The North Carolina and Moore County Community Foundation have awarded a $500 grant to help pay the cost of replacing the shingled roof on the historic Joel McLendon Cabin near Carthage.

The 1760s-era cabin is owned by the Moore County Historical Association and is the oldest dwelling on its original site in Moore County.

The cabin shares the 3.4 acre site with the 1820s Bryant House, also owned by the MCHA, at 3361 Mount Carmel Road.

The MCHA has authorized work to begin on the cabin roof. The total project is estimated to cost $4,000. Other sources of funds will be used, including proceeds from a raffle and other fundraisers.

Joel McLendon came from a family of Scots who migrated to North Carolina prior to 1696. He was one of several family members who migrated to Moore County, then part of Cumberland County, and received a grant of 200 acres on both sides of Buck Creek, later renamed McLendon's Creek. By 1760 he had built a cabin and a gristmill, and had cleared much of the land for farming.

In 1787, McLendon sold the land to Robert Graham, whose daughter married a Bryant. The Bryant House was built adjacent to the McLendon Cabin around 1825. Both the cabin and the house are open to visitors on the second and fourth Sundays, June through September, from 2 to 4 p.m.

For information on how to donate to the repair of the cabin, call (910) 692-2051.