The heart of downtown Boone was built just after the turn of the century, though no one knew it at the time.

The Jones House, which is now the town's Community Center and home of the Watauga Arts Council, was constructed by Dr. John Walter Jones in 1908. Jones was originally from Alleghany County, and was one of the early doctors of the area. His wife Mattie Blackburn Jones was the daughter of Boone merchant and prominent community member Manley Blackburn.

Dr. Jones kept his office and pharmacy above what is currently the upper floor of the Mast Store next to the Jones House property. He bought the land from the Councill family, which included the property that is now the home of The Mountain Times. Jones practiced medicine in the town until his death in 1925.

The land behind the house was used for a vegetable garden with pear, cherry, plum, and apple trees on the north side. There was also a barn, ice house, and a pasture for larger animals. The property shrank over the years as streets were built and widened.

Mattie Jones lived in the house until 1975 and died three years after that. The Joneses had two children, John Walter Jr., who died while in service of the Marine Corps in 1938, and Mazie Jean Jones Levenson, who has a first-floor gallery named after her in the historic house.

Much of the furnishings in the parlor were period pieces from when the Jones family lived there. The sofa, chair, tables, and floor lamp were original items that the town of Boone paid to have restored, and the sewing machine was manufactured in 1907.