Located in Blowing Rock, North Carolina, the Robert O. Colt III House has a number of legends, myths, and other lore attached to it. Some stories suggested that a son or nephew of Samuel Colt, famous as the “inventor” of the Colt revolver, was the builder of the house. Other stories referenced a possible tragic death in the house. Beyond this, there were stories that the Colt family had had conflicts with Moses H. Cone during their early days at Blowing Rock. In addition, there was uncertainty about the date of construction, with possible dates ranging from 1913 to 1918.

In December 2018, in anticipation of applying for an historical plaque from the Blowing Rock Historical Society, Drs. Peter and Valerie Purcell, the current owners, engaged Carolina Historical Consulting, LLC, to prepare a concise history of the property, the family’s history at Blowing Rock, and its connections to the Samuel Colt family. By pure coincidence, completion of this report coincides with the 100^th anniversary of the construction of the house.