Charlotte Museum of History Secures Grant for 1774 Rock House Restoration
City's oldest home to get first makeover in 50 years
The Charlotte Museum of History will receive a $444,500 grant to complete restoration work on the 1774 Rock House, the oldest home in Mecklenburg County, the museum announced in a press release on Wednesday.
The grant comes from the National Park Service (NPS), which recently awarded $10 million in funding from its Semiquincentennial Grant Program, an initiative commemorating the 250th anniversary of the founding of the United States.
Only 19 historic sites from around the nation were selected for the most recent round of funding, one of which was the 1774 Rock House, former home of Hezekiah Alexander, one of the framers of North Carolina’s first constitution and first bill of rights. Alexander is also believed to be a signer of the legendary if mythical Mecklenburg Declaration of Independence.
“We are thrilled to have been selected for this grant and are excited to have resources available to do the work necessary to preserve this home for generations to come,” said Terri L. White, president & CEO of the Charlotte Museum of History, in Wednesday’s release. “Although we have expanded the stories we share with our programming and exhibits, we have always recognized that this house and all the histories connected to it are at the heart of our existence and mission.”
The last major renovation to the 1774 Rock House took place in the lead-up to the 1976 US bicentennial. The new grant will go toward significant updates and restorations “to better reflect research undertaken over the last 50 years,” said the release, helping to refresh the interpretation of the homesite and create a more immersive, engaging experience for visitors.
“The museum community was very different 50 years ago, so we know many of the choices that were made at that time need to be revised for better historical accuracy,” said White. “The staff is also working on ways to incorporate technology and tactile elements into tours to better engage visitors that won’t compromise the integrity of the site.”
Listen: CMoH President & CEO Terri White on Nooze Hounds (2022)
The restoration is being supported in part by the Semiquincentennial grant from the Historic Preservation Fund administered by the National Park Service, a bureau of the Department of the Interior, as well as the National Society of the Daughters of the American Revolution and the Marion Stedman Covington Foundation.
“Since its founding, our nation has been shaped by an exceptionally diverse collection of cultures, events, and places” said National Park Service Director Chuck Sams. “The Semiquincentennial Grant Program supports our efforts to present a more complete telling of our country’s history as we approach its 250th anniversary in 2026 and beyond.”
Additional opportunities to support the museum’s work will be available throughout the course of the project, including the museum’s popular Set in Stone program.
The 1774 Rock House is the last standing home of any framer of North Carolina’s first Constitution and Bill of Rights. Hezekiah Alexander lived in the home until his death in 1801.
Finished in 1774, the Alexander Homesite was considered a small plantation where crops and livestock were raised for sustenance and income. There were 12 Alexanders living at the Rock House, plus boarders and visitors, and at least 17 people enslaved on the property, whose labors ensured the success of the farm. Combined, the Alexander Homesite tells the stories of at least 29 different people.
Tobacco was the primary cash crop, but corn, peaches, other foods, and textile crops like flax and a small amount of cotton were grown on the site. Livestock included cattle, hogs and pigs, chickens, and turkeys, as well as work animals like horses and mules.
In June, the museum celebrated the grand opening of another historic landmark: the Siloam School. Built more than 100 years ago by members of the Mallard Creek area’s Black community for local Black children to have a place to learn, the Siloam School was moved to the Charlotte Museum of HIstory property in September 2023 after six years of planning and fundraising for the Save Siloam School project.
The school now serves as a center for Black history education.
