Hugh Torance House and Store

The historic Hugh Torance House and Store is North Carolina's oldest surviving store and one of Mecklenburg County’s few surviving 18th century structures.  Located in Huntersville, North Carolina, the house and mercantile establishment is a true historical treasure.  

The log house section of the building was built as a residence around 1779.  In 1805 the building was expanded to include a store which operated until 1825. As the Torance (later changed to Torrence then Torrance) family obtained land and wealth it became a cotton plantation of 3,000 acres worked by over a hundred slaves.   Extensive family history kept through generations allows us to interpret nearly a century of Mecklenburg’s rich mercantile and plantation history. 

Site tours focus on the life of Hugh Torance, merchant and planter, and his son James who operated a store there 1808-1825.  The interiors of the house, store, and storage workshop feature authentic period pieces, artifacts, documents, wears, and tools.  Tours run from April through October, on every 1st and 3rd Sunday.  We invite you to come and experience life as it was in antebellum Mecklenburg County.