History

The Buck House was built on the banks of Bald Mountain Creek in the early 1900's by David and Pearl Buck. It took two years to complete. The 4,472 square foot Colonial Revival home, listed on the National Registry of Historic Places, featured eleven rooms including five bedrooms, a play room, sitting room, music room, dining room, nursery, and kitchen. It was built of non-wormy American chestnut cut and milled onsite. A hydroelectric generator driven by water from Bald Mountain Creek powered the mill.

The Buck House was heated by thirteen fireplaces and wood burning stoves. Windows on all sides of the house assured cooling breezes throughout in warm weather. Electricity from the generator allowed the Bucks to have the first electric lights in the community. The home site, referred to as Dreamdale by the Bucks, comprised eleven acres. In addition to the Buck House, Dreamdale included a number of outbuildings that remain standing today. These include the apple house, general store, corn crib, and spring house.

The Bucks were apparently remarkable people. They raised eight children, all of whom graduated from college, no mean feat. In addition to his timber business, David Buck served over two decades in the North Carolina General Assembly. He built the Caney River Railroad through the mountains to facilitate transporting logs to the Toe River, eliminating the need to move timber with ox drawn wagons. The family operated a general store and is remembered as pillars of the community.