John Ellis McAuley was a reputable craftsman and homebuilder in the Hopewell area of Huntersville. McAuley constructed at least 10 homes in the area, and even St. Mark’s Episcopal Church (including the bricks). After his father passed in 1909, McAuley inherited the family farm, but did not have an interest in farming. Instead, his wife, Alice Eugenia Johnston McAuley, successfully managed the estate and put five children through UNC Chapel Hill.