The Gabriel-Puckett House

Charles Deames Gabriel (1878-1937) was the first owner of the Gabriel-Puckett House, which was built in 1905. Gabriel was a native of the Sherrill’s Ford community. He didn’t stay in Cornelius long. He sold the house in 1908 to Monroe Patterson Bell (1883-1955) and returned to Sherrill’s Ford. Bell was a foreman at the Cornelius Union Furniture Company, which was near the Gem Yarn Mill (aka Oak Street Mill). William Lee Puckett (1880-1954) purchased the house in 1911. It was his family residence until 1933. He and his wife, Mary Washam Puckett, were members of Cornelius Presbyterian Church. He participated in laying the cornerstone of the church building in September 1923. Puckett served a term as the Mayor of Cornelius. Puckett, a lifelong resident of Cornelius, owned and operated the Puckett Grocery Store on Catawba Avenue across from the Cornelius Cotton Mill. He and his wife are buried in the Bethel Presbyterian Church Cemetery.