Allison Deaver House

The Allison-Deaver House is one of the oldest standing frame houses in western North Carolina. In 1815, Benjamin Allison built this house for his family in the mountainous region of Transylvania County. In an area where log cabins were typical, this two-story frame structure was unusual for the time. Allison sold the house in 1830 to William Deaver, an unusually prosperous landowner with approximately 5,117 acres of property to his name. Most residents of this area, prior to the mid-nineteenth century, were subsistence farmers. Deaver expanded the house, adding on to the north side in 1840, almost doubling its size.

By 1860, large porches and columns had been added to the front of the house. The broad, two-story porch stretches across the entire front facade and is a rustic version of a feature that is more typical to Charleston, South Carolina. The porch railings are crafted with diagonal wood latticework between the columns. The house itself is clad in wood lap siding.

Deaver died in 1865 after being shot by an outlaw gang on his doorstep. Deaver descendants occupied the house until 1945. The house changed hands over the years and served several uses, including a school and post office. The Transylvania County Historical Society purchased the house, barn, and surrounding four acres of land in 1987, saving the structure from scheduled demolition. Over the next twenty-five years, the Transylvania County Historical Society restored the structure, which, at the time of purchase, retained its original paneling, hardware, molding, and trim, in addition to original paint finishes and working fireplaces. The house is open seasonally to the public.