Slated for demolition in 1987, a group of citizens quickly formed the Transylvania County Historical Society and bought the house, barn, and the nearly four acres of land. Over the last 25 years, the Society has restored and maintained the house as a tribute to the early settlers, as an example of remarkable mountain-crafted architecture, and as a gift to present and future citizens. In 1815, when most mountain dwellings were log cabins, Benjamin Allison built a two-story three-over-three room frame house based on the design of row houses in England and America’s east coast. Allison, who had eleven children and most likely needed more space for his family, sold the house to William Deaver in 1830. By 1840, the house was more than doubled in size and by 1860 the Charleston-inspired double porches had been added and William Deaver’s home, seven slaves, and 5,117 acres in scattered locations reflected the prosperity achievable in the mountain economy. Today the Allison-Deaver property is a part of the North Carolina the Civil War Trails Program.
