Why would we spend a week in a little town in Western North Carolina? We came in search of ancestors and found more than we expected. We found a cute place rich in old buildings and wide avenues. It is so pleasing to find towns with downtowns that are thriving. There were MANY stately homes on huge lots, lovingly restored. We were disappointed in the highly rated BBQ place, however.
On one corner of the city center sits this building with a very quirky clock on top.
This is one of several similar buildings on the campus of the Mitchell Community College not far from the town center. We loved the architecture that fit the setting. The town houses a beautiful county library with a wonderful section for genealogy. That was another surprise. Penny scanned about 150 pages of family information there. Ted used the state county records to get a little closer to one of his branches.
This plantation home was built in 1820 by Penny's 3rd Great Uncle Joseph Chambers - another surprise. We came to Statesville to find the family of another branch and learned that the Chambers branch came from the same county. This house was built on land that Penny's 4th great grandfather owned. It was restored in the 1960s by the former secretary to Sen. Sam Ervin of NC, and is now rented for special events.
Here are a bunch of Chambers ancestors. They were Scots-Irish Presbyterians. One of the daughters even married the daughter of John Knox. However, my dad was Lutheran. We learned that the branch I came to find was Lutheran. Now, I know which 2nd great grandmother won out in the religion category.
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