Webbley - Shelby, NC - Restored Historical Home of Shelby Political Dynasty

Located about forty-five miles outside of Charlotte, Shelby North Carolina has a rich historical district and is home to one of the most historical residences in the state. Webbley, also known as the O. Max Gardner house, was the setting for the one of the state's most celebrated political dynasties and home generations of Shelby residents.

Built sometime around 1852 to 1855 the original core of the house is two stories and stands out as a example of the grandeur and grace of the Old South's architecture. The house faces what is Washington Street in the Central Shelby Historic District. Shelby attorney, Augustus W. Burton was the builder and original owner of the house. He shortly sold the house and it changed many hands for the next fifty years.

In 1905 J.A. Anthony a prominent local attorney bought the house and along with his wife, Ollie Gardner Anthony, initiated a drastic renovation of the house. The Colonial Revival drastically changed the appearance of the house to what it looks like today. The lot size of the house had been dramatically decreased as the city of Shelby grew around it. They also added on to the house increasing its size from the core construction done in the 1850s.

Anthony's brother in-law and business partner was Oliver Maxwell Gardner, who had married into the politically influential Webb family. Gardner not only was a lawyer but also owned a farm, the Shelby cloth mill and Gardner Land Company. In 1911, Gardner's father-in-law, Judge James L. Webb bought the house from Anthony. He moved his family and the Gardners in, and the locals quickly started calling the house Webbley.

Gardner, who was raised on a farm, insisted on instilling a hard ethic on his children. Despite their wealth he made them herd cows from their farm through Shelby to the Webbley, which embarrassed them greatly. Despite their political power and large estate the Gardners held onto their farming roots.

Gardner entered politics by becoming state senator in 1910. After a litany of other offices he was elected as the Democratic governor for North Carolina in 1928, despite the beginning of the Great Depression and a nation wide dislike of the democrats. He initiated programs insuring the protection of small farmers, with whom he sympathized. He went to Washington where he was chairman of the Advisory Board of the Office of War Mobilization and Reconversion, Undersecretary of the Treasury and ambassador to the United Kingdom. He died during the last appointment.

Webbley remained in the family and was turned into a bed and breakfast in 1993. Due to an illness in the family in 1998 the house was converted back to private use.

Its significance goes beyond that of a North Carolina political dynasty. Thomas Dixon used Webbley as inspiration in his 1905 novel, The Clansman. The home was also used as a real life model in the movie based on the novel, the seminal 1915 Birth of a Nation.

The house is located at 403 S. Washington St. and is available for public viewing Monday -Friday 9:00 am to 5:00 pm. Webbley is currently listed on the National Register of Historic Places