House in the Horseshoe State Historic Site

11/06/2026

It has been 6 months since we temporarily closed for construction of our new visitor center! Here are some photos of how things are coming along. Follow us for more updates!

09/06/2026

Learn more about "The House in the Horseshoe" play that was written and performed celebrating the bicentennial in 1976!

Thanks to our new partner Alston House Association, scrapbooks that document the 1976 production of "The House in the Horseshow," written by Joseph Coles Simmons. The play was written as part of the bicentennial celebration that year and was such a hit it was performed again the summer of 1977 as well. Learn more on our blog today!

https://www.digitalnc.org/blog/the-house-and-the-horseshoe-production-highlights-bicentennial-celebration/

09/06/2026

The orange daylilies are in full bloom today! Did you know daylilies are native to Asia?

04/06/2026

We attended Moore County Historical Association’s second Colonial Day event last Saturday with the Alston House Association! It was a great event with various trades and craft demonstrations.

02/06/2026

The name of a building can change as its purpose changes over time. Currently, this building is called the storehouse, but at one point it was called the commissary and the loom house. The first photograph is from 1998 and the second photograph was taken today.

What differences do you notice between the two photographs? What has stayed the same?

(First Photograph: House in the Horseshoe Archives)

28/05/2026

Do you know what this artifact is? View the second photo for a hint when it was used outside in 1984.

(Source: House in the Horseshoe Archives)

26/05/2026

There are some gorgeous peonies blooming behind the Alston House!

21/05/2026

We attended the 2026 Crank-Up at Ole Gilliam Mill Park last Saturday! Just once a year the grist mill is "cranked up" and demonstrated.

19/05/2026

Happy Asian American and Pacific Islander Heritage Month!

We want to shed light on Charles Peters, an enslaved Asian man who serviced in and deserted the Continental Army. Peters' story is evidence that Asian Americans and Pacific Islanders are deeply rooted in North Carolina's history and can be traced back to the American Revolution.

Learn more about Peters here: https://beyondthebulletholes.wordpress.com/2025/05/02/charles-peters-north-carolinas-asian-continental/

(Source: The North Carolina Gazette (New Bern, NC), May 15, 1778)

14/05/2026

Did you know that the Alston House is on the National Register of Historic Places? The Alston House is recognized for its architectural, military, and political significance.

You can read the 1970 nomination form here: files.nc.gov/historic-preservation/nr/MR0001.pdf