How Did Mount Mourne Get Its Name?
If you’ve lived in Mooresville long enough, you’ve probably heard a few different stories about how the community of Mount Mourne got its name. Many years ago, I was told that it was called “Mourne” to reflect the suffering of enslaved people whose labor built the plantations that once dotted this area and I believed that story for a long time. It’s a powerful image and a somber reminder of that chapter of our history, but it’s not actually the truth behind the name.
Mount Mourne was established as an unincorporated community in the early 1800s, when Scots-Irish settlers were making their mark on what would later become southern Iredell County. In 1805, a post office was opened, and the community officially became known as Mount Mourne. The name was chosen not to describe sorrow, but to honor the Mourne Mountains of Northern Ireland, where the original settlers were from.
That’s not to say Mount Mourne’s story is free of hardship. Mount Mourne Plantation, built in 1836 by Major Rufus Reid, did rely heavily on enslaved labor to grow cotton, wheat, and corn. When we talk about the history of Mount Mourne, it’s impossible not to begin with Major Rufus Reid.
Reid initially purchased about 260 acres of land and, through additional acquisitions, expanded his plantation to 3,625 acres. For comparison, the land that makes up Morrison Plantation- from Brawley School Road to River Highway and from Williamson Road to the lake is about 400 acres.
Major Rufus Reid (1787–1854)
In 1836, Reid built his home, which we now know as Mount Mourne Plantation.
It is also referred to as the Rufus Reid House. The house remains remarkably preserved today. It still has its original wooden floors and even the original locks and skeleton keys imported from England in 1835. The home’s present owner, Patricia Crooks, who purchased the house in 1974 with her late husband, has done a wonderful job maintaining and restoring it.
According to Mrs. Crooks’ research, Major Reid enslaved as many as 100 men and women to work his land. Records show he once paid $1,800 for a single man, an amount that equates to roughly $66,000 in today’s dollars. It is also believed that Reid fathered 17 children, many of whom were raised in the house. One of those children died in the Battle of Manassas during the Civil War at the age of 17.
Mount Mourne Plantation is a home that many of us pass by time and again without knowing its history. I find that unfortunate. The property has been listed on the National Register of Historic Places since 1974 and my understanding is that discussions are underway locally on how best to preserve it.
In closing, let me be clear: I neither condone nor glorify the tragic events of the past, but I also refuse to ignore them. Too often, we tiptoe around uncomfortable subjects like slavery. Yet history, whether good or bad, is still history. When it’s downplayed, ignored, or erased, we lose more than just facts; we lose understanding.
For years, there have been a few who’ve pushed to change the name of Morrison Plantation because of what the name might imply. Yet the truth is that Morrison Plantation was never a plantation at all- it was a farm, and Mr. Morrison never utilized enslaved labor. Mount Mourne, on the other hand, truly was a plantation, and like many of its time, its story includes tragic chapters.
In a way, both versions of how Mount Mourne got its name seem fitting, each reflecting a different facet of a shared history.
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How Did Mount Mourne Get Its Name?
If you’ve lived in Mooresville long enough, you’ve probably heard a few different stories about how the community of Mount Mourne got its name. Many years ago, I was told that it was called “Mourne” to reflect the suffering of enslaved people whose labor built the plantations that once dotted this area and I believed that story for a long time. It’s a powerful image and a somber reminder of that chapter of our history, but it’s not actually the truth behind the name.
Mount Mourne was established as an unincorporated community in the early 1800s, when Scots-Irish settlers were making their mark on what would later become southern Iredell County. In 1805, a post office was opened, and the community officially became known as Mount Mourne. The name was chosen not to describe sorrow, but to honor the Mourne Mountains of Northern Ireland, where the original settlers were from.
That’s not to say Mount Mourne’s story is free of hardship. Mount Mourne Plantation, built in 1836 by Major Rufus Reid, did rely heavily on enslaved labor to grow cotton, wheat, and corn. When we talk about the history of Mount Mourne, it’s impossible not to begin with Major Rufus Reid.
Reid initially purchased about 260 acres of land and, through additional acquisitions, expanded his plantation to 3,625 acres. For comparison, the land that makes up Morrison Plantation- from Brawley School Road to River Highway and from Williamson Road to the lake is about 400 acres.
Major Rufus Reid (1787–1854)
In 1836, Reid built his home, which we now know as Mount Mourne Plantation.
It is also referred to as the Rufus Reid House. The house remains remarkably preserved today. It still has its original wooden floors and even the original locks and skeleton keys imported from England in 1835. The home’s present owner, Patricia Crooks, who purchased the house in 1974 with her late husband, has done a wonderful job maintaining and restoring it.
According to Mrs. Crooks’ research, Major Reid enslaved as many as 100 men and women to work his land. Records show he once paid $1,800 for a single man, an amount that equates to roughly $66,000 in today’s dollars. It is also believed that Reid fathered 17 children, many of whom were raised in the house. One of those children died in the Battle of Manassas during the Civil War at the age of 17.
Mount Mourne Plantation is a home that many of us pass by time and again without knowing its history. I find that unfortunate. The property has been listed on the National Register of Historic Places since 1974 and my understanding is that discussions are underway locally on how best to preserve it.
In closing, let me be clear: I neither condone nor glorify the tragic events of the past, but I also refuse to ignore them. Too often, we tiptoe around uncomfortable subjects like slavery. Yet history, whether good or bad, is still history. When it’s downplayed, ignored, or erased, we lose more than just facts; we lose understanding.
For years, there have been a few who’ve pushed to change the name of Morrison Plantation because of what the name might imply. Yet the truth is that Morrison Plantation was never a plantation at all- it was a farm, and Mr. Morrison never utilized enslaved labor. Mount Mourne, on the other hand, truly was a plantation, and like many of its time, its story includes tragic chapters.
In a way, both versions of how Mount Mourne got its name seem fitting, each reflecting a different facet of a shared history.
