Vision

Preserve and sustain the Shelton House as a premier historical location for Western North Carolina history, heritage, and crafts.

Mission

The mission of the Shelton House is to sustain its historical nature and grounds and to promote our North Carolina heritage of handicrafts, Western North Carolina history, and the Shelton family legacy.

How We Accomplish

Our purpose is to maintain the historic nature of the Shelton House and grounds to enhance educational and recreational activities; to continually enhance and preserve the museum collection to focus on days gone by as well as today, and to preserve the legacy and history of the Shelton family. The Shelton House was built in 1875 for Stephen Jehu and Mahala Conley Shelton and their family.  It was later purchased by their son William Taylor Shelton.  In 1977, Mary Cornwell, a Haywood County Extension Agent, purchased the property and established the Museum of North Carolina Handicrafts on the Shelton House grounds.

Quilt Blocks

The Shelton House was the first site on the Haywood County Quilt Trails, a project of the Haywood County Tourism Development Authority. Our quilt block incorporates traditional stars and arrows and the Milkmaid quilt pattern.

The star design represents Stephen Jehu Shelton’s three terms as sheriff of Haywood County from 1874–80. The arrows represent second-generation William Taylor Shelton’s many years of service as an Indian Agent in North Carolina, Arizona, and New Mexico. The Milkmaid pattern represents the dairy farm the family operated in the early 20th century.