Entry No. 6 — the Charlotte file — filed under: 18th century history
Hugh Torance House and Store
Built starting in 1779, North Carolina's oldest surviving store structure remains standing in Huntersville, preserved with 18th-century timber log walls and tales of disembodied warnings echoed along its stairwell.
The story
You wouldn't expect North Carolina's oldest standing store to sit directly along busy Gilead Road, but these heavy timber log walls have held firm since 1779. Hugh Torance, an Irish-born traveling merchant and Revolutionary War soldier, bought the land and settled in with his wife, Isabella Kerr Falls. The cabin doubled as a frontier homestead and a trading post, selling dry goods across wide wooden floorboards that still creak underfoot.
His son James took over the mercantile operations in 1805, running the shop until 1825 before the store room was shuttered and left frozen in time. But you didn't hear it from us: 18th-century inventory lists aren't the only thing lingering inside. Paranormal investigators from the Charlotte Area Paranormal Society have swept the log structure with audio recorders, capturing disembodied voices along the original wooden stairwell—including a quiet phantom voice explicitly telling visitors to 'be careful.'
What it's like
Plan your visit for a Sunday afternoon between 1:00 PM and 4:00 PM when the old mercantile reopens its heavy wooden doors. You can browse local artisan candles, honey, and cold sodas stocked on shelves right where 19th-century trade happened, or catch the free docent tour around 2:00 PM. The vibe is quiet, rustic, and slightly eerie—pause at the base of the stairwell with your phone recording on silent, just in case whoever is upstairs decides to offer another warning.
The move: Visit on a Sunday afternoon to tour the 1780s mercantile room for artisan sodas and candles, listening closely near the wooden stairs for a phantom voice recorded telling visitors to 'be careful.'
- 📍 Huntersville
- 💸 $$
- ⚡ Up for anything
- 🌗 Indoors
Where: 8231 Gilead Rd, Huntersville, NC 28078
Hours: Added 2026-07-21 — confirm current hours before you go.
Pair it with
- Mountain Island Lake Paddle Co. — Just under four miles away in Huntersville, swap 18th-century log walls for a dark, glassy night paddle across Mountain Island Lake.
- Homeless Jesus Statue — Head six miles north into Davidson to match a ghostly historic log store with a striking, solitary outdoor bronze monument.
- Curio, Craft & Conjure — If the phantom stairwell warnings pique your interest in the unexplained, head down toward NoDa for modern esoteric herbs, candles, and cabinet curiosities.
- The Dunhill Hotel — Pair Mecklenburg County's oldest ghostly stairwell with Uptown Charlotte's haunted 1920s hotel tower for a full day of local spectral history.
Good to know
What are the standard public hours?
The house and store open on Sunday afternoons from 1:00 PM to 4:00 PM (typically February through mid-December), with guided tours starting around 2:00 PM. Always confirm current operating days before making the drive.
Is there an entry fee for the tours?
No, admission and guided living-history tours are free to the public, though donations to support the non-profit preservation foundation are encouraged.
Can you actually buy anything inside the historic store?
Yes. The historic store counter operates as a functioning shop on Sundays, selling artisan candles, local honey, snacks, drinks, and craft gifts.
Where did the ghost warning story originate?
The Charlotte Area Paranormal Society (CAPS) conducted audio investigations in the house and recorded a disembodied voice near the staircase telling visitors to 'be careful.'
Plan a visit & invite your people →
Further reading: Official site · charlotteonthecheap.com · lakenorman.org
last checked: 2026-07-21