The AR House - Since 1850

The AR House - Since 1850 Located on historical S. Washington St., the Andrews-Royster House was built in 1850 and later bought in 1858 by Shelby's first surgeon - Dr. WP Andrews.

It was a wooden structure until the 1920s, when the Royster family added brick. Follow our journey!

🏠 1850: Pushing the Date Back —————————📝 More information is being uncovered, but recent evidence reveals the house date...
05/17/2025

🏠 1850: Pushing the Date Back
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📝 More information is being uncovered, but recent evidence reveals the house dates earlier to 1850….not 1858.

🦺 Dr. William Parham built the home in 1850. Probably as a 2-over-2 style construction.

1️⃣8️⃣5️⃣8️⃣ After living in nearby Boiling Springs for a while, the Andrews family bought the house and surrounding land.

🔨 The Andrews family lived “across town” near the “Gidney home” as they remodeled the original 1850 structure.
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❇️ An 1850 date would make the home one of the oldest in Shelby, even pre-dating the early origins of Webbley (1852) just a couple doors down.

Preservation North Carolina
City of Shelby, North Carolina
Cleveland County, NC Genealogy and Local History
The Earl Scruggs Center
Historic Shelby Foundation
Senator Ted Alexander

🐢 ENDURANCE, NOT A SPRINT 🐎—————————🔨 The AR House is a full-demo project due to 35 years of continuous water damage fro...
10/19/2024

🐢 ENDURANCE, NOT A SPRINT 🐎
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🔨 The AR House is a full-demo project due to 35 years of continuous water damage from above and below. Basically, we bought a shell and sometimes say “we bought the land, and the house came with it.”

🦺 The latest upgrades are the entire roof system, repitching the flat roof, exterior trim, and complete reframing of around 1,500 sq. ft. of interior space. 50% of the work nobody from the team expected.

📸 Finding these before and after photos showing the exterior pre-purchase to the last couple months helps soothe the soul.

🔑 OLD KEYS WILL OPEN NEW DOORS___________________We recently found two hand formed keys in their original locks. Probabl...
07/06/2024

🔑 OLD KEYS WILL OPEN NEW DOORS
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We recently found two hand formed keys in their original locks. Probably from the 1920’s, we are going to make sure they continue to open doors.

TONING DOWN THE COLUMNS: ——————————🏠 When we bought the property, the porch on the north side had more columns per squar...
06/08/2024

TONING DOWN THE COLUMNS:
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🏠 When we bought the property, the porch on the north side had more columns per square foot than any house we’ve ever seen - 3 on each outside corner and 1.5 on the inside corners.

🔨 We recently renovated all the exterior trim, refreshed it with new paint, and reinstalled the columns. See the difference? Reducing the number of columns opened the space and allowed it to breathe.

1800s MEDICINE!—————————👨‍⚕️ Dr. William Perry “WP” Andrews was a surgeon and physician from the late 1840s-1890s. At so...
04/21/2024

1800s MEDICINE!
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👨‍⚕️ Dr. William Perry “WP” Andrews was a surgeon and physician from the late 1840s-1890s. At some point in his practice, he used this syringe and needle set.

💉 The stories it could tell!
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Collection: The Earl Scruggs Center
Donated: Sue Andrews (granddaughter)

RESILIENT PAST TIME REMAINS! ________________After the Andrews family, the Royster family occupied our home and the Roys...
04/02/2024

RESILIENT PAST TIME REMAINS!
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After the Andrews family, the Royster family occupied our home and the Royster House next door.

In the first photo, DW Royster and his wife Margaret McMurry are celebrating their 50th wedding anniversary in the early 1970s. In the second photo, you are looking into the same dining room during the early phases of cleanup/demo.

Notice the chandelier in the reflection of the mirror in the first photo? It’s still hanging!

OLDEST PHOTOGRAPH 📸🏡 _________________The 🧱 you see today wasn’t always present. Before the Royster family bricked the o...
03/29/2024

OLDEST PHOTOGRAPH 📸🏡
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The 🧱 you see today wasn’t always present. Before the Royster family bricked the outside from 1921-1922, the house was originally white clapboard.

This photo was taken in the late 1800s when the Andrews family occupied the home. It’s the only one that exists showing the wooden structure.

What is your vote - white clapboard or brick?

APOTHECARY SHOP 💊👨‍⚕️ ——————Dr. William Perry Andrews was Shelby’s first and only surgeon for much of the mid-to-late 18...
03/24/2024

APOTHECARY SHOP 💊👨‍⚕️
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Dr. William Perry Andrews was Shelby’s first and only surgeon for much of the mid-to-late 1800s. Although he traveled the area seeing patients, he also constructed an Apothecary shop on his property to provide local services.

This photo was taken in 1966 somewhere on the property. It was demolished years ago, but we are currently trying to locate the area.

Anyone remember it standing?

*Thanks to Zach Dressel at the The Earl Scruggs Center for finding this photo.

WATER DESTRUCTION! 🌧️🪵 __________________Standing in the same room as the last photo and looking toward the right/front ...
03/20/2024

WATER DESTRUCTION! 🌧️🪵
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Standing in the same room as the last photo and looking toward the right/front of the home, look at what water damage can do! Historic flooring, plaster walls, and more lost. But we will find a way to preserve the history that still remains!

SHELBY’S FINEST WATERFALL! 🌧️ ———————————Since the mid-1980s, the house sat vacant and a 1 sq. ft. hole formed in the ro...
03/17/2024

SHELBY’S FINEST WATERFALL! 🌧️
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Since the mid-1980s, the house sat vacant and a 1 sq. ft. hole formed in the roof. The result? A waterfall that rotted most of the second and first floors.

This photo was taken by Historic Shelby Foundation during the cleanup led by Grady Morgan, who used it for his Eagle Scout project.

Say Goodbye to Jumanji’s House! 🌳🙈🦓🐘 The side and back of the house were added in the 1950s/60s. It boasted a fabulous F...
03/15/2024

Say Goodbye to Jumanji’s House! 🌳🙈🦓🐘

The side and back of the house were added in the 1950s/60s. It boasted a fabulous FLAT roof that often resembled a swimming pool and even a small greenhouse in recent years.

Trees have been removed and the entire roof system reframed to add pitch for optimal water runoff. 🌧️

🏠 ORIGINAL FLOOR PLANThe house has seen many changes, since its construction in 1858. The red lines mark the original fr...
03/13/2024

🏠 ORIGINAL FLOOR PLAN

The house has seen many changes, since its construction in 1858. The red lines mark the original framework of the first floor.

The right side and back portions were added in the 1950s-60s.

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Shelby, NC
28150-28152

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