The Historic Carson House on U.S. 70 West near Marion will begin construction of a 3,000-square-foot visitor center this April.
Due to the construction work, the historic house and museum will be open to the public on weekends only during its 2024 season, which is April through November, according to a news release.
“Building a visitor center is a big deal for the Carson House,” said Chuck Abernathy, president of the nonprofit that runs the museum. “For more than 60 years we’ve operated without the benefit of a visitor center. Now, due to the generous support of this community and our state legislature, we’ll be able to do a better job of telling the story of the house and its inhabitants, and of accommodating everyone who visits the property.”
The Carson House was built by John Carson, who emigrated from Ireland in 1773 and made his way to the western North Carolina frontier in search of land and opportunity. Carson married into the McDowell clan, speculated in land, embraced the institution of slavery, ran a stagecoach stop and inn, and mined for gold on his way to becoming one of the area’s wealthiest citizens. When McDowell County was formed in 1842, his home served as the county seat until a proper courthouse could be built in Marion.
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“Carson’s story is the story of early America,” said Abernathy, “warts and all. We look forward to telling that story in two permanent exhibits we are developing for the visitor center. One presents the historical context for the house. The other tells the story of slavery and the African-American experience in this area. We call the visitor center the Interpretive Center because it will help us interpret the history of the property.”
In addition to permanent exhibits, the Interpretive Center will house offices and the nonprofit’s popular genealogical library, according to the news release.
In 2020 local residents Mary Meade and Gilbert Hollifield made a substantial gift to the Carson House nonprofit organization. It is that gift and a grant from the North Carolina legislature that have allowed the visitor center project to move forward. Additional funding from the McDowell County Tourism Development Authority and private individuals, as well as debt financing from First Bank of Marion, are underwriting the project’s more than $1 million budget.
Historic Carson House has contracted with NVERSE Architects of Morganton for the design of the Interpretive Center, and with England Builders of McDowell County for its construction. An official groundbreaking ceremony will take place during the nonprofit’s annual Dinner on Buck Creek fundraiser on Saturday, May 18.
For Dinner on Buck Creek tickets, call the Carson House at 828-724-4948.