|
- - - - - - - - - - - - - - - - - - - - - - - - -
|
The Carter Mansion in ElizabethtonBuilt by John Carter, chairman of the Watauga Association
All photos and illustrations by Pat Johns ©2007 - present
|
|
This area, originally called "Watauga Old Fields"was the home of Native Americans before the first permanent European settlers, William and Lydia Bean, arrived in 1769. John Carter arrived at the Watauga Settlement in nearby Sycamore Shoals in 1772, the same year the Watauga Association was formed. John Carter became Chairman of the Association. The Association drafted the Watauga Petition, which made them the first democratic government of American-born men west of the Appalachians. (This preceded the Declaration of Independence by 4 years and the U.S. Constitution by 14 years.) |
John Carter also served as the "entry taker" (one who recorded information about landowners) for the Watauga settlement. He recorded his own ownership od 640 acres, upon which the Mansion stands. By the end of the war John and Landon Carter owned 10,000 acres. John Carter died in 1781. His son, Landon, inherited his property and wealth. He and his wife Elizabeth had 6 children. Landon participated in the march to and battle at King's Mountain, where the Overmountain Men defeated British Major Patrick Ferguson in a turning point in the Revolutionary War. Carter County is named for Landon Carter and Elizabethton is named for his wife. According to the State of Tennessee website (see link below), 90 percent of the interior of the house is authentic. It was restored in the 1970s. Unique mural-style illustrations painted directly on the walls were discovered and recovered during the restoration. |
Contact information:
|
|
Links to references in this article: |
