The HamHouse is officially The "Froneberger
House" circa 1893
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We usually just call it "Our House". She is a grand old Victorian and has also been called:
Smith/Cralle House
The Old Froneberger House
LyonWood
The Manor
Hickory Knoll
HamHouse
Welcome to the official web page for the Ham family residence.
The home has a long history both for the town of Highlands and our family. It is
located on a beautiful property right in town.
Within five blocks can be found main street, Performing Arts Center, rec-park, conference center, ballpark, biological station,
Kelsey trail, and most other town amenities. It sits on the crest of the ridge
at Hickory Street with a view overlooking main street and Satulah Mtn. to the south. A barrier
hedge of native Rhododendron of provides privacy and a country setting. The
original house has had four major additions over the years. The home is one of
several recognized in the "North Highlands Historical District".
Some Highlands History:
 | 1875- Samuel Kelsey obtains Lots 309 and 310 during town development period |
| 1889- Samuel Kelsey sells the two lots to Sophie Smith of Charleston, SC |
| 1893- Sophie Smith has house built by Barack Wright |
| 1900- William Cralle pays $500 to heirs of S. Smith |
| 1911-1924 Corinne Froneberger operates a private School from the house |
| 1913- Corinne Froneberger purchases from sister Louise Cralle the heir to William Cralle |
| 1925- Florence Thompson pays $3,400 to the heirs of Mrs. Froneberger |
| 1943- J. A. Lyons, J. J. Lyons, and T. H. Wood pay $2,100 to Florence Thompson |
| 1960- Hilbert and Edith Mueller acquire property from Wood's estate. |
| 1969- Clyde and Charlotte Mehder purchase property for $36,000. |
| 1970- Jim and Louise Scott acquire property and sub-divide the portion fronting Chestnut St. |
| 1975- William and Henrietta Marett acquire property |
| 1983- Charles and Jeanne Clewis acquire property |
| 1989- The Ham Family acquires property |
THE FOUR SEASONS:
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The HamHouse in Bloom:
It all starts with March Jonquils.
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Random Occurrences and Bits of "Old Froneberger House" Knowledge:
In 1893, Barak Wright was the builder of the original house. Barak was the father of Charlie Wright, who was famous for his rescue on Whiteside Mountain. His level headed action saved a friend from death and earned Charlie the Carnegie Award for Heroism.
Mrs. Froneberger's son lived in the upstairs room over the kitchen. He was declared non-compos mentis. Those that knew him said he was a little different.
During May of 1956, J. McKinney constructs the stone wall around house and driveway along with the unique outdoor fireplace with grill and smoker.
In 1970, the Mehder family donated the furniture in the house to their son's fraternity at Western Carolina University. Clyde Mehder was shocked to pull up to the house and see a dozen fraternity brothers handing the upstairs furniture out the windows directly to the yard.
"Hero on Fool's Rock", a book about Charlie Wright's Whiteside Mountain rescue of Gus Batty, written by Bill Merit, was published in 1975 the year Bill moved into our house. The house was built by Barak Wright decades before the act of heroism.
In 1978, Griffin Bell Jr. and his family spent the night in the upstairs rooms. During a visit to look at real estate, they were house guests of Henrietta Merit, the broker involved. At the time, Griffin's father was Attorney General of the US.
March 12, 1993, the home survives the storm of the century with only wood heat. Thirty six inches of snow and 50 mph wind brought down five trees in the yard but there was no damage to the home. The power was out for eight days and the night time temperature was well below 0 degrees F yet the water never froze.
In 1996, Steve and Beth Ham held an open house on July 14 and several previous owners were represented. Mary Louise McLauren had been a frequent visitor to Mrs. Thompson and rented the home during the summer of '41. Louise Royal is the daughter of the Wood's family. She was accompanied by her husband Lew. Clyde and Charlotte Mehder dropped by. Karen and Terry Potts had a special connection. Karin is Jim Scott's daughter and grew up in the home. Bill Merit walked over from his place on Martha's Lane and kept the group entertained.
In 2005, Eddie Lyons from Westminster, SC, and his sister Mary Lou from Six Mile, Sc, pulled in the driveway. They are members of the Lyons family and had fond childhood memories of summers at Lyonwood. Beth Ham graciously gave them a quick tour of the home
On August 8, 2007, an email was received from a web surfer who discovered this web site. Here it is:
Snap Shots:
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