old home, in McDowell County, was built about 1770 by Colonel
Carson on an estate of 80,000 acres.
Buck Creek mansion
Ils
и
boa til if III old place, located
on I lie highw ay a short distance
west of Marion. The C'arson
family were among the pioneers
in that section of the states
ft?/ HARRY Z. TI CK ICR
1 X Mi'|)o\v<>ll County three miles
I west of Marion, oil a colonial estate
I which at one time consisted of 80,-
ooo acres of excellent farm land,
stands “Buck Creek." the historical
old mansion of Colonel John Carson.
Built near the fast-flowing waters of
the stream for which it was named,
in a territory where the warring
Cherokee* ami Cntnwhas were wont
to hold their deadly frays, and close
by the old stage road that led from
the pioneer town of Salisbury to the
unbroken Bine Ridge country, the
ancient house has long served as
the sent of an enormous seignory and
as nn inn for weary travelers passing
that way.
Built about 1770 by Colonel John
Carson, a fiery Irishman who came
here in 1 7**0 to escape the persecu¬
tions of civilization, and to find a
quiet life in the wilderness of North
Carolina, the old mansion stands to¬
day very much as originally built.
As one of nnr most interesting colonial
landmarks, the old house is an ex¬
ample of great effort and workman¬
ship. To build such a home in that
far-filing wilderness country prior to
the Revolutionary War, embracing
architectural features which vie in
interest and workmanship with the
best of Tidewater Carolina, required
not only a lot of money but was little
short of remarkable.
Buck Creek, a well-planned house,
is quite interesting for it» fenestration
and for its mammoth end chimneys.
The Jacobean characteristics of the
pedimented gables
1н--рсак
of an early
day in American architecture. While
the double piazza lias always served
as n feature of comfort and beauty,
the interior, though simple and digni¬
fied. is equally as well finished. The
narrow winding stairway, which is
executed with the perfection of an
old piece of furniture, leads to the
mammoth rooms above the first floor.
All visitor* to Buck Creek find much
to admire in the deftly carved old
mantels and other woodwork, the
wainscoting being of particular in¬
terest.
Since Buck Creek wa- in the direct
line of march when the Indians were
making war on the settlers of the
Catawba and Yadkin valleys, and
when the “over-the-hille" men were
inarching to pitched battle at King's
Mountain, the master of the planta¬
tion became n brilliant and courageous
soldier. He was ever in the midst
of the fray, and frequently told his
friends that he loved the life of a
soldier. The fact was known, even
then, that Colonel Carson had run
away from Ireland because his parents
wanted him to be a clergyman.
It was into this stormy atmosphere
that he brought his first wife, Bachcl
McDowell, daughter of Hunting John
McDowell, a neighbor. After her
death, and the birth of Joseph Mc¬
Dowell Carson who built the famous
house on Green River Plantation,
Colonel John married his sister-in-
law, the widow of another Revolu¬
tionary hero, Joseph MeDowoll, "f
Pleasant Gardens Plantation.
They immediately took up their
residence at Buck Creek, whore their
oldest son by the second marriage.
Colonel Samuel P. Car-on, was born
in 1798. At an early age ho showed
signs of a wonderful intellect, and,
following in the footstep, of his
father, became a state legislator when
just 23 years old. His rise was rapid,
lieing elected four times to Congress,
where few men outshone him in
personal appearance and debate.
The Carson-Vancc Duel
The gracious life at Buck Creek
was overshadowed in 1827 by the
famous Carson-Vancc duel. Suffering
from disappointment and hurt pride,
Dr. Robert Vance, who had been de¬
feated by Samuel P. Carson in his
race for Congress, determined upon
a scheme to break Carson in 1827.
Believing his opponent a coward. Dr.
Vance acted upon that supposition
and denounced Colonel John Carson
as a Tory during the trying days of
the Revolutionary War. There wa¬
ne greater accusation in the way of
an insult upon a man's character at
that time, but Vance further added
that Colonel John Carson had bo-
friended the English lender. Major
Patrick Ferguson, during his stay in
the state in 1780.
When Colonel John Carson arose
and openly called Vance a liar, he
was told that he was too old to light
a duel, and that his stnlwnrt son,
Samuel P. Carson, should vindicate
his honor. All the fiery anger of the
Carson elan was now aroused, and
they immediately went into conclave
at Buck Creek. In the old mansion
there, it was decided that the honor
of their aged father would lie restored
at the close of the approaching elec¬
tion. Samuel was -elected to chal¬
lenge I)r. Vance fir-t ; and if he fell,
each of his brothers, in turn, should
( Continued on page twenty-soven)
