Allen House at Alamance Battleground, North Carolina
Allen House at Alamance Battleground
Built during the American Revolution, the historic
Allen House was the windowless log cabin of a
Quaker family in North Carolina.
Allen House at Alamance
Built in ca. 1780, the Allen
House offers a chance to step
back in time to the days of the
American Revolution.
Allen House Interior
The inside of the cabin has
been furnished to recreate life
in the Piedmont region during
the 18th century.
Quaker Furniture
Original pieces of Quaker
furniture can be seen inside
the Allen House.
Allen House - Alamance Battleground, North Carolina
An 18th Century Quaker Cabin
Rope Bed in the Allen House
Among the furnishings of the
cabin is an original rope bed,
which used stretched rope
instead of bed springs.
Copyright 2011 & 2014 by Dale Cox
All rights reserved.

Last Updated: April 24, 2014
Located at Alamance Battleground, the Allen
House is a historic Quaker log cabin dating
from the American Revolution.

Beautifully restored and furnished with
antique Quaker pieces, the cabin recreates
life in the North Carolina Piedmont during the
late 18th century. Built of hewn timbers and
hand-cut limber, the house provided a
comfortable home for its builders.

The Allen House was built in circa 1780 by
John Allen. It holds a unique collection to the
Battle of Alamance because John was the
brother-in-law of Herman Husband, the writer
and pamphleteer who helped inspire the
Regulator movement in North Carolina's
Piedmont Region.

Husband provided voice for the outrage felt
by farmers and small land owners across
the region as they saw their taxes soar and
realized that the officials elected and
appointed to represent them were not willing
to hear their complaints or calls for help. This
outrage exploded into a violent outbreak
called the War of the Regulation.

The "war" ended at the Battle of Alamance,
as Royal Governor William Tryon's militia
handed a bloody defeat to the Regulator
forces. Some believe it was the first battle of
the American Revolution, while others
consider it a significant preliminary event to
the fight for American independence.

Built roughly nine years after the Battle of
Alamance, as the American Revolution raged
across the landscape of the Carolinas, the
windowless log cabin was home to John
Allen and his wife Rachel. The couple raised
ten of their twelve children in the one-room
house.

Consisting of one large room with a fireplace
for both cooking and heat, the cabin had front
and back porches and a loft area. A shed
room was eventually enclosed on the back
porch to provide a little more space for the
growing family. The house originally stood
near the Snow Camp community, but was
moved to the battlefield in 1967.

A literate farmer and teacher, Allen helped
his neighbors with their legal matters.
Rachel, in turn, was something of a country
doctor for her neighbors. She also took care
of the children, cooked and tended the
garden.

The Allens were Quakers, the name applied
to members or followers of the Religious
Society of Friends. This movement grew in
England during the mid-1600s and focused
on personal experience with Christ. Quakers
placed heavily emphasis on personal
testimony and gave near equal status to
women, an innovative practice in the 1700s.
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The Allen family participated in meetings of
the Friends at Cane Creek, as did many early
settlers of the area.

Hard-working and determined, John and
Rachel Allen built a comfortable life for
themselves despite the turbulence of the
years during and immediately following the
American Revolution. They were eventually
able to bequeath land and money to each of
their sons. The daughters, it was expected,
would be supported by their own husbands
so they received less, but were also
remembered in the passing of their parents.

Uniquely, the Allen House still contains
furniture and artifacts associated with its
builders. Visitors can see a grandfather clock
and a Chippendale-style desk once owned
by John Allen.

The cabin was donated to the state historic
site at Alamance Battleground in 1967 and
was moved by truck, largely in one piece, to
its present location overlooking the seen of
the action. It is open for tours Monday through
Saturday.

Alamance Battleground is located at 5803
N.C. 62 S. near Burlington, North Carolina.
Please click here to visit our main Alamance
Battleground page for more information.
Historic Sites in North Carolina