About

Guiding Principles

The name of this nonprofit corporation, registered with the IRS as a 501 (c)(3) charitable organization, shall be “The Historic Carson House” and is referred to in these bylaws simply as the HCH.

Mission

The mission of the HCH and its governing body shall be to restore, preserve, and maintain the former home of John H. Carson located at 1805 US Hwy. 70 West, Marion, North Carolina, for the benefit of the people of McDowell County, the State of North Carolina, and the United States of America.

Purposes

The purposes for which the Carson House has been incorporated includes, but is not limited to, the following:

  1. Maintaining the former home of John H. Carson as a designated property on the National Register of Historic Places.
  2. Operating the HCH as a house museum of period furniture, household accessories, and such other articles of historical interest and value as may be considered appropriate in representing the life, habits, activities, and thought-world of the Carson family, their slaves, and fellow citizens.
  3. Supporting other activities and organizations whose mission is the preservation of historical sites, artifacts, and traditions of McDowell County.
  4. Conserving in the HCH a specialized research library of history and genealogy available for public use.
  5. Acquiring and exhibiting on the grounds of the HCH, artifacts and drawn vehicles representative of the nineteenth century farm and plantation life on the upper Catawba.
  6. Maintaining the Jubilee Arbor on the grounds of the Carson House to provide a site for (1) educational and cultural events initiated by the HCH Board of Directors, and (2) social and civic events sponsored by individuals or groups in the wider community whose terms of use are limited by the acceptance of conditions specified in HCH rental contracts.
  7. Acquiring, restoring, and maintaining other historic sites in McDowell County, North Carolina, as the governing body of the HCH may decide is appropriate and in the public interest.
  8. Sponsoring, engaging in, and encouraging activities, presentations, tours, and publications of historical and cultural value that contribute to fulfilling the mission of the HCH.

Powers

The HCH, as a registered 501 (c)(3) nonprofit organization, shall have all the powers granted to nonprofit corporations by the laws of the United States, and the State of North Carolina; particularly Chapter 55A of the general statutes of North Carolina.1

1On August 2, 1963, the Articles of Incorporation for the Historic Carson House were filed with the Secretary of State of North Carolina as Carson House Restoration, Inc., a nonprofit organization under the laws of the State of North Carolina, as contained in Chapter 55A of the General Statute of North Carolina and and its several amendments. The corporate name was changed to the Historic Carson House and reregistered with the Secretary of State of North Carolina in October, 1999.