The Historic Johnson was the residence of Oliver Moss, a wealthy tobacco farmer, during the 18th century. Its whole structure was handmade from bricks fired on site from French Broad River mud. In the 1900?s, it was inherited by Sallie Leverett Johnson who operated it as a farm and a summer boarding home. It gained popularity as a summer tourist retreat destination in the early years of the 20th century.

Today, it is owned and operated by the Henderson County Public Schools as a heritage education center as well as a farm museum. It features a brick house dating back from 1870 and a boarding house from 1920. Within the site, visitors can also find a barn-loft museum, 2 nature trails, 10 historic buildings, and 15 acres of fields, streams, and forests.