Cornwell House 1876

George Washington Cornwell (1848-1927)  and  his  new  wife Frances  Lou  Smith(1846-1919), of Lincolnton, North Carolina, purchased the lot where this house was originally located at 106 King Street, on April 1876.  The lot belonged to W.A. and J. S. Mauney.  The Mauney brothers arrived in the area several years earlier from the Lincolnton area.  They opened a general store and acquired several lots of land in Township #4, in the White Plains area, soon to be incorporated in 1874 as the City of Kings Mountain.

George and Lucinda, as known to friends, had their first child, Clarence, two years after purchasing the lot and building their moderate home. The Cornwell’s had six more children between 1879-1887, three dying in childhood.  The three bay house consisted of a center hall, with front and back doors, front and back porches, and one room on either side.  The kitchen ell and back porch were off of the room on the left.  The back porch could also be accessed from the back of the center hall.  George worked as a carriage and wagon maker learning his trade from his father James Madison Cornwell. 

In 1910, when George and Lucinda were in their later years, they sold the lot to their son Clarence.  The land deed included the stipulation that their house would be moved to the far side of the lot so Clarence could construct his new home in the fashionable style of the early twentieth century at the prime location on the lot.

Laura Mauney Houser, who remembers her father Dorris C. Mauney telling the story of how the house was moved, states it was placed on logs, after removing the original ell, and rolled to the far end of the lot where it remained until 2005. The Foundation moved the original block to its current location on the Museum Commons.  The house will be used to interpret, to the public, the last quarter of the 19^th century, the early years of the City of Kings Mountain.

Restoration Work
The 20^th century floor boards have been removed to expose the original six inch tongue and grove 1876 floor.  The center hall passage will be reconstructed.  The plaster walls will be repaired.  The late 19^th century and early 20^th century wall paper will be removed to expose the original paint.  The wood ceilings will also be painted once the paint analysis is completed.  The fire box in the seast room will be rebuilt with the addition of a period mantel. The tile surround on the fire place in west room will be removed and the CAHILL coal grate will be studied.  In the last quarter of the 19^th century coal was being used in this area for a source of heat.  The railroad lines were supplying coal to small townships across the country.    

Exterior Changes: The smooth cedar shingle roof, similar to the period, has been installed.  One of the original shingles is marked Larson Lumber Co. Lincoln County, Michigan located near the Chicago & Northwestern Railway.   Molding has been added along the soffit and the returns.  Clapboard from another structure of this period is covering a portion of the back exterior and soon to be painted white. The white paint will be removed from the chimneys since they were not originally painted.   Eventually the kitchen ell and back porch will be reconstructed.