Houstonville is an

unincorporated community An unincorporated area is a region that is not governed by a local municipal corporation. Widespread unincorporated communities and areas are a distinguishing feature of the United States and Canada. Most other countries of the world either have ...

in the Eagle Mills Township of

Iredell County, North Carolina Iredell County is a county located in the U.S. state of North Carolina. As of the 2020 census, the population was 186,693. Its county seat is Statesville, and its largest town is Mooresville. The county was formed in 1788, subtracted from Ro ...

, United States. Houstonville is located on

U.S. Route 21 U.S. Route 21 or U.S. Highway 21 (US 21) is a major north–south United States Numbered Highway in the Southeastern United States that travels . The southern terminus is in Hunting Island State Park, South Carolina, south of the ...

, north of

Harmony In music, harmony is the process by which individual sounds are joined together or composed into whole units or compositions. Often, the term harmony refers to simultaneously occurring frequencies, pitches ( tones, notes), or chords. However ...

. Houstonville was founded in 1789 by Christopher Houston and is the second oldest town in Iredell County after the county seat, Statesville.

History

Captain Christopher Houston (1744-1837), an American Revolutionary War veteran, was instrumental in establishing Iredell County in 1788 and the county seat of Statesville in 1789. He recognized the need for a town in the northern end of the county on Hunting Creek, so he founded Houstonville in 1789. (Houston moved to

Tennessee Tennessee ( , ), officially the State of Tennessee, is a landlocked state in the Southeastern region of the United States. Tennessee is the 36th-largest by area and the 15th-most populous of the 50 states. It is bordered by Kentucky to th ...

in 1815.) Other early settlers in Houstonville include: * Captain Thomas Cadet Young (1732-1829), American Revolutionary War veteran, settled in the area in about 1778The Heritage of Iredell County, 1980, published by the Genealogical Society of Iredell County, PO Box 946, Statesville, North Carolina 28677, , 642 pages with index * Captain Placebo Houston (1779-1859), born and died in Houstonville, son of Christopher Houston who married daughter of Thomas Cadet Young * Solomon Hayes (1750-1830) * * Col Francis Young (1779-1854), veteran of the War of 1812, buried in the Young Family Cemetery just north of Houstonville Christopher Houston and most of the original settlers in this area ran small plantations and owned slaves. Christopher Houston owned six and Thomas Young owned 13 slaves in 1790. The first post office was established in Houstonville on October 1, 1804 with Christopher Houston as postmaster. This post office was the second post office in Iredell County (after the Statesville Post Office) and served continually until February 9, 1869. A post office was re-established on March 5, 1883 with Mary C. Dalton as post master. This post office continued until November 30, 1955. Ebenezer Academu

The following historic sites are located in or near Houstonville and listed on the

National Register of Historic Places The National Register of Historic Places (NRHP) is the United States federal government's official list of districts, sites, buildings, structures and objects deemed worthy of preservation for their historical significance or "great artistic v ...

. * Ebenezer Academy a log school house established in 1821 and still standing *

Bethesda Presbyterian Church, Session House and Cemetery Bethesda Presbyterian Church, Session House and Cemetery is a historic Presbyterian church, session house, and cemetery located in Chambersburg Township, Iredell County, North Carolina. It was built in 1853, and is a one-story, three bay by fi ...

, established in 1853 *

Daltonia Daltonia, also known as the John H. Dalton House, was a historic home located near Houstonville, Iredell County, North Carolina. It was built in 1858, and is a two-story, three-bay by two-bay, Greek Revival style frame dwelling. It has a gable ...

, located near Houstonville and built by John H. Dalton in 1858 *

Welch-Nicholson House and Mill Site Welch-Nicholson House and Mill Site is a historic home and grist mill site located near Houstonville, Iredell County, North Carolina. The house was built about 1795, and is a two-story, one-room deep, transitional Georgian / Federal style fra ...

, located near Houstonville and built in 1795 Other notable sites in or near Houstonville include: * New Hope Baptist Church and Cemetery * Young Family Cemetery, which includes American Revolutionary War graves, dating from 1797 * Hayes Family Cemetery, near Houstonville school, Road # 1830Cemetery Records, Book 1, Page 577, Iredell, North Carolina Register of Deeds * Zion Hill

African Methodist Episcopal Zion Church African or Africans may refer to: * Anything from or pertaining to the continent of Africa: ** People who are native to Africa, descendants of natives of Africa, or individuals who trace their ancestry to indigenous inhabitants of Africa *** Ethn ...

and Cemetery

References

Mary Hunter Kennedy Papers #3242
Southern Historical Collection, The Wilson Library, University of North Carolina at Chapel Hill. Unincorporated communities in Iredell County, North Carolina Unincorporated communities in North Carolina {{IredellCountyNC-geo-stub