About Us
History
The Temperance Smith Alston Chapter, NSDAR, was organized in 1993 and held its first meeting at the House in the Horseshoe.
On a hilltop, overlooking a horseshoe bend of the Deep River, ten miles north of Carthage, stands a stately home called the House in the Horseshoe. This home was built in the early 1770s and lived in by Temperance Smith, her husband, Philip Alston, and their children. Temperance is the namesake of our chapter.
Philip Alston was known to be an aggressive and proven leader, so it was not surprising that Philip became the leader of the local colonial militia. His adversary, David Fanning, was the leader of the local British loyalist militia. In the late 1770s, rumblings of war were high around the Deep River area of North Carolina and the militias camped on the grounds of their leaders so they could respond quickly to any situation.
On July 29, 1881, the peace of the Deep River area was shattered by gunfire as David Fanning’s British loyalists attacked Philip Alston’s militia at the House in the Horseshoe — while the Alston family was inside. As bullets penetrated the two-inch-thick walls of her beloved home, Temperance placed a wooden bench inside one of the chimneys so three of her children could stand on top. The chimney’s bricks protected them from gunfire. Temperance huddled under a bed with her infant son.
Suddenly, the sound of gunfire was replaced with horror as the Loyalists set fire to a hay wagon and moved it toward the house. Temperance sprang into action and went out on the front porch waving a white cloth of surrender. After feeling secure with her situation, she courageously sat down on the steps with Fanning and negotiated the terms of surrender, thereby saving her family, the colonial militia, and the home she loved so dearly. Both militias sustained casualties, including a few deaths.
The House in the Horseshoe is open to visitors with an annual reenactment each August. The house is administered by the Division of Cultural Resources, North Carolina Historic Sites.
The founding members of our chapter are shown in 1993 at the House in the Horseshoe.
Our chapter celebrated its 30th anniversary at an event at the House in the Horseshoe.
Our members gathered and celebrated the anniversary of our chapter.
Meetings
Our chapter meets in the months from January through May and September through December. A typical meeting includes social time, a guest speaker, and a business meeting.
We encourage anyone interested in joining the DAR to attend one of our meetings to better understand the DAR’s organization and especially our chapter. You will learn more about our chapter by going to the What We Do webpage to read about some of the things that we do throughout the year.
Please contact us for more information.