Peachland resident Austin Kirkland secures windows on the historic birthplace of L.L. Polk. Kirkland and his wife Meagan plan on purchasing the house from Preserve Mecklenburg.
Contributed Photo
Preservation of historic home complete
POLKTON — A historic house and the birth place of Leonidas Lafayette Polk will be bought by Peachland residents after preservation efforts have been complete by Preserve Mecklenburg.
The non-profit group based out of Mecklenburg County started working on saving the historic house in February of 2021. Now that the preservation stage is complete, Preserve Mecklenburg (PMI) will buy the house and its 5.82 acres of land by June 13.
By June or July, the house and about one acre of land will then be sold to Austin and Meagan Kirkland of Peachland as a preservation easement. The easement gives PMI design review over any material alterations to the exterior of the house, according to a press release from PMI.
The Kirklands will also have two years to decide if they would like to purchase the remainder of the land.
Ideas are still being discussed about how to use the house and land as a way to benefit the community. Students from the South Piedmont Community College could make use of the site or part of the land could become a pocket park. There are even talks about using the building as a meeting space or a wedding venue, according to the press release.
Since the preservation began, PMI helped correctly place a the historic highway marker outside of L.L. Polk’s birthplace that was misplaced in 2009. It was sitting next to the SPCC campus off of U.S. 74. PMI informed the state of the incorrect location and now the sign sits in the heart of Polkton.
Austin Kirkland has worked on securing windows and examining the foundation of the house Brett Sturm, state restoration specialist. County Commissioner J.D. Bricken volunteered his time to help clear out the yard by a bush-hog.
“The Kirklands are perfect buyers for the L.L. Polk House,” a press release from PMI said. “Austin Kirkland is the owner of Spotted Dog Timber Frame Construction Company in Peachland. Austin is an expert in timber frame construction and builds new timber frame structures throughout the area. Austin knows what has to be done to restore the Polk House. He plans to return the house to its original appearance.”
PMI was able to save this historic landmark in Anson County with contributed funds from the L.L. Polk Foundation and the Anson County Historical Society.
Reach Liz O’Connell at 704-994-5471 or at eoconnell@ansonrecord.com.
