William Ballard Councill and his wife and family moved to Hickory in 1899 from Watauga county. In late 1901, Judge W.B. Councill and his wife, Elisabeth purchased a large lot in the one hundred block of 3rd Avenue. At the time, the Councill’s lot occupied nearly one-half of the entire block.

He began his career as a lawyer in Boone in 1881, served a term in the NC State Legislature in 1896, and was elected as a District Superior Court Judge in 1900 and served until 1910. His portrait hangs in the 1924 Courthouse in Newton, NC. He went into private law practice until he was elected to the NC State Senate in 1912. His wife, Elisabeth Coffey Councill, was very active in many community activities and was instrumental in establishing the local Red Cross. The Councills had four sons; Howard, William, Stedman, and Gordon, when they built the home in 1902. Later, another son Alan was born, a well as a daughter, Elisabeth.

According to From Tavern to Town, the Councill House is one of the two finest examples of Queen Anne-style homes remaining in Hickory. The house was built with an irregular plan with multiple receding and projecting walls. It has a number of Victorian characteristic features, including an octagonal tower capped by a dome roof, sawn ornamentation, a wrap-around porch, corbelled interior chimneys, differing sheathing materials, pebbledash and timber, and wooden shingles. Interior finishes include original hardware, oak wainscot, paneled doors, 2 sets of 9 foot pocket-doors, and 7 fireplaces. There are 2 highly ornamental terra cotta mantles, as well as 5 classically inspired mantles with beveled mirrors and fluted columns.

The floor plan was altered in 1940 when, after Judge Councill died, his widow and daughter converted the home into 4 apartments. They lived in one apartment and rented the others to teachers and nurses. At that time, the interior staircases were removed from the house and put on the front and back porches as access to the apartments. The Councill House remained 4 apartments for the next 58 years. In 1998, Michael and Sarah Talbert started restoring the house, which was completed in December 2001.

The 3 guest rooms are named after 3 of the Councill children. The Elisabeth Room is the only room in the home with an original pressed-tin ceiling. It has a private bath with a claw-foot tub original to the home, and a fireplace. The Alan Room is on the corner of the house with the octagonal tower. It features a fireplace with mantle mirror that has the initials “ABC” (Alan Ballard Councill) scratched into it. (Alan was born in the house, and was killed in a motorcycle accident in 1923.) The Stedman Room is on the northwest corner of the house, and features a large bath with a claw-foot tub. A collection of Stedman’s trunks resides in the room.