commission.
Providence Presbyterian Church 1767-1967 (a pamphlet distributed by Providence Presbyterian Church).
Records of the Mecklenburg County Register of Deeds Office.
Records of the Mecklenburg County Tax Office.
Date of Preparation of this report: July 6, 1976
Prepared by: Dr. Dan L. Morrill, Director
Charlotte-Mecklenburg Historic Properties Commission
139 Middleton Dr.
Charlotte, NC 28207
Telephone: (703) 332-2726
The building is a simple rectangle with high side walls and plain gabled ends. In the gabled north end, the centered entrance consists of eight foot high double doors with a six light transom window above. Over this are three tall windows, one wide and two narrow. Flanking the entrance are towering three sash windows. Rising from chair rail height, these windows reach some twenty five feet above the church floor, and contain a total of twenty seven lights. At each side four similar windows occur and at the south gabled end, two units flank the interior preaching platform. Unexpectedly, one may see original louvered blinds at all windows. These green-painted three section blinds have been remarkably preserved with careful painting and repair and still hang on original wrought iron hardware. The structure rests on low foundation walls of cut Mecklenburg granite. Exterior walls are white painted square edged narrow-lapped siding. Starting at the foundation with no molding band, these walls rise about thirty feet to a narrow bed mold under a wide overhang.
Typical of meeting house design, this cornice configuration includes a which wide overhang, which is the dominant exterior feature. Projecting out some two feet from the wall, the overhang fascia is a narrow board with a wide shingle mold and no gutter. At the gabled ends, this wide overhang continues up the rake with similar molding trim. The roof has two uninterrupted surfaces rising steeply to a high ridge line. Upon entering the narthex through the original entrance doors, one encounters a small room which has seen several alterations. Originally two doors led to side aisles in the nave. These were removed in modern times and a center double door installed. Originally the entrance to the gallery seating was through an exterior door at the right side front and up steep stairs. This door was removed in recent years and a new door installed from the narthex to altered, shallow rise stairs. One other change in the interior front was the enlargement of the small left side room to provide an interior session room. Fortunately, the nave, chancel, and gallery construction have remained unaltered, and they show the fine craftsmanship of these original features today. Upon entering the nave, one encounters a remarkably preserved room.
Little change has occurred in this sanctuary since its original construction. Throughout this rectangular room are hand-planed pews facing a raised pulpit platform at one end. With carefully shaped seats and backs these pews show clearly the skill of the early craftsmen. The pew end panels show rare decorative treatment in this severely simple building. The panel tops are gracefully shaped curved rails and in the lower panels are elaborate scroll inserts. The wide-center section of pews is divided by a solid rail running front to rear. Traditionally this is the dividing line between seating for men and women. Along the full length at each side, narrow galleries are supported by widely spaced tapered wood columns. The original wide plank flooring remains, now covered with carpeting. Walls are horizontal tongue and grooved boards. A fine molded chair rail occurs at window sill height on all walls and below this are recessed panels with molded edges.
The high ceiling has a pattern of wide hand planed boards running the length of the room between raised battens with molded edges. There is no crown mold. At the face of the balcony framing there are also molded recessed panels of wide hand planed boards. Above this are round wood rails connecting square posts which are capped with ornamental wooden balls. In the roof framing are remarkable examples of the skill of the early carpenters. Huge rafters, joists and braces are joined in tightly fitted mortise and tenoned joints to form widely spaced roof trusses. These members show typical parallel saw marks of water powered mills, and all joints are secured with the nails and pegs. Purlins of heavy hand hewn pine spans the space between these trusses and support the ceiling and the original shingling strips. In the garret, many of the original hand split shingles remain where they fell when new roofing was installed. Examples of the early manufactured nails remain in the shingling strips and shingles. The character of this sanctuary reflects the simplicity of meeting house architecture. Elaboration is deliberately avoided and molded trim kept to a minimum. In its simplicity the builders created a strikingly handsome building and one which illustrates the severity of life in early Mecklenburg. The Providence Congregation has, through the years, carefully preserved this remarkable building. It is a rare treat to find a church which has been in constant use for over 125 years so little changed. This meeting house is an architectural treasure.
The Robert Potts, Jr. House
This report was written on Mar 2, 1976
1. Name and location of the property: The property known as the Robert Potts, Jr. House is looted on the Smith Road one-half mile east of Cornelius, North Carolina in northern Mecklenburg County.
2. Name, addresses, and telephone numbers of the present owners and occupants of the property: The present owners of the property are:
Mrs. L. Rodney Whisnant (Miriam Smith Whisnant)
P. O. Box 156
Cornelius, North Carolina 28031
Telephone: (704) 892-8251
Mrs. Charles C. Hunter (Lilyan Smith Hunter)
P. O. Box 176
Cornelius, North Carolina 28031
Telephone: (704) 892-8698
3. Representative photographs of the property: Representative photographs of the property are included in this report.
4. A map depicting the location of the property: This report contains A Guide to Historic Sites and Buildings taken from The Plantation World Around Davidson by Dr. Chalmers G. Davidson showing location of the Robert Potts House. The report also contains a Tax Office map which indicates the location of the house.
5. Current Deed Book Reference of the property: This report contains a complete chain of title for the property. Special notice must be given to the fact that this property has been owned by the Potts family, and their descendants from purchase of the Land Grant on September 4, 1753, until the present time. The Parcel Number of the property is 00708103.
6. A brief historical sketch of the property: This report contains an historical sketch prepared by Dr. Chalmers G. Davidson.
7. A brief architectural description of the property: This report contains an architectural description prepared by Jack O. Boyte, A. I. A.
8. Documentation of why and in what ways the property meets the criteria set forth in N. C. G. S. 160A-399.4:
a. Historical and cultural significance: The historical and cultural significance of the Robert Potts, Jr. House and property rests upon two factors. First, members of the Potts family have contributed greatly to the historical development of Mecklenburg County. Second, the house and the surrounding outbuildings and facilities are of substantial local architectural significance and form one of the richest sources of historical artifacts in Mecklenburg County.
b. Suitability for preservation and restoration: The house contains many of the original furnishings. Moreover, while having been modified to meet the demands of a contemporary lifestyle, the house retains many of its initial architectural features. The house should therefore be maintained in its present state of preservation. Some of the outbuildings are in need of repair.
c. Educational value: The structure has been featured in several books dealing with historic houses in Mecklenburg County. This fact attests to the educational value of the property. The educational value of the house rests upon its historical and cultural significance to Mecklenburg County.
d. Cost of acquisition, restoration, maintenance, or repair: The Commission has no intention of purchasing the property. Indeed, the Commission knows of no inclination of the present owners to sell. The house is in an excellent state of repair. Some of the outbuildings are in need of attention. However, the Commission assumes that the owner of the property will pay all expenses associated with the preservation, maintenance, and restoration of the property.
e. Possibilities for adaptive or alternative uses of the property: As noted above, the Commission believes that the house and property should not be adapted to an alternative use. However, if the owners should wish to sell the property at some future date, the house and property could serve as an farm museum.
f. Appraised value: The 1975 appraised value of the house itself is $7250.00. The appraised value of the land is $64670.00. The Commission is aware that designation of the property would allow the owner to apply for a special property tax classification.
g. The administrative and financial responsibility of any person or organization willing to underwrite all or a portion of such costs: As indicated earlier, the Commission has no intention of purchasing this property. Furthermore, the Commission assumes that all costs associated with the structure and property will be met by whatever party now owns or will own the property.
9. Documentation of why and in what ways the property meets the criteria established for inclusion on the National Register: The Commission recognizes that the National Register of Historic Places was established to single out and to provide protection for properties of local and State historic significance. The evidence generated by this report and the data provided by the comprehensive inventory of the pre-1900 built environment performed by the Commission convince the Commission that the Robert Potts, Jr. House does meet the criteria of the National Register of Historic Places. Clearly, the Robert Potts, Jr. house is of local historic significance because of the accomplishments of the Potts family and because of the architectural merit of the structure.
10. Documentation of why and in what ways the property is of historical importance to Charlotte and/or Mecklenburg County: The Commission believes that the Robert Potts, Jr. House is significant to the history of Mecklenburg County because of its architectural merit and because of the historical accomplishments of the Potts family. Detailed documentation in support of both contentions is contained in the historical sketch prepared by Dr. Chalmers G. Davidson and in the architectural description prepared by Mr. Jack O. Boyte, A.I.A.
CHAIN OF TITLE
1. Original Land Grant dated the 11th of April, 1752 George II conveyed to John Brevard 636 Acres in Anson County on the headwaters of Rocky River. N.C. Land Grant XI, 4-5 Original document in possession of present owners.
2. John Brevard to John Potts dated the 4th day of September, 1753 by lease and release 636 Acres in Anson County. Book C-1, Page 226
3. John Potts conveyed to son, Robert Potts, Sr. on January 16, 1770 636 Acres in Mecklenburg County, N.C. Register of Deeds Book 7, Page 255.
4. Robert Potts, Sr. conveyed to son, Robert Potts. Jr. On July 24, 1811 a tract of 96 Acres called a “deed of gift”. Mecklenburg County Register of Deeds Book 20, Page 130.
5. Robert Potts. Jr. conveyed to son, Thomas Espy Potts January 20, 1848 by Will Clerk of Superior Court Will Book J Pages 76,77.
6. Thomas Espy Potts Heirs conveyed to son, William Robert Potts on October 20, 1898. Mecklenburg County Register of Deeds Book 127, Page 452.
7. William Robert Potts conveyed to Nephew, Clifton Eugene Smith on December 11, 1946 by Will Mecklenburg County Clerk of Superior Court Will Book 5, Page 327.
8. Clifton Eugene Smith conveyed to Daughters, Miriam Smith Whisnant and Lilyan Reid Smith Hunter by Will dated August 15, 1969 Mecklenburg County Clerk of Superior Court Roll 69-47, Frame 648.
Dr. Chalmers G. Davidson
On September 4, 1753, John Potts, planter, received by “lease and release” from John Brevard for the sum of 40 pounds sterling, a grant containing 636 acres of land in Anson County and duly recorded in Book C-1, Page 226, “lying and being on the headwaters of Rocky River, adjoining Robert Brevard and others.” — This being the tract granted to John Brevard by George II dated April 11, 1752, and recorded in North Carolina Land Grants XI, Pages 4,5, and 18. Early records indicate that John Potts was one of the earliest pioneers in this area having come here in the migration with the Scotch Irish through Virginia into North Carolina and lived on the tract of land before obtaining and recording his land grant. John Potts was a member of the Potts families who had long been residents of the colonies in Maryland and later Chester County, Pa., in the 1720’s and 1730’s. He was a relative of Isaac Potts of Valley Forge, Pa. (whose home Gen. Washington used as headquarters) and of John Potts of Potts Grove near Pottstown, Pa.
John Potts and his wife, Geals, were also owners of land granted in the Fourth Creek settlement of Rowan County by the Honorable John Earl Granville for 580 acres dated January 3, 1761, and recorded in Vol. IV Part II, Pages 900, 901. A map identifying the land holdings of the Fourth Creek settlers is found in Rowan County records and has been published in Carolina Cradle by Robert Ramsey. There is, however, no evidence that John Potts ever resided on this grant of land. He and his wife, Geals, deeded this tract to their son, William, by Deed dated April 18, 1764, Recorded Book 6, Pages 74-76, in Rowan County.
The 636 acre Grant in Anson County (by this time known as Mecklenburg County) was given by “Deed of Gift” and Will from John Potts to his “beloved son, Robert” on January 16, 1770. Robert Potts married Elizabeth McKeown and were parents of nine children. He was cited on three occasions for his “Patriotic Aid” during the Revolutionary War and owned 10 slaves recorded in the 1790 Census. In his Will filed in 1822 Robert Potts divided the 636 acre tract among his surviving sons, John, James, Robert, Jr., Jonathan, and Edwin, along with the “200 more or less acres making up the homeplace which I now live on,” to his widow, Elizabeth.
Robert Potts, Sr., deeded two tracts of land from the original grant to Robert Potts, Jr. One tract for 96 acres obtained July 24, 1811, and one for 121 acres in 1815. On Aught 22, 1811, Robert Potts, Jr., married Nancy Eveline Alexander Gillespie and built for her the home known today as the Robert Potts, Jr. home. Early letters among his personal papers list him residing at “Hickory Grove” – whether this was the name of the home or the area in which he lived has not been determined. The first entry in his Bible states “Commenced housekeeping, January 1812.” The materials for the house were all obtained on the plantation – logs, clapboards, and stone for the foundations and chimneys. The “log pit” used to shape the huge hand-hewn logs and the quarry site are viewable on the property today. The furniture, most of it fashioned from walnut, maple, pine, and apple wood, was cut on the plantation and made for Robert Potts, Jr. A great number of the original have been restored and remain in the home. Robert Potts, Jr., was a thrifty man and through the years became very successful as a planter. He succeeded in acquiring much of the original land grant for himself by purchasing three of his brothers’ holdings and inherited the remaining tract from his mother in 1833. Robert, Jr., and Nancy had 10 children. He served as a founder and Ruling Elder of Bethel Church, which he helped to grow, giving of his time and money. He continued to contribute generously throughout his life. Perhaps his most notable contribution to the area was his interest in education – prompting him to give time and money in helping to establish Davidson College along with his “Good Friend”, William L. Davidson, whose plantation adjoined his. He was appointed a member of the First Board of Trustees of Davidson College and one of his sons, Charles Stanhope Potts, entered the first class session. Other sons, Zebulon and Thomas Espy, were also educated at Davidson. Records show that a daughter, Nancy Eveline, was college educated, but the exact institution attended was not named.
Robert Potts, Jr., willed the homeplace tract to his youngest son, Thomas Espy Potts and appointed his “good friend”, David A. Caldwell to a guardianship of his son. Money was stipulated for his education at Davidson College in the will. Thomas Espy Potts was forced to buy a great deal of the plantation and home accouterments in 1860 at a public sale when Robert Potts, Jr.’s second wife disagreed with the will and settlement of the estate. Thomas Espy Potts married Rebecca Catherine White of the Centre Church community on August 3, 1852, and they had seven children. He served during the Civil War in the cavalry under Gen. J. E. B. Stuart and letters recording his experiences are included among the generations of Potts papers. Thomas Espy and Becky Potts entertained many of the Methodist Circuit Riders who held meetings at early Zion Church – as their home was “quite close by and hospitable” as one minister wrote them.
Through will and division deeds Thomas Espy Potts passed the Potts House and land to his youngest son, William Robert Potts. Tracts of land were also deeded to another son, Thomas Pritchard Potts and daughter, Llllie Rebecca Potts Smith. William Robert Potts married Katherine Wilson of Caldwell Station – a granddaughter of Andrew Springs. They had no children, but left a large sum of money to both Barium Springs Orphanage and Childrens Home of Winston-Salem.
By will, William Robert Potts left the Potts House and land in 1946 to his nephew, Clifton Eugene Smith, the son of his sister, Lillie Potts Smith. Enough information can never be written of the “love relationship” that emerged between the Potts House and Cliff Smith. He and his wife, Mary Reid, a former teacher, lived on the Lillie Potts Smith tract of land and with his inheritance from “Uncle W. R.,” blended together again the large tract of Potts Plantation. In 1946 Clifton and Mary Smith restored the Potts House to be lived in once again by another generation of Potts descendants. Lumber was again cut from Potts land for new clapboards and two newly-constructed east and west wings. The restoration was done in very painstaking steps – Cliff Smith was a perfectionist – seeing that every nail, latch, door, and window was left as it was in the original 1811 construction. He supervised long hours of research – this was in 1946, when this kind of activity was not the popular “in thing” to do. When all was completed the blend of old family home and history with livable 20th century accommodations was finalized. Clifton and Mary Smith were parents of two daughters, Miriam Smith and Lilyan Reid Smith. As parents they continued the traditional Potts Presbyterian heritage by sending their daughters to Queens College.
On August 15, 1969, Clifton Eugene Smith passed the Potts House (1811) and the original plantation land to the seventh generation of appreciative Potts descendants, Miriam Smith Whisnant and Lilyan Reid Smith Hunter. It is our belief that nowhere in Mecklenburg County does there remain such a lovely tribute to perseverance, loyalty, and love of country as displayed by the generations of the Potts Family of North Mecklenburg. Robert Potts, Jr.’s House, furnishings, papers, and original plantation all still intact — always family owned and occupied – never abandoned or “Gone with the Wind.”
This house is a log structure, modified from time to time by Potts descendants, while retaining most of its original characteristics. The massive hewn log outer walls stand today as they were first built. The exterior surfaces were likely exposed when first erected. However at a later unknown date they were covered with clap board siding, and in recent years modern siding has been applied. The fine interior wood trim and wall finish are essentially original.
Simple dwellings of logs, notched together at the corners were introduced to America around 1638 by Swedish settlers in Delaware Subsequently, German and Scotch-Irish immigrants adopted this form of construction. During the southerly expansion of the 1700’s, the log cabin was widely used in this timber-rich frontier, since it could be built with only the aid of an axe and requires few costly nails. First log cabins were seldom intended as permanent homes. When families wanted better houses with more amenities, they either abandoned their cabins, incorporated them into larger cabins, or used them as slave quarters.
On the Potts Plantation the second dwelling was again of log construction, much larger and finished with more sophistication than the first. It is likely that the original cabin was used for slave quarters after the second dwelling was completed. Surprisingly, the foundation remains of the first cabin are intact near an original, undisturbed, plantation slave cemetery.
The second house is a simple rectangular two story structure, resting on a low field stone foundation, with two rooms on each floor. Exterior single shouldered brick chimneys rise at each gabled end, providing fireplaces in all rooms, a plan which reflects the influence of eighteenth century Virginia tidewater. One story wings now flank the original structure, having been added by a growing family for more living space. These wings are of recent vintage, however, and have no historic significance.
The front entrance is sheltered by an original shed-roofed porch extending across the full width of the house and supported by unusual square brick columns, covered initially, with smooth stucco. This porch is enclosed with a rounded wooden rail and delicate square balusters, said to have been carefully copied from the original work. The front first floor facade has a center door flanked by double hung, six over six light windows on each side.
The front door leads into a low-ceilinged parlor featuring a large fireplace with a carefully crafted federal mantel, bordered by high narrow plain wooden pilasters, molded cornices and an integral molded narrow mantel shelf. The original brick fireplace surround and hearth are intact, though presently faced with marble. Walls are covered with smooth, hand planed boards, applied horizontally to furring strips on the exterior log walls, and standing vertically in the single interior partition. A molded chair rail is applied to all walls, below which painted panel edges create a highly decorative motif. A moderate crown mold joins the walls to the wide board ceiling. The interior partition consists of tongue and groove vertical boards, and separates the parlor from a smaller dining room to one side. This smaller room is finished witch matching wood trim, and includes a fireplace and mantel similar to those in the parlor. Floors throughout the house are original wide pine planks in the parlor, however, oak strip flooring was recently added. At the rear, a lean-to addition is connected to both rooms by original six panel doors. The rear dining room door provided access to the original kitchen located about twenty-five feet to the rear of the main house. Further study could well show that there was an original wing at the rear, balancing the front lean-to porch.
An open stair rises steeply in two runs to the second floor at rear of the parlor. A molded rail and small square pickets show skilled craftsmanship. A rare feature of the balustrade are unusual three baluster groups on the treads. The hand rail is reflected on the stair wall with a painted shape below which are painted panel edges. The stair rail terminates at large square newel posts with a molded caps at the first and second floors.
Original doors throughout the house are typically six paneled with mortised and tenoned stile and rail joints secured with wooden pegs and feature recessed flat panels on one side and fine bead and quirk molding on the other. They are curiously low, clearing at the head just over six feet. All original door hardware is intact. Iron rim box locks with brass knobs, occur on each door. Exterior door hinges are wrought iron straps with drive pintles. Interior doors and several small closets have hinges, with simple iron lift latches on the cabinet doors.
At the head of the stair a wide open landing is partially enclosed with some exposed original log construction. The logs are hewn to equal thickness and vary in height. Wide spaced cracks are luted with clay and stone and pointed with lime and sand mortar.
The two second floor bed chambers are connected by a low, paneled door in a single board partition. The second room is reached by passing through the larger which opens from the stair hall. Both rooms have smooth, hand finished, simply trimmed wooden walls and ceilings. In the large chamber two windows face the front, one of which is centered over the entrance door below. The other is balanced at the side by a single window facing the front in the smaller chamber, thus creating a balanced three window front facade on the second floor. Each room has a single side window placed to the front of the chimneys.
From the open stair hall there is a garret trap door in the ceiling reached by a steep ladder. In the garret the original joists span the entire front to rear dimension of the structure and are centered about three feet apart. On similar spacing hewn rafters, lapped and pegged at the ridge, support the roof. The original roof has been removed, though evidence of the original shingle strips can be noted in nail holes and staining on the rafters. The rafter ends have at some past time been raised and now rest on a continuous flat wooden plate sill, not original, laid across the top of the joists. The rafter ends are uniquely shaped and indicate the characteristic curved taper used in the early form of eave construction which projected past supporting walls below to create a simple water shed, prior to the adoption of the classic form of molded cornice. In these curved tapers the original wooden pegs used to secure the rafters to the top wall logs still project down from the raised ends.
Stored carefully in the garret are all of the original window sash which were replaced with manufactured sash in recent years. These original windows show the typical delicately formed muntin bars of the early nineteenth century and contain a large number of blown glass lights. In the garret are also stored many of the original simple battened window blinds which were also replaced in recent years with paneled blinds. These original blinds still have their wrought iron strap hinges. In the gable ends of the garret are small square four light windows on each side of the chimneys. Gable framing consists some original hand hewn studs, now supplemented with intermediate sawn studs. Originally this wall was faced pit sawn wide square edge boards.
A most remarkable characteristic of this plantation is the number of preserved structures from the original farm dependencies. To the rear of the house an original small log shed, of undetermined original use, remains in good condition. This small earth-floored building retains all of the original log walls, some of the original roof structure and the original battened door with strap hinges and drive pintles. Nearby, there is a rebuilt summer kitchen, located on the site of the original kitchen. The original location of the well shed, blacksmith shop and several other out buildings are known, and offer exciting possibilities for archeological investigation. But, by far the most promising of structures built by Robert Potts is a well-preserved barn located on a slight rise across the road, about a hundred yards from the main house. This building is constructed of massive hewn logs laid with tight fitting notched and chamfered corners, heavy pegged door and window frame openings and long hewn rafters and joists, pegged at the ridge and walls. Wide, pit sawn, board stall partitions divide the interior. These boards were sawn on the plantation and, surprisingly, the original pit is still on the place. The barn has been in constant use since the original construction in 1811, in itself an astonishing fact. The original structure measures some forty by sixty feet and includes a number of animal stalls, a large equipment and tack room, grain storage rooms, and a hay loft. In two of the animal stalls are huge, hollowed log feed troughs, likely original, measuring some twenty feet in length, and hewn from trees measuring over three feet in diameter. In the feed storage room, a grain bin, hollowed from a cypress log measuring five feet across, is an astonishing artifact. This bin was cut and installed in the barn before the structure was completed, since the size would preclude moving it into place later. Original wrought iron hardware is found here and there, throughout the building. In the barn yard is a large granite watering trough similar to those found in other early nineteenth century, North Mecklenburg plantations.
Scattered about on the four hundred acre plantation are probably a dozen or more old tenant houses. Some of these date to the earliest years and one could expect to find many important historic remains during a study of these sites.
The Potts place is a rare instance of descendants retaining original eighteenth century land grant acreage, and and preserving early buildings with faithful diligence. The preservation and restoration of this unique architectural heritage should be enthusiastically encourages and assisted at every opportunity.
Bibliography
An Inventory of Old Buildings in Mecklenburg County and Charlotte for the Charlotte-Mecklenburg Historic Landmarks Commission.
Architectural Descrpition prepared by Jack O. Boyte, AIA.
Historical Overview and Chain of Title prepared by Dr. Chalmers G. Davidson.
Records of the Mecklenburg County Tax Office.
Date of Preparation of this Report : Mar. 2, 1976
Prepared by: Dr. Dan L. Morrill, Director
Charlotte-Mecklenburg Historic Landmarks Commission