| Forsyth County Historical Association Forsyth County, North Carolina |
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In 1754 Adam Spach settled near the upper line of Davidson County, NC and
soon made friends with the Moravians who were building the Village of
Bethabara ten miles north of his farm. He invited them to preach at his home,
which they soon began to do, and this led to the organization of Friedberg
Congregation.
During the Indian War of 1759 Spach and his family took refuge in the
Bethabara stockade, as did many other settler from the surrounding country.
When he decided later to erect a substantial house on his farm he planned it of
a type which could be defended against quite an opposing force. In 1774 Adam
Spach built his now famous Rock House.
It stood about one mile from Friedberg Church, and was built of uncut stone,
laid up without mortar, except for inside plastering. It was 30 by 36 feet, and was
one story, with a full basement and a small attic. It was built over a spring of
water; and an outside entrance to the basement made it possible to drive in the
cattle for protection in case of need. The windows were of the Flemish-Bond
type and each room had its loopholes, through which the defenders could fire,
as you can see in the cuts shown at the rear of the house. During these
attacks, Spach would gather his cows and place them in the basement to
protect them.
Adam Spach had five sons and four daughters; the sons all married and raised
large families, so there are many descendants in North Carolina. About 1862
some branches of the family began to spell the name Spaugh, while others
retained the original form of Spach, but all trace back to Adam Spach of the
Rock House.
Sometime during the mid 20th Century, the Rock House fell to ruin and only a
partial foundation can now be found.
Connor, R. D. W., History of North Carolina, Vol. IV, Chicago, Illinois: The Lewis
Publishing Company, 1919, pg. 69.
| Adam Spach House 1774 |