Photo You might think this is the front door. Nah. When you come in, use the one to the left.
The next few weeks are a lead-up to the return of one of Hickory’s most significant historical sites.
Over the last year, the Historical Association of Catawba County has engaged in a major renovation of Harper House, aka the Hickory History Center. Outside, the rock wall that lines Third Avenue, NE and North Center Street has been restored. Inside, a number of structural issues have been addressed and the place is looking fantastic, ready for visitors again.
That’s coming at the end of the month. On October 30 “The Unmasking of Harper House, An Evening of Restoration and Celebration” will take place. This is your invitation to join us for “a special evening,” as the next chapter of the historic home with all its treasures and tales begins.
When you come, notice just one of several interesting aspects of the house. For one, it has two front doors. The door you might think is the front door is not the one originally created for welcoming visitors. Instead, the door on the north end was the home’s intended formal entry. The Victorians had a set procedure for how you were supposed to be received.
So why a second front door? That comes from the second residents of the house. In 1892, Elizabeth Camp Denison Rutherford Thornton bought the home. Her second husband, owned the western half of Burke County, over in the Bridgewater area. She and her third husband purchased the house in 1892.
Elizabeth was once quoted as saying she married first for love (a judge in Arkansas), second for money (John Rutherford, 40 years her senior) and the third time for the hell of it. She was 18 years older than Marcellus Eugene Thornton (her third). When the couple arrived in Hickory, unlike the traditions of the time, she had all the money and made him sign a prenup.
The Thorntons lived lavishly in the grand old house. Most days she could be seen around town in her carriage pulled by white horses (some said she looked like Queen Victoria in a processional) and Marcellus dabbled in various Hickory businesses, thanks to his wife’s assets.
However, as sometimes happens, the relationship between the couple grew strained. She banished him to live in the downstairs area while she resided upstairs. It got so bad that she did not want to look at him. So, she had a second front door built for him to use so that when she went out for the day, she could avoid him. That’s why there are two front doors at Harper House.
This story is just one of many. The home had three very distinct families who lived there, each with a multitude of mysteries and curiosities to unravel. That’s what makes the home so intriguing, plus the fact that you can link much of the emergence of Hickory’s growth to what was going on in that home.
Check out a video piece I did on the subject. Go to the Historical Association of Catawba County’s website. Find the Harper House page. It’s there.
Next week, more.
