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Historical Summaries of Significant Mecklenburg County Rural Resources
Samuel Neel House, (MK 207), off Shopton Road. The circa 1800 Federal style house was constructed for Samuel Neel, an early Scots - Irish settler. The setting of the building atop a wooded hill is remarkable in an area facing expansive development. This property retains the feeling of early nineteenth century Mecklenburg County better than almost any other property surveyed. This property is a locally designated historic landmark.
Oak Lawn (MK 6), McCoy Road. The 1818 - 1820 house was built for Benjamin Davidson and his wife Betsy Latta both members of prominent planter families. The Federal style house was surrounded by gardens designed by Betsy. An avenue of oaks towards the house is an important vista that was retained when a modern subdivision was built on the property behind the house in the 1990s. This property is a locally designated historic landmark and is listed on the National Register of Historic Places.
Oehler House (U - 27), off Huntersville - Concord Road. Tradition holds that this house was built in the 1840s as the centerpiece of a cotton plantation. Inspection of the property suggests that the house might date from the 1860s or 1870s. The property's history is currently being researched.
R. Parks House (MK 1478), Neck Road. This farmhouse, built around 1913 by W.G. Parks, is a two-story, frame I-house, three bays wide and one room deep, including a one-story rear ell. Exterior end chimneys and four-over-four sash windows are also featured on the house. The house remains in the Parks family today. This house is a good example of the continuation of traditional building types well into the early twentieth century.
Robert Potts, Jr. House (MK 1296), Smith Road. The simple two story log house was built around 1812 on a field stone foundation. One story wings now flank this structure. Tenant houses, barn, smokehouse and other outbuildings make this a remarkably well preserved farmstead. It provides invaluable information about early eighteenth century plantation life and the evolution of agriculture into the early twentieth century.
Providence Presbyterian Church (MK 26), Providence Road. The early structures built by this old congregation were replaced with this Federal style building in 1858. The original meeting site was a stone outcropping still visible in the adjacent cemetery. The simple structure is enhanced by soaring windows. Galleries remain on the interior indicating a time when slaves had no choice but to worship near their masters. The property is a locally designated historic landmark.
Dr. Richard Z. Query House (MK 1373), Steele Creek Road. This house was built in 1919 for Dr. Query. The porte cochere on the south side of the Folk Prairie style house was big enough for Model T's and Model A's to drive through allowing patients to enter the office in the house out of the weather. Dr. Query likely had a small farm on his land as well, but the farm buildings are not in existence. The country doctor was an institution in the community similar to the country store and church. The doctor's office helps us to understand the daily activity in the rural community and to remember that the resources we endeavor to protect carry the cumulative story of the community that created them.
Ramah Presbyterian Church (MK 1297), Ramah Church Road. Constructed in 1881, this frame church is a very late example of Greek Revival ecclesiastical architecture. The shallow arched pediments over the door and windows serve to embellish the rather serious looking building. Its cemetery holds graves from circa 1800. The church is significant for its architecture as well as its place in this still largely rural area. Many farms both historic and working exist in the Ramah Church and Davidson - Concord Roads area. Churches were often the center of such agricultural communities and thus, are a meaningful part of rural history. Presbyterians in particular were important figures in the settlement of Mecklenburg County. The property is listed on the National Register of Historic Places.
Robinson House (MK 1376), Steele Creek Road. This house was likely constructed in three sections beginning in the mid-nineteenth century and is known for its long-term residents, the Robinson Family. The original owner, William Wallis Robinson was an important Steele Creek citizen serving in the Confederate Army and as superintendent of the county school board. The house is one-story and has a very complex roof structure covered with decoratively cut slate, quite rare in Mecklenburg County. One-over-one windows, two interior chimneys, mantles and overmantles are other features of this house. The front porch, which is not original, features a central, fluted pediment with square wood columns. This house is an excellent example of a one story dwelling for a well to do public servant during the last part of the nineteenth century. The property is a locally designated historic landmark.
Dr. J.J. Rone House (MK 1230), Marvin Road. This circa 1880 structure was moved from its original location in Union County. The beautiful farm setting chosen for the Vernacular Greek Revival house makes this a significant rural property in Mecklenburg. In few other places in Mecklenburg County can such pristine pastoral scenes be observed. The property is a locally designated historic landmark.
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