Built in 1903 by the Jefferson Davis Smith Family, the Gertrude Smith House is on the National Register of Historic Homes. A native of Greensboro, Mr. Smith was a merchant and owned a vast amount of real estate in this area. He married Mount Airy native, Gertrude Gilmer, and they had seven children, five sons and two daughters. Four of the children married and moved away, while three did not marry.

One of their daughters, Gertrude, was an interior designer in New York City. She returned to Mount Airy and lived in the homeplace until her death in 1981. She was 90 years old and had never married. This Victorian-style home contains unique period furnishings that illustrate the design tastes of Miss Gertrude Smith, who attended Parson’s School of Interior Design in New York City in the 1930s.

All of the furniture in the house belonged to the Smith Family, and Gertrude collected much of it. She would go into the mountains "antiquing" at old mountain homes looking for pieces that she could either use in her home or her clients’ homes. She also collected artwork, but her brother, Dr. Robert Smith, who was a world traveler, collected most of the art pieces in the house.

The house is operated by the Gilmer-Smith Foundation, which was established by the will of Gertrude Smith. The house remains, as it was when she lived there and serves as a living museum reflective of the early 1900s lifestyle. Art exhibits, musical concerts, and Christmas events, and open houses are held throughout the year at the Gertrude Smith House. Admission is free.