Presenters describe move and restoration of Stafford cabin, a slave dwelling in Mecklenburg County

Presenters described the disassembly, transport and careful restoration of the Stafford cabin, an early 19th-century single-room log dwelling that speakers in the transcript identified as a slave dwelling and said was built in the 1840s by the Stafford family on what is now the Plaza Road Extension.

A presenter said, “You're seeing the last known slave dwelling in Mecklenburg County making its final historic journey,” and explained the cabin is being moved from its longtime home on the Plaza Road Extension to Lada Place in Huntersville so it can be preserved and used for education. The presenter framed the move as a rare opportunity to preserve an artifact that “symbolizes a lot about the African‑American experience.”

The restoration specialist described the documentation and dismantling process: workers numbered each log to create a “jigsaw puzzle” system for reassembly, removed temporary supports, placed the components on a trailer and transported them to the new site. “The way that they did the joinery on the corners, the joints actually lock together … There's no nails in this structure,” the specialist said, noting the team will rebuild the cabin in the same manner and place it on a stone foundation reconstructed from stone taken from the original site.

Speakers said some deteriorated logs will be replaced with like oak in accordance with Department of the Interior rehabilitation standards and that crews discovered original lime daubing inside the walls; the team plans to replicate that mortar mixture when restoring the cabin. The restoration specialist reflected on seeing chisel and axe marks and performing the same kinds of joins and shaping, characterizing it as a privilege to recreate and preserve those craft details.

Project presenters emphasized interpretation goals. They said adding the Stafford cabin to Lada Place will help visitors see the 19th‑century disparities between landowners and the people who were enslaved on the property. The presenters stated they want the site to be truthful and transparent about the history and to serve as an educational resource.

The transcript contains no formal votes or motions related to the project, and presenters did not cite specific funding amounts, permitting timelines, or a final opening date for the exhibit. The restoration specialist referenced compliance with Department of the Interior standards for rehabilitation; no statutory citations or ordinance numbers were provided in the transcript.

"History preserved will be history remembered," a closing speaker said, adding that the restored house is now carefully restored and intended to stand the test of time so the people who lived there will not be forgotten.

Next steps described in the transcript were limited to reconstruction, material replication and interpretive planning; speakers did not provide a public completion date or list specific funders in the recorded remarks.