Searching for Hoffman's at Spencer Mountain

By Jason Luker

Exploring history is an absolute joy. I assume you agree since you are reading a blog facilitated by a museum. What makes history so enjoyable to me is when I am able to make connections. When I am able to take one moment in time, connect it to another moment in time, and then see how those different points have influenced modern society. I have been experiencing this while researching the Hoffman family (those that built, owned, and operated the building the Gaston County Museum now resides in). One of the most treasured resources that I have at my disposal for research is the book Our Kin written by Laban Miles Hoffman published in 1915. Laban was a son of Jonas Hoffman, Jr. who operated the Hoffman Hotel from 1868 until his death in 1901. Our Kin is a very detailed genealogy for the early history of Gaston County and Laban also writes about visiting some of the original historical sites in the county as he performs his own research. I find great pleasure trying to follow Laban’s footsteps and see what remains.

Grave Marker Located at Spencer Mountain

One of these explorations led me to Spencer Mountain, just a few miles from Dallas, NC. At the foot of this small mountain, right along the South Fork River had been a homestead of Jonas Hoffman, Sr., Laban’s grandfather. Jonas Sr. died in 1829 at the age of 41. His property apparently went under the control of his father John Hoffman who willed the land to Jonas, Sr. children after his own death in 1832.

Not much is known about Jonas, Sr. and what little I have been able to learn has come from Our Kin. Laban records that the land willed to his father and uncles was referred to as “Jonas Hoffman Mill” tract and was located where the Spencer Mountain Mill stood in the 1900s. When Laban visited the location, he described what remained of the family cemetery that contained the remains of his grandfather, grandmother and other unknown descendants. Even in the early 20th Century there was not much left of the gravesite. I and a couple of fellow Museum staff members went out to see the site for ourselves. The only grave marker left is a modern stone providing information about some of the Hoffman’s that were buried along the ridge line next to the South Fork River. They included not only Jonas, Sr. and his wife Anna Maria Costner Hoffman, but also Hans Jacob Hoffman, the first Hoffman that moved into this part of North Carolina back before the Revolutionary War. It appears that this land had been some of the original tracks owned by the family.

Jonathan Roach Spencer Mountain Mill Sketch

The historical connection that really washed over me was the fact that the site had been known as the Jonas Hoffman Mill prior to building of the Wilson & Moore Mill (what came to be called Spencer Mountain Mill) in 1874. One of the questions I have been trying to answer is why did Gaston County become so dominated by textile mills. By 1900, 24 large textile mills were already operating in Gaston County compared to only 16 in Mecklenburg County. One of my theories is that Gaston County had developed an infrastructure that catered to the textile mills. Due to earlier industry endeavors, textile mill owners were able use the developed land, harness the powerful waterways, and flourish in cotton textile production. At Spencer Mountain I can see this play out. When J. Harvey Wilson II and his brother-in-law J.W. Moore purchased the South Fork property for their mill, the area had already been developed by the Hoffman’s for their own use.




Remains of Spencer Mountain Mill





Not much is left out at the site. Spencer Mountain Mill is gone and only the foundation and dam remain. However, finding these connections helps me and hopefully others better understand how Gaston County was formed and what life might have been like for those first influential settlers like the Hoffman’s. If anything, the search excites me and makes me want to find out more. If you have any questions about the research we are doing at the Gaston County Museum, please let me know. Also, if you are doing your own research and have some information to share, I would love to hear from you. Just give me a call at 704-922-7681 ext. 105 or email me at Jason.luker@gastongov.com.