The Howser Farmstead: Cultural Landscape Inventory, Kings Mountain National Military Park, National Park Service

Rapp, Michelle

The Howser Farmstead is a component landscape of the Kings Mountain National Military Park (NMP) in Cherokee County, South Carolina. The Military Park landscape is significant for the Revolutionary War Battle of Kings Mountain that occurred on October 7, 1780, as well as for its associations with later periods of commemoration and national park development. The property, located on Howser Road in the northwest corner of the park, contains a stone house once occupied by the Howser family and other contributing landscape features. Although this is a post-battle landscape, it continues to signify the historic agricultural land use and architecture of the region. The National Register documentation for the Howser Farmstead lists the period of significance as 1803-1945, a span that includes the property’s development, operations, and eventual decline and transfer to the National Park Service (NPS). The property and its features are material expressions of vernacular architecture and settlement patterns in the South Carolina Piedmont during this period. It is particularly notable as a rare regional example of Germanic architectural forms. The farmstead was owned and constructed by Henry Howser, a trained stone mason who had relocated to the area from one of the German population centers of Pennsylvania. The main structure is a two-story, double-pile house set on a raised basement with a gable roof and two interior gable-end chimneys. The use of stone was rare for a South Carolina residence at this time. The German influence is also evident in its orientation, constructed into the hillside. The landholdings varied during period of occupancy from 60-acres to several thousand; today, the farmstead consists of 402 acres and is entirely within park boundaries. During the nineteenth century, it is likely that the farm complex included slave dwellings, barns, a corn crib, a privy, and a shed for distilling activity, in addition to orchards and fields. The Howser Farmstead presently includes the stone house, family cemetery, earthen terraces, outbuilding sites, and the Howser Road. The property is wooded with cleared area surrounding the house. The property was purchased in 1938 by the NPS; however, no actions were initially taken to stabilize the structures, and the landscape continued to deteriorate until the last remaining outbuildings were demolished in 1949. The house was restored to its historic appearance in 1976-77. The spatial arrangement of the farmstead is retained, and aspects of design and workmanship continue to express the significance of the house. Overall, these elements contribute to the landscape’s integrity and preserve its importance to the regional history of settlement and architecture. However, the loss of outbuildings and regrowth of vegetation have challenged the integrity of the historic farmstead setting.

The Howser Farmstead: Cultural Landscape Inventory, Kings Mountain National Military Park, National Park Service

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