
Kings Mountain Historical Museum announces
George Washington
Cornwell House
Preservation Project
By January Costa
Director and Curator
The Kings Mountain Historical Museum needs your help! We are currently working on the museum grounds with several Eagle Scout Projects to make the museum grounds a place for events and an educational space as well for the community and state. We are working on the restoration plan for the George Washington Cornwell House, but it comes at a cost that amounts to around $40,000. You might ask why this is important to the preservation of Kings Mountain history.
George Washington Cornwell and his wife, Frances Lou (Lucinda) Smith, purchased the lot at 106 King Street in Kings Mountain, NC in April 1876. They had just married and moved to the newly incorporated city of Kings Mountain. George and Lucinda built this house on their lot and raised seven children in it.
George and his brother, William (who lived next door) were wagon makers. It is believed their shop was between their homes. Lucinda, a devoted Baptist, was a founding member of Kings Mountain Baptist Church (located next to the museum), which started in 1890. The original building was a wooden structure, though Lucinda lived to see the current building built in 1919.
In 1910, George and Lucinda sold part of their lot to their oldest son, Clarence. This house was placed on logs and rolled to the far side of the lot, so Clarence had space to build a new, fashionable house. When this move happened, the kitchen and back porch were detached from the house.
The house was moved again in 2005 to its current location on the museum grounds, when Central United Methodist Church donated the structure to the Museum after purchasing the land.
The Kings Mountain Historical Museum is a small non-profit and the only FREE museum to visit in Cleveland County, NC. We need the support of our community to help preserve such an important piece of our history. Can you help us preserve this building and the history associated with it to educate future generations?
The museum has set up a GoFundMe account at https://gofund.me/f7666756 for donations.
Donations can also be made online through the website PayPal link, by calling, or by mailing a check to the museum at: Kings Mountain Historical Museum, 100 East Main Street, PO Box 552, Kings Mountain, NC 28086.
Director and Curator
The Kings Mountain Historical Museum needs your help! We are currently working on the museum grounds with several Eagle Scout Projects to make the museum grounds a place for events and an educational space as well for the community and state. We are working on the restoration plan for the George Washington Cornwell House, but it comes at a cost that amounts to around $40,000. You might ask why this is important to the preservation of Kings Mountain history.
George Washington Cornwell and his wife, Frances Lou (Lucinda) Smith, purchased the lot at 106 King Street in Kings Mountain, NC in April 1876. They had just married and moved to the newly incorporated city of Kings Mountain. George and Lucinda built this house on their lot and raised seven children in it.
George and his brother, William (who lived next door) were wagon makers. It is believed their shop was between their homes. Lucinda, a devoted Baptist, was a founding member of Kings Mountain Baptist Church (located next to the museum), which started in 1890. The original building was a wooden structure, though Lucinda lived to see the current building built in 1919.
In 1910, George and Lucinda sold part of their lot to their oldest son, Clarence. This house was placed on logs and rolled to the far side of the lot, so Clarence had space to build a new, fashionable house. When this move happened, the kitchen and back porch were detached from the house.
The house was moved again in 2005 to its current location on the museum grounds, when Central United Methodist Church donated the structure to the Museum after purchasing the land.
The Kings Mountain Historical Museum is a small non-profit and the only FREE museum to visit in Cleveland County, NC. We need the support of our community to help preserve such an important piece of our history. Can you help us preserve this building and the history associated with it to educate future generations?
The museum has set up a GoFundMe account at https://gofund.me/f7666756 for donations.
Donations can also be made online through the website PayPal link, by calling, or by mailing a check to the museum at: Kings Mountain Historical Museum, 100 East Main Street, PO Box 552, Kings Mountain, NC 28086.