Martin was please to find Anson County Brownstone in the home’s foundation
The home’s living room was remodeled to allow for a larger, modernized kitchen. Its double glass doors lead out to a deck overlooking a spacious, fairly level, backyard.
Clifton Martin is proud to be a part of Polkton’s renovation project through his work remodeing the former Methodist Church Parsonage located at 64 Moore Street
POLKTON — A developer with a love of history was just the person needed to restore life into the former Methodist Church parsonage located at 64 Moore Street. In Polkton resident Clifton Martin, such a developer was found, and in July 2024 he acquired the property and immediately began setting about breathing life back into the home’s old beams.
Martin says, “When we dated the materials used to build the home, we found its timber frame dates back to the 1870s or 1880s.”
An avid history lover and vice president of the Anson County Historical Society, Martin was eager to find out all he could about his newly purchased home’s former history, so he reached out to his good friend, and president of the historical society, Steve Bailey.
Martin says he learned, “In the 20th century the home became a private residence. During this time, you had the temperance movement really starting to take off in Polkton. It was a very religious town with a strong church population.”
The Temperance Movement is a time in American history when the consumption and sale of alcohol was prohibited, however, the 1930s ban on liquor resulted in more drinking, high crime rates, and a burgeoning disrespect for the law.
Martin is pleased to announce Polkton is leading the way in the county when it comes to preservation efforts. A good friend of his, another history lover, Austin Kirkland purchased The Leonidas Lafayette Polk and Sarah Gaddy Polk House in Polkton with plans to restore the residence.
“There is a lot of good preservation and restoration efforts underway in Polkton right now I am pleased to be a part of it,” shared Martin. “Our town depot, which is managed by the Polkton’s Women’s Club, was the original depot from the early 1900s, and it is used to rent for events and stuff like that. We are really making use of the historic structures we are blessed with.”
One particularly interesting feature of the now four-bedroom home is the foundation, built using Anson County Brownstone, a type of stone Martin explains was mined in the eastern part of the county. Anson County Brownstone’s notoriety grew for its ability to be chiseled into any shape but still strong enough to form the foundation of a house. It has been theorized the brownstone rock formation could have been created by an ancient “mud volcano” during the early days of the Uwharrie Mountain chain formation. It was primarily mined from the Lineham Brownstone Quarry located back of North Wadesboro Baptist Church, and between highways 109 and old 52.
When Martin first acquired the property, the house plan was very similar to the other homes in the area; three bedrooms, one bath, and a large central living space.
Modernizing the home, Martin added a bedroom, bath, and remodeled the living room to make room for a large, inviting kitchen.
He said, “A lot of local people poured their hard work and time into this project with me. I would like to thank Wayne Pope out of Ansonville for the electrical work, Steele Mechanical in Peachland, and Wadesboro Lumber and Barn.”
