The Propst House is on the National Register of Historic Places.
Hours:
J. Summie Propst House is open
Thursday and Sunday afternoons,
from 1:30 PM to 4:30 PM,
March 15 - December 15.
Guided tours are available.
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J. Summie Propst (1853-1940) was the son of Abalsom Propst and was born in the Propst Crossroads section of Catawba County. A carpenter and cabinetmaker by trade, he built this house soon after his marriage to Nancy Jane Abernathy. Still in their twenties, they represented the new generation. Amenable to change, they accepted the new styles of architecture printed in the latest pattern books and erected an asymmetrical, spacious, modest house. This house remained in the family until it was vacated for a short period prior to its acquisition by the Hickory Landmarks Society in 1968. The Society moved the house to the present site in the Shuford Memorial Gardens, from its original location on Tenth Avenue (now Main Avenue, SW) An early twentieth century kitchen wing was not moved to the new site. Since its relocation to Shuford Park, the house has been rehabilitated and is used as a museum. The J. Summie Propst house, built between 1881 and 1883, is the only remaining example of the Second Empire Style of architecture in Hickory. Skilled as a builder and woodcarver, Summie embellished the design with intricate carvings, both inside and out. To accommodate his diminutive, 4' 10", wife, he scaled the the scroll-sawn balustrades of the inner stairs and the exterior porch to her dimensions. The focal point of the house is the three-stage central tower with its own mansard roof and sawnwork fan ornamentation. The remarkably intact interior of the Propst house is adorned with a variety of turned and carved ornamentation, as well as with simple mantels and door and window surrounds on the second floor. Fronting on the railroad track, it was the epitome of style, with its steep, dormered and patterned mansard roof and bay windows. Its tower, topped with a cupola glazed on four sides, allowed a 360 degree view of the growing town. Unoccupied in 1968--its master and mistress long gone--Propst House was purchased by the Hickory Landmarks Society, moved to Shuford Memorial Gardens and restored. Trained docents serve as guides at the J. Summie Propst House. "House Beautiful" referred to this home of a Master Craftsman as a "Victorian Gem." The J. Summie Propst House is located at 332 Sixth Street, NW, near downtown Hickory. The J. Summie Propst House is open Thursday and Sunday afternoons, from 1:30 PM to 4:30 PM, March 15 - December 15. Guided tours are available. Trained docents serve as guides.
For more information, call the Hickory Landmarks Society at 828-322-4731, Fax 828-327-9096 or write to the Hickory Landmarks Society at Post Office Box 2341, Hickory, N.C. 28603.
E-mail us for additional information.
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