History

At the end of the American Civil War, April 1865, Stoneman’s Raiders invaded the Carson House and surrounding property. At that time Carson House was owned by Jonathan Logan Carson. During that time a school teacher, Emma Rankin was employed by the Carsons, who provided her with room and board. Miss Rankin kept an account of the horrifying events of the raid in her diary. (Copies of her diary excerpts are available for purchase in the Carson House gift shop.) Over a period of several days, numerous regiments of Union soldiers demanded food, clothing, horses and supplies. The soldiers ransacked the house, barns and outbuildings in search of anything of value. One evening the soldiers took over the dining room and prepared cornmeal cakes and sorghum (which they had found hidden in the ceiling). After eating they poured and smeared sorghum all over the floor and remaining furniture.

Soon after the end of the Civil War, Jonathan Logan Carson died and his wife and two daughters moved into Marion. The house was then sold to John Sewell Brown.