Davidson Historical Society

08/18/2026

Davidson Historical Society plans a series of programs this fall, looking at "The Mystery of Peter Stewart Ney" (Sept.), the history of Ada Jenkins and the Ada Jenkins Center (Oct.), and the history of fires and firefighting in Davidson (Nov.). We kick off the season Saturday, Sept. 5, when historian Gary Freeze (photo 3) joins us to unravel the story of Salisbury schoolteacher Peter Stewart Ney, an early 19th-century immigrant to the US who claimed to be Marshal Michel Ney (photo 1), a commander under French emperor Napoleon. It's free, at 4pm at Davidson Town Hall
Free. Register in advance at Davidsonhistoricalsociety.org

French researchers exhumed the grave of Peter Stewart Ney in Rowan County in 2022 in hopes of solving the mystery.

Historian Gary Freeze joins us Sept 5 at Davidson Town Hall to talk about "The Mystery of Peter Stewart Ney"

08/18/2026

Update on the Alexander Farms tenant house in Cornelius. The house was moved to Huntersville.

07/28/2026

A little bit of history from our friends at Davidson College

07/17/2026

Following up on our recent programs about the nation's 250th anniversary: Here's a story by Marshall Terry of WFAE, about the Catawba Nation's role in the American Revolution.

As the U.S. marks its 250th birthday, most stories focus on familiar figures and places like Washington, Jefferson, Boston and Yorktown. In Kings Mountain, about 45 minutes west of Charlotte, a new exhibit instead highlights an often overlooked story: the Native Americans — especially the Catawba ...

06/22/2026

Davidson Historical Society and Archives & Special Collections helped mark the nation's 250th anniversary June 18 by co-sponsoring a discussion and display of Revolutionary War artifacts from the college collection. College archivists brought a variety of objects out of storage, including the twin pistols of Revolutionary War Gen. William Lee Davidson, souvenir posters promoting the Mecklenburg Declaration, and engraved maps from the Revolutionary era. About 80 people came to the event in the Davidson College Union 900 Room. For a story and photos, read our report on DavidsonHistoricalSociety.org

06/20/2026

Mayor Rusty Knox cut a ribbon to mark the dedication of the newly renovated historic Davidson School gymnasium Saturday, June 20. With him were town staff, several town commissioners and county commissioner Leigh Altman as well as representatives from the construction company Balfour Beatty. Residents then got to see the renovations up close and shoot a few baskets. For more about the $4M project see our story and podcast at DavidsonHistoricalSociety.org (via )

06/19/2026

BUT…WHAT ABOUT THE HORSE???

On our tours we often tell the story of General William Lee Davidson who was shot and killed right off his horse at the Battle of Cowan’s Ford on Feb 1, 1781.

I often get asked if the horse lived. I found the answer today! The horse Gen Davidson rode into battle that day belonged to his cousin, Major John Davidson of Rural Hill. After the General’s death, the riderless horse found his way back home and may be the reason we still have Gen Davidson’s pistols today (I’m holding one here!)

The British had stolen everything off the General’s body, including his clothes and wallet. However, he had a special double holster for his two pistols that was made to fit in front of the horse’s saddle. He was shot before he had time to draw his pistols and therefore more than likely the weapons were carried back to Rural Hill by the horse.

The pistols, holster and a sword belonging to General Davidson now live at the Davidson College Archives and were displayed for public viewing today. Thank you to the Archives & Special Collections and Davidson Historical Society for today’s presentation.

06/16/2026

The has finished a $4 million restoration of the historic Davidson School gymnasium. There's a dedication this Saturday morning. For more about the project as well as a few memories, we turned to project manager Doug Wright. He not only oversaw the work, but he also attended the school and played in the gym years ago. A floor-to-ceiling climbing rope? Read more or listen to the latest podcast on the website, DavidsonHistoricalSociety.org . You can also listen wherever you find podcasts.

06/15/2026

Don’t forget to join us this Thursday to explore artifacts of the Revolutionary era from the Davidson College archives’ collections. Free and open to the public!

Drop-in between 2 and 4pm in Davidson College’s Alvarez Student Union 900 Room on Thursday June 18th.

Attendees will have the unique opportunity to see a curation of artifacts across several themes, from the personal pistols of General William Lee Davidson to the satin facsimiles of the mysterious Mecklenburg Declaration of Independence, or more fondly, the “Meck Dec.”

RSVP at www.davidsonhistoricalsociety.org