Mount Mourne Plantation Home

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A National Register landmark, the Historic Mount Mourne Plantation was commissioned to be built in 1831 by Major Rufus Reid, a prosperous businessman, politician, and postmaster. The two-story, five-bay transitional Federal-Greek Revival home is believed to have been completed around 1836 by Jacob Stirewalt, a North Carolina Piedmont builder.

The home’s roots, which trace back to the days of hoop skirts, expansive estates, and pre-Civil War wealth, weave together the rich history between the northern Mecklenburg and southern Iredell socialites, particularly the arranged marriages between two Latta sisters–premier belles of the region–and the prominent Major Reid.

Rufus, two of his three wives, many children, and their descendants lived in the home as their primary residence for nearly a century. The plantation was also home to upwards of 88 enslaved people and their offspring, many of whom remained working on the property after the war. The mansion only changed hands a few times before Patricia Crooks, the current owner, and her husband, Conrad, purchased it in 1974.

Named for the Mourne Mountains in Ireland and conveniently positioned within walking distance to NC-Highway 115, the mansion sits on three sprawling acres filled with fruit trees, native plantings, and a log barn outbuilding. Meticulously maintained and well-loved by the Crooks family for decades, the antebellum home boasts a hip-roof portico, fluted Doric columns, and a hand-crimped metal roof. With unmatched craftsmanship and materials like heart pine floors, lath and plaster walls, fourteen-foot ceilings, and pristine custom woodwork and mantelpieces, the Mount Mourne Plantation is ready for its new owner to retreat back in time while simultaneously enjoying all of today’s modern conveniences.

A LOOK BACK AT THE HOME'S RICH AND STORIED PAST...

1828 - Rufus purchased 50 acres for the plantation property. By his death, the estate encompassed around 3,625 acres and stretched to the Catawba River.

1831 – Rufus commissioned the home’s construction. Sadly, his first wife, Nancy Latta, daughter of James Latta of Huntersville’s Latta Plantation, died of dysentery in 1833 before the mansion was completed. Rufus was left a widower with three young daughters.

1835 – Rufus married his second wife, Elizabeth “Betsy” Latta, the widow of Benjamin Davidson, owner of Huntersville’s Oak Lawn Plantation, and his late wife's sister. Betsy’s six sons and Rufus’s three daughters gave the newlyweds nine children.

1836 – Rufus and his large family moved into the completed home, which they called the “mansion house.” Betsy gave birth to a

1894 – Isabella remained in the home until she died at age 74. Records show 62 formerly enslaved people and their descendants still lived and worked on the plantation at the time of her death.

1912 – The Reid family sold much of the land surrounding the home.

1925 – Rufus and Isabella’s daughter, Lucy Reid Morrison, widow of Robert Hall Morrison Jr., sold the home and what was left of the plantation to a cattle company shortly before her death at age 73.

1925-1974 – For decades after her death, the Mount Mourne Plantation was known as the “Old Morrison Homeplace” to locals, presumably because Lucy Reid Morrison was the last member of the original family to own the home. Having lived until nearly her mid-70s, the house would have become known more by her married name, Morrison, by her death.

Sadly, we know little of the home’s history during the fifty years following Lucy’s death and the current owner’s property acquisition. The house was once divided into one-room apartments and operated as a boarding home. Patricia and her husband, Conrad, purchased the home from Beulah Mae Mullis, a single woman who had inherited it from her parents, John Wilson Mullis and Clara Morris Mullis, and her single aunt, Ella Marie Morris.

1974 — When Patricia and Conrad purchased the home, it was in disrepair. Yet, with great care and devotion, the couple spent decades restoring its former glory, reviving the oncevibrant centerpiece of Southern charm.

With unwavering dedication, Patricia and Conrad poured years of care into revitalizing the home, transforming it into the beautiful masterpiece it is today. Honoring its past while ensuring its future, Conrad meticulously removed and refinished much of the heart pine floorboard in parts of the front of the home and hand-crimped the metal roof of the mansion’s front portico, wing addition, and the rear partial hip roof over the current kitchen. The home’s restoration was no small feat—every chimney required extensive repairs, and scaffolding stood for years as the couple carefully oversaw the rebuilding process.

Faithful stewards of the mansion, the Crooks spent countless hours ensuring that the plantation included today’s modern conveniences, like a blue-and-white chinoiserie kitchen with two sinks, a gas cooktop, arched niches, modern appliances, and built-in banquettes. In addition, the Crooks created a luxurious bathroom with a jetted soaking tub, a tiled Grecian shower, a private dressing room with built-in armoires, and a gas log fireplace!

Whether the future owner envisions this home as a private sanctuary or a stunning venue—perhaps even a timeless bed and breakfast—every guest who crosses its threshold will be captivated by its rich history blended with the comforts of modern living. Thanks to Patricia and Conrad’s vision and craftsmanship, this home from a bygone era promises to endure for many years to come.

ONE OF A KIND

Since 1978, Lake Norman Realty has been a trusted community partner working with sellers and buyers to make real estate dreams come true. One of our many services is to successfully help historic properties reach their next chapter by providing “curated acquisition” services. This approach helps sellers reach their goals to ensure their special historic property is preserved in the future and helps buyers fully understand the challenges and benefits of historic property ownership. With a success record that includes many of the premier historic properties in the Lake Norman region, we are here for you for all of your real estate needs, including historic preservation and land conservation opportunities throughout the Catawba Valley region.

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Abigail Jennings

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