The Carson House in Marion is one of the top house museums in North Carolina. We love its fascinating history and the way it tells a full history of both powerful and the marginalized people in Marion. One of the permanent exhibits is Bondage & Resistance: Slavery in the Up Country. The house hosts events and is a place where descendants of all past residents are welcome to gather and use the genealogy library. The museum opened a Heritage Center and Genealogical Research Room in spring 2026. The space explores the history of McDowell County and helps people trace their family roots.
The original log section of the home was built in 1793 by Colonel John Carson. Carson had fought in the Revolutionary War. He built his home at the intersection of the "busy" Old Colonial Road and the just completed Coach Road that connected Morganton to Asheville for the first time. This is because he wanted the home to be the social and political center of the region. Carson hosted many famous visitors, including friends Andrew Jackson and Davy Crockett. The home was expanded in 1795 and 1842 while Carson served many elected posts. By the 1840s, the Carson family enslaved dozens of people to renovate the home to look like a deep south plantation and to work the 6,500-acre property.
If these walls could talk! In the early 1800s, the local gold rush drew people from across the country. In fact, the gold rush made Carson's son a millionaire. The house was the location of meetings to decide on the formation of McDowell County. The museum is a stop on the Civil War Trail as Union Gen. George Stoneman's cavalry raiders skirmished with home guards on April 19, 1865 During the 1900s, the house went through many owners and renters. Thankfully, some local residents saved the home in the 1960s and opened it as a regional history museum.
Today, take a one-hour guided tour through the three-story home with rooms filled with an interesting collection covering 200 years - including period furniture, impressive quilts and fabrics, paintings, glassware, china, pottery and Civil War artifacts.
The third floor features the original unpainted walls. Don't miss the "Laying Out" bed (short legs and extra long to fit a top hat) that was used to display a dead body atop the dining room table.
The tour also includes the barn filled with equipment, tools, blacksmith shop and historic wagons.
This rare "crooked bed" covered wagon was built in North Carolina in the mid 1800s. The grounds also include a log corn crib and a large, modern Jubilee Arbor used for fundraising and rental events.
Nearby
See more things to do in Marion. Coming from Asheville, drive through Old Fort with the Mountain Gateway Museum.
Hours & Tickets
The Carson House Museum is open between April and December. Tours are hourly with last tour at 3:00 pm.
- Days of operation April-November are Sunday 2-5 pm, Monday CLOSED, Tuesday-Saturday 10 am-4 pm. CLOSED on Mother's Day and Father's Day.
- Days of operation in December are published seasonally on the website.
Tickets are $10 per ages 13 and up, $5 for children 6-12, and free for children under 6.
Address
1805 US Highway 70 West, Marion, NC 28752 (Located beside the big Tom Johnson Camping Center.)
