Building Rural Hill
In 1760 when John Davidson arrived, he began the construction of a two room log cabin. We do not know if he had help in the construction of this log cabin, but it is highly likely. Perhaps the Wilson family members or local neighbors assisted John in building the cabin. Unfortunately his first home has not survived through time.

As he began to build his livelihood John learned several different trades, primarily blacksmithing. It has been passed down through family stories that he was putting the finishing touches on two wagon wheels on his wedding day. Certainly, this was an indication of his ambition.  

Today, a log cabin stands in the vicinity of “Rural Retreat” the first homestead of John and Violet Davidson. This cabin is used for living history programs and interpretation of the early American settlers.

John Davidson worked diligently acquiring wealth through his business ventures. Rural Retreat quickly grew from a small farm to a grand plantation of some 2,000 acres with African American slaves who worked the land and were skilled in a variety of trades to build the structures to support the operations. John Davidson acquired some 20-30 slaves while he was establishing Rural Hill.

When John ultimately passed Rural Hill on to his sons, records and journals kept by Adam Brevard dated January 1, 1856, display that there were African American slaves who were valued as high as $1200 each. These were two blacksmiths, Alexander and Hampton. Other skilled laborers included Phill and Adam who were each wagoners valued at $1000 each. Indeed, slaves helped build and maintain this extensive plantation for more than 75 years.

Ash House and Well house
Remains of some of the support buildings still stand at Rural Hill These are the last two remaining brick structures from the original plantation. The ash house was used to store the ashes from the kitchen and fireplaces in the main house. The ashes were then used to produce lye soap.

The well house was the main source of water for the family. The well was hand dug some 60 feet deep. McDowell Creek, located approximately two hundred yards to the east of the plantation, was another water source for the family and slaves and their animals.

These structures were made of brick from a local brick kiln, and the rooftops were wooden shingled roofing. There was another wooden building which stood among these two, which was used for storing wood. However, it no longer remains.

The Rural Hill staff is in the process of restoring these buildings to give visitors a more accurate view of what these buildings looked like during their operation. There are also plans to rebuild the wood shed.

Smokehouse
The smokehouse was an essential part of early American Farms. Built in circa 1834 this smokehouse was used extensively by the Davidson family. Adam Brevard Davidson raised many Brookshire pigs and built a large market for pork. Inside the smokehouse fresh meats were hung to cure.

After such time they would be sent to the markets, some as far away as Charleston, South Carolina. Originally this post and beam structure stood in the vicinity of the boxwood gardens and was later moved to its present location. A shed was also added for additional storage. John Springs Davidson, the last male heir is said to have used the shed to park his car.

Today, the smokehouse is an exhibit area for visitors to gain an understanding of how meats were smoked and cure. Some farms still use these methods.

Barn
The barn was probably the most essential structure on the farm. It was typically a large building used to house the livestock, supplies, and food for the animals. It is believed through the six generations that lived at Rural Hill there were at least two wooden barns built.

One unfortunate story tells of a barn being locked with several horses inside and a fire breaking out inside accidentally. Sadly, no one was able to get to the barn in time to save the animals.

This pole barn built in December 2005 by a local Amish community replaced the existing barn which stood on the exact location.

As it was used for over hundred years the new barn houses various livestock and farm equipment. Thanks in part by a grant from the Richard J. and Marie Mallouk Reynolds III Foundation and matched with fundraising projects by members of the Catawba Valley Scottish Society, this barn was able to be built to help with our educational programs.

Slave Cabins
Slave labor was essential to operate such a massive plantation as the Davidson family did prior to the American Civil War. Although proven a wrongful way of life, the Davidson family invested heavily in their laborers to build and maintain Rural Hill. Consequently, they did provide adequate housing and food for the African Americans who lived on the plantation.

In a journal written on January 1, 1856, Adam Brevard Davidson recorded owning more than 30 slaves. Many of them were skilled laborers consisting of blacksmiths, wagoners, millers, weavers, housemaids, cooks, but mostly farm hands.  It is interesting to note the value of slaves during this period ranged from the youngest child, Dilsie at age 3 being valued at $200 to a skilled miller named Thomas who at age 50, was valued at $1500.

This area is believed to be the remains of some of the log cabin foundations where the African American slaves of Rural Hill lived. As time and resources become available archeological studies will be able to assess if these were the actual dwellings of the slaves, and perhaps tell us more about their way of life at Rural Hill.

Granary
As the plantation lifestyle declined after the American Civil War, it reverted back to more of a smaller working farm. The Davidson family slowly began to rebuild and add other structures to support the farm operations. The granary, built in the early 1900’s, served as a storehouse for grain for the livestock and additional storage.

As the days of Rural Hill came to an end this building had fallen into disrepair, but was saved and restored by the Catawba Valley Scottish Society in 1998.

Sheep Shed
This log cabin style structure was known as the “Sheep Shed”. Whether it was ever used as such has yet to be determined. However, we do know the Davidson family maintained sheep on the farm at some point in time.

The sheep shed was one of the oldest structures on the farm, built of logs, much like a log cabin. However, due to time and wear this structure no longer stands.

Chicken House
Just about every farm has its share of chickens and roosters which enjoy strolling the grounds. This structure was built circa 1950-1960 on the back side of the main house to provide an area for the chickens to roost and lay their eggs. The shed was restored in 2005 by members of the Catawba Valley Scottish Society.

This building became known as the “chicken shed” which actually served to house the chickens and roosters on the farm. Today this building is houses antique farm equipment along with tools used to maintain the farm.

The Final Days of Rural Hill
This was what remained of the once grand “Jewel of the Catawba River Valley”. The family later pushed in the remains of the walls into the cellar area, for safety precautions. E.L. Davidson, a grandson of John Davidson made plans to rebuild Rural Hill. He worked with local architect, Louis H. Asbury, and had the plans drawn in detail. Unfortunately, he passed away before reconstruction could begin.

In 1886 the Davidson family traveled into the city of Charlotte to attend the fair and visit friends and family. While they were away a fire broke out inside the mansion house. When the family returned to Rural Hill the house and virtually all of their personal belongings were lost. A few physical pieces of the house were salvaged which included the main front doors (now on display in the exhibit room), shudders, and some of the molding of the interior rooms. The family moved back to the log cabin (Rural Retreat) until a new home could be built.

Rural Hill Homestead
Built in 1834 the kitchen house for the plantation was situated on the site where the final home of the Davidson family now stands. When the mansion home of Rural Hill burned in 1886 the family moved back into the log cabin of Rural Retreat. The Davidson's took the old kitchen house and began constructing a new home around it. Remnants of the hand hewn logs which were part of the original kitchen house are still evident in the basement of the current home.

Long past were the prosperous days of being able to afford to rebuild the magnificent mansion style home Major John Davidson had spent his life building atop Rural Hill. Still a very comfortable and spacious home, the family used the doors, molding and other pieces from the original mansion house to construct this two story wooden structure. In 1947 the house was added on to and remodeled extensively.

Today the offices of Rural Hill, the gift shop, and museum exhibits are located inside the Davidson home.

We invite you to visit us.