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Charlotte Museum of History
The Charlotte Museum of History
and the Hezekiah Alexander Home site sit on an eight acre site east
of downtown, which is the oldest structure in the city and the main
reason why the museum has been located here. The Alexander House is
a 5000 square foot rock house and is the oldest surviving house in
Mecklenburg County, since it was constructed in 1774 and is now
listed on the National Register of Historic Places. A marvelous
reproduction of a log barn, kitchen and two story springhouse have
been added to show what life was like in those early days of our
country. The beautiful old stone house was picked up by the
Methodist Home in the 1940s, and in 1949, the Daughters of the
American Revolution (DAR) leased the house and property so that they
could restore the house. In 1969, the committee started the Hezekiah
Alexander Foundation, Inc. and raised more than $200,000 to bring
the wonderful house back to its original condition. The foundation
ran into some trouble trying to find money to build a welcome center
for the reconditioned house, so the city cooperated with the Mint
Museum to finish the work and opened the house to the public as the
Mint Museum of History in June, 1976. They would manage the site
until 1987 when the responsibility was transferred to the parks and
recreation department, and renamed the Charlotte Museum of History.
All through the many changes, the foundation supported the property
and museum programs. Then, in 1990, the foundation was able to
regain control, although the city said that the foundation must come
up with $2 million to take care of the operation and maintenance of
the fantastic estate, which they did and then some, raising more
than $3 million. In 1996, the foundation started looking at the
possibility of replacing the present museum with a bigger one that
would better meet the needs of the community and what they would
like. So, three years after the fact, a brand new facility,
measuring 36,000 square feet was put up after the foundation raised
another $7 million. Now the museum had three marvelous galleries
that would tell the history of the city from the 18th century to the
20th with a rotating exhibit on the second floor, and the grand
opening was in 1999. On December 31, 1999, the American Freedom Bell
was rung for the first time after it had been moved here in the
fall. In 2002, the foundation officially changed its name to the
Charlotte Museum of History, Inc. The house was the home of
Hezekiah Alexander and his wife, as well as their ten children. The
furniture and furnishings have been meticulously chosen to
complement the gorgeous stone house with a excellent collection of
southern 18th and 19th century pieces. During the early 21st
century, members of the museum became concerned about the lack of
continuity between the house and museum, so they came up with a
unique idea to connect these two marvelous venues, with an
interactive exhibit called "Solving the Rock House Mysteries". There
are tours with guides that dress up in period attire and will ad lib
history and stories about the city, region and the wonderful rock
house visitors come to see and enjoy. At the back side of the
museum, you will come into a park-like setting that starts the
living history exhibits, and various encampments. Going up the stone
path, you come into a Native American garden, then cross over a
stone bridge that sits over a spring fed creek and go up a steep
grade to the home site. The entrance, was some kind of office for
Hezekiah, since he was the county magistrate, with plain but antique
furniture, a desk, window bench and grandfather clock. On one side
is the master bedroom and beyond that is a great dining room, that
contains a big table by a hearth, built in cupboards and buffet that
would take good care of the family of a dozen. Stairway to the upper
floor where the three bedrooms are located, one of the bedrooms was
for the three daughters, with beds and spinning wheel and the other
two bedrooms for the seven sons. A rope bed is available for perusal
and to sit on to discover what comfort, if any, could be gotten from
a night on it, as well as folk toys to touch and hold. In the
cellar, there are quill pens that can be used to see how difficult
it would be to write. You can visit a replicated log kitchen that
was constructed in 1983 and set up with the kinds of utensils that
were used in the period. There is also a place for folks to try
their hand at starting a fire with flint and steel. An herb garden
is before the springhouse, where the water was gotten, but the
Charlotte Herb Guild has put up small signs that tell what herb was
used for food enhancement or for healing. It is a special place for
families of all ages, allowing us all to see and visit a homestead
that was used more than two centuries ago, with our ancestors.
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