Hickory · est. 1887
Harper House / Hickory History Center
A Queen Anne–style residence operating as the Hickory History Center, telling the city’s earliest stories.
Considered by the North Carolina Department of Archives and History to possess “the finest Queen Anne interior styling in the entire state,” the Harper House at 310 N. Center Street — together with the accompanying Craftsman-style Bonniwell-Lyerly House — serves Catawbans and visitors as the Harper House & Hickory History Center.
In the end, our family — from the youngest to the oldest — concluded that the property should be acquired by an organization dedicated to the preservation of the house and property as a museum and cultural center for the benefit of the general public. With that objective in mind, we approached the Catawba County Historical Association.
— Dinny Harper Addison, daughter of F. Gwyn Harper, Jr.
Daniel Webster Shuler, who founded Hickory’s first bank, built the house in 1887. The Harper family’s stay was by far the longest — from 1923, when Finley Gwyn Harper, Sr. purchased it, to December 2000, when his granddaughters generously arranged its acquisition by the HACC. Across three generations the family preserved the foyer’s carved, coffered ceiling and stained-glass window; the parquet floors; the ornate brass-work and pocket doors; the piano-grade cherry staircase; and the carved wainscoting of the dining room.
A momentous preservation project — the Association raised $2,000,000 for restorations — the Harper House welcomes visitors as a house museum, interpreting both Hickory history and Victorian life in the South, circa 1887.
The Lyerly House (Hickory History Center)
On the same lot, the Craftsman-style Bonniwell-Lyerly House — rescued and moved for preservation in 2004 — serves as the Betty Allen Education Center and Margaret Huggins Gallery, as well as a conference facility. Remodeled in the 1930s with Tudor Revival motifs, its interior blends Craftsman wrought-iron and stained-glass fixtures, built-in cabinetry, and a floor-to-ceiling stair screen. Exhibits include The Miracle of Hickory and The Three R’s of Hyalyn.
Today you’ll find the Shops at Lyerly in one of the main-floor rooms — a bookstore and gift boutique whose every purchase supports the preservation of this historic site.
Visiting
Please note: the Harper House is currently closed for renovations. Tours normally run on the hour, Wednesday–Saturday (10 am, 11 am, 1 pm, 2 pm, 3 pm); please check in first at the Hickory History Center. Admission is $12 for adults, $8 for ages 6–17, and free for children 5 & under. School groups, call for a quote. To schedule or ask questions, call (828) 324-7294 or email harper.house@catawbahistory.org.