The Nevada County Historical Landmarks Commission and the Nevada County Historical Society along with the Board of Supervisors has designated the Carter Family Homesite at the intersection of Drummond Street and American Hills Road as a Nevada County historical landmark.
The Board of Supervisors approved the designation at its December 5 meeting.
Jennie Correll Carter and Dennis Drummond Carter married in Nevada City in 1866, and from 1867 to 1873 they lived on Drummond Street. Dennis Carter had bought the property years earlier and Drummond Street is believed to have been named after his mother's family. The couple later moved to what is now Grove Street. Dennis Carter was an accomplished musician, music teacher, and civil rights advocate. Jennie Carter was an accomplished writer and journalist who was the local correspondent for The Elevator, a San Francisco newspaper serving the Black community in northern California. Jennie Carter died in 1881 and is buried in Pine Grove Cemetery. Dennis Carter died in 1894 and is likely buried in the adjacent unmarked grave.
A marker will be placed by the Landmarks Commission during Black History Month next February. The Carter Homesite plaque will be featured in the Commission’s interactive map and its book Exploring Nevada County, a guide to all the County's historical landmarks. Click to view the interactive map.
