Sherrill-Robbins House
(ca. 1903)
The Queen Anne style Sherrill-Robbins House was once the home of one of the original co-owners of the Stough-Cornelius Company.
19726 Zion Ave, Cornelius, NC 28031
The Sherrill-Robbins House is one of a small number of early twentieth century homes along Zion Avenue forming a historic gateway into Cornelius from the south. The circa 1903 Sherrill-Robbins House is a restrained example of the Queen Anne architectural style that also exhibits a Folk Victorian influence.
Property Quick Links
The house was first owned by Frank C. and Mollie A. Sherrill. A native of Iredell County, Frank Sherrill was a prominent citizen of Cornelius. He came to town as a one-third owner of the Stough-Cornelius Company, along with R. J. Stough (the founder of the town of Cornelius) and J.B. Cornelius (the town’s namesake). The company initially operated a large mercantile store that sold supplies to farmers and shipped crops (primarily ginned cotton) by rail to distant markets. Over time, the company’s operations expanded to include a cotton gin, a cotton purchasing business, and a cotton mill.
Sherrill would go on to become president of the Bank of Cornelius and president of the town’s second mill, the Gem Yarn Mill. He was also a devoted member of Mount Zion United Methodist Church, which gives its name to the street on which the Sherrill-Robbins House is located. In 1927, Frank Sherrill sold his home and moved to an imposing brick home that he had built on Main Street in Cornelius. Walter Robert Robbins purchased the Zion Avenue house from the Sherrills. Robbins, a one-time member of the town’s board of aldermen, lived in the house with his family until he died in 1967.