The home of Alfred Augustus McKethan was located on the north
side of Person Street, at the corner of Cool Spring Street (address:
245 Person St.) in Fayetteville, NC. The land on which it was
built was originally owned by Mark Russell, who sold it to Elisha
Stedman. It is believed that John Stedman, son of Elisha, built
the house. The exact date of construction of the house is not known, but
its style has been described as typical of the Post-Revolutionary
period. It was built of longleaf pine with square handcut nails
and extra-large handmade brick.
The house was purchased from James O. Stedman by A. A. McKethan in
1838, when Mr. Stedman moved to Alabama.
Nearby was the McKethan Carriage Factory, located on a large lot on
Person and Dick Streets. It was established by A. A. McKethan and Charles T.
Gardner in 1835, and was originally known as the Gardner-McKethan Carriage
and Coach Company. In 1866, Gardner sold his interest to McKethan
and it bcame known as the A. A. McKethan and Sons Carriage Factory.
Many of the apprentices at this factory lived on the third floor
of the McKethan home.
A. A. McKethan died in 1890, and his son A. A. McKethan, Jr. moved with his family into the old McKethan home. The home continued to be occupied by some of his descendants until the early 1960's.
In 1966, it became necessary to raze the house, bringing much sorrow to the many grandchildren and great-grandchildren of A. A. McKethan who had such fond memories of the Old Home. Many of them kept mementos such as boards or bricks from the home, and my mother incorporated one of the beautifully carved mantels into her home in Florida.
Some of the above information was taken from articles in the Fayetteville Observer (March 27, 1966) and the Fayetteville Observer-Times (March 7, 1982).
Return to my Genealogy Page
Return to All About Alice
Return to Alice and Presley's Genealogy Page