MASSEY-CLARK HOUSE HISTORY
By Paula Lester
Located in
downtown Matthews, incorporated in 1879, the 1450 square foot
Massey-Clark House is one of the oldest residences in Matthews. Built
in the early 1880s for Dr. Henry V. Massey, a physician and Civil War
veteran, it was originally constructed as a four-square with wooden
interior walls and ceilings, heart of pine flooring and a central hall
to allow the best “air-conditioning” available at the time. This
house design remained popular well into the 20th century.
The Massey family
sold the home to C.C. and Susie Clark in 1925. The couple had five
children, two who died at young ages. When the Clark’s lived in the
home, Matthews was still very rural, the field next to the house was
used for growing cotton. Over the years, the house received two room
additions that were located on the back side and a wrap-around porch.
In 1953, Paul and Lucy Clark, along with their two children Jane and
Oliver, came to live with Paul’s aging mother Susie. At this time,
each family occupied one side of the house. Although both families
had their own kitchens at the back of the house, everyone ate together
in Susie’s kitchen.
At some point,
the wrap-around porch was changed to a smaller porch covered by a
low-pitched roof supported by two posts. During one of the remodeling
phases, the central hall was altered to allow a bathroom and closet.
The wooden walls and ceilings were covered by sheet rock, some of the
heart of pine floors were covered with new oak flooring and others
were covered with carpet. Only one of the original fireplaces
remains in the home today.
Oliver Clark died
at 14 and Jane remained in the home until she left for college. When
her parents died in 1976, Jane, who no longer lived in the area, made
the home available to the Town of Matthews in 1977. Beginning in
1979, the Matthews Help Center occupied the house. They stayed at the
Massey-Clark House for 25 years, until moving to their new location in
2004.
The Massey-Clark House remains a good example of
houses that populated many small North Carolina towns by the early
1900s. In 2006, the Massey-Clark House received local historic
designation by the Charlotte Mecklenburg Historic Landmarks
Commission. In 2008, the Matthews Historical Foundation, who owns and
operates the Reid House in downtown Matthews, expressed interest in
renovating the Massey-Clark House. In 2009, the Town of Matthews
partnered with the Foundation to help make this happen. The plans are
to restore the original central hall, restore the original wooden
walls and ceilings, and restore the original heart of pine floors. The
Foundation’s goal is to ultimately return the original four rooms in
the Massey-Clark House to their original state. The House will find a
new use as a museum-gallery space. At this time, the Foundation is
conducting an on going fundraising effort to reach their goal.
PLEASE HELP US WITH RESTORATION OF THE
MASSEY-CLARK HOUSE
