Huntersville in Mecklenburg County, North Carolina — The American South (South Atlantic)

The Smokehouse

Photographed by Mark Parker, January 15, 2024

1. The Smokehouse Marker

Inscription. The Smokehouse stands where the Davidson family smoked their sausage, bacon, ham, and other meats. A cold month like December was the proper time for pig butchering on the Rural Hill farm of the 18th and 19th centuries. Fresh pork would be packed in salt for a period of about two weeks before being hung up inside the smokehouse. A smoldering fire kept inside the smokehouse would continuously smoke the meat for other one or two weeks. The meat would then be left inside the smokehouse for up to two years. Perfectly preserved, properly smoked meat needed no refrigeration and would be eaten by the family throughout the year. In December of 1839 the Davidson family butchered 50 pigs, producing 9,582 pounds of pork, or roughly 190 pounds of pork per pig.

Erected by Rural Hill.

Topics. This historical marker is listed in these topic lists: Agriculture • Settlements & Settlers. A significant historical month for this entry is December 1839.

Location. 35° 23.147′ N, 80° 56.774′ W. Marker is in Huntersville, North Carolina, in Mecklenburg County. It can be reached from Neck Road (State Road 2074) 0.3 miles east of Allison Ferry Road,

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on the left when traveling east. Marker and Smokehouse are south just south of the Rural Hill complex parking lot. Touch for map. Marker is at or near this postal address: 4431 Neck Rd, Huntersville NC 28078, United States of America. Touch for directions.

Regionally, this marker is in the Piedmont

and in Greater Charlotte.

It is also in the American South

and specifically in the Upper South.

Globally, it is in North America,

the Western Hemisphere,

the Western World,

and the Anglosphere.

Historically, it finds itself in what was once the territory of the Mississippian Culture,

one of the original Thirteen Colonies,

one of the Confederate States of America,

and the Antebellum South.

Other nearby markers. At least 8 other markers are within walking distance of this marker: Historic Rural Hill (a few steps from this marker); The Storage Shed (within shouting distance of this marker); The Ash House (within shouting distance of this marker); The Mansion House of Rural Hill (within shouting distance of this marker); Bethesda Schoolhouse (approx. 0.2 miles away); Major John Davidson (approx. 0.2 miles away); Maj. John D. Davidson

The Smokehouse. Marker is to the right of the door. image. Click for full size.

Photographed by Mark Parker, January 15, 2024

2. The Smokehouse. Marker is to the right of the door.

Parking lot for Rural Hill is at the right of the building.

(approx. ¼ mile away); Violet Wilson (approx. ¼ mile away). Touch for a list and map of all markers in Huntersville.

Also see . . . Rural Hill. (Submitted on August 15, 2024.)

Rural Hill map. Smokehouse is by the red "X" image. Click for full size.

Photographed by Mark Parker, January 15, 2024

3. Rural Hill map. Smokehouse is by the red "X"

Credits. This page was last revised on August 15, 2024. It was originally submitted on August 15, 2024, by Mark Parker of Hickory, North Carolina. This page has been viewed 137 times since then and 14 times this year. Photos: 1, 2, 3. submitted on August 15, 2024, by Mark Parker of Hickory, North Carolina. • Bernard Fisher was the editor who published this page.