Per the 1953 Durham Herald, Clark and Sorrell was "founded in 1922 and started out in this building in the 200 block of East Parrish" [214 E. Parrish]

The business was opened by LeRoy Clark in the late 1910s. Donnie Sorrell had left Durham to attend business school in New York ~1920, and returned to Durham intending to establish a business. Clark was interested in expanding his repair shop, and the two partnered as Clark and Sorrell, Inc. on January 1, 1922.

They began operations at Clark's shop, but soon moved to 217 E. Parrish. At some point, they moved to "Holloway St.," then moved back to 217 E. Parrish, expanding this building with two additional stories. They soon decided that this space was insufficient. In 1932, they constructed a new one-story garage at 323 Foster St. This was expanded with a two-story addition at the rear of the garage in 1940, and additional parking lots were added in 1945 and 1946.

Per a 1951 write-up on the business, Clark & Sorrell was "located just one block short of Durham's main business section. When you visit their modern, up-to-date garage, wholesale automobile supply house, and convenient, attractive parking lots, you can appreciate why it is recognized as one of Durham's leading businesses." Clark and Sorrell offered "the car and truck owners of Durham the finest in specialized automobile service ... some of the services which they perform are exclusive to the area. The newest equipment, such as Vacameter, Weidenhoff Motor Analyzer, and Electro-Check, guarantee the finest results."

Clark and Sorrell closed their business in 1999.

Built for the James Parrish family between 1913 and 1918, this large frame Foursquare farmhouse was added to an earlier one-story frame dwelling (now the rear ell) moved to the site from another location on the property.

Yates Avenue ran between West Chapel Hill St. and West Pettigrew St. - one of the core north-south streets of the West End - a neighborhood whose early residential core seems to have been concentrated along the Burch Avenue east-west axis between Yates and Milton (later renamed Buchanan.)

The most prominent structure in the 500 block of Yates Ave. was the St. Paul's Lutheran Church - a congregation formed in 1923 that built a stone sanctuary in 1929 near West Chapel Hill St. The church was built by Northup & O'Brien Architects. 

Blueprints of Saint Paul's Lutheran Church,  June 1927  

(Courtesy NCSU Libraries' Digital Collections:Rare and Unique Materials)

Blueprints of Saint Paul's Lutheran Church,  June 1927                                                                                                                  

(Courtesy NCSU Libraries' Digital Collections:Rare and Unique Materials)

Looking southeast, 1948. The intersection in the foreground is Yates Avenue and Burch Avenue. The stone church visible towards the right edge of the frame is St. Paul's Lutheran, and that block is the 500 block of Yates. Other structures visible in the background include The Eloise, the YWCA, and part of Duke Memorial Methodist before its addition was constructed at Gregson and West Chapel HIll.
(Courtesy Herald-Sun)

This block and the core of the neighborhood were demolished in 1967 for the Durham Freeway. Although the Freeway did not extend north of Chapel Hill St. for a number of years after this, these structures were demolished for the exit ramp for westbound traffic. (I'm not sure what year the freeway was extended to Erwin Road, which is where it ended in the mid 1980s, and stayed until the mid 1990s when it was extended to 15-501.)

Looking southeast from the 500 block of Yates Ave. towards West Chapel Hill St., January 5, 1967. St. Paul's Lutheran is the only structure that hasn't been demolished. The NC Mutual Building is visible in the background, and the white house in the distance is 607 Vickers

This piece of landscape has been fairly well obliterated.

Looking northeast from West Chapel Hill St. at the approximate location of Yates Ave. The line of the street would have extended towards the billboard from West Chapel Hill. 02.02.08.

There is a tiny part of Yates Avenue which remains, actually, which I profiled awhile ago; it has been renamed Conyers, and still has one house on it (the billboard base sits in their yard.)

There is so much unused land in the doughnut hole of the West Chapel Hill St. exit ramp - it's an unbelievable shame that it's not turned into a park, or developed or similar. Several people have mentioned the chunk of rock in the center - it shows how many people notice the little details of their environment.

02.02.08

So what is this? Well, I don't think it started out at this location - it appears to sit on the top of the ground, rather than being embedded. Where did it come from? Good question - it's certainly tempting to think that it was associated with the church, but it doesn't really look like it's been there for 40 years. I've wondered whether it was buried - as a piece of foundation or similar (the masonry work is pretty rough) and unearthed during some construction. I don't know - but it's a good mystery if someone has some insight.

"Northgate and Bypass areas flooded by Heavy Rains - 02.14.52"
(Courtesy The Herald-Sun Newspaper)

General contractor.

310 and 312 Oakwood were built prior to 1913, contemporaneous with the development of houses along Holloway St. 1/2 block away. While they were in the middle of a large neighborhood by the 1920s, they were placed at the edge of the neighborhood by urban renewal clearance to the southwest.

The view of the houses from Carlton and Oakwood, looking southeast, mid 1970s. Unfortunately by this time, 310 Oakwood, although not evident in the above picture, had burned.

310 Oakwood from the south side, looking north, mid-1970s.

312 Oakwood persisted into the 1990s.

Looking southeast, mid 1990s.

In 2000, my friends Tom Transue and his wife Janice attempted to negotiate a purchase of this abandoned house. To give you a sense of just how long some of us in this city have been trying to deal with this problem (as Tom and I got involved in city-wide preservation at about the same time,) Tom and Janice had to deal with both a difficult owner and a city process that pushed directly towards demolition.

In numerous communications with Housing and Community Development officials (the organization which hatched NIS) Tom and Janice met unresponsiveness or doubt when they weren't being misled. They were told that there would not be a chance to appeal a demolition order placed on the house, when there was an upcoming Housing Appeals Board meeting to decide the fate of the house. There were unreturned phone calls to city council when they tried to communicate that they could save this house. A letter to the editor of the Herald Sun from them, along with the neighborhood association president, failed to stymie the inexorable push for demolition. That the Historic Preservation Society of Durham (now Preservation Durham) had acquired an option on the property in an attempt to save it made no difference.

In the end, with demolition imminent, Chester Jenkins - who is still the owner of this property, tore down the house himself rather than let the city do it. Tom and Janice went on to buy an old home turned rooming house on North Mangum St. that had fallen on hard times (as evidenced by the people that later knocked on their door looking for a prostitute.) It's hard to believe now that Old North Durham was in that kind of condition just 7 years ago, but it was.

Meanwhile, back in Cleveland-Holloway, this still-vacant lot is a reminder of how much this neighborhood could have used their pioneering spirit, strong will, and hard work.

Looking southeast from Carlton and Oakwood, 2007.

And so we fight again one block away, at 501 Oakwood. Has anything changed? When a neighbor called to speak with the housing inspector about how much the neighborhood wanted to see the house saved, the housing inspector told her that it was "long overdue to be demolished" and told her she "should be talking to the owner."

For those who might cluck disapprovingly at my tone from time-to-time, you'll have to pardon my chronic exasperation. It's been a long time coming.

Update 2016 - many years have passed since I wrote the above about this property. Cleveland Holloway has been majorly invested in and revitalized - disinvestment and disinterest are no longer issues for this neighborhood. The conversation has shifted, in the way it almost always does, to how the neighborhood copes with 'success' - i.e. the good and the bad of gentrification.

This lot, having sat empty for roughly 16 years, thanks to the friendly backhoes of NIS - is now being developed with a new custom home. 

May 09, 2016 (photo by Gary Kueber)

More on the owner's plans (including a rad 3d rendering video) here:

http://alisonbuildsahouse.blogspot.com/2016/01/the-beginning-of-somethin...

Designed by Empire State Building architects Shreve, Lamb, and Harmon for banker John Sprunt Hill, the Hill Building is one of the most iconic in Durham

The Hill Building, also known as the CCB building and the Suntrust Building, is certainly the most prominent piece of historic architecture in Durham. Although old enough and iconic enough to be historic, several structures predate the building on this important site in downtown Durham.

The northwest corner of Main and Corcoran was used for warehouse space early on, according to Gray's 1881 map of Durham, including the Banner Warehouse, with its "Drive-In"

Looking northeast from W.Main towards Corcoran St., 1890s
(Courtesy Duke Archives)

By 1906, the city had grown substantially, and the U.S. government constructed a substantial post office on the eastern portion of the above site.

Post office under construction, 1906
(Courtesy Duke Archives - Wyatt Dixon Collection)

From Main St., Looking northeast
(Courtesy Durham County Library)

From the northeast corner of Main and Corcoran, looking west-northwest. The Trust Building (still standing) is directly to the west of the post office. The first Municipal Building and Academy of Music is to the north. This view dates from between 1906 and 1909.
(Courtesy Durham County Library)

 Circa 1908 (image found on eBay)

Below, a 1910s view of the Post Office:

(Courtesy Duke Archives - Wyatt Dixon Collection)

This view is taken from the First National Bank building on the southeast corner of Main and Corcoran. Moving generally from right-to-left, you can see the Geer Building, the Washington Duke building, the old post office, The Trust Building, and the Temple building (to the west of the Trust building). Only the Trust building and the Temple building are still standing. This photo dates from the late 1920s or very early 1930s.

(Courtesy Durham County Library)

In the early 1930s (completed in 1934) the U.S. government built a new post office on the corner of Chapel Hill St. and Rigsbee Ave. The old post office was shut down and demolished.

(Courtesy Herald-Sun)

Construction of the Hill Building was begun on the site of the former post office in 1936. George W. Kane was the contractor, and Shreve, Lamb, and Harmon (who previously designed the Empire State Building and Winston-Salem's RJ Reynolds Building) were the architects.

Sept. 1936
(Courtesy Herald-Sun)

Nov. 1936
(Courtesy Herald-Sun)

(Courtesy Herald-Sun)
December 1936

The Hill Building from a distance, from Blackwell St., under construction ~ Dec. 1936.

(Courtesy Robby Delius from Mac Connery)

February 1937
(Courtesy Herald-Sun)

1937 - no month given.
(Courtesy Herald-Sun)

Construction was completed in 1937. The Durham Loan and Trust Company became the primary tenant. The bank later changed its name to the Durham Bank and Trust Company and later still, Central Carolina Bank. The primary first floor retail tenant was the Ellis-Stone Department store; Ellis-Stone was considered a 'high-end' department store in downtown Durham - which had been around since 1887 (originally at 124 West Main St.)

1956

Ellis-Stone, 03.20.61

In 1962, Thalheimer's-Ellis-Stone moved across the street to a newly constructed building on the southwest corner of Corcoran and West Main Sts.

CCB Building, looking south on Corcoran Street, March 1965. (Courtesy The Herald-Sun)

CCB remained the primary tenant until 2005, when the switchover from the merger of Suntrust and CCB was complete, and the logo on top of the building was changed.

Hill Building, 2006. The Trust Building is on the left edge of the picture. (Photo by Gary Kueber)

In 2007, Greenfire purchased this building and announced plans to convert the structure to a boutique hotel.

Hill Building, 07.24.08 (Photo by Gary Kueber)

Plans languished, but seemed to perk up again in 2010 when Greenfire received approval to use NC Industrial bonds to develop the hotel, and had a city incentives package improved (based on the synthetic TIF model) to develop the project in September 2010. This ultimately did not come to fruition, but in 2012, Greenfire sold the property to 21c Hotels, which planned to develop the property as the long-intended boutique hotel.

04.27.13 (Photo by Gary Kueber)

In November of 2013, 21c began removing the signage from the top of the building.

"rust" 11.27.13

01.03.14 (Photo by Gary Kueber)

same architect that made the Hill Building VA hospital bro watts hospital bro wg person bro east end school bro nccu bulidings bro. Its endangered of demolition in 2019 we need to save this historic building.

The Snow Building was one of a 'second wave' of more impressive commercial structures to be built at Five Points. Situated between the core of downtown (Main between Church and Corcoran) and the Duke Factory, the Five Points area initially consisted of more modest, single-story, often frame commercial structures, as well as residences.

(Courtesy Duke Archives)

A view west from the Trust Building, 1905 shows Five Points early in transition - the older, modest, single-story structures and residences are beginning to be supplanted by larger buildings, such as the Kronheimer Department Store (the building with "Grocery" on the side) at the left side of the picture.

Beginning at the turn of the century and continuing into the 1930s, almost all of these structures were replaced. The Snow Building was one of the last of these 'second wave' structures to be constructed. The picture below shows the south side of Five Points, prior to the construction of the Snow Building. The one first-generation commercial structure in the picture - towards the left and set back a bit from the sidewalk with a front overhang/awning - would be replaced with the Snow Building not long after this picture.

(Courtesy Durham County Library)

The Snow Building, one of Durham's two most elaborate Art-Deco buildings (along with the Kress building) was constructed in 1930. George W. Kane was the general contractor. The Snow Building contained multiple offices as well as first floor retail.

The 1963 shot below shows an oblique angle of the building in relation to Five Points and the Piedmont Building as well as the jewelry store that occupied the first floor retail space.

The Snow Building continues to provide office space today, retail storefronts and even a penthouse apartment on the top floor. I don't know if this is how the building was designed, or whether that was an adaptation of office space. The lobby is intact, including the orginal, manually-operated elevators (very cool.)

Looking south, 2007.

04.27.13

Dr. Gary Kueber was born in New Orleans, LA. He grew up in the city and came to Durham in 1988 to attend Duke University, where he majored in Zoology and English. He returned to New Orleans for 4 years to complete medical school at LSU, whereupon he returned to Durham, NC to pursue residency in Internal Medicine at UNC Hospitals. He began renovating 507 Yancey Street in 1997 during his residency.

Kueber practiced primary care in Durham at Research Triangle Occupational Health services beginning in 2000 with Dr. Stuart Manning. After 4 years in private practice, he left medicine and returned to school, completing a second residency in Preventive Medicine, a masters degree in public health (MPH) and a masters degree in urban planning (MRP.) He worked with Natural Learning Initiative at NC State to complete research on the interaction between urban environments and childrens' physical activity levels.

In July 2006, Kueber began writing the Endangered Durham blog.

In October 2007, he was hired by Scientific Properties to do development management, including sustainability/LEED work, neighborhood revitalization and other special projects. In April 2010, he became CEO of the company.

In November 2011, Kueber launched Open Durham (this website,) as a replacement / successor for Endangered Durham. In 2016, he donated the entire site to Preservation Durham.

Kueber has won numerous awards for his preservation work, including 4 Pyne Awards, 2 Neighborhood Conservation Awards, and 1 Advocacy Award from Preservation Durham, 2 awards from Preservation North Carolina, 2 awards from the Interneighborhood Council, as well as a Triangle Citizen Award from the Independent and Tarheel of the Week award from the News and Observer.

LinkedIn Profile: Click Here

Regional co-operation, except on the name, leads tiny airport to grow rapidly during the second half of the 20th century

RDU - undated, presumably 1950s

(Courtesy <a href="http://www.herald-sun.com">The Herald-Sun Newspaper</a>)

I've written previously about Durham and Raleigh's separate struggles to each get an airport, um, off the ground. Durham made efforts to establish a field north of town, with its most concentrated effort around the former county home site on North Roxboro Road. Each floundered in their attempts, until eventually entering a marriage of convenience to get 'er done. 

In a full-page ad in area newspapers, Eastern Airlines President Captain Eddie Rickenbacker urges Wake and Durham counties and the cities of Durham and Raleigh to build an airport together. “Do not allow civic jealousies or selfish motives to creep into a project that means so much to all of you,” says Rickenbacker in 1940.

While under construction, RDU is taken over in 1942 by the federal government for use during World War II. The base is designated Raleigh-Durham Army Air Field in January 1943 with barracks and three runways becoming operational on May 1, 1943. The base serves as a training facility for the Army Air Corps until January 1, 1948.

Eastern Airlines is permitted use of the airfield and begins service from RDU to New York and Miami in 1943. These flights stop in Richmond, Washington , D.C., Baltimore and Philadelphia during the four-hour flight to New York. Stops were made in Charleston, Savannah, Jacksonville, Orlando, Vero Beach and West Palm during the six-hour flight to Miami.

1,223 acres of land acquired and used by the federal government during WWII at Raleigh-Durham Airport is formally returned to the four local governmental units in 1946. An initial investment by RDU of $65,000 is now worth $2,225,000.

Capital Airlines (later renamed United) begins service at RDU in 1947

Piedmont Airlines begins service in 1948 at RDU bringing the total daily flights to 22. RDU's first terminal opens in 1955.

RDU, undated, likely 1950s

(Courtesy Barry Norman)

RDU - undated, likely 1950s.

(Courtesy <a href="http://www.herald-sun.com">The Herald-Sun Newspaper</a>)

1950s

(Courtesy Barry Norman)

1950s

(Courtesy Barry Norman)

Terminal A opened to great fanfare in 1981.

American Airlines opens its north-south hub operation at RDU in the new Terminal C in June 1987, greatly increasing the size of RDU's operations with a new terminal including a new apron and runway. American brought RDU its first international flights to Bermuda, Cancun and Paris Orly.

In 1996, America n Airlines ceased hub operations at RDU due to difficulty competing with USAir's hub in Charlotte and Delta's hub in Atlanta for passengers traveling between smaller cities in the North and South. American began downsizing its RDU operations and eventually discontinued almost all of its mainline flights there, although it still runs a daily service to Gatwick and a number of commuter flights through American Eagle.

In the first half of 2000, RDU opens a new $40 million terminal area parking deck providing a total of 2,700 new parking spaces between the terminals.

Most recently, the airport has built a very large modern "Terminal 2," replacing Terminal C.

Although the original Terminal still stands, hidden behind a lot of blue and brown stuff, impending renovations may remove all traces of what a podunk little airport RDU was ~50 years ago. 

Original terminal, 06.19.11

Original terminal, 06.19.11

Fancy new Terminal 2.0 , 06.19.11

Lochmoor was most well known as the 'country estate' of Edward James Parrish, Durham's first tobacco auctioneer, and builder of the first brick warehouse in Durham.

(Lochmoor, date unknown, likely ~1920. Scanned from an Eno River Association Calendar - I'd love to track down the original photo to scan if anyone can help.)

Lochmoor was most well known as the 'country estate' of Edward James Parrish, Durham's first tobacco auctioneer, and builder of the first brick warehouse in Durham.
Lochmoor's origins are a bit confusing, as the historic inventory seems to state that Lochmoor was both EJ Parrish's "original homeplace", and that the main structure dated from ~1850, when EJ Parrish was 4. Jean Anderson states that Lochmoor had been part of the Horton estate when it was acquired by the Lockharts (John Lockhart was married to EJ Parrish's sister) in 1870.

Parrish was born in 1846, near Pound Hill post office and moved "from Orange County" (the county that Durham was in at the time) to Durham in January 1871 to open a grocery and confectionery. It appears that his initial business was not that successful, and he became an auctioneer in the Reams Warehouse - the first tobacco warehouse in Durham, which stood on the current American Tobacco property, approximately where the Hill Warehouse is located. Parrish He left Reams in 1873 to establish his own warehouse with JE Lyon, called the Farmer's Warehouse; however, his business succumbed to the Panic of 1873. Parrish leased back the old Reams warehouse in 1876, the same year, he built a beautiful Second Empire structure at the northeast corner of East Main St. and N. Dillard St.

'Captain' Parrish (so titled for his position in the Durham Light Infantry) also built his own auction warehouse in 1879 - the first brick warehouse in Durham in what is now the 100 block of East Parrish Street; obviously the street was named after him. It was the first warehouse to feature skylights to provide a better view of the tobacco leaves to prospective buyers.

In September, 1886, Colonel Parrish bought the Z. I. Lyon Company's factory, which manufactured "Pride of Durham" tobacco.

In October, 1886, a fire stared downtown, which consumed a substantive portion of the town, including Parrish's warehouse, destroying that together with his steam plant and buildings on the other side of the street - a total loss of $140,000. Parrish subsequently built a new, larger warehouse on the north side of the street and built an office building named, appropriately,the Parrish Building on the site of the original warehouse.

Parrish lived in the house at East Main and N. Dillard until 1898 (when he sold the house to Richard H. Wright.) Having lost a great deal of money in the depressions of 1893 and 1898, he was 'rescued' from his debts by the Dukes. He became a representative for the American Tobacco company he traveled to Japan to open new markets. Upon his return, in 1904, he originally intended to build a new house just to the east of the courthouse. However, he instead bought the farm that had belonged to his brother-in-law, John Lockhart and, later, the extended family of another sister - the Moores. He called his estate Lochmoor to honor his sisters.

Parrish expanded the original 1850s farmhouse with multiple additions, adding a two-story classical portico and multiple open and closed porches. He developed the farm with shrubs, flowers, fruit trees, beehives, livestock, and domestic animals. He lavished a great deal upon the farmstead - the best that his money could buy.

In 1909 and 1911 , Parrish built an arcade of shops and a hotel adjacent to the courthouse. The venture was not very successful, yielding to the more well-appointed and large Hotel Malbourne across the street, but the subsequent owner renamed the hotel the "Hotel Lochmoor" in honor of Parrish.

Lochmoor, late 1910s.
(Durham Architectural and Historic Inventory)

Lochmoor, late 1910s.
(Courtesy Duke Rare Book and Manuscript Collection)

Parrish died in 1920 and is buried in Maplewood Cemetery. Lochmoor was auctioned off as several smaller farms in 1922. Below, the auction flier, provided by Dave Piatt

It was bought by William M. Piatt, an engineer originally from Tunkhannock, PA who had started an engineering firm in Winston-Salem before coming to Durham in 1910. When the city of Durham decided to shift its water supply from the Eno River to the Flat River, Piatt's firm executed the design of the Lake Michie dam. In 1922, Piatt, his wife, and their children moved to Lochmoor. Piatt also was the engineer for the primary Durham waterworks at Hillsborough and Hillandale Roads, as well as multiple sewerage plants in Durham.

The down payment on such a home? Ten dollars, with a grand sum of $25,000 due.

First payment receipt.
(Courtesy Dave Piatt)

Lochmoor, likely 1950s
(Courtesy Dave Piatt)

Lochmoor, 1950s-1960s
(Courtesy Dave Piatt)

Lochmoor water tower, 1950s
(Courtesy Dave Piatt)

The water tower on the property was covered by wisteria, and at one time helped service the grapes, a multitude of flowers. and crops that grew around it.

Water Tower, 1950s or earlier
(Courtesy Dave Piatt)

Water Tower with wisteria blooms, 1950s
(Courtesy Dave Piatt)

Tower in background with family, possibly 1920s.
(Courtesy Dave Piatt)

Looking north east from Roxboro Rd, possibly 1950s.
(Courtesy Dave Piatt)

Lochmoor in snow, 1950s-1960s.
(Courtesy Dave Piatt)

After his death in ~1961 and his wife's death several years later, the house passed through a number of owners. The property appears to have been subdivided during the 1950s-1960s to build housing, including Argonne Hills.

By the 1970s, the house had gained a reputation as a party house inhabited by various wildly-inclined young people; it was dubbed 'The Plant(ation).' Per David Southern

"The place was famous for its Chili Wars, and when the NC Folk Life Festival was staged at the nearby West Point on Eno Park, the denizens of the Plant countered with their own Forklift Festival."

The house was still standing in 1980.

Lochmoor, 1979-1980
(Durham Architectural and Historic Inventory)

Water Tower, 1979-1980.
(Durham Architectural and Historic Inventory)

The house and surrounding buildings were torn down in 1985 by the City of Durham (by NIS's predecessor.)

The northern extent of the property was developed as JFK towers, a senior housing development, but the site of Lochmoor has never been developed. You can see the old entrance to the driveway on your right as you head north on Roxboro Road, across from Argonne Hills.

The stone entry from Roxboro Road, 10.26.08 (Gary Kueber)

Looking up the former driveway, 10.26.08. (Gary Kueber)

(Gary Kueber)

I believe this was the site of the house, although it is very overgrown, and it was hard to tell. I should really go back now that it's winter. Below is the only evidence of one-time habitation I could find - a foundation. Given its position and size, it might have belonged to the water tower.

10.26.08 (Gary Kueber)

As of the early 2010s, this property has been for sale for many years. In 2016, it was reported in the Triangle Business Journal that a Wal-Mart-anchor developer would seek rezoning to develop this property:

A South Carolina retail developer's plan to build a 20-acre, grocery-anchored retail center on North Roxboro Street in Durham is on the agenda for discussion at the next Durham planning commission meeting on June 14, [2016].

WRS Inc. of Mount Pleasant, South Carolina, is seeking permission to build up to 54,113 square feet of retail, including a 41,117-square-foot anchor grocery store, according to site plans filed with the city. The property is at the intersection of North Roxboro Street and Argonne Drive.

Old farmstead along Angier Ave.

On 3.5 acres

Exuberant Victorian country house to which the city came over time; converted to a restaurant in the 1970s.

One of, if not the most, impressive historic structures remaining in southwest Durham is the house of Bartlett W. Mangum, built in 1908, and once part of a forty-acre tract that included vineyards, as well as a cotton gin, sawmill, and brickyard on the opposite side of Chapel Hill Road. The house was designed and built by William Albert Wilkerson. The farm, along with Julian Carr's Wa-Wa-Yonda farm immediately to the north, were built in the area known as Tuscaloosa Forest.

1910 Map of Durham County, showing predominant landowners along Chapel Hill Road.
(Courtesy Durham County Library / North Carolina Collection)

Mangum lived in the house until his death in 1927; his farm was subdivided and parcels other than an area immediately surrounding the main house were sold off as individual building lots.

From here on out, I'll quote directly from the Four Square website, which may have the best history page of any local restaurant.

"Mangum’s daughters Bessie and Inez lived in the house until 1956 when, at advanced ages, they were moved to a nursing home. It is said that the ghost of one of the sisters still haunts one of the upstairs rooms. The property was then sold at auction and rented for residential purposes until the early 1960’s. From 1960 to 1963, Arthur D. Thomas, who operated a politically ‘alternative’ bookstore in town, used the first floor for a racially integrated, non-denominational church that counted Duke University faculty and area civil rights leaders among its congregants. After Thomas left the area, the house was named ‘Freedom House’ and rented for a time by a civil rights organization. It was used as temporary housing for transient civil rights activists. From 1968 to 1974 the house was operated as a woman’s consignment clothing store called ‘Victoria’s Closet’."

BW Mangum house, late 1970s.

"The house was first used as a restaurant in 1976. Nina Parrish, a Durham native, operated the Old House Restaurant until 1980. From 1981 to 1982 a Chinese restaurant called The Twin Dragon occupied the house. In 1983, the Pless family bought the building and operated it as Claire’s Café until the early 1990’s. The family then leased the building for a number of years before deciding to sell the property in 1999."

Shane Ingram and Elizabeth Woodhouse bought the Mangum house in 1999 and renovated it to open Four Square restaurant. In doing so, they continued/provided a pleasure that isn't common in the Triangle (but was in my native New Orleans) - the restaurant-in-an-old-house. I wish it were more common here as an adaptive reuse for houses that people didn't want to live in; it's part of a broader question as to why old houses weren't converted to retail establishments rather than, for the most part, simply torn down. A row of houses converted to funky retail presents one of the more entertaining and interesting types of streetscapes I've encountered.

BW Mangum House / Four Square, 05.18.08 (Should have captured it during the winter!)

In 2016, Woodhouse and Ingram announced that they were retiring, closing the restaurant on 06/26/16, and putting the building up for sale.

The Holloway Street school was built in 1928, designed by Durham architects Rose and Rose. Rear wings were added to the school in 1950 and 1954. A gymnasium was added in 1975.

Holloway Street School, 1950s.
(Courtesy The Herald-Sun Newspaper)

The Holloway Street school was built in 1928, designed by Durham architects Rose and Rose. Rear wings were added to the school in 1950 and 1954. A gymnasium was added in 1975.

1937 Sanborn, showing the original footprint of the school

1950 Sanborn Map, showing the 1950 addition.

I can find little to no information about the school in books or public records; I'll ask that any alums or knowledgeable folks out there chime in with information about the school.

Barbara Warren Loftin sent the following picture of her graduating class of May 31, 1957. 

She gave the names of her graduating class as:

Bagley, Walter

Billings, William

Bradley, Thomas

Goldston, John

Lumsden, Richard

Mobley, Reid

Mumford, Hal

Onufrak, Billy

Poole, Michael

Scoggins, Michael

Tyndall, Roy

Wiggins, Richard

Winston, Sammy

Dodson, Patricia

Fetterman, Brenda

Fisher, Pat

Goss, Sylvia

Hamilton, Lynn

Johns, Norma J

Leffers, Carol

Maynard, Gloria

Moore, Sandra

Morris, Carol

Oakley, Carol

Rich, Ilene

Truelove, Delores

I'm unsure of when it closed. My best guess would be mid-1990s, and that it was replaced by Eastway Elementary.

In 2000, Durham Public Schools offered the building to Durham County for $898,000; the county declined. In October 2001, the Durham Public Schools sold the building to "Techno Complex, LLC" - hard to deduce the purchase price from the deeds, as it's revenue-stamp exempt. It appears to have been used / is being leased by various community non-profit / training / church type tenants - the building was for sale in ~2008-9, but the listing appears to have expired.

Former Holloway Street School, 10.02.10 (G. Kueber)

05.05.14 (G. Kueber)

05.05.14 (G. Kueber)

05.05.14 (G. Kueber)

05.05.14 (G. Kueber)

05.05.14 (G. Kueber)

"Working on Southern High School, 08.13.56"

Southern High moved to 800 Clayton Road in 1993; these buildings were purchased by Glaxo, gutted, and refurbished/rebuilt as part of GSK's campus.

---

The site just to the west of the first Duke Factory was Washington Duke's first in-town home.

(Durham Historic Inventory)

In 1884, Duke built a new brick factory, just to the east of his house and original factory. In 1888, he built a new house, which he called Fairview.

Looking west, with the old factory building to the right. The steeple of Main Street Methodist Church is just visible above the roof of Fairview.
(Courtesy Durham County Library)

And soon after, his new factory.

The view from the Southgate Jones property, looking northwest at Fairview, the old house, the old factory, and the new factory.
(Courtesy Duke Archives)

Soon thereafter, the older house (and factory) were torn down.

Facing Northeast, from Peabody and Duke Sts.
(Courtesy Durham County Library)

Looking north from Peabody
(Courtesy Duke Archives)

And a closer view of the house, from Peabody looking north.

(Courtesy Durham County Library)

Sometime in the early 20th century, Fairview was torn down, and the L&M offices were built on site. This view is looking southeast, with the offices in the one story building to the right.

(Courtesy Duke Archives)

This aerial shot shows the offices just to the west (left edge of frame) of the main factory building.

(Courtesy Durham County Library)

Before construction of the New Cigarette Factory, L&M moved the office building across Main Street.

Looking east, 06.28.46
(Courtesy The Herald-Sun Newspaper)

Looking west-southwest, 06.28.46
(Courtesy The Herald-Sun Newspaper)

Looking south, 06.28.46
(Courtesy The Herald-Sun Newspaper)

Looking southeast, 06.28.46
(Courtesy The Herald-Sun Newspaper)

Looking southwest, 06.28.46
(Courtesy The Herald-Sun Newspaper)

For a brief period, the future site of the New Cigarette Factory served as a parking lot.

Shot from the Durham Ice Cream company building, looking southeast towards the intersection of Duke and Main Streets. The former entry stair to Fairview is visible at the corner - 1947.
(Courtesy The Herald-Sun Newspaper)

The Old Cigarette Factory from the site/parking lot, prior to decapitation - looking east - 1947.
(Courtesy The Herald-Sun Newspaper)

Ground was then broken on the New Cigarette Factory; the office building is visible on the other (north) side of West Main St.

(Courtesy Duke Rare Book and Manuscript Collection - Wyatt Dixon Collection)

A view of the building under construction. The current Brightleaf area is in the background, with Main Street Methodist Church and other businesses in view on the site of the Brightleaf parking lot.

(Courtesy Duke Archives)

Nearly completed, looking northeast (with the Old Cigarette Factory just to the east, still un-shrunken.)
(Courtesy Herald-Sun)

Strike at the construction of the New Cigarette Factory, 05.18.49
(Courtesy Herald-Sun)

This view shows the completed New Cigarette Factory.

(Courtesy Duke Archives)

The factory building hosted tours for the general public; numerous promotional postcards were produced, featuring the New Cigarette Factory.

An aerial view of the building for a postcard, looking southeast.

(Courtesy Durham County Library)

Postcard of the New Cigarette Factory
(Courtesy The University of North Carolina)

Postcard of the New Cigarette Factory
(Courtesy The University of North Carolina)

Looking southeast from West Main St., 1952
(Courtesy Duke University)

New Cigarette Factory, 07.31.58
(Courtesy The Herald Sun)

Production of cigarettes dwindled towards the end of the 20th century. I'm not sure when production actually ceased at the New Cigarette Factory, but it was fairly moribund by the 1990s, and Liggett left for good in 2000.

Liggett Complex, 08.05.92
(Courtesy Herald-Sun)

While the building has, to my aesthetic, a certain brutal and unforgiving utilitarian bulk, this was somehow mitigated by the iconic Chesterfield sign that sat atop the building, facing west. The bright red sign with three-dimensional cigarette pack, welcoming visitors, went a long way to cheering the face of the dour structure. Unfortunately, this was replaced in the mid-1980s with the corporate and utterly soulless black billboard with the Liggett and Myers name and logo.

The building, looking southeast from Duke and Main Streets, Fall 2006

The fate of this building was in the balance for awhile, but the Blue Devil Ventures folks decided to keep the building and develop it as residential space. The plan has been to cut a 'light shaft' down the center of the building to create a courtyard/open space in the center and open up some more window space on the sides. My understanding is that, in the 'divorce' between partners in Blue Devil Ventures, custody of the New Cigarette Factory (known to the partnership as 'West Village Phase III') went to now-former partner Tom Niemann. If they could put back the big red and white Chesterfield sign, I think that would be fantastic.

New Cigarette Factory from the West Village parking deck, looking south, 05.24.08

In early 2009, the city (with an assist provided by some Federal funding) moved towards improving the streetscape between the loop and Duke Street - giving the streetscape much the same treatment provided to in-loop sidewalks, utilities, etc.

In 2015, Wexford began renovations of the building to house new office / biotech space.

New window openings being cut into the building, 12.14.2015 (G. Kueber)

Find this spot on a Google Map

The Starlite drive-in theater opened in the mid-1940's and operated until ~1961, when it was abandoned.

Abandoned Starlite Theater, mid-1960s

Abandoned Starlite Theater, mid-1960s

Abandoned Starlite Theater, mid-1960s

The Starlite drive-in theater opened in the mid-1940's and operated until ~1961, when it was abandoned.

Abandoned Starlite Theater, mid-1960s

Abandoned Starlite Theater, mid-1960s

Abandoned Starlite Theater, mid-1960s

Abandoned Starlite Theater, mid-1960s

My first experience with the Starlite was ~1990 when I was in college. Much like riding the streetcar to/from school when I was a kid in New Orleans, I didn't appreciate the rare opportunity to enjoy the experience of a previous generation at the time. I was more agog at the combination concession stand / projection room / gun shop - I particularly remember a glass display case with a line of stun guns. I stuck to the hot dogs.

The most recent resuscitation of the theater was due to the efforts of Bob Groves, a native of Cumberland, MD who purchased the Starlite in 1986. It isn't clear if it had been previously revived - one comment alludes to the theater being abandoned from 1961 until the 1970s, so perhaps there was a previous owner who reopened the theater.

Bob was well beloved by many in the community for his "How many you got hiding in the trunk?" greeting and his overall good nature. The Starlite also become a unique experience for Durhamites of the current generation - much like going to a Bulls game for many people, it was often more about sitting outside on a summer night with your friends, some beer, and some hot dogs than it was about the movie.

Bob Groves at the helm of the Starlite (date unknown), Courtesy of George Stephens

The Starlite was shuttered when it suffered a fire that destroyed the screen in August 2004 , shutting the theater down for a year. A sustained, community-wide fundraising drive garnered enough funds to restore the screen, triggering the re-opening of the theater in August 2005 , albeit without its trademark sign.

New screen going up, 12.05.04
(Courtesy Robby Delius)

New screen going up, 12.05.04
(Courtesy Robby Delius)

You can still see the list of contributors and donations on the archived Starlite website, where I pulled much of this information from.

Re-opening night, August 2005

Re-opening night, August 2005

Re-opening night, August 2005

The theater would, unfortunately operate for only another year and a half, until March 2007, when its owner, Bob Groves, died suddenly. I've never seen as clear an indication that a place with such character and history stayed open due to the passion of one person, and that person alone. The theater closed immediately after Mr. Groves' death, and was abandoned - picked at by various thieves/souvenir hunters. It was announced that the land was for sale for $1.4 M, a number that put a chill on an initial push by the same people who wanted to try to revive the theater. Rumors, untrue, flew that the site had been sold to Wal-Mart.

The websites all went dark as well in 2008, and the Starlite oh-so-quickly slipped from the collective consciousness of Durham. As of October, 2010, the land was still in Bob Groves' name. The screen that the community all pitched in for has, sadly, been taken down.

Starlite for sale, October 2008
(Courtesy Robby Delius)

Screen face Removed, December 2008
(Courtesy Robby Delius)

Screen totally removed, April 2009
(Courtesy Robby Delius)

10.10.10

10.10.10

10.10.10

Find this spot on a Google Map.

36.025989,-78.846243

Sterling Proctor owned 280 acres of land which is now part of the City of Durham, southwest of the NC Railroad. 

Sterling Proctor was born in 1804, son of Richard Anthony Proctor, who was the recipient of a North Carolina land grant and was one of the early settlers of Orange County, NC.

Sterling Proctor is known as one of the Patriarchs of the City Of Durham.  On page 345 of the book, Western North Carolina, Historical and Biographical Sketches, by George B. Hanna, published in 1890, Sterling Proctor is listed as a reputable and respected citizen, one of the dozen people the writer recalls as the Patriarchs of the City of Durham, living within a one mile radius around the NC Railroad Station.

In terms of his land, Sterling Proctor is also known as one of the founders of the City of Durham.  In 1854 Dr. Bartlett Durham sold 4 acres of his land to the North Carolina Railroad for the Train Station, and the town of Durham was given his name.  In 1869 when the town of Durham was incorporated, covering one square mile centered on the station, over 100 acres of Sterling’s farm formed the southwestern corner of the incorporated city limits.  The 6 landowners within the one square mile of the new town were Sterling Proctor, Charles Strayhorn, J. R. Green, William N. Pratt, Dr. Bartlett Durham and Henderson May.  (See  http://www.archive.org/details/historyoftownofd00paul)

There are no land deeds showing Sterling Proctor as the grantee (buyer), so how and when Sterling Proctor first acquired his land is unknown.  It is likely that it was given to him as part of his father’s original farm when Sterling married Winnaford Green (1807-1870) in 1825.

Sterling Proctor’s name does show up as the grantor (seller) in 10 land deeds in Orange County and in 5 land deeds in Durham County prior to 1878.  After his death, in Apr, 1877, his name is mentioned in many Durham land deeds as his heirs sold their inherited land to William J. Christian, Mayor of Durham, and William Gaston Vickers, developer of Morehead Hills, Durham’s first suburb.

A careful study of all the land deeds that mention his name, especially Durham Deed Book 7 page 375, and his will (Orange County Will Book H, page 163), show that his farm contained over 280 acres.  His farm was bordered on the north by W. Chapel Hill St., on the west by Arnette Ave. on the south by Wells St. and Chestnut St., and on the east by Willard St., S. Duke St., and a line that generally parallels Highway 147 almost as far as south Fayetteville St.  

Sterling’s house has never been found.  However, its probable location can be deduced using the language in his land deeds and in the codicil to his will.  Sterling definitely lived on the south side of the Hack Road, now W. Chapel Hill St., in Durham in 1877, and his house was reached by a lane leading south from the Hack Road.  Just before his death, he started selling lots of his land along what is now W. Chapel Hill St., because the township of Durham was growing toward him along this road.  However, he kept one lot for himself.  This lot was just east of the intersection of S. Gregson with W. Chapel Hill St. on today’s map, and it probably contained the lane leading to his house.  It is not stated in any of his land deeds how far south the lane to his house extended, but it seems likely that his house was on the best land of his farm, where William Gaston Vickers built his own house and where the first two houses were built in Vicker’s Morehead Hill Development by Eugene Morehead and George W. Watts.  

In the above excerpt from the 1881 Grey’s Map of Durham, Chapel Hill St. is shown in the area where the lane to Sterling Proctor’s house would have been in 1877.  In the lower left hand corner, William Gaston Vickers’ house can be seen on Proctor St., and the houses of Eugene Morehead and George W. Watts can be seen on Lee St (now Duke). Sterling’s house was probably located in this area near Proctor St., which was probably named after him.

In the above excerpt from the 1891 Birds Eye Map of Durham, the same piece of land is shown with William Gaston Vickers’ house and the house of Eugene Morehead and George W. Watts in the lower left hand corner.  This map shows how far the City of Durham had grown into Sterling’s land along Williard, Lee (now Duke) and W. Chapel Hill Streets by 1891.

In Sterling’s deeds there is no mention of a burial ground on his land.  This is surprising since the Durham land deeds of his father and three of his brothers all include private family burial grounds on their land.  It may be that he expected to be buried in the family cemetery on his father’s land.  No record of the location of his grave has ever been found.

Sterling’s neighbors were also important names in the early history of the city of Durham.  His neighbor to the northeast was Dr. Bartlett Durham for whom the city is named.  His neighbor to the east was the estate of Robert F. Morris, head of the R.F. Morris and Son Tobacco Manufacturing Company and one of the first tobacconists of Durham.  His neighbor to the south was the estate of Malbourne Addison Angier, County Commissioner, Justice of the Peace and Mayor of the city of Durham.

Sterling and his wife Winnaford had 14 children, 9 sons and 5 daughters.  Most of their daughters remained in Durham, but none of their sons stayed. 

Sterling’s son Paul S. Proctor (1826-1902) married a local Orange County girl, Nancy Bridget Markham (1828-1904), in 1850.  They moved to Gibson County, Tennessee, and had 4 children.  After 1885, they moved to Texas.

Sterling’s daughter Minerva G. Proctor (1828-1892) married John Fowler (1827-1865) in 1851.  He died fighting in the Civil War.  She never remarried, raising their 6 children and farming alone.  Her farm was located next to her father’s farm, in the Durham area called Hayti.  She is renowned for selling some of her land located in Hayti to Edian Markham, who established St. Joseph’s African Methodist Episcopal Church located on Old Fayetteville St. on today’s map. 

Sterling’s son Richard Henry (1930-1895) married a local girl, Rutha Jane Vickers (1831-1911), in 1851. They moved to Haywood County, TN, in 1869.  They had 12 children, 9 born in NC and 3 born in TN.  They were very poor, farming the shares at Jones Station near Brownsville, TN, for 7 years.  According to Sterling’s will, his son Henry owed him some money, because in his will he forgave Henry all the notes he owed him. After Sterling died and his heirs inherited his estate, his son Henry finally purchased a farm in Tennessee in 1879.

Sterling’s son Silas Ruffin (1833-1910) moved to Gibson County, Tennessee, with his brother Paul S.  In 1864, Silas married Martha Jane Pope (1847-1915), a Tennessee girl, and they had 6 children.  After 1870, they moved to Missouri.

Sterling’s daughter Mary Angelina (1834-1879) married a local farmer, Hutson Brockwell (1837-1910), in 1857.  They had 9 children, and their farm was in Chapel Hill.

Sterling’s son James Monroe (1836-1910) joined his brothers in Gibson County, Tennessee, in 1868.  In 1869, James married Sarah Jane Shipman (1844-1936), a Tennessee girl, and they had 4 children.  Their farm was in Gibson County, across the road from his brother Paul S.

Sterling’s son Sterling Yancey (1838-1863) married a local girl, Misseline E. Blalock, in 1857.  Sterling Yancey fought for the Confederacy in Company G of the 6th North Carolina Regiment, and he died at Gettysburg in July, 1863. 

Sterling’s daughter Nancy Aseneth (1839-1904) married John M. Woods (1839-1908), a Durham farmer, in 1866, and they had 10 children.  Their farm was west of Sterling’s land on Lakewood Ave.  John M. Woods was the executor of Sterling’s will. 

Sterling’s daughter Barcenia (1842-1882) married Thomas J. Davis (1932-1900), a Durham farmer, in 1857, and they had 4 children.  They lived in Paterson Township until 1877, and then they moved to Haywood County, TN, where her brother Richard Henry lived.

Sterling’s son Alexander Polk (1846-1864) fought for the Confederacy in Company C of the 66th North Carolina Infantry.  Alex was wounded in the left shoulder at Cold Harbor in Virginia, and died on June 27, 1864, at the age of 18.

Sterling’s daughter Frances (1847-1877) married her second cousin James B. Proctor (1852-1889) in 1871, and they had 2 children.  Their farm was just north of Sterling’s land, on the north side of W. Chapel Hill St.

Sterling’s son Robert Daniel (1850-1917) lived in Kentucky until 1887 and then moved to Pope County, Arkansas.  He married Mary Frances Brown (1868-1836) in 1891, and they had 2 sons.  Robert Daniel was a timber farmer and ran a saw mill.

The fate of Sterling’s other two sons William (1852-?) and Peter (1855-?) is unknown, but they are not mentioned when Sterling first wrote his will in 1873.

Sterling did not fight in the Civil War, but he was greatly affected by the conflict.  Two of his sons were killed fighting for the Confederacy, and his brother Oswell Kinion also died fighting for the Confederacy.    During the negotiations at Bennett Place to end the Civil War in April, 1865, the Union Army was camped on Sterling’s land, damaging his property and possessions.  He made a claim for compensation to the Southern Claims Commission, and his estate was awarded $860.00 on February 8, 1880, 3 years after his death.

Sterling Proctor’s family was literate.  His father, all of his brothers and all of his sons could read and write, according to the Census records.  In 1869, along with John A. McMannen and D.C. Parrish, Sterling Proctor was appointed one of Durham’s first tax assessors. (See Durham County by Jean Bradley Anderson, Second Edition.)

Sterling’s wife Winnaford died in Apr, 1870, and he remarried in Dec, 1870 to Emaline Horn (1836-1877).  They had one daughter Ella, born in 1873, but by the time of Sterling’s death in Apr, 1877, his new wife had already died.  He arranged in a codicil to his will to have some of the land he was planning to leave to his sons to be taken off the northwestern corner of the land and given to Ella.  He apparently also arranged for his daughter Minerva Proctor Fowler to raise Ella, who was 4 at the time of his death.  He gave Minerva some land to thank her “for services rendered”, and Ella was living with her half-sister Minerva in the 1880 Census.  The Proctor family has in their possession a letter written by F.M. Proctor, one of  Sterling’s brothers, in response to a letter from his nephew, James Monroe Proctor, one of Sterling’s sons, dated Jun, 1877, asking about the fairness of the codicil to Sterling’s will.  F.M. says that it was necessary that Sterling provide for Ella’s future.  F.M. also confirms that Sterling’s land was still considered good farmland, and he mentions that the number of inhabitants inside the Durham corporate line at that time was about two thousand.

Sterling had clearly remained a farmer even as the town of Durham started to spread out toward him from downtown Durham.  At the time of his death, his estate was evaluated, and his possessions included 189 pounds of cotton, 12 bushels of cotton seed, 18 barrels of corn, 1200 pounds of fodder, 8 head of hogs, one bull, and farm implements including a plow and a cultivator.  (See North Carolina Wills and Probate Records on ancestry.com.) 

 These Durham Landmarks now sit on the original farm of Sterling Proctor:

• Proctor Place:  The Durham subdivision called “Proctor Place” on the Durham Real Estate Records is on the northwest portion of his farmland, bounded by these streets:  W. Chapel Hill St., William Vickers Ave. and Vickers Ave., Parker St. and S. Buchanan Blvd. This includes some of the land that he willed to his daughter Ella. See Durham Plat Book 5A, page 26.
• Proctor Street in Durham is named after Sterling and his family.  It crossed his entire farm from east to west, connecting his land to the land of his father and his brothers.  Provide a link to the Proctor Street story.
• The North Carolina Mutual Insurance Building at 411 W. Chapel Hill St.  The following deeds trace the ownership of this land back to Sterling Proctor:  Durham Deed Book and page 5459/988, 129/153, 86/103, 22/334, Orange County Deed Book 39/51.
• One mile of Highway 147 from the point where it goes under W. Chapel Hill St. beyond the point where it goes over Roxboro St.
• The American Tobacco Trail, including the trailhead where Morehead Ave. intersects Blackwell St, and about the first half mile of the trail heading south.
• Morehead Hill, the first upscale suburb of the town of Durham.  William Gaston Vickers purchased 127 acres of Sterling’s farm from his heirs in 1877 for $1500 (Durham Deed Book 7 page 375) and developed this land for the mansions of the first millionaires in the town of Durham.  Morehead Hill is on the National Register of Historic Places, see http://www.nationalregisterofhistoricplaces.com/nc/durham/state.html

The following is a list of the land deeds and plats associated with Sterling Proctor’s land:

Orange County Deed Book 32, p. 239, 34/627, 38/130, 39/5, 39/51, 41/2, 41/10, 41/260, 42/164, 42/445, 43/69, 44/9, 44/499, 45/324, 45/100.   

Durham County Deed Book 1, p. 194, 1/446, 2/260, 2/317, 3/306, 3/435, 4/208, 4/270, 4/327, 4/344, 5/427-428, 5/537, /556, 7/372, 7/375, 7/386, 10/94, 19/204, 22/334, 22/448-449, 22/452, 23/88, 28/386, 29/28, 38/184, 38/203, 38/378, 45/356, 56/533, 56/648, 60/692, 67/66, 68/369.

Durham County Plat Book 1, pages 28-29, 3B/138, 5A/26, 5A/96, 5B/88, 6A/11-13, 6A/77.

In the post Civil war era, Richard Anthony Proctor and his children owned over 1500 acres of land which is now part of the City of Durham.  Their land was south of the NC Railroad, as far west as Chapel Hill Road, as far south as Cornwallis Road, and as far east as Fayetteville Street and in East Durham.   

Richard Proctor was one of the early settlers of Orange County, NC.  He was born in 1780 in Warren County, NC, and in 1802 he and his brother Joseph moved from Warren over to Orange County (now Durham County).  In the 1810 Census they are the only Proctor families living in Orange County.  Because of his service in the War of 1812, Richard was the recipient of a North Carolina land grant on the waters of New Hope Creek.  

In 1803 Richard married Nancy Dollar (1785-1867), a local Orange County girl, daughter of Jonathan Dollar Sr. and Rhoda Mary Rhodes.  The exact location of Richard’s original farmland is unknown.  There are three Orange County land deeds showing Richard Proctor as the grantee (buyer) in the 1840’s, purchasing land on the waters of Third Fork of New Hope Creek.  Richard purchased most of this land from Archibald Rigsbee, who had inherited the land from his grandfather William Pickett, another early settler of Orange County.  See map below.  

Richard’s house was probably located on the south side of Ward St. between Chester Springs Road and James St. on today’s map.  The only indication for the location of his house is found in the land deeds of his son Jonathan S. Proctor, which identify the lane to Richard’s home place as being between Jonathan S.’s land and the land of Julian S. Carr, placing it just east of Julian S. Carr’s Wa Wa Yonda Farm.   These deeds also identify the location of Richard Proctor’s family cemetery at the northeast corner of the intersection of James St. and Nation Ave. on today’s map. 

Richard and his wife Nancy had 10 children, 7 sons and 3 daughters.  Five of their sons are among the Patriarchs of the City of Durham.  

Richard’s eldest son, Sterling Proctor (1804-1877) married Winnaford Green in 1825, and he farmed 280 acres southwest of the NC Railroad in Durham.  On page 345 of the book, Western North Carolina, Historical and Biographical Sketches, by George B. Hanna, published in 1890, Sterling Proctor, along with his brother Frank, is listed as a reputable and respected citizen, one of the dozen people the writer recalls as the Patriarchs of the City of Durham.  Provide a link to Sterling Proctor’s story.

Richard’s son Jonathan S. Proctor (1819-1891) married Mary “Polly” Cooke in 1840, and he farmed over 70 acres located along the Chapel Hill Road in the Lakewood area.  He provided land for one of Durham’s early schools, which became the Lakewood School.  Provide a link to Jonathan S. Proctor’s story.       

Richard’s son William B. Proctor (1822-1887) married Susannah G. Roberts in 1843, and he farmed 172 acres located on both sides of the Chapel Hill Road south of Dean St.  He was instrumental in creating one of Durham’s earliest churches.  His greatest claim to fame is his house, which was moved to the Bennett Place Historic Site in Durham in the 1960’s.  Provide a link to William B. Proctor’s story and a link to the story of his house at Bennett Place.

Richard’s son Oswell Kinion Proctor (1827-1863) married Sarah Jane Barbee in 1848, and his farm of 200 acres was located in East Durham.  He was killed fighting for the Confederacy in the Civil War.  After his death, his wife and sons continued to run the farm, raising tobacco.  His sons became successful Durham businessmen, grocers and bankers.  Provide a link to Oswell Kinion Proctor’s story.  

Richard’s youngest son Francis Malburn Proctor (1830-1895) married Milbrey Jane Pendergrass in 1861, and he farmed over 200 acres on both sides of the Fayetteville Street south of E. Umstead St.   He is also mentioned, along with his brother Sterling in Western North Carolina, Historical and Biographical Sketches, by George B. Hanna, as one of the dozen people the writer recalls as the Patriarchs of the City of Durham.  Provide a link to Francis Malburn Proctor’s story.

Most of Richard’s other children also became farmers in the Durham area.  Richard’s daughter Polly (1811-1870) married Jesse T. Brown (1805-1870) in 1828, and they had 5 children.  They moved to Guilford County, but Richard’s other two daughters stayed in Durham.  Nancy (1817-1890), married Davis Chisenhall (1805-1877) in 1832, and they had 5 children.  Their farm was near the intersection of W. Cornwallis Road and S. Roxboro Street.  Richard’s youngest daughter Sarah (1828-1895) married William Lynn (1820-1882) in 1842, and they had 2 children.  Their 100 acre farm was located on Fayetteville Street at Burlington Ave.

Richard’s son Joseph (1806-1860) married Susan Willis (1804-1870) in 1829, and they had 7 children. Richard’s son Thomas (1810-1864) married Nancy Euwell (1811-1870) in 1831, and they had 4 children.  The farms of Joseph and Thomas were located north of Ellerbee Creek along N. Roxboro St. near Carver St.  They were neighbors of Washington Duke in the 1850 Census.  They both pre-deceased their father, and the exact boundaries of their farms are unknown.

Richard Proctor died in 1864 (Orange County Will Book G, p. 462), leaving an estate of 362 acres to be divided among his 20 heirs, many of whom were young children.  His adult heirs decided to sell the land and divide the money instead of dividing the land because the land had poor soil quality and many of the heirs were too young to own land.  Richard’s executor, William Gaston Vickers, put the land up for sale, and it was auctioned in 1870.  Richard’s son Jonathan S. Proctor was the highest bidder for the western portion of Richard’s land of 168 acres, and Richard’s son-in-law Davis Chisenhall, husband of Richard’s daughter Nancy, purchased the eastern portion of his land of 189 acres.

These historic Durham Landmarks are located on the farmland of Richard Proctor:

• Nana’s Restaurant and The Original Q-Shack Restaurant are on land that originally belonged to Richard Proctor.
• Rockwood Neighborhood:  The Durham land deeds show that Julian S. Carr purchased this land from R.H. Wright in 1918, and it originally belonged to Richard Proctor.  Provide a link to the Rockwood Neighborhood.
• Lakewood Dairy Farm:  In 1909 Richard’s granddaughter Jane Proctor Christian and her husband sold the northern portion of Richard’s land, including the Richard Proctor home place and family cemetery.  This land was purchased by Franklin Alphonso Ward Sr. and his wife Effie Jane Riggsbee, both of Chatham County, NC.  The Ward family created the Lakewood Dairy Farm on land located on James St. on today’s map.   Provide a link to the Lakewood Dairy Farm.
• Proctor Street:  Although Proctor Street today is a small remnant of what it used to be, and it currently does not touch Richard’s land, it was probably a farm road that connected Richard’s land with the land of his children in the 1860’s.  Provide a link to the Proctor Street Story.

The following is a list of the land deeds and plats associated with Richard Proctor’s land: 

Orange County Deed Book 14 p. 318, 14/447, 22/162, 31/470, 33/211, 35/67, 35/154, 35/67, 35/154, 36/84, 36/283, 36/335, 37/556, 39/38, 40/175, 41/32, 47/33.

Durham County Deed Book 5 p. 137, 9/53, 9/203, 11/141, 11/161, 11/230, 12/120, 17/158, 22/162, 23/107, 23/212, 23/485, 35/246, 37/556 38/240, 40/382, 41/32, 42/28, 42/48, 43/541, 68/71, 68/336, 77/35, 80/135.

Durham County Plat Book 25 p. 75, 6B/136, 9/83, 13/129, 30/196.