The Teague Family House | Madison County, North Carolina | Built c. 1880s
This weathered old house has seen better days, but look beyond its broken facade and you’ll discover the story of a mountain family who once called this place home. Despite its dilapidated appearance, the structure still stands on good bones, having survived even the devastating floods of Hurricane Helene that ravaged the surrounding area.
Madison County, North Carolina, where this home is located, is characterized by beautiful coves and rivers winding through the Blue Ridge Mountains. These natural features created small, isolated communities that developed remarkable self-sufficiency. In these mountain enclaves, families and neighbors depended on each other for survival, and large families were the norm. Such was the case for Hezekiah and Molly Ann Teague.
Though their home will likely never be inhabited again, the stories of this place deserve preservation. I spent time researching and speaking with descendants to uncover more about the people who lived their lives on this property—ensuring their memory can continue.
The Teague Family Home
Descendants of Kiah and Molly revealed that they initially lived in a log cabin on this property before building this home in the 1880s as their family expanded. At least 11 children were born and raised here.
Arlando Garland Teague, posing in front of the Teague Family home, sitting in a wagon and holding what looks to be a pet rat.
The Teague Family
The Teagues were a typical mountain family deeply involved in their community. At one point, Kiah operated a general store and post office across the road from their house. Sadly, the store burned down in the 1960s. Local lore suggests that Kiah may have donated land to build the Pinery Grove Baptist Church in their community, though I haven’t been able to verify this claim.
Beyond his work as a merchant and postmaster, Kiah was also a farmer. Due to his distinctive light red hair, he earned the nicknames “Gold” or “Goldie” among locals.
The landscape around the house changed over time. Originally, the road to Marshall ran to the left of the house until a new route was constructed behind it, dividing the original property.
After Kiah’s death in 1916, Molly continued to live in the house until she passed away in 1951. One of their sons briefly occupied the home afterward, but it has remained vacant ever since.
The current owners—fifth-generation descendants of Kiah and Molly Teague—still maintain the property. Though the house stands empty, they take pride in the legacy their family established on this land more than 145 years ago.
In late September 2024, Hurricane Helene devastated this region, sending floodwaters surging through the rivers and streams that have long shaped these mountain enclaves. The Teague family home stands just outside Marshall, North Carolina—one of the communities hit hardest by the disaster. Hundreds of lives were lost, countless homes washed away, and entire communities forever altered. Yet despite its deteriorating condition, this old house—built with sturdy materials and traditional construction methods—managed to withstand the same forces that destroyed many modern homes. It stands as a powerful testament to the craftsmanship of its builders and the remarkable resilience that defined the Teague family and their mountain way of life.
