Historic Sharpe House to host Appalachian BBQ, concert on July 27

Posted on by Mike Fuhrman

BY BRANDY TEMPLETON

The Historic Sharpe House will host an Appalachian BBQ in honor of Tom Dooley on Saturday, July 27.

The barbecue & bluegrass event will feature a performance by The Local Boys. Crowning Events, along with the Sharpe House, will provide the meal.

For dinner there is smoked pork barbecue with a variety of sauces, homemade potato salad, baked beans, milk-sopped corn on the cobb, white and red slaws, cornbread and rolls. For dessert, the Sharpe House will be serving Mama’s Double Vanilla Pound Cake with whipped cream and strawberries, double chocolate pound cake, banana pudding, and blackberry cobbler with homemade vanilla ice cream.

Site Director Keith Rhyne is super excited about the event.

This picture is believed to be Confederate soldier Tom Dooley.

“We want to commemorate the memory of Tom Dooley and what happened in Statesville,” he explained.

In the 1860s, Statesville’s downtown was basically just a small town square. It was packed with people from other states interested in Dooley’s scandalous murder trial and execution on May 1, 1868, for the death of Laura Foster.

“Over 3,000 people came from all over to watch his hangineng,” Rhy shared. “The only other time there’s been that many downtown was when President Clinton visited in October 1993. “

The tie to the Historic Sharpe House is that Colonel Sharpe was appointed mayor of Statesville in 1867. He had to handle the town’s tremendous influx and keep the chaos to a minimal.

“This trial had a major impact on Statesville,” Rhyne said.

Mayor Sharpe’s young son, John McKee Sharpe watched the happenings from the Sharpe House’s porch. Later in life, he would recall and share what he witnessed as a boy.

“Tom was hanged at the old courthouse (burnt down from a fire) where its replacement now stands just around the square,” he said.

As for the Local Boys band, Rhyne said their music is about as close to music from the Tom Dooley time period music as you can find. The band describes its unique genre as a mixture of Bluegrass and Americana.

“Everyone’s in for a real treat,” Rhyne explained.

Gates open at 5:30 p.m. with the band starting at 6 p.m. The Historic Sharpe House is located at 402 S. Center Street in Statesville.

Tickets

For more information and to purchase tickets, visit HERE.