Lynn Dawson rests a hand on the open door to the Royster House in Shelby and waits for her guests to arrive. Moments before, she’d been finishing last-minute touches, adding purple flowers to shortbread cookies and placing clotted cream and jam on tables. Now, she takes a breath. Her joy comes from making this tea a memorable occasion, and her excitement matches what she sees and feels from her guests.

Lynn Dawson photograph by Grant Baldwin

Grandmothers and granddaughters, sisters, husbands, and wives arrive in their Sunday best, pausing on the porch to pose for group photos. First-time visitors step back by the fountain out front for an impressive view of the two-story home.

From her post at the door, Lynn greets two women and welcomes them inside. Before she shows them to their seats in the dining room, they rummage through a basket of colorful fascinators. The women inspect themselves in the mirror and tilt the frilly headpieces for a perfect fit. Although guests are here to see the house, Lynn knows it’s the little things that make this a special occasion.

• • •

It was the grand staircase that made her fall in love. Lynn had been looking at this house on South Washington Street for some time, and, having restored a home in Kings Mountain, she was ready for new project. She had her eye on Shelby for its vibrant downtown and proximity to the mountains.

“I was familiar with this street, with this house, and I liked to walk by to see what was going on with the properties,” says Lynn, who grew up in neighboring Gaston County. “This one had sat empty for a few years.”

When she and her husband, Chris, stepped through the front door and looked at the staircase, she could envision a bride walking down the steps, framed in the center of three 12-foot-tall archways with delicate woodwork. “I knew that we were going to buy it right then,” she says.

The staircase was one of the first features that drew Lynn to the house. She could envision bridal showers, weddings, and other celebrations taking place around it. photograph by Grant Baldwin

Such details are characteristic of the home that Dr. Stephen Sampson Royster and his wife, Olive, completed in 1910. Over the next several decades, the Royster House was a place of elegance and warmth as the couple welcomed Cleveland County residents for parties and events. In 1911, a local newspaper covered a reception that the Roysters hosted for grade school teachers. “It was a scene of loveliness …” the columnist wrote, “when the jolly guests assembled under the unbounded hospitality of Dr. and Mrs. Royster.”

Three generations of Roysters lived in the home until it was sold in 1976. The stately residence — for so long the pride of the Shelby community — fell into disrepair for about 45 years.

When Lynn and Chris first saw the inside of the 5,700-square-foot house in 2021, it needed a paint job and a new roof. The walls needed attention, as did the floors, electrical wiring, and more. Dirty beige carpet lined the central staircase, and the rooms were packed full of boxes and other odds and ends.

Guests show up for afternoon tea wearing their Sunday best. photograph by Grant Baldwin

The couple looked past the superficial issues. They realized they could do most of the work on their own while they lived there, making the renovation financially feasible. “Many old houses have a lot of issues — you expect that,” Lynn says. “But this house, all the issues were out in the open. We’ve never found any shocking surprises. We knew what we were getting into.”

Just two months after touring the Royster House, the Dawsons moved into one of the bedrooms and began the renovation process. Right away, neighbors took note: People walking or driving past would stop to see the project’s progress and thank them for restoring the home.

“To let people know that we were here and serious about what we were going to do, we had the front of the house painted white,” Lynn explains. “There were people who had been following it for 20 to 30 years, waiting for something to happen.”

At the Royster House, every detail is carefully considered — down to the basket of fascinators available to guests. photograph by Grant Baldwin

The Dawsons’ focus has been on preserving the Royster House and returning it to its former glory. They’ve had plenty to work with: The original crown and dentil molding, fireplaces with mantels and colorful tile, hardwood floors, ironwork, and leaded and stained-glass windows all survived years of neglect.

“I wanted to see the house brought back to life,” Lynn says. “Olive Royster is watching, and I hope she’s proud of what’s been done. We saved one of Shelby’s treasured homes.”

• • •

Homes on South Washington Street have drawn interest since about 1929, around the time business leaders and politicians — dubbed the Shelby Dynasty — occupied mansions built in the 1800s and early 1900s. Although some homes have fallen into despair, including the Webbley House, where former Gov. O. Max Gardner lived, Shelby residents continue to include the tree-lined street on their walking routes or park there to eat lunch.

The Royster House is a grand example of neo-Classical Revival architecture and a contributing structure in the Central Shelby Historic District, says Ted Alexander, a state senator and former western regional director for Preservation North Carolina. “What Lynn and Chris have done helps with the overall appearance of the neighborhood, the overall feel of the neighborhood,” he says. “It’s a very inviting location now. It helps with the overall revitalization.”

Touches around the house pay tribute to the original owners: A portrait of Olive Royster hangs in the dining room. photograph by Grant Baldwin

But their work is personal, too. Mike Royster, Dr. and Mrs. Royster’s great-grandson, recalls spending Sunday lunch at a round table with his parents and siblings at what was then his grandparents’ home. After a feast of fried chicken, biscuits, and green beans, he and his cousins would play in the woods behind the house.

Today, Mike lives a little more than a mile away from the Royster House. When he stepped over the threshold at an open house in 2022 and saw the refurbished mosaic in the entryway — an intricate design with blue, burgundy, gold, and white multishaped tiles, featuring an “R” at the center — the memories came flooding back. He gave an unofficial tour, with a crowd following him around as he described what he remembered about the house from his childhood.

A tile mosaic “R” greets guests in the entry. photograph by Grant Baldwin

Since then, Mike and his family have given the Dawsons portraits of Dr. and Mrs. Royster, now displayed prominently in the house for visitors to view, as well as a pair of sconces and a rattan chair, both original to the Royster House.

And in early 2025, the family gathered at the house for a cocktail party to celebrate Mike’s cousin’s upcoming nuptials. “It was a real emotional glance back in time when we were all kids together on a Sunday afternoon,” he says. “I can’t brag enough on the Dawsons for rescuing our family heritage.”

• • •

Throughout the year, Lynn hosts traditional afternoon teas for holidays. The events continue the Roysters’ legacy of extending hospitality and opening the home to the community — an important part of her quest to preserve the historic house. With just one or two staff members helping orchestrate these gatherings, she serves sandwiches, scones, and seasonally inspired sweet treats on three-tiered trays with an assortment of teas and a carafe of hot water. Lynn makes everything from scratch, drawing on her experience as a catering manager at the University of North Carolina at Chapel Hill.

Teatime at the Royster House has become a tradition for 8-year-old Elizabeth Maples, her mom, Brandi (left), and her grandmother Trissia Smith. photograph by Grant Baldwin

Eight-year-old Elizabeth Maples sits with her mother, Brandi Maples, and grandmother Trissia Smith at a table on the landing. With this bird’s-eye view, the trio watches as newcomers enter the main hall, fuss with hats, and find their seats. When Elizabeth squirms in her chair, ready to explore the house, a large decorative sugar cookie refocuses her attention. Lynn places one at every child’s plate, her way of paying special tribute to her young guests.

Before she moved to Shelby, Lynn was a neighbor of the Maples family in Kings Mountain, and Elizabeth attended her first tea at Lynn’s home when she was 3 years old. As a result, Elizabeth’s tray always has extra cucumber sandwiches because Lynn knows they’re her favorite.

“I think it creates a tradition, and I want her to have those memories with her grandmothers,” Brandi says. “All of her friends ask her about it when she says she’s going to a tea. Even the moms ask about it because it’s just not something little girls do anymore.”

Guests savor tea and treats at the Royster House.  photograph by Grant Baldwin

Over the next few hours, Lynn greets 30 to 40 people. She knows most by name — many are friends, neighbors, and repeat visitors. Inside, a flurry of activity ensues: Conversations flow, tea is poured, and little girls dance.

Lynn pins a purple feathered fascinator onto a guest’s head. “Y’all come on with me,” she says. She shows them into the formal dining room, where the portrait of Olive Royster hangs, and to a seat in front of a decorative china place setting. Out of the corner of her eye, she glimpses the painting of the woman who first hosted guests at the Royster House. Olive, she thinks, would be pleased.

Royster House
413 South Washington Street
Shelby, NC 28150
(704) 796-0757
facebook.com/roysterhouse