CHARLOTTE, N.C. — The last remaining structure of Charlotte's Revolutionary history will be restored once again, courtesy of a $444,500 grant from the National Park Service.
The Charlotte Museum of History was one of 19 historic sites from around the nation to be awarded funding from the Semiquincentennial Grant Program. The $10 million initiative commemorates the 250th anniversary of the founding of the United States.
“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," Charlotte Museum of History President & CEO Terri White said. "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 1774 Rock House is the last standing home of Hezekiah Alexander, a framer of North Carolina's first Constitution. The funds will be used to invest in significant updates and restorations. The homestead was last renovated in the lead-up to the 1976 US bicentennial.
“The museum community was very different fifty years ago, so we know many of the choices that were made at that time need to be revised for better historical accuracy," White said. "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.”
The Alexander Homesite was considered a small plantation. Tobacco was the primary cash crop, but food and textile crops were also grown on the site. The Charlotte Museum of History says 12 Alexanders were living at the Rock House, plus boarders and visitors, and at least 17 enslaved people.