N. S. Alexander House

Neal established and supervised a large cotton farm. Several tenant families lived and labored on his approximately 1,000 acres of land. Neal’s farm once extended southward to the vicinity of what is now Windsor Park Elementary School and northward to embrace both sides of what is now Tipperary Place. The 1903 N. S. Alexander House is predominantly Queen Anne in design. Many of its interior features are similar to those of the J. P. Carr House (1904) on North McDowell Street. As Neal was well-acquainted with Carr, it is possible that the two men hired the same craftsmen for the two structures. 

Neal Alexander died in November 1926 after an extended illness. His wife Ida died less than two years later. Their son Nathaniel Alexander (1892-1968) resided in the N. S. Alexander House with his wife Louise Hutchinson Alexander (1895-1968) and his unmarried sister Ida Moore Alexander (1890-1978) for much of the twentieth century. Nathaniel also assumed control of the farming operations, which continued to run on a substantial basis through the 1930s. His sister Ida, who taught music in the public schools of Charlotte and Mecklenburg County for approximately 50 years, continued to live in the house until shortly before her death. Ida’s music students included John Scott Trotter (1908-1975) who later became a major figure in American entertainment, including as the music director for popular singer Bing Crosby. Trotter also worked with Vince Guaraldi on the score for Peanuts animated television specials and feature films between 1966 and 1975.