Saving The Wearn House

The Richard Wearn House was built in 1844. It is the second oldest house in the city of Charlotte. In late 2014, my  partner Susan Ward and I bought it. Situated on a massive piece of property that had previously been purchased by a real estate developer for moderately priced vinyl covered homes, the Wearn House was  slated for demolition. In fact, one of the future developers remarked at the original auction in 2008, “This is defintely a tear-down.”
 Through the efforts of Dr. Dan Morrill  and the
Charlotte Mecklenburg Historical  Landmarks Commission (CMHLC), a historic landmark designation was awarded 
for  the Wearn House in 1979,so demolition had a one year hold.
We discovered the Wearn House through media coverage and agreed that the importance of saving it was paramount for several reasons:
It is the second oldest house in Charlotte.
It predates the Civil War.
It is of special significance to the city’s Westside, which has long been home to the Charlotte’s working class, and the African-American community. Regrettably, the history of this region is fragmentary, and the Wearn House serves as a focal anchor point for the area and its past.
While all of the aforementioned reasons are of importance and of benefit to Charlotte, perhaps the most significant of all is the recognition of the original builder: Richard Wearn.
Wearn immigrated to the United States in 1822. As an experienced tin miner in his native Cornwall, England, he brought with him talents that were pivotal in the extraction of gold in the surrounding land. In what is historically known as the country’s first gold rush, Wearn was a key figure in the Carolina Gold Rush. Originally, he built the house for himself and his bride Henrietta. The continued restoration of this historic home will eventually benefit all Charlotteans and Americans alike by maintaining the successes of early hard-working Americans and maintaining its historical place in the country's first gold rush.
To date, Susan and I have used our own funds to purchase the property and restore many parts of the home and the additional out buildings. As with restoration efforts on all historic homes, unexpected expenses have arisen and that has left our funds depleted.
The money currently sought will be used for roof and chimney repair and the rental of a manlift, which will allow myself and other artisans access to the three-story chimney tops. While additional funding may be sought in the future for other repair and restoration, we have chosen to focus on specific areas of immediate need so as not to deprive others in search of financial aid and currently seeking assistance.
As soon as the funding goal is reached, work will continue on restoration of The Wearn House. Since most of the work will be done on the exterior, it is hoped the needed finances will be raised quickly, in order to take advantage of the temperate weather of the region.
For Susan and I, continuing the process we have worked on for nearly two years will show the city and the country the importance of history through architectural preservation.
Says Susan: "Both of us were immediately taken by the beauty of this home from the moment we read about it in local reports. As a native Charlottean, saving as much of the city’s history is extremely important to me.”
I, of course, feel the same. After all the work we’ve done so far, continuing the process and preserving the home for Charlotte and America is a dream come true. It’s hard to express how thankful we have been to those that have helped us along the way by allowing us to repurpose pieces of antiquity that have helped to recapture the original character of the home.
With this money the process will go on, and help us to achieve our ultimate goal of making the site beneficial to the community at large, by teaching others through eventual onsite classes various techniques of restoration and the importance of preserving the past for the future.