Skip to main content

Hugh Torrance House & Store, Inc. records of incorporation

 Collection
Identifier: MS0157

Scope and Contents

This collection is comprised of the official archives of the Hugh Torance House & Store, Inc., which include incorporation records, board minutes, correspondence, financial and fundraising records, notes concerning the architecture of the restoration, publicity papers, photographs, and more.

Dates

  • Creation: 1974 - 1996

Creator

Conditions Governing Access

Collection is open for research.

Conditions Governing Use

Some material may be copyrighted or restricted. It is the patron's obligation to determine and satisfy copyright or other case restrictions when publishing or otherwise distributing materials found in the collections.

Historical Note

The Hugh Torance House & Store, Inc., a non-profit corporation, was established in 1977 in order to carry out the intent of an easement granted that same year to the Mecklenburg Historical Association by the property's owners, Richard T. and Belle P. Banks. The corporation's primary roles include oversight of the restoration of the property, maintenance and operation as an historical site, and the promotion and encouragement of historical research of the house and store. Through the acquisition of grants and other monies, the restoration of the property was completed in 1989. The Hugh Torance House and Store, as well as the adjacent Cedar Grove plantation home, are listed on the National Register of Historic Places and have been designated local historic landmarks through the recommendation of the Charlotte-Mecklenburg Historic Landmarks Commission. [Files related to the corporation are also available in the Mecklenburg Historical Association Records, which are also a part of the UNC Charlotte Manuscript Collections.] A grist and saw mill was built by James Torrance in 1844-1846; located on Gilead Road, west of Huntersville, N.C.; previously the site of a mill built 1824-1825; only the stone foundation of the later mill survives.

Historical Note

The Hugh Torance House and Store, located at 8231 Gilead Road in Huntersville, is the oldest existing mercantile building in Mecklenburg County, dating from the late 18th century. The house and log store were built in phases. The original log structure, which later became the store, is believed to have been built around 1780, with a storage addition made around 1787. Hugh Torance bought the property in 1779 and moved his family into the log building in 1787. He built the federal-style, two-story addition, of the building in 1796. Hugh's son, James Galbraith Torrance (he changed the spelling of the family name), opened a dry goods store in the log structure portion in 1805. He operated the store until 1825, when the contents were purchased by Samuel McCombs of Charlotte. By that time, James had acquired all of the Mecklenburg County holdings of his father, who died in 1816. [For additional information about the family and the property, see folder 2:1 in this collection; the Torrance and Banks Family Papers; and the survey and research report on Cedar Grove and the Hugh Torance House and Store in the Charlotte-Mecklenburg Historic Landmarks Commission Reports.]

Extent

2 Linear Feet

Language of Materials

English

Abstract

Records of an organization established in 1977 to preserve the northern Mecklenburg County home of Hugh Torance (1743-1816), which was built in the 1770s or 1780s. Includes information on the history and restoration of the house, board minutes, financial records, correspondence, legal documents, fund raising material, and photographs.

Arrangement

When the first accession was processed in 1999, it was arranged in a single series of alphabetized files. Another accession, which came to the UNCC Special Collections at a later time, had to be integrated into the collection; a process that necessitated the formation of a more sophisticated arrangement.

The collection is divided into six series, one of which (Architectural plans and resotrations) is further divided into a subseries (Restoration). The six series are: Historical Research, Architectural plans and restorations, Incorporation, Financial Records, Programming and Publicity and Photographs.

Immediate Source of Acquisition

Gift of Hugh Torance House & Store, Inc., 1988, 1992, 1999. Gift of Carolyn Nelson, 1989. Gift of Helen Kinney, 1993.

Processing Information

Processed by Robert A. McInnes, 1999, 2006; encoded by Robert A. McInnes, September, 2006.

Title
Records of Hugh Torrance House & Store, Inc.
Status
Completed
Author
Robert A. McInnes
Description rules
Describing Archives: A Content Standard
Language of description
Undetermined
Script of description
Code for undetermined script
Language of description note
English

Repository Details

Part of the Manuscript Collections, J. Murrey Atkins Library Special Collections and University Archives, UNC Charlotte Repository

Contact:
Atkins Library, UNC Charlotte
9201 University City Blvd
Charlotte NC 28223 United States

About this Site

Finding aids are guides to archival collections, including manuscripts, university records, and oral history collections. These guides help you find physical collections which can be viewed in the Dalton Reading Room on the 10th floor of Atkins Library. A small number of finding aids link to digital content online. Please contact us to learn more or to schedule an appointment:


Special Collections and University Archives
J. Murrey Atkins Library, UNC Charlotte
spec-coll@uncc.edu
(704) 687-1170
Schedule an Appointment