Confederate Holl
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no» Lineolnton's library; ot right is Vosuiius, built in 1792 by Joseph Grohom.
Old Homes Echo Lincoln’s Past
Prosperous pioneers built homes of en¬
during' beauty and interest.
An astonishing number of old
homes, interesting for historical as well
as architectural reasons, survive in Lin¬
coln. While many of them have been
allowed to become dilapidated through
neglect, quite a few are still occupied
and maintained with pride.
Mrs. Joseph Graham of Lincolnton,
an indefatigable historian, has de¬
scribed over 50 of them and it is largely
from her articles that these notes are
taken. Only a few can be mentioned
here.
Perhaps one of the best known is
Inglcsidc in southeast Lincoln which
was built by Daniel M. Forney over 100
years ago, a member of U. S. Con¬
gress. It is said to have been designed
by Henry Latrobc, architect for the
nation's capitol building. It is pres-
Woodiidc, built in 1804.
ently owned by attorney David Clark,
but is not occupied.
Its large drawing room is a replica
of the cast room of the White House,
and the house has delicately orna¬
mented ceilings and elaborate wood¬
work.
Of equal interest is Vesuvius, be¬
lieved to be the oldest home in Lin¬
coln County. It was built in 1792 by
Joseph Graham, a very fine mansion
which has recently been restored by
Barnett Lincbcrgcr of Lincolnton, who
occupies it in summer.
One of the handsome homes is
Woodsidc, the home of Mr. and Mrs.
Richard Ramseur which was built in
1804, the first to be constructed of
bricks, molded on the site by slaves.
It is located about 2 miles west of
Lincolnton and in this house was born
James Pinkney Henderson, who later
became first governor of Texas. He
was the son of Lawson Henderson,
original owner of Woodside. The home
contains exquisite hand-carved furni¬
ture.
Magnolia Grove, built in 1824, has
been in the same family ever since.
It was built by David Smith, 6 miles
from Lincolnton on the old Tuckasci-
gcc Road.
One of the interesting old homes of
Lincoln is Rivcrvicw, built by John D.
Graham, son of General Joseph Gra¬
ham, in 1822. Graham was an iron
factor, and swapped iron in Fayette¬
ville for cypress shingles for his man¬
sion. This fine old home will be re¬
moved because the site will be flooded
by the waters of the Cowan’s Ford
Dam.
Confederate Memorial Hall, erected
in 1813, is now used as a library and
is the oldest public structure in the
county. It originally was intended for
the Pleasant Retreat Academy for
Boys, operated until the Civil War.
During the war it was used as a hos¬
pital.
The oldest building in town probably
is Dellinger’s Tavern. It antedates the
founding of the town, having been
built in 1784. It has been moved but
is still used as a residence. It was a
stage coach stop in the old days.
THE STATE. APRIL 30, 1960
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