Skip to main content

Full text of "The Architectural History of Randolph County North Carolina"

See other formats 


ir 


THE  LIBRARY  OF  THE 

UNIVERSITY  OF 

NORTH  CAROLINA 

AT  CHAPEL  HILL 


THE  COLLECTION  OF 
NORTH  CAROLINLANA 

PRESENTED  BY 

Dept.  of  Cultural  Resources 


C971.76 

W55a 

C.2 


''rw?^?^w?g^»iww" 


00006735287 


This  book  is  due  on  the  last  date  stamped 
below  unless  recalled  sooner.    It  may  be 
renewed  only  once  and  must  be  brought  to 
the  North  Carolina  Collection  for  renewal. 


Dept, 


m 


m>f  JfjttWBg^-  '»ate-?>*i-gga>c^' 


iRCHITECTURAL  HISTORY  OF  RANDOLPH  COUNTY,  N.C. 


Dept, 


mmmKW 


THE  ARCHITECTURAL  HISTORY  OF 

RANDOLPH  COUNTY 

NORTH  CAROLINA 

Written  and  Photographed  by  Lowell  McKay  Whatley,  Jr. 

Compiled  by  Dawn  McLaughlin  Snotheriy 

Essays  edited  by  Dr.  Jerry  L.  Cross 


Published  by 

the  City  of  Asheboro 

the  County  of  Randolph 

and  the  North  Carolina  Division  of 

Archives  and  History 

with  assistance  from  the 

Randolph  County  Historical  Society 

and 

the  Randolph  County  Arts  Guild 


1985 


nni  ini  =inr  ^m       — ElEiE 


3BP lElE 


ElEll^^=F1RF^^=i'^i ini im ini IRI in 


This  publication  was  funded  in  part  by  the  City  of  Asheboro,  the  County  of  Randolph 
and  a  grant  from  the  National  Park  Service,  U.  S.  Department  of  the  Interior,  through 
the  North  Carolina  Department  of  Cultural  Resources,  Division  of  Archives  and  His- 
tory. The  opinions  expressed  herein  are  not  necessarily  those  of  the  National  Park 
Service,  nor  the  North  Carolina  Department  of  Cultural  Resources. 
Copyright©  1985  by  the  City  of  Asheboro  and  the  County  of  Randolph,  North  Caro- 
lina. All  rights  reserved. 

Copies  available  from  the  Randolph  County  Arts  Guild/Randolph  County  Historical 
Society  at  Randolph  Book,  R  O.  Box  1605,  Asheboro,  North  Carolina  27203. 
Printed  by  Fisher-Harrison  Corporation,  Durham  Division,  Durham,  North  Carolina. 
Designed  by  Diana  Kowal. 


%. 


^ 


^^irtkvp-^ 


Honoring  the  400th  Anniversary  of 
The  First  English  Colony 


EIQE 


EIEIE 


CONTENTS 

2 
Introduction  and  Acknowledgements 

PART  I.  RANDOLPH  COUNTY 

The  County  and  Its  Cultural  Heritage 

6 

A  Statistical  Summary ^ 

Native  American  Presence • ~, 

European  Immigration g 

Religious  Atmosphere o 

Slavery  and  County  Opposition  

The  Rural  Landscape 

.    .                                                                                     11 

Agnculture j  j 

Transportation ^2 

Waterpower  and  Mills 

Industrialization 

17 

Growth  of  the  Textile  Industry j^ 

Furniture  Industry 20 

Industrialism  and  Community  Growth 

Architectural  Heritage 

21 

Structural  Development 28 

Building  for  Manufacturing  27 

Stylistic  Trends 43 

Growth  of  Design  Profession 44 

Development  of  Construction  Industry 

Randolph  County  Inventory 

^.  .                                                                                                50 

Tnnity  Township rg 

>    Trinity gj 

;  Archdale ^ 

C  New  Market  Township ^7 

Level  Cross  Township /-o 

\  •    Providence  Township ^2 

^  :',  Liberty  Township  ^r 

p!      Liberty ^^ 

Q^      Columbia  Township g2 

Ramseur q. 

Franklinville  Township 04 

Franklinville ,^,0 

Cedar  Falls .  -2 

i  Randleman  Township  


New  Salem ^ '  ^ 

Randleman '  ^ ' 

Back  Creek  Township '29 

Tabernacle  Township 132 

Concord  Township 1^6 

Cedar  Grove  Township 141 

Grant  Township 1^4 

Coleridge  Township 146 

Coleridge 1^1 

Pleasant  Grove  Township 157 

Brower  Township 1^8 

Richland  Township 160 

Seagrove 1"^ 

Union  Township 1^8 

New  Hope  Township 170 

PART  II.  ASHEBORO:  HISTORY  AND  ARCHITECTURE 

Founding  and  Growth  to  1830  174 

Antebellum  Years 176 

Civil  War,  Stagnation  and  A  New  Beginning  184 

The  Railroads  and  an  Era  of  Change 188 

Emergence  of  Modern  Asheboro 191 

Asheboro  Inventory 

Section  A— The  Courthouse  Center 199 

Section  B— The  Central  Business  District 206 

Section  C — The  Fisher  Estate,  Hollywood 224 

Section  D — Millhaven 231 

Section  E— Eastover,  Spring  Hill,  Homeland  Heights 235 

Section  F— Old  Muster  Field,  Colonial  Heights,  Grey  stone  Terrace 237 

Section  G— Randolph  Heights,  OoGalista  Heights 241 

Section  H— Sunset  Heights,  Dogwood  Acres,  Dave's  Mountain 246 

Section  I— Industrial  Park,  Dixieland  Acres  249 

Section  J— Spero,  Balfour,  King  Tut 252 

Section  K— Central  Falls 254 

Glossary 258 

Bibliography 273 

Index 276 


N 


Dept. 


INTRODUCTION  AND  ACKNOWLEDGEMENTS 


Like  others  in  the  series  of  architectural  surveys  of  North  Carolina  count.es  and 
municipalities,  the  study  of  Randolph  County's  historic  a':'^hitectural  environment  is 
an  admission  that  its  subject  is  disappearing.  At  many  points  during  its  creation  this 
inventory  seemed  to  be  little  more  than  a  sad,  depressing  record  of  destruction  and 
decay.  With  one  of  the  highest  continuing  growth  rates  in  North  Carolina,  Randolph 
County  should  have  good  reason  to  worry  about  its  endangered,  dwindling  historic 
resources.  The  last  quarter-century  has  seen  the  loss  of  a  vast  proportion  of  he 
houses,  farm  buildings  and  commercial  structures  that  once  provided  a  hving  link 
with  the  past.  Through  lack  of  awareness  of  its  significance,  there  is  too  often  a 
failure  to  realize  that  this  historical  fabric  gives  continuity  in  modem  life  and 
generates  the  security  and  confidence  used  to  build  the  future. 

It  is  the  destruction  of  continuity  which  creates  dissatisfaction  wUh  the  present 
and  fuels  nostalgia  for  the  past.  This  is  strikingly  evident  in  A^heboro  founded 
while  George  Washington  was  president:  a  town  which  has  destroyed  vrtually  al 
^ctural  evidence  of  its  history  before  1900.  Ironically,  ,^^ithin  Asheboro  the 
nostalgia  business  is  booming.  Modem  versions  of  Colonial  style  banks  offi^^^' 
condominiums  and  apartment  complexes  are  built  by  devdopers  ^h  1^  ^^P^^^^^^^^^^^ 
exaggerated  versions  of  Mt.  Vemon,  Carter's  Grove  and  the  WiH'amsburg  Governor 
Palace  rise  to  house  the  wealthy.  Despite  the  facades,  a  visitor  from  the  eighteenth  or 
even  the  nineteenth  century  would  find  the  Randolph  County  landscape  of  today 

^'"1!:tU"' well  be  a  subconscious  effort  to  provide  ersatz  historical 
continuity,  modem  society  has  too  often  chosen  the  glittering  extemaht.es  of 
America's  colonial  past.  The  copying  of  monumental  architecture  seem  to  express 
the  ambition,  lifestyle  and  economic  status  of  modem  Rando  ph  c.t.zens  more  than 
the  historic  landscape.  Modem  practices  of  "more,"  "now,  waste,  consumpt.on 
exploitation  and  mediocrity  thus  contrast  sharply  with  the  trad.tK,nal  values  ot 
patience,  respect,  fmgality,  pride  in  workmanship  and  qual.ty  of  product.  Part  ot  tne 
confusion  stems  from  a  failure  to  grasp  the  tme  significance  of  the  h.stoncal 
process.  Stmctures  reflect  the  contemporary  social  environment  and  the  values  oi 
their  builders.  The  rustic  log  cabin  in  its  original  location  and  env.ronment  was  a  tar 
different  creature  than  the  same  log  cabin  taken  apart,  moved,  and  reassembled  as  an 
expensive  antique  shop.  While  the  stmctural  element  may  be  preserved  to  some  de- 


gree, the  life  force  and  sense  of  place  so  vital  to  the  historical  process  are  destroyed. 
Once  lost  they  can  never  be  fully  recaptured.  .•        u     ,h  „„t  w-. 

This  observation  does  not  intend  to  imply  that  log  cab.ns  should  not  be 
preserved  or  that  every  stmcture  should  be  maintained  and  used  in  its  original  state  _ 
Adaptions'  and  modifications  can  be  made  with  sensitivity  and  with  reeognition  d 
the  structure's  original  integrity.  These  are  the  most  important  aspects  of  the  moden. 
historic  preservation  movement.  Once  the  purview  of  professionals  and  special 
interest  groups,  preservation  has  grown  to  include  everyone  interested  in  niamtmn^ 
ing  the  historical  character  and  integrity  of  the  environment.  Buildings  not  singled 
out  for  historic  value  or  architectural  merit  are  now  seen  as  cultural  art'facts  and 
resources  which  contribute  to  the  uniqueness  of  a  community  and  ennch  the  quality 
of  its  life.  In  this  sense,  the  vast  majority  of  old  buildings  would  be  a  "lost  yalueles 
if  divorced  from  their  historical  contexts.  Therefore,  a  pnmary  goal  of  thi  survey 
has  been  to  gather  facts  and  statistics  relating  to  the  built  environment  that  ean  b 
used  as  a  foundation  for  a  renewed  appreciation  of  the  county  s  surviving  links  to  its 

^'''■Randolph  is  a  large  county  with  great  variety  in  its  bft  environment.  This 
survey  does  not  claim  to  be  complete  and  comprehensive.  Such  a  reco  d  i   neve 
really  completed  because  history  continues,  but  it  is  assumed  that  ^iUea^^  ".^^^ 
Randolph  County  stmctures  eligible  for  the  National  R^g^^^^^/^"'^^""^^  ^^ 
have  been  identified.  One  objective  of  the  inventory  was  to  'dentify  those  extan 
stmctures  that  were  built  before  the  Civil  War.  At  least  85-90  percent  of  these  have 
been  listed,  but  more  may  be  found  behind  aluminum  siding  or  under  the  hon^suckle 
Most  of  the  buildings  over  one  hundred  years  old  are  included;  those  bu.lt  after  188 
have  been  selected  under  generalized  and  somewhat  arb.trary  cnter.a.  The  Ashebor 
inventory,  initially  a  separate  project,  had  slightly  different  object.ves.  An  attem 
was  made  to  identify  those  stmctures  more  than  fifty  years  old  along  w.  h  mo 
modem  buildings  demonstrating  interest  or  merit.  These  cntena  were  developed  J 
part  at  the  request  of  the  Planning  and  Community  Development  Department  for  us 
in  their  planning  activities.  The  names  of  stmctures  are  those  of  the  ong.nal  bu.ldj 
or  occupants,  or  those  of  the  best  remembered  residents.  The  h.story  of  many  bu  IJ 
ings  was  difficult  to  uncover  in  the  course  of  this  project.  Some  information  may 
inaccurate  although  it  was  the  best  available  to  the  author. 


TU.  inventory  was  initiated  in  the  spring  oV'^^^Scto^^^^^^^ 
of  Asheboro's  Planning  and  Community  Development  d  rector  Mary  B 

With  the  assistance  of  Mrs.  Carolyn  Neely  "^^e?  the  pro^t  wl^^^^^^^^^       - 

and  financial  support  of  both  local  govemmg  bodies  tneproj 

scope  to  become  a  joint  venture  between  f  e  C^t^  -^  Ra"^^^^^^^^^ 

course  of  this  project  the  followmg  people  have  served  ^"^^^  ^  .^^^^^  p     h, 

Logan  White,  Matilda  Phillips,  Frank  Auman,  ^;,f^^^™ ^el  Frye,  and  Hoyd 

Kenyon  Davidson,  Thurman  Hogan,  Richard  Petty,  Bill  Boyj,  Da^  W  J^^ 

Langley.  The  Asheboro  City  council  has  been  co^^^^^^^^^^^ 

Robert  L.  Reese,  C.  Hubert  Causey,  C.  M  ^^ac)  Mng,  ^^^^^ 

Joseph  (Joe)  Trogdon,  Jeny  G.  Ward,  Doc  Kivett,  Bai^bam  HochuU^^ay 
Robbins,  Lee  C.  Phoenix,  Dr.  Frank  Edmondson    Fred  Kearns,  ^^^ 

Holt.  As  the  project  lengthened  beyond  its  °"g>"^  °"S,rr^cTntosh,  Jr. ,  Ash- 
reaffirmed  by  Bobby  J.  Crumley,  County  Manager  Tho^^^^^^^^  M  ^^_ 
eboro  City  Manager;  and  the  director  ^fj^e  Mhe^ro  ^S^lthe  ^             ^^^^^ 
velopment  Department,  J.  Terry  Wildrick.  W.  Frank ^"»J                    ^^^  ^^^^^.^^ 
finance  office  staff  provided  in-liable  assistance  m  work mg^t  ^  J^.^^^^^  ^^^  ^^^ 
aspects  of  the  project.  Dawn  M'^Laughlin-Snother  y,  i                  severed  to  trans- 
Randolph  County/Asheboro  project  since  1980,  ha  stea      J^             inventory, 
form  a  difficult  project  into  a  well  ^Jg^^"'^^?/"'^ '""^     for  a  quality  product 
This  publication  is  clear  evidence  of  Dawn  «  con  tant  stnvmg^  The  author  and  co- 
as  well  as  her  commitment  to  the  project  s  ultimate  comp         ;           ^^  numerous 
ordinator  are  greatly  indebted  for  the  advice,  ^"PP^^^Xs  of  the  Division  of  Ar- 
members  of  the  staffs  in  the  Survey  and  Rf™  oran                             contacts 
chives  and  History.  Michael  Southern  and  M^KeldenSmUh  served  a^^^^^^ 
back  in  1978.  David  Parham  and  Dm  G.  Haley  ^"*'^^?XKth  r  Davyd  Foard 
burdens  and  became  friends  as  well  as  colleagues.  Cathenne  bisn            y^  ^^^^^ 
Hood  and  Brent  Glass  provided  valuable  adv.ce  and  Jre^^^^^^^^^^  ^„^ 
reviewed  the  manuscript  at  every  stage,  P™^''*^'^!"'  f!"^!llication 
undertook  the  responsibility  of  editing  th%fi"f '  P^"  ^er  During  the  first  two  years 
The  author  acted  as  both  historian  and  Photographer  uu     g               ^ed;  this 
of  the  project,  Randolph  County's  first  histo^  sin     1890  ws  bemgj^  p^    ^^^^^ 
study  hopes  to  complement,  not  duplicate,  that  accoum 


Charlesanna  L   Fox,  Jane  L.  Delisle  and  Carolyn  N.  Hager  of  that  project  were 

S le  is  and  r;sources  in  the  development  of  this  manuscript.  They  and  the 

Snowing  people  acted  as  guides  and  informants  both  in  the  research  and  in  he  task 

of  driving  up  and  down  every  road  in  the  county.  Manon  S.  Covington,  Joseph  D_ 

Ross  JrR  Reynolds  Neely,  Jr. ,  Frances  R.  Elkins,  Francine  H.  Swaim,  Dr^Joseph 

RS,mas    James  W   Pickard,  the  late  Miss  Katherine  Buie,  Mrs.   Margaret 

Williamf'seth  andMm^  Ed  th  Hinshaw,  Miss  Leah  Hammond,  Jean  Davis 

SS  '  Mr?  Zeola  English,  Mrs.  Alene  T  Whatley  Lenton  Slack,  the  lat. 

FmncesL   Stone,  Henry  King,  Ralph  Bulla  and  W  Calvin  Hmshaw  Tom  Terrell 

Damon  Hickey  and  Dr.  Lindley  F  Butler  read  and  commented  on  various  versions  of 

Se  manu  cript   and  their  opinions  and  insights  were  much  appreciated.  Nancy  F 

BrenTer  of  the  Randolph  County  Public  Library  helped  coordinate  many  of  the 
Brenner  01  tne  Kan      p  j  ^^^  ^^^^^  ^  ^^^^^^  ^^  ^j^^  ,,j,^^^ 

Sf  5oAnne  P  Inders  of'L  Asheboro  Planning  and  Community  Development 
nl:  j^ent  Jovce  AUred  and  Sharon  Hall  of  the  Randolph  County  Tax  Department, 
STl  wS,  ud  "  O^^^      Audrey  H.  Shropshire  and  Mrs.  Kathleen  C.  Wha- 
S  typed  various  portions  and  versions  of  the  manuscript.  Superior  Map  Company, 
he  AsheWRandolph  County  Chamber  of  Commerce  and  Bobby  Kivett  were  ,n- 
l»Srn  producing  maps  for  the  inventory  section.  Carolyn  Hager  spent  count- 
S  hour   assisting  in  the  organizational  format  of  this  publication  and  was  an 
invaSle  sou      of  moral  support  throughout  this  project;  for  this  the  coordinator  is 
extremely  grateful.  Jack  Lail  took  a  special  interest  in  the  project  and  contributed  an 
imnortant  Photograph  of  Cox's  Dam.  Helen  Farlow  Neill  provided  impor  ant  re- 
sSon  InicE  in  the  Richland  Township/Seagrove  area.  For  her  time  interest 
and  creativ  ty  in  producing  line  drawings  for  this  publication,  a  special  debt  of  grat- 
itude's due  to  Audrey  C.  Beck.  The  author  would  also  like  to  thank  his  family  for 
their  support  and  encouragement  during  the  project.  .  ,■       -,„ 

Perhaps  this  study  will  brighten  the  prospects  for  historic  preservation  in 
Randolph  County.  While  individuals  are  privately  active,  there  is  no  organized 
preservation  committee  and  no  general  public  participation.  With  the  county  poised 
on  the  brink  of  rapid  urbanization,  historic  preservation  should  become  a  pnmary 
concern  before  the  opportunity  is  lost. 


Dept, 


Randolph  County,  North  Carolina  (courtesy  Superior  Map  Company  and  the  Randolph  County  I Asheboro  Chamber  of  Commerce). 


PART  I.  RANDOLPH  COUNTY 


Parker's  Mill  .as  located  -/--^^cfr/^'^^^^^ 
U.harrieRi.erbet.eer:Far.era^J^^^^^^ 

built  a  mill  on  this  site  in  1 779  'T''"^'' '°'^^,^        , ,;,,  ^,„  „hen  the 
of  Stephen  "enley   Victor  Parkerjajo^^^^^^^^^  oft^  ^^^^^^  .^  ^^^^ 

photograph  .as  taken  in  '^^"imTf.^me  structure  with  four- 
Parker's  Mill. as  a  '";":;-^J;;;;  ^;y,,  ,  .urbme  water  .heel. 

SSt/Xr  rr  Zo^nds  Uke  .eese.  the  city's 
fifth  ra.  .ater  reservoir. 


Asheboro's  raw  water  reservoir  dam. 


RANDOLPH  COUNTY  AND  ITS  CULTURAL  HERITAGE 


Dept 


A  Statistical  Summary  of  Modern  Randolph 

The  tenth  largest  county  in  North  Carolina,  Randolph  County  covers  an  area  of 
801  square  miles  in  the  center  of  the  state.'  The  county  is  almost  perfectly  square, 
with  512,640  acres  of  land  divided  into  twenty  townships.^  It  is  part  of  the  state's 
piedmont  plateau,  characterized  by  rolling  hills  and  valleys  sloping  to  the  southeast. 
The  average  elevation  in  the  northern  section  is  around  960  feet;  Shepherd  Mountain 
is  the  highest  point  in  the  county  at  1,390  feet.  Along  the  county's  southern  border 
the  average  elevation  is  approximately  480  feet  with  Pleasant  Grove  Township,  m  the 
southeastern  comer,  recording  lower  spots  at  350  feet  above  sea  level. 

The  county's  semi-mountainous  character  immediately  strikes  the  visiting  eye. 
Noted  in  1701  by  explorer  John  Lawson,  one  of  its  first  European  visitors,  the 
terrain  was  more  recently  commented  upon  by  a  traveler  who  wrote: 

The  mysterious  Uwharries  are  very  beautiful.  It  is  said  of  Randolph  that  it  is  one 
county  where  every  road  is  a  scenic  highway.  Every  mile  has  its  view  of  the  mountams 
— isolated  knobs,  long  ridges,  rounding  mounds — 

This  combination  of  woods,  of  numerous  streams,  rolling  hills  swelhng  mto  mountam 
knobs  and  ridges,  all  interspersed  by  occasional  wide  open  lands  or  "savannas,'  as 
Lawson  called  the  prairies,  makes  Randolph  an  exceedingly  attractive  section.  A 
pleasing  variety  unfolds  for  the  visitor  as  he  alternately  rides  over  mountains,  across 
meadows,  enters  deep  forests,  and  then  suddenly  descends  into  a  river  gorge  to  discover 
there  a  busy  mill  and  a  peaceful  village.' 

The  Uwharries  are  a  type  of  erosion-shaped  mountain  known  as  "monad- 
nocks,"  after  Mt.  Monadnock  in  New  Hampshire.  One  controversial  theory  claims 
that  the  Uwharries  and  other  nearby  Piedmont  mountains  are  the  eroded  roots  of  the 
Ocoees,  a  350  million  year-old  mountain  chain  which  would  have  rivaled  the 
Rockies;*  other  researchers  doubt  they  were  ever  so  spectacular. 

The  mountains  take  their  name  from  the  Uwharrie  River,  one  of  the  county's 
three  main  discharge  basins.  The  word  is  of  unknown  Indian  origin  and  meaning; 
Lawson  spelled  it  "Heighwaree"  in  1701  and  writers  through  the  centuries  have 
varied  it  from  "Voharee"  to  "Uwany"  to  "Huwara"  to  "Uharie"  to  'j^Hugh 
Warren,"  a  Germanic  transposition  by  a  colonial  Moravian  missionary.  The 
Uwharrie  and  a  second  river  system,  the  Little,  are  part  of  the  Yadkin  River 
watershed  which  becomes  the  Great  Pee  Dee  River  and  flows  into  the  Atlantic 
Ocean  near  Georgetown,  South  Carolina.  The  Uwharrie  rises  between  Thomasville 
and  Trinity  and  exits  the  county  at  Eleazer.  The  Little  heads  at  a  spring  on  the 
Asheboro  Municipal  Golf  Course  and  enters  Montgomery  County  west  of  Seagrove. 
Deep  River  starts  near  Colfax  in  Guilford  County,  west  of  the  Regional  Airport,  enters 
Randolph  at  Coletrane's  Mill  and  flows  southeasteriy,  joining  the  Rocky  and  Haw 
rivers  in  southern  Chatham  County  to  form  the  Cape  Fear. 

The  county  thus  straddles  two  natural  drainage  systems,  one  flowing  southward 


to  South  Carolina  and  the  other  southeast  to  Wilmington.  Today  this  creates  an 
unusual  situation  for  municipalities  such  as  Asheboro  that  take  water  from  one 
system  and  empty  into  another.  But  in  prehistoric  times  this  feature  of  the  terrain 
created  a  natural  gathering  area,  the  place  where  a  number  of  Indian  trails  came 
together. 

The  hills  seem  to  temper  the  climate  in  the  county,  moderating  temperature 
readings  which  "usually  lay  between  the  extreme  lows  and  highs  reported  frort 
neighboring  stations."^  Forests  still  cover  more  than  half  the  county,  consisting  fd 
the  most  part  of  second-growth  oak  and  pine  timber.  One  quarter  of  the  Uwharri« 
National  Forest  lies  in  Randolph. 

The  1980  census  revealed  91,471  inhabitants  of  Randolph  County  where  thirt) 
years  before  there  had  been  50,804.  The  population  increase  between  1950  and  197? 
nearly  doubled  the  state's  average.'"  In  the  decade  of  the  1950s  the  urban  populatiof 
of  the  county  grew  an  amazing  102.3  percent,  more  than  twice  the  rate  of  the  second 
place  county,  Mecklenburg,  and  representing  the  highest  urban  growth  rate  of  an) 
county  in  the  so-called  "Piedmont  Industrial  Crescent"  of  North  and  Soutt 
Carolina."  The  1970s  witnessed  a  different  trend,  however,  when  almost  ever) 
township  grew  in  population  while  the  demography  of  the  towns  and  citie! 
declined.'^  Just  30  percent  of  the  Randolph  population  lives  in  an  urban  area  toda) 
reflecting  in  part  the  persistence  of  the  county's  rural  tradition.'^ 

Yet  Randolph's  rural  population  is  not  a  farming  population.  Fifty  percent  o 
county  residents  were  classified  as  "rural  non-farm,"  in  1970,  indicating  that  ove 
half  the  population  lived  in  "the  country"  but  did  not  make  a  living  fron 
agricultural  pursuits."*  Only  2  percent  of  the  45,000-member  workforce  are  farH 
laborers;  nevertheless,  agricultural  income  remains  of  great  importance  to  th' 
county.'^  The  total  value  of  farm  products  in  Randolph  is  estimated  at  about  S^ 
million  per  year.  '*'  While  com  is  the  major  crop,  income  is  also  derived  from  poultf) 
dairy  products,  tobacco,  hogs,  beef  cattle  and  lumber.'"' 

Randolph's  mral  work  force  is  highly  mobile,  illustrated  by  the  fact  that  3' 
percent  of  the  labor  force  commutes  to  jobs  outside  the  county.'*  Local  manufactui 
ing  occupations  employ  63  percent  of  the  work  force,  with  60  percent  of  the  toU 
county  payroll  coming  from  the  textile  and  apparel  industries.'^  Textile  work  is 
time-honored  tradition  in  a  county  that  built  two  of  the  first  fifteen  cotton  factories ' 
North  Carolina. 

During  the  past  thirty  years  Randolph  County  and  the  surrounding  Piedmo" 
have  undergone  sweeping  changes  in  land  use  pattems,  population  composition  afi 
employment  characteristics,  all  of  which  are  likely  to  continue  into  the  next  centuf) 
Neither  can  Randolph  isolate  itself  but  must  deal  with  regional  issues,  such  aS 
growth  rate  stimulated  by  population  "spillover"  from  its  rapidly  urbanizijl 
neighbors,  Greensboro  and  High  Point.  These  pressures  undoubtedly  will 
reflected  by  alterations  in  the  local  landscape,  probably  as  in  "bedroom  community 
developments  which  threaten  to  suburbanize  the  county.  The  following  stu 


explores  the  process  of  urbanization  -d.  modem       du- 

consequences  for  preservationists  by  comparmg  ^"  ;^":h"^^^         landscapes. 

em  Randolph  with  a  historical  discussion  of  ^^^^-^^J^^^^^^^^^^^  blended  into 

Within  this  framework  the  structural  findmgs  of  the  'nventon^  ca 

the  living  contexts  in  which  they  were  bom  and  do  now  exist. 

Native  American  Presence  d    h  i  h 

Long  before  the  coming  of  the  white  man  *e  a-  now  compnsm 
County  included  the  intersection  of  a  major  abongma  '^^^1"^^°-^,^^^  to  the 
(Indian)  Trading  Path  crossed  Caraway  Creek  on  f.™";VJ°  caraway  Creek  to 
Catawba  Nation  on  the  lower  Catawba  River.  A  spur  t™l  ^n  ^^^^^  to  Virginia, 
the  present  Forsyth  County  area  where  jt  joined  ^"°^'^!^  P'^JJ^e  li^  explorer 
NeaJthis  transportation  nexus  lived  the  Keyau wee  Indians  whose  lit  J^  ^^^^^  .^ 
John  Lawson  described  in  painstaking  detail  in  17U1.  inei  b  ^^  ^^^ 

the  vicinity  of  "a  stony  River  .  .  .  called  Heighwaree,    at  or  near 
Indian  Trading  Path  across  Caraway  Creek.  ^^^  j^^^^  settlers 

The  fate  of  the  Keyauwee  tribe  is  "fl^^^;;'J°'r,^Hra  drawn  by  Sir  Edward 
arrived,  they  had  disappeared.  A  map  of  No^h^^^"^?'"^  "  but  the  implication 
Moseley  in  1733  showed  a  "Keeauwee  old  town    in  tne  aic  , 


«,«.  that  the  village  had  been  abandoned.  The  Keyauwees  are  remernbered  in 
Sddph  County  today  in  the  name  of  Caraway  Creek  and  the  Caraway  Mountains 
Randolph  county  loy  ^^^^^  ^^^.^  palisaded  village.  The 

the  part  of  he  ^jharrie  cnam  somewhat  mysterious.  "Totero 

Trt"'^  sitS  inte  fo  k'oTti  U^^^^^^^^  that  the  "Totero"  (Tutelo) 

S;  harmovedTnto  the  area  and  occupied  some  sort  of  palisaded  town  Little  is 
iTnoln  abit  ttsTindians;  they,  too,  had  disappeared  by  the  time  of  pioneer 
settlement. 

European  Immigration 

The  earliest  white  outpost  seems  to  have  been  a  trading  post  and  tavern  built  in 
u  /u  frf™  Creek  at  a  crossroads  on  the  route  of  the  Great  Trading  Path.  In 
?^f'n?rXSvfanurJey  expedition  led  by  Bishop  August  Spangenberg 
"^^    /a\  "Shl^rSrway^l^  group,  searching  for  an  attractive 

,Te  to  estS  a  comiTnity,  soon  settled  their  account  with  "Jos.  Rich,  tavern 
place  to  establish  a  commuy  "Wachovia."  In  the  early  1760s  the 

l^'^P""     nlTwas  visit  d  by  agents  of  its  new  owner,  Henry  McCuUoh.  The 
Caraway  «"^P°  ^^^^^fS^^^  and  Robinson  who  lives  on  Ridge's  Place, 

?"'^'^?TTandshouVdT  employed  to  show  it."^>  Godfrey  Ridge,  or  "Joh. 
S"':  hfce^aSferp^y^^  -y  well  have  h-  one  of  the  pione. 

SVsof.eR^^doli,hCoun^^^^ 

foXr  of  T^rt£:^:^^^r.l^is  tUg  post,  perpetuates  Ridge's  name  in 
the  modem  landscape.  encompassed  the  Uwharrie  River  area 

wherfh^su^eyotvi^iteJr  Ridge  Trading  Po'st.  They  advertised  this  100,000 


i     .    *-^-  ^  •■  ^j, A.M ^^/^'■r^-^'^,':^    ^       J  *-  ' 


.#*---'-»*.»->j  <fr' 


^,  .«i-t— — * — 


.\'Jm-  rtC 


Wap  of  the  Randolph  County  area  drawn  in  1733  by  ^'''^"'■''^'''^^^"S'pww''^^^'''™'^'- 
(courtesy  Randolph  Book  1779-1979  photograph  collection  in_IM  K.an     y 


■  ^  n  i.„r^„rn  1765  showme'Ridee'sPlace"andtheTradingPath.Themap 
Plat  map  of  the  Caraway  Creek  area  ^'i^i'swTbfeasily  subdivided,  as  the  good  land  lies  along  the 
bears  '''e foUo.insnota..o. ^J^'^^^^^^^^  Survey  Boo\  #1944,  pp.  102-103 
':^tZ!':f::fLthern  mZr':i'collec,iZ  University  of  North  Carolina  a,  Chapel  Hill, 


Dept 


acre  tract  as  "the  Rich  lands  of  the  Uwharrie,"  and  from  the  mid-1750s  its  charms 
attracted  hordes  of  settlers.  Many  of  the  pioneers  in  this  northwest  quadrant  of  the 
county  were  Germans  because  the  original  justification  of  McCulloh  s  real  estate 
syndicate  had  been  to  attract  German-speaking  Protestants  to  North  Carolina.  In  the 
years  just  before  the  Revolution  the  area  had  become  heavily  populated  by  various 
German  groups.  In  1771  George  Soelle,  a  visiting  Moravian  missionary,  lamented: 

This  is  a  unique  species  of  people.  They  appear  to  me  like  Aesop's  crow  which 
feathered  itself  with  other  birds'  feathers.  They  have  Moravian,  Quaker,  Separatist, 
Dunkard  principles,  know  everything  and  know  nothing,  look  down  on  others,  belong  to 
no  one,  and  spurn  others. ^^ 

Further  evidence  of  the  diversity  of  German  settlers  in  the  Uwharrie  area  can  be 
found  in  other  religious  tracts.  In  1772  the  Baptist  historian  Morgan  Edwards  wrote 
that  the  Uwharrie  congregation  of  Dunkers,  or  German  Baptist  Brethren,  was  he 
largest  of  three  North  Carolina  Dunker  congregations.^^  These  Dunkers  spilled 
across  the  border  into  present-day  Davidson  County,  where  there  were  severa 
Lutheran  and  Reformed  congregations.  Northwest  Randolph  also  included  at  least 
one  group  of  Mennonites. 


Sandy  Creek  Baptist  Church.  Liberty  Township.  Built  in  1826.  it  is  the  oldest  organized  church  and 
oldest  surviving  religious  structure  in  Randolph  County.  Founded  in  1755  by  Separate  Baptist  Minister 
Shubal  Stearns  (courtesy  Randolph  Book  1779-1979  photograph  collection  in  the  Randolph  Public 
Library).  


Religious  Atmosphere 

The  Dunkers  opposed  formal  education  and  organized  politics  because  these 
activities  were  thought  to  be  incompatible  with  their  understanding  of  "primitive 
Christianity  Dunkers  and  Mennonites,  like  some  Quakers,  refused  to  take  oaths  ot 
any  kind  and  were  therefore  unable  to  engage  in  lawsuits  or,  in  some  cases,  even  to 
register  deeds  with  the  county  court.  Refusal  to  bear  arms  during  the  Revolution 
resulted  in  increased  suspicion  and  hostility  toward  pacifistic  religious  sects,  with 
the  German  sectarians  persecuted  even  more  fervently  than  the  nearby  Quakers.  For 
these  and  other  reasons,  the  Uwharrie  Germans  began  to  give  up  their  lands  and 
move  west.  By  1807  most  of  the  Dunkers  had  left  Randolph,  and  the  remaining 
Germanic  families  slowly  blended  into  ethnic  homogeneity. 

In  1755  the  Rev  Shubal  Steams  (1706-1771)  led  another  group  of  dissenters, 
the  Separate  Baptists,  into  the  northeastern  quarter  of  the  county.  Separate  Baptists 
were  an  evangelical  sect  which  had  split  with  the  strict  Calvinism  of  the  regular 
Baptists.  They  were  heirs  to  "the  fire  and  fervor  of  the  Whitefield  Revival  and 
were  also  called  "New  Light"  Baptists  because  of  their  insistence  that  the 
inspiration  and  enlightenment  of  the  Holy  Spirit  could  be  directly  revealed  to 

believers 

Shubal  Steams  was  a  former  Boston  Congregationalist  who  was  ordained  J 
Separate  Baptist  minister  in  1751.^^  In  1755  Steams,  along  with  sixteen  friends  an 
family  members,  organized  the  Sandy  Creek  Baptist  Church  to  which  Nort 
Carolina  historians  have  referred  as  the  "most  significant  landmark  in  Baptis 
history ' ' "  The  burst  of  religious  activity  inspired  by  these  companions  led  directly  i 
the  formation  in  1758  of  the  Sandy  Creek  Baptist  Association,  the  first  associatio 
of  Separate  Baptist  churches  and  the  third  colonial  Baptist  association.  Morgai 
Edwards,  writing  in  the  1770s,  thought  that 

...  very  remarkable  things  may  be  said  of  this  church.  It  began  with  sixteen  souls,  and  J 
a  very  short  time  increased  to  six  hundred  and  six,  spreading  its  branches  to  Deep  Riv ; 
and  Abbott's  Creek.  Sandy  Creek  is  the  mother  of  all  the  Separate  Baptists^  From  » 
Zion  went  forth  the  word,  and  great  was  the  company  of  them  who  published  it.  in_ 
church  in  seventeen  years  had  spread  her  branches  westward  as  far  as  the  great  rive 
Mississippi;  Southward  as  far  as  Georgia;  eastward  to  the  sea  and  Chespeake  Bay;  an 
northward  to  the  waters  of  the  Potomac;  it  in  seventeen  years,  is  become  motn^ 
grandmother,  and  great  grandmother  to  forty-two  churches,  from  which  sprang  i> 


ministers 


29 


By  1775  the  several  groups  of  Baptists  comprised  the  most  populous  religioij| 
denomination  in  North  Carolina,  largely  the  result  of  Shubal  Steam's  considerabi 
skill  as  an  evangelist.  According  to  Baptist  histonans. 

Steams  was  a  highly  gifted  and  dedicated  man  .  .  .  he  possessed  a  strong  voicj 
although  he  was  a  man  of  small  stature.  His  tones  were  particularly  impressive  a 
captivating,  and  his  eyes  seemed  to  have  had  almost  magical  power  over  those  up 
whom  they  were  fixed  ...  it  is  doubtful  whether  any  evangelist,  save  Whitelie 
surpassed  Steams  in  magnetic  power  over  audiences. 


Although  Governor  Wima.Tryon,apa.isan^^^^^^^^^^^^^ 

"faction  of  Quakers  and  Baptists,'    the  Sandy  ^^"/^  j'f°      ^nd  take  up  arms 

resolved  "That  if  any  of  their  members  should  join  the  Reg"^^^^^^^^  ^^^  \he  political 

against  the  lawful  authority,  \^^'-'\^:^:^ZZTonc.  it  birst,  Stearns's 

conflict  expressed  by  the  Regulation  offered  no  escape  .^un 

congregation  shrank  from  606  to  14  virtually  overnight^  ^^^  ^^^ 

Close  behind  the  Baptists  '^^"'^  *e  Q"^'^^!?,';^!.*^^^^^^^  Husband,  who  was  bom 
dissident  Regulator  leader,  Hermon  Husband  (1724    l/y^^  Quakerism,  was 

an  Anglican  in  Cecil  County,  Maryland    ^"'l 'f;/;^^  „'^g1n\he  regi^ 

among  a  growing  number  of  Quakers  f «  ^ad  been  arn^^^^^^  S^_^^  ^^^^^ 

over  the  eastern  seaboard.  Husband  hun^^'f^j^se  family,  moved  from 
settlements  in  1751.  William  Cox,  the  patnarch  of  an  immense^m  ^  j,^^^  ^.^^.^.^ 

the  Hockessin  Friends  Meeting  in  Delaware  •"  '  '^^^  Pennsylvania.  The  Worths 

families  came  about  the  same  time  from  ^^t,    .    t^,  uiand  After  the  Revolution, 

,  and  Coffins  arrived  in  the  early  1770s  f™- ^-^"^c^^^^^^^^^  River,  South 

,  the  Englishes  and  Tomlinsons  immigrated  f™"".'-^"'^'    _ities  in  eastern  North 

;  Carolina.  Some  Friends  came  from  n^^'-^^Q^^'^^^^.^rTaTe  from  as  far  away  as 

Carolina,  and  others,  such  as  the  Aliens  and  Hinshaws,  came  trom 

J  Ireland  by  way  of  Pennsylvania.^^  -     '     -—'- 


Ireland  by  way  of  Pennsylvania.                       Piedmont  were  Cane  Creek,  estab- 
The  first  Quaker  monthly  meetings  in  the  P»«''"°"'           established  in  1754 
lished  in  175 1  and  now  in  Alamance  County,  and  New  Garden, 


h  use  it  was  used  as  a  meeting  house 
Uwharrie  Friends  Meeting  House.  1793-1856.  Built  in  '^^J ''^'1°.  1779.1979  photograph  collection 
until  1856  when  the  meeting  was  laid  down  (courtesy  Randolpn  book 


in  the  Randolph  Public  Library). 


in  oresent  Guilford.  Colonial  Friends  in  the  Randolph  County  area  either  traveled  to 
in  present  ^™"-  „„thered  in  private  homes.  Private  assemblies  for  worship 

'"'    fi  ^t  helTin  tK^^^^^^^^  in  1^60.  In  1762  meetings  were  held 

rn^'heXvidencV«^^^^^^  others  beginning  at  Back  Creek  in  the  1760s  A 

in  the  Proviaence  com    u     >  ■    j^^g   ^  ^    ^owth  was  so  slow  that  an 

rnSSmX^wtn't^sS^^^^^ 

sldv  CreSecame  "preparative"  meetings  and  built  worship  houses  in  the  1780s^ 
Sj^^rhL  and  Marlboro  established  houses  in  the  1790s  and  were  officially 
Holly  Spnng  ^"0  Mmoo  nineteenth  century.^^  Despite  heavy 

emTatfon  i^ftt  alS^yefs.  Randolp'h  today  has  more  Quaker  meetings  than 

any  other  county  in  the  state. ^ 

Slavery  and  County  Opposition 

Largely  because  of  its  strong  Quaker  influence,  Randolph  County  participated 
Largely  Dew  economy.  North  Carolina  meetings  had  adopted  a 

only  marginally  '"  Hl^^^^  ''°"^bers  to  limit  purchases  of  slaves  and  to  prevent 
dictum  as  early  as  1772  adv.  mg  f^^^^J^'^  ?  ^^^^  .^vised  Friends  to 
the  separation  of  slave  fan^hes^  as  soon  as  they  possibly  can"  and  threatened 
2™enTo  '^  "UlTof'trme^tinglhVma/ hereafter  buy,  sell  or 
clandesSy  assign'for  hire  any  slave  in  such  a  manner  as  may  perpetuate  or 
prolong  that  slavery.-J^  ^^  ^^^^^^   j^  ^^^^^^  constantly 

proportion  of  slaves  •"t'le  population  population  had  declined  due 

?o  Ct  ^^^T^^^^^^^^^^  --'  h-r """  "^S^ 

w.??.le  number  of  free  persons  of  color  (the  majority  of  whom  were  probably 
SwTcontinu?d  to  g  ow.  The  twenty-four  listed  in  Randolph  in  1790  grew  to  more 
?SK  1800  anlpassed  300  by'l830.  Restrictive  laws  -g-ding  manum.ston 
of  slaves  passed  after  1835  halted  this  dramatic  increase,  and  by  1850  the  free 

"%So^Sns'^^^^^^^^^^ 
u  H  ifr^S  for  Slaves  The  county's  politicians  often  supported  the  nghts  of  free 

l^v  nSe  oSSminrstatewide  opposition.  In  1827  both  of  Randolph's  state 
blacks  despite  o™elm  ng  siaie  w  ^^^^^^  ^^^^  ^  ^^ 

srctra^omors^L^^^^^^^^^^^ 

The  constitutional  convention  in  1835  opposed  disenfranchising  free  blacks 
DespT  this  support,  however,  local  free  Negroes  generally  were  unable  to  attain 
Ssoda  status.  While  men  such  as  "Elder"  Ralph  Freeman  Frank  Lytle  and 
Sues  such  as  the  Waldens  became  successful  and  respected  members  of  the 
Stlph  community,  the  majority  of  free  blacks  found  themselves  with  few  nghts 
in  a  South  that  was  increasingly  hostile  to  their  presence. 


Dept 


The  area's  last  flurry  of  antislavery  activity  occurred  in  the  late  1840s  and 
1850s.  Wesleyan  Methodist  missionaries  arrived  in  the  county  in  1847  for  a 
tumultuous  four  year  stay.  Called  "Abolition  Methodists"  because  of  their  stance  in 
American  Methodism's  three-way  split  over  slavery,  the  two  missionaries  founded 
six  churches  in  Randolph.  Their  active  and  forceful  support  for  abolition  led  to 
several  near  riots  and  they  were  driven  out  of  the  state  in  1851.  In  1857  another 
Wesleyan  missionary  arrived,  Daniel  Worth.  Worth  was  bom  a  North  Carolma 
Quaker  but  became  a  Wesleyan  after  immigrating  to  Randolph  County,  Indiana.  His 
headquarters  during  his  mission  was  the  home  of  his  daughter  and  son-in-law  in 
New  Salem.  Worth's  irrational  charges  that  the  Quakers  fostered  the  institution  of 
slavery,  and  his  stormy  diatribes  against  the  system,  alienated  Friends  and  infuriated 
the  state's  political  leaders.  He  was  subsequently  arrested  for  sedition  and  escaped 
prison  only  by  fleeing  the  state.'" 

The  failure  of  local  Quakers  to  resist  pro-slavery  leadership  and  to  assert 
actively  their  moral  and  ethical  opposition  to  the  institution  grew  out  of  a  profound 
conflict  between  political  reality  and  their  philosophical  ideals.  Friends  earlier  in  the 
century  had  rallied  to  support  progressive  Whig  goals  and  legislation.  An  identifiable 
Quaker  presence  in  North  Carolina  politics  was  noted  in  the  elections  of  1824  and 
1828,  when  Friends  joined  forces  with  ex-Federalists  and  others  to  oppose  Andrew 
Jackson  as  a  presidential  candidate.^^  In  1828  it  was  said  that  John  Quincy  Adams's 
"greatest  support  came  from  the  Quaker  counties  of  Guilford  and  Randolph."  Yet, 
as  the  Daniel  Worth  episode  illustrates,  Friends  generally  held  a  dim  view  of  overt 
political  activity  and  were  even  inclined  to  disown  members  who  sought  othce. 
Friends  seem  to  have  rediscovered  their  political  voice  just  three  months  before 
North  Carolina  followed  her  regional  neighbors  out  of  the  Union.  In  a  February, 
1861,  referendum  Randolph  County  voters,  largely  upon  Quaker  ^support,  defeated 
the  call  for  a  secession  convention  by  a  margin  of  fifty  to  one.  ^^ 

As  North  Carolina  in  general  has  been  called  a  "Progressive  Paradox 
Randolph  might  well  be  called  a  "Conservative  Contradiction."  Against  its  back- 
ground of  progressive  historical  traditions  the  county  has  happily  cultivated  a 
contemporary  reputation  for  political  conservatism.  The  popular  explanation— that 
Randolph  is  politically  conservative  because  of  its  Quaker  hentage— is  perhaps  the 
most  widely  accepted  and  least  critically  examined  tidbit  of  local  wisdom.  Yet  an 
outside  observer  would  regard  this  explanation  as  something  of  a  paradox,  since  the 
Society  of  Friends  is  normally  classified  among  the  "liberal"  religions. 

Statistical  research  seems  to  underscore  the  paradox  instead  of  erasing  it.  A 
look  at  the  presidential  and  gubernatorial  elections  in  which  the  county  has 
participated  reveals  that  the  voters  overwhelmingly  favored  the  candidates  promoting 
conservatism.'*^  On  the  state  and  national  level,  Randolph  has  been  one  of  the  most 
conservative  counties  in  North  Carolina.  In  countywide  political  contests,  however, 
the  situation  is  less  clear.  Since  1850  Randolph  has  had  thirty  sheriffs,  and  the 
representation  for  conservative  and  more  liberal  parties  has  been  about  equally 
divided.  Elections  for  other  offices  would  probably  yield  a  similar  story. "''  Thus,  on 
the  local  level,  it  would  seem  that  there  is  a  rough  parity  between  the  political 
philosophies. 


This  confusing  amalgamation  of  religious  and  political  dissent  must  play  a  role 
in  any  examination  of  Randolph  County  history.  These  progressive  and  conservative 
forces  interwoven  in  the  county's  past  are  also  reflected  in  its  landscape  and  built 
environment. 


RURAL  LANDSCAPE 


The  America  of  Jefferson  had  begun  to  disappear  before  Jefferson  himself  had 
retired  from  the  presidential  chair.  That  paradise  of  small  farms,  each  man  secure  on  hiS 
own  freehold,  resting  under  his  own  vine  and  fig-trees,  was  already  darkened  by  th 
shadow  of  impending  change.  For  Jefferson,  Utopia  had  cast  itself  in  the  form  ot 
nation  of  husbandmen.'  Those  who  labor  in  the  earth,'  he  had  said,  'are  the  chose 
people  of  God,  if  ever  he  had  a  chosen  people';  and  the  American  dream  required  that  tn 
land  be  kept  free  from  the  corruptions  of  industrialism.'  While  we  have  land  to  laW 
then,  let  us  never  wish  to  see  our  citizens  occupied  at  a  work-bench,  or  twirling  a  distatl^ 
Far  better  to  send  our  materials  to  Europe  for  manufacture,  than  to  bring  workingmen 
these  virgin  shores,  'and  with  them  their  manners  and  principles.'  'The  mobs  of  gre9 
cities,'  he  concluded  ominously,  'add  just  so  much  to  the  support  of  pure  government,  a 

sores  do  the  strength  of  the  human  body.' 

Arthur  Schlesinger,  J' 
The  Age  of  JacksO 


1770  map  by  Collet  showing  Cox's  Mill,  Husband's  Mill.  Fraser's  Mill.  Caraway  Mounlains.  RichK^ 
Creek  Pole  Cat  and  Sandy  Creeks.  Uwharrie  (Voharee  River).  Deep  River.  Cape  Fear  Road.  Craffo' 
Path  and  Trading  Path  (courtesy  Randolph  Book  1779-1979  photograph  collection  in  the  Randoi 
Public  Library).  ^ 


10 


Agriculture  . .     „ 

The  setting  for  antebellum  Randolph's  religious  ^^^^^^^^^^^ 
tual  life  was  a  rural  agricultural  landscape  which  had  been  w  ^^^  ^^ 

wilderness  within  the  lifespan  of  many  ^t'", ''^'"^  "^  /sou.  v         ^^^^^^^^^ 

social  organization  was  the  economically  self-sufficient  ex^nded^^^^      ^^enty-one 
thinly  around  the  countryside    Randolph  County  av^^^^^^^^^  ^^^^^J.„  ^ 

inhabitants  per  square  mile  in  1850  and  I860,  only  slignuy  ^^^^ 

state  whose  more  prominent  political  Ag"^-'  S^^^/^J^^,^^^^^^^^  dog  bark."- 
remarked,  "No  man  should  live  where  he  can  hear  his  neigno  b      ^.^^^ 

In  the  colonial  period,  the  grassy  ''^^^f  "^^;,  JX^^S      much  of  the 
rise  to  a  lucrative  export  trade  in  I'^estock.  Betore  t  ^^^^^^  ^^^^^ 

agricultural  economy  of  the  Piedmont  revolved  J™""J  ^^'^^j^^i,  ,      ,us  grain  and 
farmers  along  the  way  picked  up  extra  money  by  sem  g  ^^^^^  ^^^^  ^^^^^ 

forage.  The  keeper  of  the  Bethania  Diary  wrote  «"  ^ct^oe       ,  ^^^^  ^^ 

September  and  October  "more  than  1,000  head  of  cattle  have 

the  way  to  Pennsylvania.""*  r^„„ntv  harmonized  rather  well  with 

The  agricultural  landscape  of  Randolph  County  harmomz^         ^  ^^^.^^  ^^ 

Thomas  Jefferson's  concept  of  a  "paradise  °^. '3'  .^rms'than  her  colonial 
husbandmen.""^  North  Carolina  in  general  featured  smauer  ^^  ^^^  agricultural 
neighbors  with  lesser  emphasis  on  the  production  oi  ,^  ^^^^^3^^,,  (Guilford  and 
economy  of  Randolph  and  its  adjoining  counties  in  tn      V  ^^^  the 

Alamance)  was  generally  one  of  subsistence  food  ^roP  Producuo^^^  ^^^^^^  ^^ 
primary  product  of  the  area  with  wheat  gaining  seconi,^^^  ^^^^^  .^  ^^^^  ^^  ^^^ 
■  continuing  self-sufficient  nature  of  Randolpn  agni-u  domestic 

.  local  newspaper  editor  who  declared  that  "our  provisions  are  mostly 


.Srfcw-u. 


ural  agricultural  landscape  (courtesy 

Nineteenth-century  Randolph  County  featured  an  ov^'^^j''^'"^yJ„i,  public  Library) .  ^ 

Randolph  Book  1779-1979  photograph  collection  in  the  Kanao'P        —- 


c  u  „o»   Rnttpr  and  Milk  from  the  cool  Recesses  of  the  Dairy." 
'pl7/rL°„V^rw=StoHng'fo„d  crops  u„.i.  weU  t„,o  .he  ,w.„..e,h 
century.  In  1920,  Fred  Burgess  reported. 

Of  her  aericultural  wealth  only  ten  percent  was  produced  by  non-food  crops.  This  is  a 
her  agricultural  wealth  is  produced  by  food  crops. 

TY-ansportation 

Transoortation  was  the  vital  link  between  production  and  market.  If  the  land  was 
.oodSe  weather  was  cooperative,  a  farmer  expected  his  hard  work  to  produce 
good  f  ^;j^  ™f     .,   ^lon^  acmally  consumed.  This  surplus  he  hoped  to  sell  for 

eS?a  wheat  or  corn  or  butter  or  cheese;  they  had  surpluses  of  their  own  to  selk 
SsTdents  of  owns  with  limited  garden  space  were  the  natural  buyers  of  this 
Residents  o\J°wi  between  town  and  farm  were  imperative. 

''''X:^S::r^^^^'^^P-^-  of  ^o-l  county  officials  and  every  ab.e- 
u  A-  H  !;an  was  reouircd  to  help  with  road  maintenance  under  the  supervision  of 
bodied  man  ^^^^nTted^bv  the  county  court.  Even  so,  the  early  roads  were  often 
luut  ^oTtl^bTe ly  pasS^^^^^^^^^  Methodist  missionary  Bishop  Francis  Asbu^ 
was  aZcclsLnaf  visitor  to  Randolph  in  the  1790s  and  preserved  several  accounts  o 
was  an  occasiona  v.  j  ^^  ^^  ^^^  ^^^^  ^^^  ^^^  ^  carnage.  I 

nLotw    shaped  b^^^^  was  much^affrighted  .       we  had  exceedmg ly 

narrowly  e^ccipcu  m  &  .  trving;  but  it  will  make  death 

uncomfortable  road.  Go-g    t  t^, ,,ate  ,  very  t^^^^g  ^^  ^^^  ^^  ^^^^^  ^^^  ^^^ 

welcome   and  e^^f  J^^/f^^^^^^^  ,,e'of  wooden  plank  roads  in  the 

mid-nmeteenth  centuo'  J    ^^.^d  in  1849  and  diagonally  bisected  Randolph 

'Sn^The      9'^^^^^^^^^  road  entered  southeast  Randolph  from  Moore 

CoSn S  roughly  following  the  present-day  NC  705  to  "s  intersection  with  US  220 
tnH  nn  to  Asheboro    From  Asheboro  it  approximated  the  route  of  220  to  New 
Market  whte  it  tied  northwest  along  the  modem  US  311  to  advance  to  Sa  lern 
?iow  Wirs^on-Salem).  Asheboro  lawyer  Jonathan  Worth  was  a  director  of  the  p  ank 
road  compTn;  and  with  his  brother,  John  Milton  Worth,  contracted  to  provide  all  the 
Sne  anZak^lumber  used  on  the  road  through  Randolph.  To  accomplish  this,  the 
mrths  acquired  the  first  steam-powered  sawmill  known  to  exist  in  the  region.^ 
^ope   main  enance  of  plank  roads  was  expensive  and,  though  experiments  were 
Se  su^s  ituting  rock  and  gravel  for  planks,  competition  from  the  North  Carolina 
Sroad  led  to  the  abandonment  of  the  road  in  1862.^^  However,  the  impact  of  the 
niank  road  belies  its  short  life-span.  As  a  convenient,  direct  route  to  major  urban 
Sets  to  the  north  and  south'  the  plank  road  opened  up  rural  Randolph  like 
nothing  else  prior  to  the  railroads  of  the  1880s. 

11 


iutmmmimm 


■■■■■■■■I 


Dept 


SALEM    ^    FArtTtEVItLI 

.llAvairff^.VflBli^.  ( liIRT  Hoists. 


752i  /ma/J  showing  the 


Randolph  County  section  of  the  Salem  to  Fayettevilte  Plank  Road.  Surveyed  by  Hamilton  Fulton.  State  Engineer;  drawn  by  Robert  H.  B.  Brazier  (courtesy  N.  C.  State  Archives). 


Special  problems  occurred  when  roads  met  watercourses.  One  solution  was  to 
float  across  in  ferry  boats.  William  Searcy's  Ferry,  later  known  as  Waddell's  Ferry, 
crossed  Deep  River  near  its  entrance  into  Moore  County  and  was  an  important 
colonial  link.  Those  people  with  carriages,  like  Bishop  Asbury,  had  particular 
problems  with  ferries.  In  1780  he  ".  .  .  crossed  Deep  River  in  a  flat  boat,  and^the 
poor  fisherman  sinner  swore  because  I  had  not  a  silver  shilling  to  give  him.  In 
December,  1793,  "...  we  crossed  Deep  River,  in  a  flat,  not  without  danger;  thence 
down  Caraway  Creek  to  Randolph  town;  thence  to  Uwharrie  at  Fuller's  Ford.  Here 
we  were  assisted  by  some  young  men  with  a  canoe.  Thank  the  Lord,  both  men  and 
horses  were  preserved!  The  young  men  sometimes  prayed  and  sometimes  swore." 
A  more  common  method  of  crossing  one  of  Randolph's  streams  was  to  ford  it  at 
some  shallow  point.  A  ford  is  still  maintained  on  a  rural  road  near  the  site  of 
Waddell's  Ferry,  the  only  one  still  in  regular  use  in  the  county.  Other  well-known 
fords,  such  as  the  Island  Ford  in  Franklinville  or  Buffalo  Ford  near  Coleridge,  were 
like  Waddell's  Ferry,  eventually  replaced  by  bridges. 

Waterpower  and  Mills 

Water  was  one  of  the  great  assets  of  the  agricultural  landscape,  and  one  which 
made  it  possible  both  to  process  and  to  market  agricultural  products.  Water  rights 
were  regulated  by  local  government  for  the  protection  of  both  the  property  owners 
upstream  whose  land  might  be  flooded  by  a  dam  and  those  downstream  whose 
rights  to  water  might  be  interfered  with.  Accordingly,  county  courts  had  to  be 


petitioned  for  the  "priviledge  of  riparian  rights."  Court  records  show  that  the  fif* 
mill  privilege  in  the  area  which  later  became  Randolph  County  was  granted  t 
Samuel  Walker  in  1756  for  a  mill  on  Sandy  Creek.'^  Soon  thereafter,  mills  wef 
built  on  waterways  throughout  the  area,  an  accurate  accounting  of  which  is  V 
longer  possible.  Among  them  were  those  operated  by  Harmon  Cox  on  Mill  CreeK 
Hermon  Husband  on  Sandy  Creek,  William  Bell  on  Deep  River  and  Andrew  Hoove 
on  the  Uwharrie  River.  . 

The  presence  of  these  mills  seemed  to  create  as  many  problems  as  were  solve« 
Along  the  Uwharrie  and  Deep  rivers,  for  examples,  they  interrupted  the  supply  '^ 
shad,  eels,  sturgeon  and  certain  anadromous  fish  local  residents  depended  upon  W 
food  and  livelihood.  On  December  15,  1773.  residents  of  the  part  of  Guilford  CouO 
that  became  Randolph  petitioned  the  colonial  Assembly  "praying  a  law  may  pass' 
facilitate  the  passage  of  Fish  in  Deep  River": 

.  .  .  Your  petitionars  is  Deprived  of  that  Natural  and  profitable  priveledge  of  CatchjiJ 
fish  in  Deep  River  as  formerly  ...  by  its  Chanel  being  stopt  by  several  Mill  Dams  bei 
made  quite  across  said  River  to  the  Great  hurt  of  many  poor  familys  who  Depended  , 
said  fishing  for  great  part  of  their  living,  it  being  well  known  that  no  River  of  its  size 
this  provence  afforded  a  greater  quantity  of  Excellant  Shad  and  other  fish.  We  thereto^ 
Humbly  pray  that  you  through  your  great  goodness  would  Condesend  to  pass  a  law  in " 
favour  so  far  as  to  oblige  the  owners  of  said  dams  to  afix  proper  flood  gates  in  their  da"^ 
from  the  mouth  of  said  River  to  Field  &  Dicks  Mill  above  the  trading  path  and  then^ 
keep  open  at  proper  times  from  the  tenth  of  fabniary  to  the  tenth  of  april  that  the  s 
inhabitents  may  in  some  manner  be  Restored  to  their  former  priveledge  of  Catcti 
fish. 


59 


12 


The  nature  of  the  earliest  gristmills  is  not  clear.  Tiny  mills  powered  by  tub 
whee  s  my  have  been  built  of  logs,  while  larger  mills  with  two  or  more  stones  were 
probabW  of  heavy  frame  construction.  The  massive  timber  framing,  held  together 
wrwooJen  pegs,  was  necessary  to  withstand  the  vibrations  of  the  turning  stones 
Tnd  wooden  gearing.  The  special  problems  of  mill  construction  were  the  province  of 
*e  mSnght,  a  craftsman  who  stood  somewhere  between  the  carpenter  and  the 
engineer. 


V.       fl<:t  to  soawn  in  fresh  water, 
;;        Shad,  a  kind  of  herring,  swim  upstream  from  the  coas      ^^^^^^   declined  to 

I"; unless  stopped  by  dams.  The  members  of  the  Assemoiy,  ^^^  ^^^  .^^^ 

f/egulate  the  construction  of  mill  dams;  ^he  m>llmg  ot  ^n      ^^^^^^y 

»  commodities  suitable  for  trade  or  barter  was  vital  in  a  cdbu  h 


Daily  News.  Its  accompanying  caption  identifies  me  mm  amy 

Township r  The  photograph  is  credited  to  Frank  Jones. 

A  Photograph  exists  to  show  the  appearance  of  the  gristmill  at  FranklinviUe 
TradiSon  cStf  construction  to  Christian  Moretz  in  180  ,  although  the  miU 
nrivlTge  had  been  sold  from  miller  to  miller  beginning  as  early  as  1785.     The  mill 
wala  small  two-and-a-half-story  building  about  forty  by  forty  feet  in  plan    A 
wo^enwSer  wheel  powered  three  stones  and  a  mrmmum  of  flour-processing 
maSery  The  gristmill  shared  the  site  with  a  sawmill,  a  typical  combination.  In 
Set  SmiUsites,  once  developed,  shared  the  potential  power  with  other  kinds  of 
Ss  The  Franklinville  mill  later  included  a  cotton  gin  and  wool-carding  machine 
Peter  Dick's  mill  on  Deep  River,  mentioned  in  the  1773  petition,  included  an  oil  mil 
which  crushed  flaxseeds  to  make  linseed  oil.^'  Since  water  was  the  only  convenient 
Tource  of  power  at  that  time,  even  relatively  small  streams  were  used  for  purposes 
such  as  turning  the  lathes  of  cabinetmakers. 

13 


^' 


Dept 


Franklinville  grist  mill  (built  ca.  1801)  taken  in  1912  when  the  foundations  of  the  new  roller  mill  were 
being  built  around  it.  The  tiny  old  mill  was  destroyed  soon  after. 


Dennis  Cox  grist  mill,  now  destroyed,  as  it  stood  in  Union  Township. 


The  Dennis  Cox  mill  (ca.  1835)  has  been  destroyed  by  fire  since  the  inventory. 
The  Cox  mill  was,  at  thirty  by  thirty  feet  and  two-and-one-half  stories  with  full 
basement,  one  of  the  largest  remaining  buildings  of  heavy  frame  construction  in  the 
county.  At  its  site  were  a  sash  sawmill  and  a  blacksmith  shop.  It  was  technically  nd 
just  a  gristmill,  like  the  one  at  Franklinville,  but  a  merchant  mill,  one  whick 
included  special  machines  for  smutting  and  bolting  flour.  These  processes  refine 
the  coarse  yellow  flour,  separating  it  into  various  grades.  White  flour  was  the  desireO 
end  product  of  this  process  and  brought  the  highest  price.  Cox's  mill,  powered  by ! 
breast  wheel  generating  ten  horsepower,  could  grind  seventy-five  bushels  of  graU 
each  day.^^  The  Peter  Dicks  mill  in  Randleman  (destroyed  about  1970)  and  th< 
Bell/Walker  mill  in  New  Market  Township  (destroyed  about  1965)  were  both  vei^ 
similar  to  the  Dennis  Cox  mill.  Miller's  mill,  a  later  merchant  mill  near  Trinity,  i| 
the  best  preserved  of  the  remaining  Randolph  County  gristmills.  I 

Waterpower  not  only  supplied  energy  for  milling  adjuncts  to  agriculture  bi* 
also  provided  the  element  necessary  for  manufacturing  plants.  Rudimentary  industil 
that  began  in  antebellum  Randolph  emerged  later  in  the  century  as  the  county  i 
leading  source  of  income.  Because  of  the  difficulty  in  transporting  goods  in  tW 
Piedmont,  antebellum  merchants  often  engaged  in  manufacturing  activities.  On' 
such  individual  was  Benjamin  Elliott. 

"Colonel"  Benjamin  Elliott  (15  February  1781-27  February  1842)  was  > 
prominent  lawyer  and  commander  of  the  Randolph  County  militia.  He  opened  J 
general  store  in  Asheboro  sometime  before  1808  when  he  was  involved  in  tl* 
now-legendary  tale  of  Naomi  Wise."  In  the  late  1820s  Elliott  acquired  a  tract « 
land  on  Deep  River  to  establish  his  own  manufacturing  operation.  Since  the  level « 
Deep  River  dropped  about  fifty  feet  in  the  half-mile  stretch  of  the  tract,  Elliott  hire 
local  workmen  Isaac  Lamb  and  Grief  Cozins  to  build  a  dam  and  sawmill  powered  K 
an  undershot  "flutter"  wheel.  Soon  a  "common  gristmill,  with  one  run  of  stones 
was  added,  and  the  settlement  became  known  as  "Elliott's  Mills."^ 

As  Elliott  began  to  provide  his  stores  with  flour  and  lumber,  he  also  toO' 
preliminary  steps  to  obtain  wholesale  cotton  yam.  The  southern  market  for  yam  w« 
vast.  While  northern  textile  demand  could  be  partially  satisfied  by  Europe^ 
imports,  home  textile  production  was  a  major  pursuit  in  the  South.  The  census « 
1810  disclosed  the  fact  that  North  Carolina  produced  more  domestic  textiles  than » 
the  New  England  states  together. ^^  In  Randolph  County  alone  the  census  identifi* 
1,333  hand  looms,  400  spindles  and  14  spinning  frames  producing  86,000  yards' 
handmade  cotton  cloth  worth  some  $34,000.^ 

Converting  raw  wool  and  cotton  into  spun  yam  was  the  most  laborious  step' 
the  creation  of  "homespun"  clothing.  A  difficult  part  of  the  complex  process  \V 
automated  in  1793  when  Eli  Whitney  invented  the  cotton  gin,  in  which  a  row ' 
rotating,  toothed  saws  pulled  the  cotton  fiber  from  the  seeds.  Just  nine  years  la^ 
there  were  five  cotton  gins  in  Randolph  County."  Once  processed  and  spun,  the  y^ 
was  ready  to  weave  into  cloth.  With  the  development  of  water-powered  factories 
was  found  that  much  of  the  time  spent  in  hand-weaving  could  be  saved  by  buy'" 
this  mechanically-produced  cotton  yam. 

Local  merchants  such  as  Ben  Elliott  could  meet  this  demand  either 


14 


Interior  of  Miller's  Mill.  Trinity  Township,  showing  the  hoppers  and  housings  of  the  wheat  an    corn 
stones  (courtesy  of  Jane  L.  Delisle).  

u  •  ,»fQii  stores  or  by  producing  it 
importing  yam  through  circuitous  routes  to  their  "^^^ ' ''"  _ '  ^rchants  was  even 
themselves  in  a  mill  of  their  own.  A  wholesale  trade  t"  "*"  "'/^^  legislature 
possible  if  the  mill  was  successful.  In  F;^^™g;.„yof  Randolph,  a  projected 
incorporated  The  Manufacturing  Company  ot  ^he  t^oumy  McCain,  the 

cotton  textile  factory,  at  the  request  of  Elliott  ^f  three  fnenos         ^^^^^^^^  ^^^^^ 
county's  clerk  of  court,  Jesse  Walker,  a  New  Salem  mercnan  ■      ^    ^^re 

Asheboro  lawyer  and  merchant.''^  Enterprismg  ^^"^olph  atizens^^^^^^ 
motivated  to  invest  their  capital  in  ventures  other  than  lana  ^^.j^^giopment 

One  reason  may  have  been  the  regions  affiliation  w'ln        y  ^^^^  ^^^ 

political  policies  of  the  Whig  Party.  Plank  roads  railroads  ana  ^^^.^^^.^^  ^^y 
advocated  by  proponents  of'internal  improvements^  Belt"  toward  slavery,  which 
have  been  the  religious  opposition  of  the  Q"^^;^^^  ,„,,,  businessmen  and 
required  less  objectionable  ways  of  investing  ^^e  savings  oi  factories 

small  farmers.  Many  of  the  subsequent  stockholders  '"  ^f"^°'P  (1738-1836), 
were  Friends,  and  many  Quakers  in  the  North,  such  as  Moses  bro  ^^^^^^^  ^^^^^^ 

advocated  such  developments.  Brown,  one  "f  ^^^ *''""''^''  iH„ated  actively  in  the 
industry,  was  a  wealthy  Rhode  Island  Friend  '  ^^J)  jiad  partic.pa  ^^  u^f  j^at 

Quaker  abolition  and  antipoverty  movemems  and  had  shaped  the  Fnenas 
manufacturing  might  relieve  social  ills."''^ 


r-^^T,:  -W_ 


MH^^ 


Disused  iron  water 


wheel  of  Miller's  Mill.  Trinity  Township  (courtesy  of  Jane  L.  Delisle). 


General  Alexander  Gray,  farmer,  JohnstonviUe  merchant  and  Randolph 
County's  most  prominent  citizen  of  the  time,  was  a  stockholder  in  an  earlier, 
unsuccessful  North  Carolina  cotton  mill  scheme.  The  Hillsborough  Manufacturing 
company,  proposed  in  1813,  never  passed  beyond  the  organizational  stage.  A 
similar  fate  lay  in  store  for  the  Randolph  Manufacturing  Company  of  1829.  The 
Randolph  County  incorporators  seem  to  have  underestimated  the  difficulty  of 
building  financial  support  for  the  cotton  factory,  the  most  expensive  local  project 
ever  proposed  The  lack  of  banks  and  other  sources  of  capital  m  the  area  meant  that 
funds  had  to  come  from  individual  savings.  When  fund-raising  proved  unsuccessful, 
the  Randolph  Manufacturing  Company  charter  was  allowed  to  lapse.  The  time  was 
not  yet  favorable  for  manufacturing  interests  in  the  state.  Four  other  cotton  factory 
companies  were  incorporated  in  that  same  legislative  session  and  none  were  in 
operation  before  the  mid- 18  30s. 

Yet  where  a  public  corporation  had  failed,  a  private  partnership  eventually 
succeeded,  attributable  largely  to  Colonel  Ben  Elliott's  son,  Henry  Branson  Elliott 
(1806-1863).  One  of  Randolph  County's  most  progressive  figures  in  the  antebellum 
movement  for  internal  improvements,  Henry  Elliott  was  graduated  from  the 
University  of  North  Carolina  in  1826  and  went  to  Princeton  to  study  law.  About  1830 
he  returned  to  Randolph  and  joined  in  his  father's  business  ventures.  In  1836,  Henry 

15 


Dept 


and  Ben  Elliott  formed  a  partnership  with  another  father-and-son  team,  Dr.  Phillip 
Homey  (1791-1856)  and  Alexander  S.  Homey  (1815-1891)  to  build  the  county's 
first  cotton  factory.  On  March  14,  1837,  the  Raleigh  Register  noted  that  "Messrs. 
Elliott,  Homey  and  others  have  been  for  some  time  actively  engaged  in  erecting  a 
cotton  factory  at  the  Cedar  Falls  on  Deep  River.  .  .  ."  By  mid-June  the  factory's  500 
spindles  were  making  "superior  quality  cotton  yam"  suitable  for  sale  in  Elliott's 


store 


71 


The  1846  Cedar  hulls  Jaciory  ca.  1900.  viewed  frum  lite  soutlicasl.  The  monitor  rooj  and  chimneys  are 
clearly  visible.  The  stair  tower  and  cupola  at  the  west  end  are  later  1 9th  century  additions  (courtesy 
Randolph  Book  1779-1979  photograph  collection  in  the  Randolph  Public  Library). 


The  year  1836  was  important  to  North  Carolina's  infant  textile  industry  for 
another  reason.  In  that  year  Edwin  Michael  Holt  installed  machinery  for  spinning 
yam  in  his  father's  gristmill,  thereby  establishing  a  factory  at  Alamance  Village  on 
Great  Alamance  Creek.  Holt  enlarged  his  factory  in  1845,  added  looms  in  1848,  and 
after  1853,  when  an  itinerant  Frenchman  taught  them  the  dyeing  process,  Holt  and 
his  sons  made  "Alamance  Plaids,"  the  first  colored  cloth  woven  on  power  looms  in 
the  South.  Five  other  mills  were  started  in  the  Alamance  area  before  the  Civil  War, 
two  of  which  Holt  purchased  in  1851  and  1860  to  add  to  his  nascent  textile 
dynasty.  ^^ 

Also  in  1836,  Charles  P  Mallett  built  two  factories  in  Fayetteville.  The  second 
factory  included  100  looms  for  weaving  cloth  and  was  perhaps  the  first  mill  in  the 
state  to  boast  this  innovation. ^^  Power  looms  proved  tremendously  successful  in  this 
mill,  the  Rockfish  Manufacturing  Company,  which  by  1860  was  the  largest  factory  in 


North  Carolina.  One  of  the  state's  first  mills  had  been  built  in  Fayetteville  in  1825; 
with  Mallett's  mills  and  three  more  built  in  Fayetteville  in  1840,  the  city  boasted  six 
textile  factories  before  the  war.^'' 

The  1836  Cedar  Falls  factory  was  the  stimulus  for  an  economic  boom  in 
Randolph  County.  By  1850  there  were  five  textile  mills  in  operation  along  Deep 
River,  making  the  area  (along  with  Alamance  and  Fayetteville)  one  of  the  three 
centers  of  North  Carolina's  antebellum  textile  industry.  Just  seven  months  after  the 
Cedar  Falls  factory  began  operations,  another  factory  was  organized  downriver  at: 
modem  Franklinville.  This  concern,  designed  to  improve  upon  the  Cedar  Falls  mill, 
was  created  as  a  corporation  rather  than  a  partnership  for  it  needed  additional 
capital.  The  new  factory  was  housed  in  a  brick  building,  one  of  the  largest  structures 
in  the  county,  and  expanded  operations  "to  include  weaving  on  a  pretty  large 


Western  side  of  the  Franklinsville  Manufacturing  Company  factory,  as  it  appeared  in  1874.  A  cupola  " 
faintly  visible  at  the  north  end  of  the  roof.  The  demarcation  line  between  the  original  1838  first  floo' 
masonry  and  the  darker  post-1851  masonry  is  evident. 

scale."'^  By  Febmary  of  1839  "a  little  village  had  sprung  up"  as  the  company 
constructed  houses  for  "some  eight  or  ten  respectable  families."'^  By  January  o' 
the  next  year  machinery  was  being  installed  in  the  brick  "Factory  House,"  and  W 
March  the  mill  at  Franklinville  was  in  operation. ^^ 

In  1845  manufacturing  had  become  such  a  lucrative  investment  that  fifteen  me" 
and  women  joined  to  incorporate  the  Island  Ford  Manufacturing  Company.  Thi* 
small  frame  mill  was  also  built  in  Franklinville  and  also  included  looms.  In  1848  ^ 
fourth  factory  was  organized  by  Quaker  residents  of  the  New  Salem  area.  Named  thf 
Union  Manufacturing  Company,  the  corporation  built  what  was  probably  the  county ' 
largest  antebellum  factory  near  the  Dicks'  grist  and  oil  mill  (now  Randleman).  Th^ 
county's  fifth  mill,  the  Deep  River  Manufacturing  Company,  was  also  incorporate|^ 
in  1848,  but  the  brick  mill  at  Columbia  (now  Ramseur)  was  not  completed  unf' 
1850. 


16 


t*  I 


The  only  ,no.n  representaHon  of, He  1845  Island  ^or<ifac,oryism^^^^^^^^^           -'  ^^^'^^  ""^-^'^ 
in  the  special  1895  "Cotton  Mill  Edition"  of  the  News  and  Observer  ofRaletgh.        ^ 

~    Randolph  County's  early  cotton  te^^^^^^^^^^^^ 

North  Carolina's  first,  although  the  Cedar  Falls  and  F   "klmvd^^^^^^^        ^^^^^,^ 

among  the  first  twenty.  Neither  were  the  Randdph  f^^"""        ^^  ^^^  early 

biggest,  or  best-run,  or  most-productive  ^"^^^^ellurn  mUls^  BuMhe^^^^^^.^y 

Randolph  mills  and  mill  villages  are  important,  "^^^"^^'"'p^rolina  when  the  Civil 

There  were  about  fifty  cotton  mills  in  operation  m  North  Laroui 

War  began  in  1861;^»  these  are  among  the  few  survivors. 

^^^  vpnman  service  for  both  the  State  and 
From  1861  to  1865  these  mills  were  to  P^J"™  y!™fn,i,,s  worked  at  full  capacity 
the  Confederacy.  Almost  without  exception  North  Carolina  i^^^  ^^^.^^  ^^^  ^^^^ 

throughout  these  four  years,  and  many  operated  day  a         e  ^  ^^  ^^^^.^^  ^^^^ 

months  of  the  war  the  Confederate  government  drew  its  en  ff^       Sherman's  or 

from  the  mills  of  upland  North  Carolina.  Cotton  lactones  ^^.^^  ^jjj,  ^orn  and 

Stoneman's  forces  emerged  from  the  war  as  ''''™'    .^ring  the  war  justified  the 
obsolescent  machinery,  but  their  own  record  of  Production  dunngt 
faith  their  owners  had  shown  in  the  North  Carolina  ext.kinau^ry.  ^^^^^^^^  ^^^.^^ 
For  the  years  ahead  the  ante-bellum  mills  nao  ""^^  t'^^j  jg^Q^^  (here  was  never  a 
Despite  the  precarious  existence  of  mills  in  the  late  i»         ^^^^  ^^^^j^^  expansion  after 
complete  breakdown  of  the  industry  in  the  State,  ana  ^^  ^^^  ^^.^  asset— a 

1880  was  built  on  the  foundations  that  had  existed  for  ''^"°"^j^j;,„  3„d  enough  mills  to 
number  of  communities  with  manufacturing  traditions  an  e  ^^^  Carolina 

form  a  nucleus  for  further  growth-that  attracted  casual  and  maae 
Piedmont  area  the  textile  center  of  the  New  South. 


Thi,  is  the  only  known  illustration  of  the  Union  factory  before  it  was  destroyed  by  fire  and  rebuilt  in  1885. 
Tappel^sontheRandleman  Manufacturing  Company  letterhead,  dated  1879  (courtesy  N.  C.  State 

Archives). _^_^^_____ 


INDUSTRIALIZATION 

Here  we  still  have  a  lot  of  personal  independence,  coupled  with  a  personal  initiative, 
looking  toward  the  personal  good  of  the  most  people. 

There  is  no  higher  aim  for  any  business  group,  large  or  small,  than  to  help  along  this 
Tar  Heel  way  of  life  and  living. 

— Speech  by  North  Carolina  Governor 
R.  Gregg  Cherry,  22  November  1946 

Growth  of  the  Tfextile  Industry 

The  five  Randolph  County  factories,  employing  298  persons  in  1860,  were  the 
predecessors  of  local  industries  now  employing  10,000  textile  and  apparel  workers, 
or  about  one-fourth  of  the  county  work  force.«°  As  eariy  as  1850  Randolph  had  been 
almost  three  times  as  industrialized  as  all  but  one  of  its  neighboring  counties.  The 
exception  Alamance,  pioneered  the  textile  industry  in  concert  with  Randolph  and 
Cumberiand.  Much  of  the  subsequent  expansion  of  the  textile  industry  in  North 
Carolina  rested  on  the  foundations  laid  by  industrialists  of  these  counties. 

Typical  of  the  influence  of  the  eariy  Randolph  factories  was  the  Civil  War-era 
Cedar  Falls  Company  under  George  Makepeace.  During  the  war  the  company  was 

17 


"■•y^xnajwwpi 


Dept 


the  state's  largest  supplier  of  shirts  and  underwear  for  the  army.^'  Makepeace  and  his 
young  assistants,  J.  M.  Odell  and  W  H.  Ragan,  oversaw  production  from  cotton 
bale  to  finished  apparel,  perhaps  the  first  time  in  North  Carolina  that  these  activities 
were  integrated  by  a  corporation.  Odell  and  Ragan  were  two  in  a  generation  of 
subsequently  prominent  "New  South"  industrialists  who  entered  the  textile  busi- 
ness before  the  war. 

John  Milton  Odell,  a  Cedar  Falls  native  who  began  working  for  the  factory 
about  1855,  is  perhaps  the  best  known. *^  After  brief  service  in  the  Civil  War,  Odell 
returned  to  the  Cedar  Falls  factory  and  seems  to  have  served  as  superintendent  from 
1862  to  1869.  Odell  then  moved  to  Concord  and  in  1877  bought  and  reopened  a 
defunct  textile  factory  there.  He  soon  became  one  of  the  most  successful  textile 
industrialists  in  the  state.  Not  only  was  Odell  the  dominant  figure  in  Concord's 
industrial  boom,  he  also  pioneered  textile  ventures  in  Chatham  and  Gaston  counties 
and  the  city  of  Durham.  Odell  also  sponsored  James  William  Cannon's  first  Concord 
factory,  the  Cannon  Manufacturing  Company.'*-' 

J.  A.  Odell,  a  brother  of  J.  M.  Odell,  began  work  for  the  Cedar  Falls  Company 
as  a  storekeeper.  About  1869  he  moved  to  Greensboro  and  founded  the  Odell 
Hardware  Company  which  remains  a  major  wholesale  business.  William  H.  Ragan, 
the  war-time  superintendent  at  the  Franklinville  factory,  became  a  pioneer  merchant 
and  industrialist  in  High  Point  and  was  involved  in  the  early  furniture  industry  also. 

Jonathan  Worth's  primary  income  while  he  served  as  secretary  of  state  and 
governor  came  from  his  job  as  president  of  the  Cedar  Falls  Company.  His  brother, 


John  Milton  Worth,  began  an  influential  career  in  textiles  as  a  Cedar  Falls 
stockholder  who  rose  to  the  presidency  of  the  company  (1877-1901).  J.  M.  Worth 
involved  several  family  members  in  the  business,  founded  the  mill  and  village  at 
Worthville,  and  controlled  plants  in  Randleman  and  Central  Falls  as  well  as  Cedar 
Falls.  During  his  lifetime  Randolph  became  the  center  of  a  regional  industry: 

By  1883  the  banks  of  Deep  River  were  lined  with  eleven  cotton  factories,  nine  of 
which  were  located  in  Randolph  County.  This  county  had  one  of  the  heaviest  concentra- 
tions of  cotton  mills  before  the  war  ...  In  the  1870s  new  mills  arose  at  the  side  of  those 
which  had  been  in  operation  for  decades.  There  were  eleven  mills,  extending  from 
Jamestown  in  Guilford  County  to  Enterprise  in  Randolph.  They  had  in  operation  28,OO0 
spindles  and  750  looms,  which  gave  employment  to  about  5,000  persons.  The  capital 
invested  in  these  mills  was  over  three  quarters  of  a  million  dollars.*" 

Other  local  factories  played  parts  in  fostering  the  textile  expansion.  The 
postwar  owners  of  Union  factory  helped  establish  the  1879  Naomi  plant  down- 
stream in  Randleman  as  well  as  three  later  steam-powered  factories.  Randleman's 
most  significant  role  was  perhaps  as  a  pioneer  in  the  hosiery  industry.  The 
Randleman  Hosiery  Mill,  established  before  1894,  was  one  of  the  first  in  the 
Piedmont.**  J.  Henry  Millis  of  High  Point  had  taken  interest  in  this  mill  by  1904  ani 
had  hired  its  superintendent  to  oversee  the  first  hosiery  mill  in  his  city,  the  Higl' 
Point  Hosiery  Mill.  That  original  factory  became  part  of  the  modem  Adams-Milli* 
Corporation,  one  of  the  nation's  largest  hosiery  manufacturers  and  a  cornerstone  of 


.  y/Zfj/'rf/r/^r.j //u,/(\^rrr  yAMV  '^  ~ I „.,  .,n.,  ,/:'^4.^<>"^ 

///I-  /•/■fj:/  // .,f//r/  C////,,r,n/  /l/i//l //tr.Jili//l//i/i  // //i/.i /^/ >///im/f  /r///i  ///r  />n/l///i  r////iljr</ 
///  /fitr  f//  ////■  //ti/f  //.J//f//  /tf//lj/r> 

■/:.„„/ a;„,/,„^,  „/  7/r,//„;//rJi!.  A/,;.,  ■;  r\A,« ,/  -^^^^^  0/<^ 


i4  \\evi  of  the  Worth  Manufacturing  Company  factory  at  Worthville  appears  on  a  1910  stock  certificate. 


Interior  of  the  Franklinsville  Manufacturing  Company  weaving  room  in  1916. 


18 


the  phenomenal  development  of  High  Point's  hosiery  industjy.J^e  debt  to  RancUeman 
was  partially  repaid  when  the  Commonwealth  H.°^'^^^^'^'"l^3'„'„  s.^  ^■ 
and  associates  moved  there  from  High  Pomt  dunng  the  Depression. 


Furniture  Industry  . 

An  unexpected  outgrowth  of  Randolph's  antebellum  textile  m^^^^^^ 
as  the  other  half  of  the  county's  modem  mdustnal  sector^  ^^  outgrowth  of 

Randolph,  unlike  the  development  in  some  areas,  ^^^not  s.    p  >  ^^ 

early  country  cabinetmaking.  Textile  factones  all  ^,^1^,  we^e  necessary,  from 
which  to  wind  yam.  Various  sizes  of  the  spools  or    ^oddui  ^^^  ^^^^^^^  ^^  ^ 

the  large  warp  and  roving  type  to  "quills,    bobbms  wh'cn        ^.^^  ^^^  ^^  ^^^ 

loom.  Bobbins  were  disposable  items,  used  until  ^^o'cen  or  s^^^  ^^  ^^^  difficulties  of 
essential,  therefore,  to  have  a  source  of  ^^P^^'^^^i^f  ^^re  doubtlessly  manufac- 
transportation  and  the  simplicity  of  the  iteni,  boboms  w  f^,^^^  or  by  a 

tured  locally  from  the  earliest  periods  either  by  independent 
mill's  machine  shop.  .         ^egan  during  the  Civil 

The  first  known  wholesale  marketing  of  ^h^f  i;^"^;„i„|  i„  june,  1863,  the 
War,  again  under  the  aegis  of  George  .^?f  kepeace  Begin^^^g^  ^^^^^^^  ^^^  ^^^ 
Greensboro  Patriot  carried  notices  that    The  Ceaar  ra        ^  ^^^  ^^.^^^^  ^^^ ^ 

prepared  to  furnish  at  short  notice,  all  kinds  ot  ^o''""  ,,'87  ^^e  Cedar  Falls  Bobbin 
suitable  for  woolen  and  cotton  mills.  J.  M.  Odell,  Agen^  r,,v^cwrv  in  1867-1868 
factory  was  advertised  in  Bransons  North  Carolina  f  "^'"""^  ;  t^e  Cedar  Falls- 
and  1869.  The  1870  Census  of  Manufacturers  ''^ted  fwo  me"^^^  ^^j,.„^^  ^ork." 
Franklinville  area  who  described  their  business  as  equipment  as 

Both  A.  G.  Jennings  and  J.  W.  Tippett  identified  h^^^^^J^^^  J'^.'^^.d  tumed  26,000 
a  "water-powered  tuming  lathe."  Besides  50  bedsteaas  Jen  ^  j  ^^^^  ^^  bedsteads 
bobbins  (worth  $780)  during  the  previous  y^^r,  ^"f^,' ?„^..orv  of  Alson  G.  Jennings 
and  25  bureaus  as  well  as  13,000  bobbins.  The  bobbin  ^^  /  .  ^ds  was  listed 
advertised  in  the  1872  and  1877  Branson  Directories,  but  atterw 
only  as  "A.  G.  Jennings  &  Son,  Cabinetmakers.  „arked  the  first  example 

The  bobbin  factory  with  waterpowered  t""^'?^ '^"^  working  industry.  During 
of  mechanized  mass  production  in  North  Carolina    "^  ^j^j  shuttles  and  picker 

the  war  production  must  have  expanded  to  include  rep  .^^  ^^^  shuttles  were 

sticks.  Picker  sticks  were  simple,  disposable  items  uk  '  ^^^^^^^^  ^^j^^^i^g^j 

more  complicated.  Hollow,  bullet-shaped  devices  witn       .^  ^{,e'ioom.  They  were 
quills  to  carry  the  filling  yam  through  the  warp  sn  ^^  manufacture.  Raw 

historically  made  from  apple  wood,  durable  yet  sou  ^         -^      .^  ^^^^^  maintained 
material,  however,  was  grown  in  specially-planted  groves  o    \>v 

by  the  northern  loom  makers.  v.:  ,n  "the  father  of  High  Point," 

The  situation  changed  after  the  Civil  War  ^^^nKs  lu  ^^^^  .^  ^^^^  Carolina 
Captain  William  H.  Snow.''  A  Vermont  native,  bnow  nu  ^^^^^^  ^^  ^.^  tubercular 
during  the  war  and  decided  to  retum  hoping  to  improv  resources  of 

wife.«9  Snow  immediately  became  involved  in  utilizing  the 


Randolph  and  Guilford  counties.  He  seems  to  have  worked  during  the  late  1860s  in 
?o?ond  Thomas  McMahon's  spoke  and  handle  factory  in  Greensboro.^"  TT^]V^ 
Sntw  Sres tablish  his  own  V  and  handle  factoiy  in  Archdale,  but  by  1872  he 
had  moved  the  operation  to  High  Point  where  he  had  settled, 
had  movea  ^""l  J  introduced  inexpensive  dogwood  and 

•^"''''    lis  S  the  nTrthem  textile  industry.  In  1867  he  sent  a  barrel  of 
persimmon  shuttles  to  the  rionnern  lexi  y  Massachusetts.  This 

P"^\rfi^"sttrate?simmon^  u^^^^^^^  shipped  from  the  South."- 

was  the  first  time  a  Persimmon  snu  ^^^^^  ^^  ^^^ 

Although  it  has  been  c  aimed  ht^to^^^^^^^^  for  th'e  manufacture  of 

tSo  k's  '■'  it  seems  likely  that  the  state's  antebellum  textile  factories  had  made 
tttcrr;'earlier.^3  ^  the  Civil  W.  with  .on.  in  ^^^^^^^^^^^^^ 

rhSrarwKsSrin  :uL?r:sothem  shuttJalmost  immediately 
shuttles  as  wen  as  pvnensive  aoolc  wood  and  a  market  was  created 

aXTS  ars  rn^  XStTmS  By  1884  there  were  shuttle  block 
StoriesTn  Archdale  and  Central  Falls  as  well  as  in  High  Point,  Greensboro  and  sur- 

""IriSfsnow  founded  the  Snow  Lumber  Company  to  process  Randolph 
in  1651  oil"  crrnwine  number  of  High  Point  wood  products— shuttles, 

County  timber  ^"-^  j^e  grow'^^i^^^^i^dow  sash,  doors  and  blinds.  About  1883 
rbeg:;rpSm^otS^^^  to  open  up  the  Randolph  forests.-  The 

prcSeltwas  completed  in  1889,  a  year  after  W.  H.  Snow's  son,  E.  A.  Snow,  assisted 


Interior  of  a  chair  manufacturing  operation  in  Randkman.  ca.  1900. 


19 


jfrniiMmiiiiiiiiiiiii^HB 


Dept 


in  founding  the  High  Point  Furniture  Company,  the  town's  first  furniture  factory, 
which  had  begun  operating  by  July,  1888.^^  The  railroad  and  the  developing 
furniture  market  soon  encouraged  the  opening  of  plants  in  Randolph  County.  The 
Alberta  Chair  Works,  incorporated  in  Ramseur  in  1889,  was  the  first  and  continues 
to  operate  as  the  Weiman  Company.  By  1900  almost  every  town  in  the  county 
boasted  a  chair  factory.  P  &  P  Chair  Company  in  Asheboro  is  the  best  remaining 
example  of  that  period,  although  furniture  manufacturing  plants  are  currently  being 
constructed  and  remain  an  important  segment  of  the  local  economy. 

Industrialism  and  Community  Growth 

The  practice  of  building  a  mill  in  virtually  every  town  in  the  Piedmont  tended  to 
stabilize  the  population  in  and  around  the  towns,  in  contrast  to  the  tendency  in  other 
industrializing  areas  for  rural  populations  to  empty  into  a  few  large  cities.  The  dispersion 
of  industry  led  to  the  dispersed  population  and  relative  lack  of  large  cities  that  is  such  a 
striking  characteristic  of  the  region.'^ 

The  above  quote  describes  the  results  of  a  circular  development  process  which 
provided  for  slow,  steady  industrial  growth  in  both  Randolph  County  and  North 
Carolina.  This  type  of  industrial  development  was,  in  effect,  a  process  of  decentraliz- 
ing factories  and  centralizing  the  worker  population.  Factories  and  workers  were 
gathered  together  in  small  towns,  and  the  rural  landscape  was  kept  relatively  free  of 
encroaching  industrial  development  and  residential  subdivision.  The  process  began 
under  the  various  cotton  mill  companies  both  before  and  after  the  Civil  War  and  was 
extended  to  foster  the  furniture  industry.  The  philosophy  was  institutionalized  by 
North  Carolina's  Governor  R.  Gregg  Cherry  in  the  1940s  as  the  "Balanced  Growth 
Policy."  In  a  speech  entitled  "Conserving  North  Carolina's  Resources"  given  in 
January,  1946,  Governor  Cherry  said: 

.  .  .  we  must  not  lose  sight  ofthe  fact  that  industrialization  alone  is  no  panacea.  .  .  .  North 
Carolina  will  not  have  a  great  many  industries  except  as  they  are  added  one  or  two  at  a 
time,  community  by  community.  It  must  be  a  program  based  on  the  type  of  industry  best 
suited  to  any  given  community.  ...  It  should  be  the  type  of  industry  which  will  be 
locally  owned,  locally  managed,  and  locally  financed.  .  .  . 

We  shall  never  forge  ahead  relatively  to  the  race  with  our  sister  states  unless  and  until 
we  supplement  the  present  vogue  for  bringing  in  industries  from  the  outside  with  an 
aggressive  program  of  development  from  within.  ...  To  obtain  locally  owned  and 
managed  industries,  established  in  the  light  of  needs  of  a  particular  community,  is  to 
obtain  them  the  hard  way  But  we  can  and  must  do  it.'" 

Governor  Cherry's  call  for  the  creation  of  small,  community-based,  rurally 
located  industries  built  with  local  capital,  utilizing  local  labor  and  raw  materials 
contrasts  sharply  with  contemporary  notions  of  growth  based  on  industrial  recruitment. 
Unfortunately,  it  is  an  obvious  fact  that  life  today  does  not  reflect  a  situation  like  that 
he  described.  The  textile  industry  today  is  the  largest  industrial  employer  in  North 
Carolina.  The  state's  fifty  textile  factories  of  the  Civil  War  period  currently  have 


1,325  descendant  textile  plants.  With  mills  in  81  of  100  counties,  one  quarter  of  the 
United  States  textile  industry  is  located  in  North  Carolina.  One  of  every  three 
manufacturing  workers  in  the  state  is  involved  with  textiles  or  wearing  apparel, 
combining  for  more  than  40  percent  of  the  industrial  occupations.*^ 

Governor  Cherry's  lucid  description  of  an  ideal  was  made  as  changing 
circumstances  began  to  erode  it.  The  process  of  decentralizing  factories  in  rural 
population  centers  reversed  course  with  advances  in  mid-twentieth  century  technology 
With  good  roads,  automobiles,  inexpensive  gasoline  and  reduced  travel  time,  a 
centralized  worker  population  was  no  longer  necessary.  Employees  could  live 
anywhere  as  long  as  they  could  drive  to  work.  Hard  times  in  the  1930s  and  the 
demands  of  World  War  II  brought  people  from  the  farms  into  the  wage  earning  class 
of  industry.  The  clear  distinction  between  rural  and  urban  life  blurred  in  the  years 
after  the  war.  The  final  barrier  was  broken  when  water  and  sewage  service  systems 
were  extended  into  the  rural  areas.  Annexation  and  expansion  followed,  intensifying 
and  encouraging  a  similarity  of  growth  in  the  cities  and  the  countryside. 

Between  1967  and  1978,  the  amount  of  rural  farmland  in  North  Carolina 
decreased  by  1.3  million  acres,  including  an  average  of  2,000  acres  per  county  of 
prime  farmland."*  Just  in  part  of  that  period,  from  1974  to  1978,  Randolph  County 
lost  10,000  acres  of  rural  land  to  development. ""  j 

The  history  of  Randolph  County's  buih  environment  calls  to  mind  the  long' 
running  controversy  between  preservationists  and  developers,  sometimes  posed  as 
"the  eternal  struggle  for  supremacy  between  the  land  and  the  machine."  The 
county's  antebellum  industry  both  coexisted  with  the  agricultural  economy  and 
strengthened  it.  The  relationship  of  the  factories  to  the  environment  was  naturally 
symbiotic:  the  environment  provided  the  energy  to  run  the  manufacturing  operation 
and  the  factory  workers  created  a  market  for  agricultural  production.  That  mutually 
beneficial  relationship  stands  as  a  perpetual  reminder  of  those  brief  but  exciting 
years  when  the  machine  and  nature  were  working  as  one.  Realistically,  however,  the 
clock  cannot  be  turned  back  and  development  will  continue.  The  preservationists 
must  work  with  the  forces  of  progress  to  conserve  that  which  should  be  preserved  of 
our  architectural  heritage.  Together  they  can  create  an  acceptable  "balanced 
growth." 

Good-thinking,  growing,  forward-looking  companies  .  .  .  working  hard  with  aletl 
civic  bodies,  will  remodel  the  indusu-ial  map  of  our  glorious  state  in  wonderfully  helpful 
ways,  bit  by  bit,  month  by  month,  year  by  year.  Here  in  North  Carolina  we  have  our  own 
working  problems,  our  own  enthusiasms,  our  own  wholesale  pride.  Our  job  to  do  is  ouf 
own  garden  to  tend— in  accordance  with  the  local  climate,  the  local  rain,  the  local 
sunshine.  We  have,  in  the  final  analysis,  a  North  Carolina  way  of  life,  a  way  of  doinj 
things,  and  this  is  in  direct  contrast  to  the  vast  and  regimented  industrial  complexes  i" 
other  lands. '"2 


20 


-TiA'jyjfaaaagag.^.^^'-'.  ».*j^*».i- 


ARCHITECTURAL  HERITAGE 


Structural  Development 

The  need  for  structural  development  in  early  Randolph  County  was  initially 
filled  by  amateurs,  then  by  specialists  and  professionals,  and  in  more  recent  years  oy 
corporations  and  businesses.  Houses,  bams,  outbuildings,  mills,  ^^ore^' ^f^J"/"^ 
all  the  other  elements  of  the  early  Randolph  County  landscape  sprouted  out  ot  tne 


^^/OsphotographofEnosBlairHouse.TrinityTowmhip(FrancesBenjamin 
"J  Congress). 


Johnston  and  the  Library 


fertile  and  diverse  minds  of  the  widely  divergent  groups  of  settlers  claiming  a  piece 
of  central  North  Carolina  real  estate.  The  wagon  loads  of  barrels,  boxes,  furniture 
and  other  belongings  carried  by  the  early  immigrant  families  pale  when  compared  to 
the  intellectual  and  cultural  baggage  each  member  carried  in  his  head.  While 
remaining  an  essential  truth,  it  has  become  much  less  obvious  today  due  to  the 
mass-produced,  homogeneous  nature  of  modem  American  society.  Today's  exurban 
migrant  can  fill  his  need  for  housing  with  the  purchase  of  some  pre-manufactured 
house  trailer  or  "Jim  Walter"  home.  The  pioneer  of  the  early  North  Carolina 
Piedmont  faced  an  acute  need  for  shelter  which  he  could  only  fill  by  building  for 
himself,  with  local  materials  and  labor,  according  to  whatever  idea  of  a  home  he 
carried  in  his  mind. 

In  Europe  prototypical  dwellings  varied  from  country  to  country,  as  regional 
and  site-specific  as  any  linguistic  dialect,  and  as  easy  to  identify  and  attribute. 
American  architectural  research  is  not  quite  so  clear.  As  in  most  other  aspects  of  our 
society,  the  cultural  "melting  pot"  has  blurred  those  European  distinctions.  Many 
national  elements  which  were  preserved  in  New  England,  Pennsylvania,  Maryland 
and  Virginia  had  been  transformed,  modified  or  forgotten  completely  by  the  time 
these  settlers  or  their  descendants  reached  Piedmont  North  Carolina.  While  building 
types  and  architectural  forms  found  in  those  states  are  also  found  in  Randolph 
County,  attributing  them  to  specific  national  or  cultural  groups  is  difficult  and  highly 

uncertain. 

"In  log  houses  the  antecedents  of  the  builder  show  less  than  in  more  highly 
finished  buildings,  where  details  of  joinery  almost  invariably  betray  early  training  or 
environment." '°^  This  statement,  made  by  Thomas  T  Waterman,  the  godfather  of 
architectural  history  in  North  Carolina,  was  used  as  preface  to  a  discussion  of 
Randolph's  oldest  house,  the  Enos  Blair  log  cabin.  The  Blair  cabin  is  the  county's 
only  contribution  to  the  author's  1941  book,  The  Early  Architecture  of  North 
Carolina.  Waterman  considered  the  house  near  Trinity  one  of  the  region's  oldest 
stractures  on  the  basis  of  its  plan,  chimney  location,  window  treatment  and 
construction  details.  The  Blair  house  survives  today  with  changes.  The  unglazed 
windows  covered  with  sheathed  shutters  have  disappeared,  replaced  with  modem 
sash.  The  original  cabin  is  the  nucleus  of  a  series  of  rambling  additions  now  further 
disguised  with  aluminum  siding.  Fewer  alterations  have  changed  the  interior  of  the 
cabin,  which  had  led  Waterman  to  exclaim  that  "The  effect  of  this  low  dark  room 
with  its  great  fireplace  must  well  exemplify  the  interiors  of  the  first  North  Carolina 

dwellings." '°^  ,    .      ^.  ^^ 

The  only  portion  of  Waterman  s  analysis  which  demands  improvement  is  his 
use  of  local  information  to  assign  a  specific  date  to  the  cabin,  "said  to  date  from 
about  1750,  when  Enos  Blair  settled  here."'°^  Enos  Blair,  bom  in  Virginia  in  1750, 
could  not  have  built  a  home  of  his  own  in  Randolph  County  until  about  1770.  The 
cabin  could  possibly  have  been  built  much  earlier  by  a  relative  or  some  other 
pioneer,  but  this  is  unclear.  Whether  1750  or  1770,  the  cabin  is  still  Randolph's 
oldest  standing  stmcture  and  a  good  example  of  the  simple  dwellings  of  the  earliest 
settlers.  Moreover,  it  demonstrates  the  fact  that  some  of  the  ideals  brought  by  the 
settlers  were  later  changed  in  response  to  the  local  environment.  An  illustrative 


21 


comparison  can  be  made  between  the  Blair  cabin  and  a  larger  log  home  built  by  the 
Frazier  family  about  1780  standing  a  short  distance  northeast. 

Both  cabins  feature  a  single  story  with  a  sleeping  loft.  The  Frazier  cabin, 
however,  used  "double-pen"  construction  to  create  a  two  room  plan,  called  a 
"hall-and-parlor"  plan.  The  front  and  rear  entrances,  by  opening  into  the  larger  east 
room,  or  "hall,"  provided  for  cross-ventilation  in  the  summer,  and  the  exterior  end 
chimneys  relegated  excess  heat  to  the  outside.  The  Blair  cabin's  interior  end  chimney 
is  the  only  one  known  in  a  Randolph  County  log  house.  This  type  of  chimney  was 


Depti; 


Frazier  double-pen  log  House.  New  Market  Township:  built  ca.  1 780:  demolished  1981 . 


Contemporary  photograph  of  the  Enos  Blair  House  porch,  now  a  screened  enclosure. 


useful  for  retaining  heat  in  colder  northern  climates,  but  hot  southern  summers  soon 
led  builders  to  place  chimneys  outside  the  mass  of  the  house,  and  even  to  build 
separate  "summer  kitchens"  to  distance  the  heat  of  cooking  fires  from  the  living 
areas. 

Log  construction  had  been  brought  to  America  by  Germans  and  Scandinavians, 
but  the  technique  had  become  a  pioneer  standard  long  before  the  first  settlers 
reached  Randolph.  Because  of  the  abundance  of  materials  and  the  relative  ease  of 
construction,  pioneers  left  log  structures  in  their  wake  like  bread  crumbs  along  the 
trail.  More  log  structures  are  recorded  in  the  Randolph  architectural  inventory  than 
any  other  type  of  building,  yet  these  undoubtedly  represent  only  a  fraction  of  those 
which  still  exist  and  now  are  hidden  by  later  construction.  Inventoried  log  buildings 
represent  an  even  smaller  fragment  of  the  total  number  built  in  the  county  for  the 
tradition  of  log  building  extended  from  the  eariiest  days  of  settlement  to  the  Second 
Worid  War.  Today,  a  modified  version  is  gaining  in  popularity. 

Because  of  the  technique's  ubiquity  the  exact  dating  of  a  log  cabin  or  house  is 
almost  impossible.  Size,  floor  plan  and  the  style  of  comer  joint  notching  are  the 
only  major  distinctions  between  types  of  log  buildings,  and  any  builder  could 
choose  any  variation  which  appealed  to  his  tastes  and  needs.  The  two  most  common 
notching  techniques  found  in  Randolph  are  the  "V"  notch,  as  featured  on  the  Blaif 
cabin,  and  the  "half-dovetail"  notch  such  as  used  in  the  circa-1840  log  mill  house  al 


22 


Interior  of  the  Sandy  Creek  Baptist  Church  showing  log  construction. 


Cedar  Falls.  No  "full  dovetail"  notches  were  found,  and  «"ly .^/^^  V^^^f'^a 
the  "diamond"  notch,  a  com  crib  on  the  Thomas  Rice  ^o^ne  «a  Fa^^^^^^^ 
discovered.  Any  style  of  notch  was  appropriate  for  o^tbuildrngs,  w^h^^y'     vary    g 
from  building  to  building  even  on  the  same  farm  complex.  ^""^^  bmioing    p       w 
built  in  haste  or  by  two  Workers  with  different  preferences,  '^°"^^med  more  tn 
notching  style  in  a  single  structure.  Two  small  f  ;";-f,^,S'anrv:oU.ng. 
Cross  and  one  in  Brower  Township,  displaymg  both  halMove  ail  ana 
The  latest  documented  use  of  half-dovetail  notching  is  f«""'^ '"  ^^'""^eTrly  all  of 
Swaim  farm  in  New  Market  Township,  built  in  1919.  Log  ^Jacco  bams^  neady  a 
^vhich  were  built  in  Randolph  County  between  1900  and  1940,  almost  unitormiy 

the  simple  saddle  or  square  notches.  „^rdstent  building  technique. 

Log  construction  was  Randolph  County's  most  persistent  ^"""'  »    j      ^^^^ 
surviving  even  heavy  frame  construction.  It  was  appropriate   o  even^   J 
dwellings  of  the  earliest  settlers  (the  Frazier  and  Blair  cabins)  to  a  ger  two      ry 
'mansion"  houses  (the  Wrenn  House  near  Liberty)  ^°  P^'^^^Hs L^^^^^^ 
courthouses  or  the  extant  Sandy  Creek  Baptist  Church).  For  a  l.t^perv^^ 
knowledge  of  log  construction  is  still  incomplete  but  it  wll.ncreas^^^^^^^       ^^^y^ 
future  discovery  of  a  house  or  cabin  hidden  under  honeysuckle, 
additions  ti 

Despite  the  prevalence  of  log  construction,  pioneers  may  have  frequent  y 


Picker  house  of  the  Franklinsville  Manufacturing  Company  or  ' '  Upper  Mill: '  The  original  stone  picker 
house  has  been  surrounded  by  later  additions  (Ruth  Little).  


considered  such  buildings  as  temporary,  expedient  structures.  Permanent  structures 
before  1860  generally  were  of  "heavy"  frame  construction.  Only  one  major  stone 
building  was  found  by  the  inventory,  the  1838  Randolph  Manufacturing  Company 
"Picker  House"  in  Franklinville.  Stone  was  a  logical  choice  for  containing  the 
explosive  atmosphere  of  combustible  cotton  dust.  Although  the  structure  is  basically 
utilitarian,  the  stone  masonry  received  at  least  a  partial  coat  of  stucco,  which  was 
scored  to  resemble  cut  blocks  of  stone. 

While  the  local  clay  which  supported  so  many  potters  also  produced  many 
brick  it  was  used  primarily  for  chimneys  or  foundations.  Only  five  brick  houses  are 
known  which  pre-date  the  Civil  War:  the  Reddick  House  (Trinity),  "Melrose," 
the  Dempsey  Brown  House  and  the  Tommy  White  House,  all  in  Trinity  Township; 
and  the  Makepeace  House  in  Franklinville.  There  were  only  five  brickmasons  in 
Randolph  in  1850  and  six  in  1860.  The  career  of  only  one  of  these  is  known  in 
detail— Robert  Gray  (1820-1890)  of  Gray's  Chapel.  He  almost  certainly  was  involved 
in  the  construction  of  the  brick  textile  factories  in  nearby  Cedar  Falls  and  Franklinville 
and  in  the  reconstruction  of  the  Franklinville  factory  in  1851.  Soon  afterwards  he 
"contracted  for  and  built"  the  three-story  main  building  of  Trinity  College.  In  1855 
Gray  was  hired  to  build  another  three-story  school  building,  the  Glennanna  Female 
Seminary,  which  still  stands  in  Thomasville.'°^ 

Heavy  frame  construction  was  much  more  common  than  masonry.  The  tech- 

23 


Dept 


Dempsey  Brown  House,  Trinity  Township:  built  perhaps  prior  to  1836. 


Documentary  photograph  showing  the  George  Makepeace  House  in  Franklinville  ca .  1895 . 


nique  was  also  known  as  "post  and  beam"  or  "mortise  and  tenon"  construction, 
so-called  after  components  of  the  process.  Large  timbers  were  mortised,  or  cut  and 
notched,  to  make  up  a  skeletal  structural  frame,  then  fastened  together  with  wooden 
pegs,  or  trunnels  ("tree-nails"),  instead  of  iron  hardware.  This  type  of  construction 
was  superseded  in  the  late  nineteenth  century  by  "balloon-frame"  construction, 
developed  in  Chicago  after  1833.  The  "balloon-frame"  technique,  using  smaller, 
standardized  sizes  of  lumber  fastened  with  nails,  is  more  familiar  today.  It  is  not 
known  to  have  been  used  in  Randolph  until  after  the  Civil  War. 

Almost  any  settler  with  a  broadaxe  and  a  strong  back  could  build  a  log  cabin.  A 
heavy-frame  structure  required  greater  skill,  different  tools,  longer  time  and  more 
money.  A  log  cabin  could  be  built  without  using  a  single  nail,  but  either  masonry  or 
frame  construction  required  plenty  of  them.  Frame  construction  was  something  of  a 
specialty  and  mainly  the  province  of  a  professional  house  carpenter.  The  carpenter 
was  hired  to  build  at  least  the  massive  frame  of  a  structure.  Once  this  was  done,  the 
neighbors  could  be  called  to  help  raise  the  frame,  peg  it  and  celebrate  in  the 
"house-raising"  party.  In  the  1850  census,  the  first  to  list  professions,  there  were 
forty-eight  carpenters  in  Randolph.  The  number  had  climbed  to  seventy-six  by  1860. 

Little  information  is  available  on  the  lives  and  careers  of  the  county's  aforemen- 
tioned carpenters.  A  unique  survival  is  the  contract  signed  by  Spencer  M.  Dorsett 
and  Thomas  W  Allred  in  September,  1850  to  build  Hanks  Lodge  for  the  Masonic 
Order  in  Franklinville. 


The  framing  is  to  be  of  oak;  the  rest  may  be  of  good  heart  pine,  but  any  expose 
timber  must  be  heart  pine.  The  shingles  to  be  of  good  heart  pine.  The  framing  to  be 
inches  thick  and  the  studding  set  on  18  inch  centre.  The  upper  story  to  be  finished  vvi' 
seats,  stands,  and  a  desk  suitable  for  the  lodge.  The  lower  story  to  be  finished  with  se^' 
with  backs  and  desks  suitable  for  a  school  room.  The  said  Dorsett  and  Allred  are ' 
furnish  all  the  material  and  to  do  the  whole  in  good  workmanlike  style  and  after  the  late^ 
fashions.  .  .  .  The  structure  was  to  be  completed  within  six  months  for  $1,350. 

— original  document  in  the  possession  of  Hank's  Lodge  No.  1 2' 

The  same  materials  and  techniques  developed  for  home  and  commerci' 
construction  were  also  used  in  building  bridges.  Throughout  most  of  the  nineteen'' 
century  timber  was  the  only  economical  material  for  rural  bridge  construction.  I'' 
chief  drawback,  however,  was  its  tendancy  to  weaken  and  decay.  An  open  bridge  h^' 
a  useful  life  expectency  of  only  ten  to  fifteen  years,  while  other  bridges,  roofed  afl' 
covered,  have  survived  over  one  hundred  years.  Any  large  wooden  bridge  w^ 
therefore  designed  to  be  protected  by  a  roof,  protecting  the  wooden  structuf' 
members  from  rot.  North  Carolinians  built  many  such  bridges  in  the  nineteeni' 
century.  One  of  the  first  in  the  Piedmont  was  authorized  in  1818,  when  Lewis  Bear'' 
operator  of  an  important  Yadkin  River  ferry  near  Salisbury,  gained  permission  fro'' 
the  state  legislature  to  replace  his  ferry  with  a  toll  bridge.  Beard  went  far  afield '' 
find  a  designer  for  his  bridge,  hiring  Ithiel  Town  of  New  Haven,  Connecticut.  ToW' 
a  former  apprentice  to  Boston  architect  Asher  Benjamin,  had  just  completed  thr^ 


24 


r  arjiTJK'CTErj^JWMKyaw*" 


'documentary  photograph  showing  the  interior  construction  of  the  Sheen's  Mill  covered  bridge,  an 
^'iample  of  mortise  and  tenon  construction.  


important  bridges  over  the  Connecticut  River  and  was  considered  an  expert  on  the 
subject.  107  While  in  North  Carolina  Town  patented  one  of  the  country's  most  popular 
Jndge  trusses,  a  latticed  web  of  diagonal  timbers  in  standard  sizes.  The  resulting 
°ndge  was  sturdy,  cheap  and  easy  to  assemble,  leading  Town  to  boast  that  his  bndge 
^ould  be  "buih  by  the  mile  and  cut  off  by  the  yard." '°'  Town  patented  his  design  and 
charged  a  licensing  fee  for  its  use. 

Although  covered  bridges  were  built  all  over  the  state,  Randolph  has  long  been 
^^nsidered  North  Carolina's  foremost  "covered  bridge  county."'"^  Randolph  today 
has  two  of  the  state's  three  existing  bridges,  although  these  are  the  last  representa- 
tives of  a  once  large  assortment.  At  one  time  there  were  more  than  sixty  covered 
''"dges  in  Randolph.  Forty-two  remained  to  be  documented  in  1936;  sixteen  were 
^Wl  preserved  in  1947;'"  and  eight  remained  as  late  as  1950. 
,  The  county's  first  known  covered  bridges  were  built  under  the  Town  patent, 
^though  not  before  Ithiel  Town's  death  in  1844.  In  February,  1845,  the  justices  of  the 
Randolph  County  Court  authorized  the  constniction  of  bridges  at  Cedar  Falls  ana 
^anklinville.'i^  The  single-span  Cedar  Falls  bridge  was  accepted  by  the  county  in 
^"gust,  1846,  when  industrialist  Henry  B.  Elliott  was  paid  $736,  half  the  cost  ot 
''^^ing  it  built.  It  survived  until  about  1940.  The  Franklinville  bndge,  suffenng 
?fveral  delays,  was  not  complete  until  May  1848.  Thomas  Rice,  a  county  justice  and 
fjanklinville's  resident  "mechanic,"  was  paid  $1,119  for  his  work  on  the  structure; 
^'le  itemized  account  was  $750  for  the  woodwork  and  $349  for  the  masonry,  with 


_^AV/\VAVAV^V/\VAVAV/\VA^ 


m 


WXVyXWXW^WXSo^XWXSrv^VrT^XS 


^ 


IJ  .1 .1 


1111 


r  I   t   r 


T.LJf;!,., 


:7= 


I 


Schematic  of  the  Town  lattice  truss 


Ca.  1940  documentary  photograph  of  the  Cedar  Falls  factory  and  covered  bridge  (courtesy  Randolph 
Book  1779-1979  photograph  collection  in  the  Randolph  Public  Library). 


25 


Dep 


The  Franklinville  covered  bridge  ca.  1930. 


additional  funds  appropnated  for  special  stone  "parapets"  on  the  bridge  abutments. ' " 
The  Franklinville  bridge  was  similar  to  the  Cedar  Falls  structure  but  longer  and  this 
fact  niay  have  riecessitated  a  design  improvement.  Photographs  show  that  the 
Franklinville  bridge  was  a  double-span  truss  utilizing  secondary  chords  for  extra 
strength  charactenstics  of  Town's  improved  post-1830  design.  However  its  long, 
diagonal  braces  and  counterbraces  seem  to  have  been  unique  among  Randolph's 
known  covered  bridges  and  may  have  been  Thomas  Rice's  own  invention.  The 
deteriorated  Franklinville  bridge  was  replaced  by  a  concrete  bridge  in  1924  and  was 
finally  demolished  about  1930. 

While  covered  bridges  were  being  built  in  the  decades  preceding  the  Civil  War, 
some  of  the  largest  and  best  known  Randolph  bridges  were  built  in  the  1880s  as  neW 
cotton  mill  companies  appeared  along  the  Deep  River.  In  March  1883  the  county 
commissioners  authorized  the  construction  of  "a  covered  lattice  bridee  210  fed 

long"  at  Worthville  J  -  The  bridge  was  complete  by  December  of  thafyear  and  stoo 

bun  Z  !?T  ol.^'rY'  '"  ''''•  '""'""^  "'^P^  *"^i^^^^  'haf  the  bridge  aS 
built  was  actually  237>/2  feet  long;  several  bridges  in  excess  of  200  feet  in  length 
have  been  identified  in  Randolph,  and  the  Worthville  bridge  may  have  been  one  of 
the  county  s  longest.  A  bridge  at  Central  Falls  was  authorized  in  April  1883  and 
bridges  at  Columbia  and  Enterprise  factories  were  authorized  in  June  1884  '"^  H 
seems  that  at  this  period  any  competent  carpenter  could  bid  to  const^ct  a  bridge 
according  to  county  specifications.  Those  who  could  provide  their  own  plans  seem 
to  have  been  the  more  experienced  bridge  builders.  In  August  1884  J  H 
Redding's  bid  of  $1,164.50  won  right  of  construction  for  an  open  bridge  at  Buffalo 


Schematic  of  the  unique  braced  and  coumerbraced  truss  system  of  the  Franklinville  covered  bridge  (courtesy  of  Audrey  C.  Beck). 


26 


Ford  with  the  promise  to  "pay  the  expense  of  getting  up  plans  and  specifications 
which  amounts  to  $15.00.""^  After  part  of  the  Enterprise  bridge  was  destroyed  by 
flood  in  1886,  B.  B.  Brooks  and  J.  C.  Cox  won  the  contract  to  replace  it 
"■  ■  •  according  to  the  moddle  submitted  as  a  plan.  ..."  Brooks  and  Cox  later 
agreed  to  alter  their  design  to  "M.  N.  Brower's  plan,"  and  the  bridge  was  built. 
John  C.  Cox  was  one  of  the  area's  premier  bridge  builders  of  this  period  and  trained 
several  men  who  built  covered  bridges  during  the  boom  years  of  the  early  twentieth 
century. '19  Cox's  1886  "moddle"  is  the  only  known  Randolph  County  example  of  a 
'lesign  submitted  as  a  plan  although  Madison  N.  Brower  of  Frankhnville  was 
frequently  hired  by  the  county  to  build,  repair  or  draw  plans  and  specifications  for 
covered  bridges. '2° 

The  open  trestle  Buffalo  Ford  bridge  was  short  lived;  by  October,  1892,  the 
ondge  had  washed  out,  and  in  1894  a  two-span  iron  bridge  was  authorized  to  be 
built.  121  This  was  not  the  first  local  bridge  to  use  iron  in  its  construction.  Even  the 
Wooden  covered  bridges  used  some  iron,  as  witnessed  in  the  demolition  report 

'•  •  •  15  Rods  of  Iron  weighing  785  lbs.,  26  screws  being  Irons  from  the  old  Buffalo 
Bridge.">22  The  first  known  bridge  to  use  iron  structurally  was  a  bridge  at  Waddell's 
Ferry  authorized  in  1889.  The  commissioners'  minutes  state  that  "The  contractor  for 
building  the  bridge  at  Waddell's  Ferry  is  allowed  to  put  in  Iron  Pillars  at  each  end  ot 
*e  Bridge  as  well  as  the  Middle  Pillar,  said  Pillars  to  be  good,  large  and 
substantial." '23  A  construction  bid  of  $2,474  by  Alfred  Moffitt  and  B.  B.  Brooks 
Was  accepted  for  this  short-lived  bridge'^*  which  was  destroyed  by  a  flood  m  1892. 
In  1894  iron  spans  began  replacing  the  longest  wooden  bridges.  Wiley  H.  Chiton  ot 
^ake  County  was  awarded  contracts  for  two  iron  bridges,  a  110-fooV26"^'^,Qnr"if^ 
*e  Naomi  Falls  factory  and  a  145-foot  double  span  at  Buffalo  Ford.  In  1901  the 
Virginia  Iron  and  Bridge  Company  of  Roanoke  received  contracts  for  bridges  at 
Island  Ford  in  Frankhnville  and  at  Enterprise  Factory  in  Coleridge. 

.  Interestingly,  the  introduction  of  industrial  bridge  building  to  Randolph  did  not 
signal  the  doom  of  custom-made  covered  bridges.  Instead,  it  seemed  to  invoke  a 
"nie  of  revived  and  increased  construction  of  such  bridges.  Though  the  major  river 
pressings  were  soon  spanned  with  iron,  the  mileage  of  public  roads  maintained  by 
^be  county  increased  substantially,  and  new  bridges  were  required  for  smaller 
^treams.  The  majority  of  Randolph  County's  covered  bridges  were  built  between 
j^^O  and  1920  by  a  new  generation  of  bridge  builders.  John  C.  Cox,  his  son  lom  A. 
^^^  and  associates  Hezekiah  L.  Andrews  and  Will  Dorsett  were  responsible  tor 
!^"ch  of  this  construction.  T  A.  Cox  recalled  in  1950  that  the  standard  price  for 
°"dge  construction  was  $1.00  a  linear  foot  for  open  bridges  and  $2.50-53^50  per 
'•near  foot  for  covered  bridges,  when  the  county  furnished  the  lumber.  When  the 
^keen's  Mill  covered  bridge  toppled  over  during  a  flood  around  1920  Will  Dorsett 
"^^naged  the  task  of  pulling  it  upright  and  bracing  it  with  steel  cables .  Dorsett  did 
"Ot.  however,  build  the  bridge  and  its  early  history  is  unclear.  The  100-foot  span  over 
y  Little  Uwharrie  was  probably  built  around  the  turn  of  the  century,  and  it  is 
certainly  the  last  example  of  a  Town  lattice  truss  in  North  Carolina.  The  county^s 
°'ber  remaining  bridge,  at  Pisgah,  was  built  in  1911  for  $40  by  J.  J.  Welch, 
covered  bridges  in  North  Carolina  and  Randolph  County  met  their  doom  during  the 


Documentary  photograph  of  the  Franklinville  covered  bridge  which  provides  a  glimpse  of  its  interior 
framing. 


Idyllic  documentary  photograph  of  the  Worthville  covered  bridge  which  was  washed  away  in  a  '  freshet' ' 
in  August,  1908. 


27 


Dep 


Central  spans  of  the  Island  Ford  iron  bridge. 


Fuller's  Mill  covered  bridge,  built  in  1907. 


Schematic  of  the  counterbraced  truss  used  in  the  Fuller's  Mill  bridge  (courtesy  of  Audrey  C.  Beck)- 

Depression  when  financial  responsibility  for  most  roads  and  bridges  was  assumed  b) 
the  State  and  heavier  automobile  traffic  made  them  unsafe  crossings. 

Building  for  Manufacturing 

It  has  been  said  that  the  factory  was  one  of  the  few  new  building  forms  added  to 
western  architecture  between  the  Renaissance  and  the  nineteenth  century  '3'  Whil^ 
North  Carolina  was  not  directly  in  the  mainstream  of  pioneer  industrial  design  » 
reasonable  idea  of  contemporary  factory  architecture  can  be  gained  from  the  k^ 
remams  of  the  state's  oldest  textile  mills.  That  physical  record  includes  however  a* 
few  as  six  examples.  The  earliest  of  these  is  the  1837  Salem  Cotton  Manufacturing 
Company,  a  steam-powered  mill  built  in  Forsyth  County  by  Francis  Fries.  After  late' 
expansion,  the  factory  became  known  as  the  "Arista  Mill"  and  has  recently  bee' 
renovated  as  the  "Brookstown  Mill,"  a  specialty  shopping  mall.  Another  survivor  i* 
the  Granite  Cotton  Mill  at  Haw  River  in  Alamance  County,  a  four-story  bric^ 
structure  built  in  1844  that  is  still  in  use  by  Cone  Mills.  The  remaining  fou' 
antebellum  factories  are  in  Randolph  County  and  make  up,  along  with  the  surviving 
buildings  associated  with  their  mill  villages,  North  Carolina's  richest  and  mosi 
significant  collection  of  eariy  industrial  structures. 

Since  the  original  wooden  Cedar  Falls  factory  was  replaced,  the  oldest  factor) 
remnants  in  the  county  are  the  surviving  portions  of  the  1839  Randolph  Manufactur- 
ing Company  at  Franklinville.  The  original  structure,  now  called  the  "Upper  Mill,' 


28 


■-"fV!ii'ftM(6b)i<t-i-**rxs^-i;«-:i'-^V--'.'i'-- 


!L-M^^'^'^/'^^v-''^y'"-y'L^^^^"-!^l^^^^:'^-^^ 


fflp 


i 

i?K 

sa 

1 

Hi 

m 
m 

1 

ssffll 

mm 

?s 

BS 

i 

BS= 
BSi 

'^"'Ulolph  Manufacturing  Company;  built  1839.  rebuilt  1851  (courtesy  of  Audrey  C.  Beck). 

*as  a  40  by  80-foot  brick  building,  nine  window  bays  long  and  three  wide  and  three 
Atones  high.  The  bond  of  the  brickwork  consisted  of  a  course  of  alternating 
stretchers  and  headers  (similar  to  Flemish  bond),  five  courses  of  stretchers  and 
Mother  course  of  alternating  stretchers  and  headers.  This  unusual  bond  was  never 
"sed  in  other  Randolph  factories,  although  it  was  repeated  in  the  Franklinville  plant 
'"  1851  and  1882.  All  subsequent  Franklinville  alterations  and  additions  were  made 
in  one-to-six  common  bond.  The  exact  appearance  of  the  1839  structure  cannot  be 
ascertained  because  of  some  140  years  of  alterations  and  significant  damage  by  fire 
^^^  original  roof  probably  consisted  of  a  simple  gable  with  Greek  Revival  bell 
^upola  similar  to  that  seen  in  the  earliest  photograph  (1874)  of  the  mill.  J  does  not 
seem  to  have  had  a  clerestory  monitor  roof  like  the  one  found  on  the  1837  Salem 

.,  A  fire  ravaged  the  mill  in  1851  but  left  much  of  the  structure  standing.  Most  of 
"^e  walls  remained  up  to  the  level  of  the  second  floor,  where  the  line  between  old  and 
"ew  brickwork  can  be  clearly  seen  in  early  photographs.  The  survival  of  the  walls 
^^en  with  destruction  of  the  mill  exemplifies  the  practical  philosophy  of  early  mil 
Jfsign.  The  foundations,  built  strong  enough  to  withstand  both  floods  and  constant 
^•bration  from  the  machinery,  were  often  the  most  expensive  part  of  a  mill.  Througti 
f^Perience  with  large  grist  and  merchant  mills,  a  multi-storied  design  was  preferred 
"ecause  it  maximized  floor  area  while  minimizing  necessary  foundations.  Thus,  me 
franklinville  mill  was  reconstructed  on  the  original  massive  foundations,  utilizing 
"^  surviving  brickwork  and  repeating  the  original  bond.  The  Franklinville  factory  is 


an  important  link  with  the  vernacular  tradition  of  mill  design,  a  concept  more 
directly  an  outgrowth  of  gristmill  construction  than  of  English  or  New  England  factory 
planning. 

New  England  factory  tradition  can  be  seen  in  the  1846  Island  Ford  factory  built 
in  Franklinville  and  destroyed  in  1895  but  reconstructed  from  surviving  documents. 
The  frame  building  was  40  by  80-feet  in  plan,  nine  bays  long  and  three  wide 
— virtually  identical  to  the  Franklinville  factory  just  upriver.  The  Island  Ford 
structure,  however,  was  four  stories  tall,  boasting  a  clerestory  monitor  roof  (like  the 
one  at  Salem)  to  light  the  fourth  floor.  This  roof  type  was  a  familiar  design  element 
imported  from  English  factory  design  and  used  in  some  of  the  earliest  New  England 
factories.  The  innovation  may  have  been  introduced  to  Randolph  County  by  George 
Makepeace,  a  machinist  and  millwright  imported  from  Massachusetts  in  1839, 
along  with  the  machinery,  for  the  Franklinville  factory.  Makepeace  was  one  of  the 
founders  of  the  Island  Ford  factory  and  almost  certainly  participated  in  its  design. 

In  the  same  year,  1846,  Makepeace  likely  helped  Henry  Elliott  rebuild  his 
Cedar  Falls  factory  on  a  larger  scale.  Elliott's  was  only  the  second  brick  factory  in 
the  county,  but  it  was  a  great  departure  from  the  one  at  Franklinville.  Fifty  by 
one-hundred-ten  feet  in  plan,  the  new  Cedar  Falls  factory  was  more  than  twice  the 
size  of  the  one  in  Franklinville.  Cedar  Falls  featured  more  and  larger  windows  and, 
like  the  Island  Ford  factory,  added  a  fourth  story  lighted  by  a  clerestory  monitor  roof. 
Like  all  the  subsequent  antebellum  factories,  its  brickwork  was  laid  in  one-to-three 
common  bond. 


29 


Dep^ 


O 


L 


nw 


Island  Ford  Manufacturing  Company;  built  1846.  destroyed  1895  (courtesy  of  Audrey  C.  Beck). 


M 


BHB  JBIB  ^BS  BBSS  SSS8BB  BH  BEffffl 


B3 


WSSH 

1) -^"^ lJ 


10 


i'^5^ 


SS3 
!13 


Enmm^ 


m 


I 
I 


EH 
01 


m 


B 


@ 

'—'—i 

ESS 

c-Sz-z- 

E3 

m 

&g^ 

>yfc>>_5-vr^ii^;  r 


I 


IM 


Cerfar  fa//.v  Manufacturing  Company:  built  1846  (courtesy  of  Audrey  C.  Beck). 


o 


^w^ 


m 


fXXL 

id 

131 

[> 


30 


Only  a  small  portion  of  the  county's  fourth  mill.  Union  factory  (1848),  still 
exists  due  to  its  destruction  by  fire  in  1885.  Like  the  Franklinville  factory,  the 
surviving  foundations  and  walls  formed  the  basis  for  rebuilding.  Union  factory,  as 
reconstructed  from  an  1879  drawing  and  surviving  information,  seems  even  more 
than  the  Cedar  Falls  factory  to  have  been  representative  of  the  most  advanced  theo- 
ries of  New  England  mill  design.  Union  factory  was  the  largest  of  the  antebellum 
Randolph  mills  at  50  by  120-feet.  Sited  the  farthest  upstream  of  any  of  Deep  River  s 
early  mills,  the  builder  augmented  its  waterpower  by  channeling  an  adjacent  stream 
into  its  headrace.  Even  then  the  mill  was  continually  idled  by  low  water,  the  trustra- 
tion  of  which  led  it  to  become  the  first  of  the  county's  mills  to  add  steam  power  atter 
*e  Civil  War.  The  three-story  factory  was  built  on  the  most  elaborate,  massive  stone 
foundations  of  any  of  the  mills  and  was  the  only  factory  which  straddled  its  power 
canal,  housing  the  wheel  under  the  mill  itself.  Although  in  New  England  this  design 
was  used  so  that  winter  ice  could  not  block  the  race  and  stop  the  wheel,  here  it  was 
probably  influenced  more  by  the  steep,  sloping  terrain  on  which  the  factory  was 
located. 

The  most  important  innovation  at  Union  factory  was  the  roof,  where  crowstep 
gables  concealed  the  most  shallowly  pitched  root  of  any  early  mill.  This  is  perhaps 
North  Carolina's  earliest  example  of  "slow  bum"  construction  pnnciples.  inese 
Pnnciples  for  mill  construction  began  to  develop  in  the  late  1830s  trom  tne 
experience  of  New  England  mutual  fire  insurance  companies  who  desired  to  prevent 


or  limit  the  damage  done  by  factory  fires  like  the  one  that  destroyed  the  Franklinville 
factory  in  1851.  Shallow  gables  and  flat  roofs  were  considered  safety  features 
because  steep  gables  and  clerestory  monitors  required  elaborate  and  combustible 
wooden  rafters,  collar  beams  and  braces.  Every  factory  built  in  North  Carolina  after 
the  Civil  War  exhibited  some  aspects  of  these  "New  England  Mutual  Vernacular" 
principles,  which  by  then  were  accepted  as  industrial  standards. '^^  In  the  1880s  and 
1890s  the  older  Randolph  County  factories  sought  these  lower  insurance  premiums 
by  adopting  features  such  as  stair  towers  with  water  tanks  and  sprinklers.  The 
Franklinville  factory  even  went  so  far  as  to  rebuild  its  gable  into  a  flat  roof  with  brick 

parapet. 

While  Union  Factory  presaged  later  architectural  standards  in  mill  design,  the 
last  antebellum  factory  seems  to  be  something  of  a  throwback.  Columbia  Factory, 
completed  in  1850,  is  a  large  scale  (50  by  100-feet  in  plan,  1 1  bays  long  and  5  bays 
wide)  version  of  the  Franklinville  factory — a  rectangular  brick  box  with  overhang- 
ing gable  roof.  These  retarditaire  features  exist  because  the  mill,  otficially  named 
"the  Deep  River  Manufacturing  Company,"  was  organized  and  designed  in  1843. 
Construction  seems  to  have  begun  then,  just  four  years  after  the  Franklinville  factory 
and  three  years  before  the  construction  of  the  Island  Ford  and  Cedar  Falls  factories. 
According  to  local  tradition,  a  fever  epidemic  brought  construction  to  a  halt,  but  as 
the  work-stoppage  stretched  over  six  years,  it  was  evidently  coupled  with  a  shortage 
of  capital  among  the  stockholders.  Consequently,  when  it  was  finally  completed,  the 


"'""  Manufacturing  Company:  built  1848.  burned  and  rebuilt  1 885  (courtesy  of  Audrey  C.  Beck) 


31 


I  iijjimi 


Dep 


Deep  River  Manufacturing  Company:  built  1850  (courtesy  of  Audrey  C.  Beck) 


factory  incorporated  few,  if  any,  of  the  innovations  introduced  by  tlie  other  mills. 
Columbia  Factory,  now  at  Ramseur.  was  later  extensively  expanded  and  is  the  only 
antebellum  Randolph  County  factory  which  has  been  placed  on  the  National  Register 
of  Historic  Places. 

The  five  early  factories  were  the  focal  points  of  larger  communities  which 
served  the  physical  and  social  needs  of  the  factory  workers.  The  need  for  worker 
housing  was  responsible  not  only  for  the  birth  of  the  seven  Deep  River  factory  towns 
but  also  for  the  subsequent  growth  of  earlier  crossroads  communities  and  later 
railroad  towns.  Much  of  the  expansion  and  development  of  those  first  and  third- 
growth  communities  during  the  early  twentieth  century  resulted  from  the  construc- 
tion of  worker  housing  by  factories  such  as  the  Liberty  Chair  Company,  the  Petty 
Sash  and  Blind  Company  in  Archdale  and  the  various  Asheboro  hosiery  mills,  chair 
factories  and  wood-working  companies.  An  in-depth  look  at  mill  villages  should 
therefore  shed  some  light  on  the  importance  of  industrialization  in  the  development 
of  Randolph  County's  built  environment. 

Like  most  American  "new  town"  schemes,  mill  towns  were  conceived  as 
Utopian  solutions  to  the  problems  of  worker  availability  housing,  health  and 
welfare.  The  first  true  American  mill  town — a  village  created  especially  to  house 
workers  at  a  factory — was  begun  in  Connecticut  in  1803  by  Colonel  David 
Humphreys.  Colonel  Humphreys  and  his  industrial  community  Humphreysville, 
received  encouragement  from  President  Thomas  Jefferson,  who  was  beginning  to 

32 


modify  his  views  on  industry.'"  The  Humphreysville  pattern  of  independent  small 
factories  located  in  rural  mill  villages,  as  adopted  and  elaborated  upon  by  Samud 
Slater  and  other  industrialists,  became  known  as  the  "Rhode  Island  System  "  The 
contrasting  pattern  of  several  large  mills  sharing  leased  water  from  a  power  canal 
within  a  city  was  known  as  the  "Waltham  System,"  even  though  it  was  first  full)' 
developed  at  Lowell.  During  its  first  two  decades  Lowell  enjoyed  a  worldwide 
reputation  for  successfully  integrating  industrialism  with  high  moral  and  ethical 
standards  and  spacious,  beautiful  surroundings.  This  Utopian  ideal  lingered  for  vears 
after  wage  cuts  and  increasing  workloads  began  to  destroy  the  "Arcadian  simplicity" 
of  life  in  Lowell.  Economic  troubles  in  the  late  1830s  began  to  erode  the  formerly 
benign  working  conditions.  In  1848  an  economic  depression,  coupled  with  a  large 
increase  in  child  labor  and  immigrant  labor,  caused  a  rapid  decline  in  the  general 
standard  of  living  of  northern  workers.'^'* 

North  Carolina's  advocates  of  industrialism  worked  diligently  to  demon 
strate  that  manufacturing  would  not  degrade  local  moral  standards  Randolph 
County  editors  and  industrialists  mounted  a  concerted  public  relations  campaign  W 
promote  the  virutes  of  local  manufacturing  activities.  The  Asheboro  newspaper  i^ 
1838,  for  example,  advertised  for  Franklinville  factory  workers  with  the  appeal. 
Here  IS  a  fine  opening  for  hardy  industrious  young  men,  who  are  willing  to  worf 
hard,  live  well,  earn  money  honestly  and  enjoy  one  of  the  most  healthy  situations  i^ 
this  or  any  other  county. '^^  in  1843  the  Greensboro  Patriot  enviously  called  Ceda' 


Falls  "one  of  the  most  picturesque  and  romantic  spots  east  of  the  mountams,  and 
in  1845  assured  its  readers  that  the  Franklinville  factory  operatives  ';su|tam  a  moral 
character  equal  to  that  of  any  portion  of  the  surrounding  population."  In  1851  one 
of  the  Island  Ford  stockholders  wrote  the  Patriot  that  his  operatives  were  "experienced 
and  industrious  and  of  the  best  moral  character."  An  1851  report  on  the  new 
Middleton  Academy  between  Franklinville  and  Cedar  Falls  stated  that  "The  villages 
are  unsurpassed  for  morality  and  good  order;  the  situation  is  healthy  and  mountain- 
like."  In  1852  a  similar  statement  insisted  that  the  "location  is  very  healthy  and  the 
whole  country  is  remarkably  free  from  immorality  of  every  kind." 

While  some  advocates  underscored  the  moral  and  social  benefits  of  manutac- 
turing,  local  Quakers  addressed  the  philosophical  and  political  issues.  I"  l»^^  ^ 
Memorial  on  Slavery,  approved  by  the  North  Carolina  Yearly  Meeting  ot  hnenos, 
was  presented  to  the  General  Assembly. '^^  Its  blunt  language  denouncing  the 
manifold  evils"  of  slavery  and  demanding  "the  extinction  of  this  evil  in  our  belovea 
state"  aroused  a  political  firestorm  in  the  press.  Lost  in  the  controversy  over  the 
"Abolition  Memorial"  was  the  petition's  case  for  industrialism.  One  of  the  conse- 
quences of  slavery  was  that  it  caused  the  emigration  of  white  craftsmen  ana 
laborers,  thereby  depressing  "mechanical  enterprise."  Emancipation,  the  hrienas 
believed,  would  directly  aid  "the  erection  of  manufacturing." '^^  This  view  took  the 
position  of  Northern  Friends  and  may  have  characterized  Randolph  County  s 
attitude  toward  manufacturing.  Elisha  Coffin,  founder  of  the  Franklinville  factory 
was  a  former  Friend,  and  a  majority  of  the  Union  factory  stockholders  ten  years  later 
*ere  Quakers.  ,.  .  . 

^  Conditions  in  Randolph  differed  so  markedly  from  those  P/ey^'l\"g  f'"""^,  „^ 
state  that  in  1906  Holland  Thompson,  the  pioneer  historian  of  the  North  Carolina 
textile  industry,  explained  that: 

Upon  Deep  River  in  Randolph  County,  where  five  mills  were  built  before  IS^q 
conditions  were  somewhat  peculiar  .  .  .  These  mills  were  in  a  section  where  the  Quaker 
•nfluence  was  strong.  Slavery  was  not  widespread  and  was  "npopular_  The  mills  were 
built  by  stock  companies  composed  of  substantial  citizens  of  the  neighborhood.  1  he  e 
*as  little  or  no  prejudice  against  mill  labor  as  such,  and  the  farmers  daughters  glacHy 
came  to  work  in  the  mills  They  lived  at  home,  walking  the  distance  morning  and 
evening,  or  else  boarded  with  some  relative  or  friend  near  by. 

The  mill  managers  were  men  of  high  character- who  felt  themselves  to  stand  m 
parental  relation  to  the  operatives  and  required  the  observance  of  decoous  conduct. 
Many  girls  worked  to  buy  themselves  trousseaux,  others  to  helP  their  famihes.  They  los^ 
no  caste  by  working  in  the  mills.  Twenty  years  ago  throughout  the  section  one  might  hnd 
the  wives  of  substantial  farmers  or  business  men  who  had  worked  in  the  mills  before  the 
Civil  War.  Some  married  officials  of  the  mills."" 

fam,^''P"^  Thompson's  idealized  memory  of  "farmers'  daughters"  living  on  the 
w^v'"?  talking  to  work,  every  Randolph  County  factory  included  company-owned 
^^--ker  housing.  The  Franklinville  company  completed  houses  fo^^  some  eight  or 
*g^ jespectable  families"  a  year  before  its  factory  was  built.  I"  1^49  an  A.Je^^^^^ 
^'•■^Id  report  on  Cedar  Falls  noted  that  "The  buildings  occupied  by  the  operatives, 


numbering  some  25  or  30,  are  all  exceedingly  neat  and  comfortable,  and  owned  by 
the  company."''*' 

The  companies  built  houses  and  created  villages  around  the  factories  for  the 
same  reason  that  they  publicly  emphasized  the  beautiful  geography,  healthy  climate, 
and  high  morality  of  those  involved — they  needed  to  recruit  a  work  force.  While 
northern  factories  soon  came  to  depend  on  immigrant  labor,  those  in  the  South  had 
to  rely  on  an  indigenous  rural  worker  population.  Southern  mill  villages  conse- 
quently assumed  open,  spacious  characteristics  attractive  to  the  rural  worker 
population  and  similar  to  the  northern  "Rhode  Island  System"  towns.  Single  family 
dwellings  on  individual  lots  were  the  norm,  although  a  mill  boarding  house  was 
operated  at  Franklinville. 

While  the  villages  were  designed  to  appeal  to  rural  residents,  entire  farm 
families  did  not  begin  to  move  from  agrarian  activities  to  industrial  work  until  the 
agricultural  depressions  of  the  post-civil  War  period.  More  than  80  percent  of  the 
heads  of  antebellum  Randolph  mill  households  were  artisans  such  as  potters, 
cabinetmakers,  blacksmiths,  tinsmiths,  hamessmakers,  carriage,  wagon  and  buggy 
makers  and  cobblers.'''^  In  the  cash-poor  southern  economy  it  was  hard  for  these 
men  to  ply  their  trades  while  farming  to  keep  food  on  the  tables;  the  mill  villages 
provided  them  with  their  first  opportunity  to  work  full  time,  with  affordable 
housing,  outside  work  for  their  children,  and  an  assured  additional  income. 


iliij 


Contemporary  photograph  of  a  Union  factory  dwelling. 


33 


Dep 


zo' 

J 


B> 


30'. 


6x<i5A5H 


im 


^ 


Union  Factory  houses:  built  1848  (courtesy  of  Audrey  C.  Beck) 


34 


.  .  .the  housing  provided  at  the  factory  allowed  for  continued  supervision  of  the  chil^ 
employees  by  their  parents.  Dwellings  furnished  by  the  company,  single  family  structure.' 

AUK     ^l  u  P"'  ^^'""'  "^^""^  '^^''^""'^  '°  =»"^'>^'  ^  special  work  unit  to  the  factory 

Although  the  owners  recruited  families  to  the  mill  village,  they  employed  only  unmarried 
children  and  adolescents  in  the  factory.  With  this  arrangement,  the  family  would 
maintain  social  control  outside  the  factory  proper  at  the  same  time  that  no  primar) 
earners  were  recruited  from  their  already  existing  occupations  and  no  married  wome« 
were  enticed  from  their  proper  sphere,  the  home. 

_  •  with  an  average  of  seven  children  per  factory  family  a  number  not  rare  amonj 
families  of  all  economic  statuses,  enough  children  could  be  working  in  the  mill  at  one 
time  to  make  the  mill  village  life  a  comparatively  lucrative  proposition. '« 

Large  families  virtually  guaranteed  numerous  workers  for  the  mill  and  thus 
made  the  construction  of  houses  by  the  corporation  a  profitable  venture   A  small 
number  of  factory  houses  built  for  workers  during  the  1850s  survive  across  Nortt 
Carolina,  houses  which  are  similar  not  only  in  plan,  but  in  size,  details  and  windo« 
and  chimney  placement.  E.  M.  Holt  originally  built  small  log  houses  for  his  workers 
at  Alamance,  but  about  1860  these  were  either  replaced  or  supplemented  b) 
substantial  two-story  houses  in  a  20  by  30  foot  hall-and-parlor  plan  with  simplified 
ureek  Revival  detailing.  These  frame  houses  were  virtually  identical  to  those  buiH 
by  the  Union  Manufacturing  Company  in   1848.   Five  of  these  still  stand  i« 
Kandleman;  at  least  three  from  the  same  period  exist  in  Franklinville;  and  at  least 
eleven  remain  in  Alamance. '^■'  Also  similar  to  these  houses  are  those  found  al 
Orange  Factory  in  Durham  County.  "•'  Alamance.  Orange  Factory  and  a  fe^« 
remaining  houses  from  the  Rockfish  Manufacturing  Company  near  Fayetteville  arc 
the  only  antebellum  millhouses  known  to  exist  outside  Randolph  County  These  late 
antebellum  millhouses  are  not  discemibly  different  from  two-story  homes  produce^ 
within  the  vernacular  building  tradition  throughout  the  rural  Piedmont  at  that  time 
A  similar  situation  seems  to  have  existed  at  an  even  eadier  period  in  Nortf 
Larolinas  textile  development,  although  the  only  houses  known  are  those  froif 
Cedar  Falls  and  Franklinville. 

What  may  have  been  Randolph  County's  earliest  mill  house  was  destroyed  i^ 
ulrZ  pn  .'",  I  2"/-  °"^-^"d-a-half  story  log  house,  its  existence  implied  thai 
Henry  Elliott,  like  Edwin  Holt,  first  provided  log  homes  for  his  workers.  The  hous« 
was  approximately  15  by  20  feet  in  size  with  half-dovetail  notching.  The  house  wa* 
covered  with  weatherboarding  and  had  later  been  expanded  with  a  board-and-batte^ 

LvHi  f  n  """""^  ^u  "'^'  °^  P'^°'^'  ™Portance  in  the  history  of  North  Carolina 
textiles   fell  victim  to  the  destructive  fad  of  "log  cabin  collecting" 

n.r  J.  ,u  u  '  ^^^^  •'i'°"'^  '^^''  '""■■eover,  of  additional  importance  when  com- 
pared to  the  houses  built  two  years  later  in  Franklinville.  It  was  identical  to  the  lattC 
houses  except  in  one  important  respect:  it  was  not  built  of  sawn  and  dressed  lumbe' 
with  mortise-and-tenon  framing.  Five  houses  remain  in  a  Franklinville  neighbor- 
hood known  as  the  "Cotton  Row"  and  are  story-and-half  houses  in  a  16  by  22  foo' 
hall-and-parior  plan  Houses  of  similar  shape  and  size  also  remain  on  the  hill  aboV« 
the  fac  ory  in  Franklinville,  but  these  were  later  tripled  in  size  by  the  construction  d 
much  larger  wings.  Whether  this  enlargement  was  done  to  accommodate  large' 


Cfar  Falls  log  house,  probably  built  ca.  1840:  destroyed  1980  (courtesy  Randolph  Book  1779-1979 
photograph  collection  in  the  Randolph  Public  Library). 

families  or  multiple  families  of  workers,  or  as  a  status  symbol  for  the  homes  of  mill 
foremen  or  superintendents  is  uncertain.  „  ,   „      a 

This  comparison  has  two  possible  implications:  that  the  16  by  ^2  hall  ana 
parlor  plan  was  a  standard  in  Randolph  County  during  the  1830s  anf  w^^  "^^^both 
")  Cedar  Falls  and  Franklinville,  or,  alternatively,  that  Henry  EH'Ott  and  ^usha 
Coffin  and  the  other  Franklinville  stockholders  exchanged  information  regard mg  the 
appropriate  size  and  form  of  worker  housing.  By  the  1850s,  '"••I  houses  from 
Randolph  to  Alamance  to  Orange  to  Cumberland  counties  did  "o^J^J^f  J^"  een 
'"  size  or  plan,  implying  thaf  an  actual  informational  network  may  have  been 
operatmg  among  millowners  and  manufacturers.  .  o^  it  was 

Deep  River  had  been  the  workhorse  of  the  region  since  colonial  imes,  so  it  was 
"atural  that  all  four  antebellum  factory  villages  formed  around  ^^f '"f  ™"^^2 
"s  course.  The  Elliott  family's  gristmill  was  converted  to  house  the  ""g'"^' ^^^ar 
Falls  factory.  The  Franklinville  "factory  house"  shared  the  dam  ^^d  p^er  ca^^^^^^^^^ 
El'sha  Coffin's  grist  and  sawmill.  Columbia  Factory  (Ramseur)  J"™  f  ^"fj^^^^ 
.^^mill  at  Allen's  Fall.  The  Dicks'  grist  and  oil  mill,  m  operation  s'nce  cofoma 
;"^es,  was  the  nucleus  of  the  Union  Factory  community.  P««!°"^^^,   *',,^ 
designs  therefore  responded  to  these  predetermined  factors.  F^^^^hnvUle  d^^^^^^^^ 
J^°"nd  its  mill  in  a  sheltered  river  valley,  enabling  its  buildings  to  beonented  toward 
*^  sun  on  a  south-facing  north  bank.  Union  Factory's  village  ^^ree^  were  Imd  o^ 
^l«ng  the  crest  of  a  ridg!  on  the  south  side  of  the  river.  Cedar  Falls  and  Columbia 
Pread  out  along  both  banks  of  their  riverside  sites. 


Z.Z' 


, II 1 


Ifc' 


6TAtRWAV3Z"«7'4-" 
I'  FOUNDATION  (STONE) 
WALL^  4" THICK 


\P> 


O 


1 


\> 


\Z' 


Franklinville  -Cotton  Row"  houses:  built  1838  (courtesy  Audrey  C.  Beck). 


U 


35 


Dep 


Cedar  Falls  Company  Store,  now  destroyed  (taken  in  May  1974  by  Ruth  Little) 


fh.ir !  M  u"      '°"^'  ^""^  ^°'^^'  •'°"^^^'  'he  mill  corporations  also  provided 

then-  villages  with  stores.  Although  other  company  stores  later  became  symbols  of 
coTJorate  exploitation  and  paternalistic  control,  these  village  stores  were  originallv 
^nTifl""!      f  more  than  logical  necessities.  Privately-owned  stores  soon  provided 

alon.  wh^h  ""n  ^""TT'^  ""^""S''  ^'^^  '^«'"P^"y  ''°'^'  '^""ti""^^  '«  be  built 
along  wth  the  mills  of  the  later  nineteenth  century.   The   1884  Franklinville 

anSn^S  cT"^  ^'"'■^  ''  '^^  '^''^"■^^  '"^'^^'"'"8  ^^^'"P'^'  ^'though  the 
antebellum  Cedar  Falls  store  survived  until  1975.  The  1886  Rjwhatan  Manufacturing 

theT780n°r  f "'^k'^k]"  '^f '"^'"^"  ^'  'he  "Pilgrim  Tract  Society"  building,  and 
Mercantile"  buildin       ^''""'^"'"'"""S  Company  Store  is  now  known  as  the  "Carter 

In  FrSkSr"!  mTkT"'.'"'^  '°''''  institutions  was  left  to  private  initiative. 
1839  even  hif^r  Tf'"'  ^Pu"'°P"  ^'^"'''^'^  "ad  been  organized  and  built  in 
SJ  f\      u?  ""^  ^^"^""^  building  was  ready  for  operation.   A  Wesleyan 

t^Ty.tB^.r?'':'TT  "^^''"^  •'°"^^")  ^'-  "P-^'^''  'here  in  the  a'r  y 
185US.  The  Baptist  churches  built  in  Cedar  Falls  (1844)  and  Columbia  (1851)  were 
among  the  county's  first  five  congregations  of  that  denomination  oSn'edn"  he 
nineteenth  century.  Quakers  composed  the  stockholders  of  Union  Facto.^  but  not  its 
worker  population  St.  Paul's  Methodist  Episcopal  Church  was  or^an^eSrer  Z 
1855.  Hanks  Lodge  ,n  Franklinville  became  Randolph  County't  firs    Mason  c 


36 


InteriorofSaintPauVsMetHodistCHurcH.  Randleman.  as  decorated  b.-  -HeuMnHink-  or  Jules  K6rn.. 


S?hool?SV"  V'  '"'^  "''  "^^  °"'y  ^"^•^  g™"P  '"  ^"  ^"tebellum  mill  village. 

.h.n^*''^  ?^  ^'''?'^  buildings,  the  mill  villages  were  subject  to  dynamic  evef- 
changing  forces.  Just  as  advancing  textile  technology  produced  new  elioS 
requiring  additions  and  alterations  to  the  factories  social  3  Prnn-?  ^1"']""^" 
changed  thp  fnrpc  r.f  fh»  .v,ii  n  "^  "»^'"ries.  social  and  economic  conditions 
cnanged  the  faces  of  the  mill  villages.  The  small  antebellum  houses  were  enlareeil 
and  renovated,  new  houses  were  built,  and  the  towns  expanded  oXRamLS 
Cedar  Falls  were  so  modernized  in  the  late  nineteenth  century  thatttlerTmaTnsof 
their  antebellum  appearance.  Randleman  preserves  a  few  ofl  ea riy  houseTon  th" 

Doom    years  The  Island  Ford  mill  and  its  community  were  rebuilt  in  1895  hut  al 
the  other  end  of  Franklinville,  many  elements  of  the  antebellum  vil  age  remain  W 

S:ni:;ti"n'North  S'  ''-  x/^^'  ''^  "^^^^  ^^^'^P'^^^  survival'ofan  ambel'ut 
S  before    8^0        ,  ^     u  To^  '°''"  '°"'"'"'  '""'"^  '^an  two  dozen  structures 

the   upeSendenV  a  i;"f    h'  '''"'^V  '''^'°^'  '^^  ^^^^^P^^^^  "°"^^-  home  of 
me  superintendent,  at  least  a  dozen  workers  homes,  a  former  tavern  and  hoardine 

INOI  to  be  dismissed  is  an  impressive  colleclion  of  later  buildings,  such  as  the  188^ 


company  store,  the  1886  Moore's  Chapel  and  a  wide  range  of  Italianate  and  Queen 
Anne  homes.  Franklinville  is  the  only  spot  in  Randolph  County  where  tne 
progression  of  architectural  styles  can  easily  be  discerned,  from  Georgian  to  heaerai 
to  Greek  Revival  to  Italianate  and  Gothic  Revival  and  into  the  early  twentietn 
century.  ,       .,    . 

The  mill  villages  erected  in  Randolph  after  1870  were  less  diverse  than  heir 
antebellum  cousins,  both  architecturally  and  economically.  None  ot  me  laier 
villages  developed  into  independent  trade  and  business  centers  as  Kamseur 
Randleman  and  Franklinville  did.  Naomi  and  Worthville  have  since  been  annexea  to 
Randleman,  as  Central  Falls  has  been  annexed  to  Asheboro.  Coleridge  is  almost 
abandoned  and  disintegrates  in  peace,  isolated  from  the  county  s  growth  centers^ 
While  the  tum-of-the-century  Island  Ford  and  Coleridge  factones  are  interesting 
architecturally,  the  mills  and  mill  villages  in  Worthville,  Naonii  and  Central  halls 
were  severe,  utilitarian  creations.  Planning  and  construction  of  these  villages  was  no 
longer  left  to  the  tastes  of  stockholders  and  local  craftsmen  but  relied  on  textile 
industry  handbooks  such  as  Cotton  Mill:  Commercial  Features  by  ^^^"f'  ^. 
Tompkins,  a  Charlotte  engineer.  Tompkins's  book,  representing  a  ^oditication  o 
*e  nineteenth  century  industrial  experience,"  includes  ^Pf  •^'^^ '°"f46  „'  ™" 
houses  and  community  facilities  which  were  widely  used  and  popular.  "o" 
built  in  the  twentieth  century  according  to  his  specifications  exist  in  ^J^^^'^H^f 
in  the  county  and  reflect  the  area's  tremendous  identification  with  the  industrializa- 
tion process. 


Stylistic  TVends 

,      The  architectural  style  prevalent  at  the  time  of  s^«l^,'"^"^,,""f„f°""En5ist 
Randolph  County  is  known  as  the  "Georgian,"  after  the  eighteenth^entury  English 
kings.  The  style  actually  developed  in  the  seventeenth  century  '^'^'J^'"^^'^^ 
^Pread  of  the  artistic  ideals  of  the  Italian  Renaissance  and  was  '"^^"g^'f/.^y '^'f'^ 
toward  symmetrical  balance.  In  this  country  the  style  is  b^^''^?  hniMii.  technd- 
P>-eserved  and  perpetuated  by  Colonial  Williamsburg,  but  ^  ^^^f  ^^"  't"  oSrdan 
y  in  Piedmont  North  Carolina  developed  too  late  to  emulate  this    hgh    Geo  gmn 
'^  any.significant  degree.  Instead,  the  style  must  be  recognized  in  p  ans ,  P^^^^^'' 
"^«erials  or  trim  features  which  are  often  mixed  with  elements  from  late   sty^es.^ 
^.     The  Peter  Dicks  House  in  New  Salem  is  a  representative  hom' °L\ouse 
•ghteenth  century  Randolph  resident.  Dicks  probably  built  the  gabk-roof  house 
5«"nd  the  time  of  his  marriage  in  1797.  With  two  stories  it  '^^^I'^^be  reeired  to  as  a 
^■^ansion  house"despite  its  small,  20  by  25  foot  size.  It  featured  th^  f  H-and  Parlo 
Pl^n  with  an  end  chimney.  The  parlor  was  sheathed  in  vertical  board  fbove^ch^'^ 
'l^'  and  the  exposed  ceiling  joists  are  chamfered.  Plaster  was  ^-T^eWom  used  m  a 
fr^^me  house  in  Randolph,  Then  or  later.  Owner  and  operator  of  a  gn/tm. '  o^^^^^^^^^ 
^^er  and  one  of  the  founders  of  Guilford  College,  Peter  Dicks  "^"^^^e  considered 
^^"^cessful  and  wealthy  man.  His  house,  modest  though  it  seems,  gves  us  an 
«t  the  dwellings  favored  by  substantial  Quaker  residents  of  the  county. 

The  contemporary  dwelling  of  William  Coletrane  offers  a  contrast.  Coletrane 


I 


I 


The  ••  upper"  dam  on  Deep  River  in  Franklinville,  1901. 


Peter  Dicks  House.  New  Salem,  built  ca.  1798. 


Hi 


I 


1 


1.1  I 


37 


n^r 


Dep 


Inlerior  photograph  of  the  Coletrane  House.  New  Market  Township,  .showing  the  embattled 
molding  crowning  the  paneled  chimney  piece. 


Coletrane  House.  New  Market  Township.  Paneled  chimney  piece  with  arched  fireph 


ace  opening. 


was  the  son  of  a  Scottish  resident  of  Edenton  and  was  elected  to  a  variety  of  public 
offices  in  late-eighteenth  century  Randolph,  including  that  of  deputy  sheriff. 
Though  the  exterior  has  been  much  altered,  the  two-story,  hall-and-parlor  plan  house 
IS  in  many  ways  similar  to  that  of  Peter  Dicks.  The  interior  trim,  however,  is  much 
more  ornate,  with  beaded  paneling  and  an  elaborately  molded  chair  rail.  Both  lower 
rooms  boast  beautiful  Georgian  raised-panel  overmantels.  One  surviving  mantel 
exhibits  raised  panels  and  a  molded  shelf.  This  elaborate  woodwork  may  have  been 
grained,  as  are  the  upstairs  doors,  to  imitate  mahogany.  The  interior  trim  of  the 
Coletrane  House  is  the  county's  finest  expression  of  the  Georgian  style.  This  may  be 
due  to  the  family's  link  with  Edenton,  one  of  the  coastal  centers  of  the  style  in  North 
Carolina;  for  whatever  reason,  no  other  Randolph  County  homes  exhibit  this  kind  of 
"high  style"  Georgian. 

Other  elements  of  the  style  can  be  found  among  a  scattering  of  structures.  The 
Lytle  Johnson  House  in  Trinity  Township  has  the  county's  only  example  of  a  molded 
cornice  which  terminates  in  pattern  boards.  The  house  also  has  a  brick  double- 
shouldered  chimney,  as  does  the  Eli  Bray  House  near  Coleridge.  The  massive 
chimney  is  in  English  bond  with  glazed  headers  and  paved  shoulders,  touches  rarely 
seen  in  the  county.  The  interior  trim  in  unpainted  pine  is  also  impressive,  featuring 
raised  panel  chimney  breasts  with  arched  fireplace  openings.  The  house  could  easily 
be  dated  to  the  late  eighteenth  century  if  it  were  not  for  the  known  fact  that  Bray  built 
It  in  1824— an  illustration  of  the  conservatism  of  stylistic  change  in  the  area. 

38 


Ra^an  Sf'^r       nf'^;"?^''  ^"""'^  ""'^  *'"  '^''^  ^^^^^"^^^  *"  'he  Liberty  area-  the 
Ragan  Store  and  Sandy  Creek  Friends  Meetinghouse  (both  in  Julian)  and  the  HenrV 

be"  b^nrtsSo'?:!-  T  ^^^ --'-^^ouse  and  the  storl  seem  to  hS 
Deen  built  about  1800,  but  the  Kivett  House  is  said  to  date  from  1818  Beaded 
weatherboarding  is  unusual  in  Randolph,  but  it  is  found  nearby  in  both  Alaman 
and  Chatham  counties.  The  Kivett  House  is  also  unique  because  it  is  the  countv's 
rat  IV  mX/r''  "'  ?™^"''^  r"^'^"'^^  ^^°^^'-'  characterized  y  an  elabo- 
nd  Lwn  b  fusterstair  ra',"'  "t'T'  \'^}'''  °P^"'"^^'  -'^ed-panefwainscots 
StedTn  ablaze "fTolo"  "'^-  ^'^  "'"'^  '"'""^  '^  '"^^^'-^^'  g--'^  -^ 
..n.  ^h'^f  houses  display  an  important  innovation  of  the  Georgian  stvle  the 
center-hall  plan.  The  center-hall  plan  house  has  rooms  on  each  s  de "f  a  cen  ral 

afterl^-  periodTaSf'  r"?"''""  °'"^^^^  "'^"^  ^^  ^^^  ^-^^  ' "  'L  " ^ 
(c  18  OV^  4ht'S''"'''.P^°"l'"^"'^^-  ''^'  '"g'-^'"  H«"^e,  Trinity  Township 
£use   FrLik  invme    18^2r  n'     ^k""  ?°''  '^°^"^*^'P  ^'^-  ^^'^^^  ^"^  the  Julian 

The  American  Federal  style  emerged  from  the  English  Adamesaue  stvle  It  was 

coZl  fil  exli  T??'"^'-,  ^''^  J^d"'han  Harper  House  near  Trinity  is  the 
county  s  finest  example  of  this  style.  Haiper,  an  influential  county  politician  and 


'egant  Federal  style  mantel  in  the  Jeduthan  Harper  House.  Trinity  Township 


Open-string  staircase  at  the  Jeduthan  Harper  House,  showing  turned  newel  post  and  balusters 
and  an  interesting  '  'pie  crust' '  molding. 


"?il«ia  commander,  probably  built  the  house  about  1800;  ^e  extenor  was  remod  led 
*out  1851.  The  unusually  fine  interior  trim  is  almost  a  textbook  exainple  of  Federal 
ornamentation.  The  parlor  is  plastered,  accentuated  by  a  moWed  chair  ^^^^^^^ 
^'oard  and  cornice.  Slender,  stylized  Ionic  columns  support  the  "^°l;?^f  f""^  J, 
"mantel  shelf.  Other  trim  includes  rope  molding,  crossetted  fo^J^^i  raves  and  a 
f  aceful  open-string  stair  with  turned  balusters.  The  comer  A^f  ^^"J^Brown 
^^^ond  floor  bedrooms  are  paralleled  only  by  those  of  the  nearby  W^/ J^^^^^J 
House.  The  kitchen  outbuilding  exhibits  the  county's  only  known  example  ot  bncK 
"ogging.  ^  ■  u        t 

^     The  Dempsey  Brown  House  has  many  Federal  features,  and  "Pff^'^b'iUng 
*?«hy  are  several  fine  mantels  with  reeded  panels.  The  parlor  ^^^^\^f'^^^l 
Tt  P^"^l^  ^"d  a  dentiled,  molded,  pulvinated  fneze  ^^^^^^.f^^^^ffj^f^.h 
^ombmation  of  Georgian  and  Federal  motifs.  Yet  the  house  is  """^"f  ^^^^^^^^ 
!^^^yl'stic  blend;  a  brick  by  the  door  is  dated  1836.  The  Brown  House  may  be  the 
Jjunty's  oldest  brick  building,  depending  on  the  actual  construction  date  ot  me 
5^  kepeace  House  in  Franklinville.  The  Makepeace  House  seems  «  have  ^^^^  ^ 
J  the  time  of  the  founding  of  the  textile  mill,  1838-1840,  but  ^^y ^'^^'^^l^J^^^^ 
^fhhght  of  its  austere  original  facade  is  a  single  door  set  ma  paneled  architrave 
^'th  pulvinated  frieze,  sidelights  and  an  eliptical-arch  f^"^'^''*;^  .,„  .hese  three 
, .,    Most  Randolph  houses  of  the  period  were  much  less  el^^«[,^^^;^^!?J,^^^^^^^^^ 
^'^^  the  John  Long  House  in  Liberty  Township,  or  the  Jarrell-Hayes  House  in  New 


Salem  they  combined  Georgian  forms  with  Federal  details.  As  a  distinct  architec- 
tural period  the  Federal  style  was  virtually  skipped;  aspects  of  the  Georgian  style 
survived  so  late,  and  the  Greek  Revival  was  so  immediately  popular,  that  the  Federal 
style  had  little  time  to  flower  in  the  interval. 

After  1830  virtually  everything  built  in  Randolph  displayed  some  hint  of  the 
Greek  Revival  It  was  America's  first  academic  architectural  style  of  widespread, 
enduring  popularity  in  the  county.  The  Greek  Revival  revolutionized  traditional 
architecture  by  shifting  away  from  the  traditional  or  "vernacular"  house  forms 
toward  concepts  created  and  consciously  disseminated  through  builder's  handbooks 
and  pattern  books  written  in  Boston  and  New  York.  In  Randolph  the  style  assumed  a 
eeneralized  pervasive  character  which  colored  the  lingering  traditional  forms  with 
two-panel  doors  and  post-and-lintel  mantels.  Only  in  the  FranklinviUe/Cedar  Falls 
area  are  examples  found  in  which  builders  tried  to  consciously  imitate  the  most 
stvlish  northern  designs. 

The  Moody  Dougan  House,  Back  Creek  Township,  and  the  Joseph  Welbom 
House  New  Market  Township,  are  two  products  of  the  1830s  where  Federal,  Greek 
Revival  and  even  a  lingering  touch  of  Georgian  can  be  seen  in  combination.  Both  are 
now  of  the  hall-and-parior  plan,  but  may  have  been  built  in  the  "Quaker"  or 
"Continental"  plan,  with  a  large  parior  and  two  smaller  rooms.  Despite  its  popular 
name  this  plan  was  not  a  standard  of  Randolph  County  Quakers  and  is  found  rarely. 
The  pilastered  and  pedimented  door  and  window  architraves  of  the  Dougan  House 

39 


Dep 


Paneled  emrance  to  the  Makepeace  House.  Franklimille.  showing  pitlvinaled  frieze,  sidelights  and 
elliptical  fanlight. 

display  elements  of  all  three  styles  combined  to  suit  the  tastes  of  a  local  craftsman. 
The  unusual  balcony/dormers  of  the  Welbom  House  are  also  expressions  of  the 
owner  or  builder  taste.  This  hesitancy  to  abandon  popular  building  patterns  is  also 
seen  in  the  A.  C.  Bulla  House  in  Back  Creek  Township.  Though  constructed  in 
1844,  it  shows  little  overt  influence  of  the  dominant  Greek  Revival  style. 

The  "Grecian  taste"  began  to  show  itself  in  Randolph  in  the  1830s  and 
increased  in  strength  throughout  the  antebellum  period.  The  Alexander  Gray  House, 
built  in  Trinity  Township  in  1832,  sports  two-panel  doors  and  post-and-lintel  mantels 
as  well  as  a  staircase  with  lingering  Federal/Georgian  trim.  By  the  1840s  the 
academicism  of  the  Greek  Revival  was  felt  more  strongly  with  the  appearance  and 
widening  use  of  comer  blocks  in  trim  and  moldings.  The  ca.  1840  Carlie  Lewis 
House  near  Farmer  has  Greek  Revival  mantels  with  comer  blocks.  The  house  is 


Entrance  to  the  Lambert-Parks  House.Franklinville.  with  Greek  ReiiwI  st\le  svmmetrically-molded  "' 
and  corner  blocks  (Ruth  Little). 


most  important,  however,  as  the  county's  only  antebellum  example  of  "double-pi'^ 
constmction— two  rooms  wide,  two  rooms  deep,  two  stories  high.  The  ca.  l8^' 
Gladesboro  Store,  New  Market  Township,  has  plain  comer  blocks  on  its  wind"* 
trim,  though  the  contemporary  Thomas  A.  Finch  House  (Trinity  Township),  '^ 
Wade  Smith  House  (Tabemacle  Township)  and  the  Lambert/Parks  House  (Frankli" 
ville)  have  more  elaborate  molded  comer  blocks. 

The  founding  of  the  first  Deep  River  textile  mills  in  the  late  1830s  initiated' 
building  boom  in  which  the  millowners  and  stockholders  personally  participate''' 
The  Henry  B.  Elliott  House,  built  in  Cedar  Falls  but  subsequently  moved  '' 
Asheboro  and  renovated  into  the  "Central  Hotel,"  was  a  Greek  Revival  house '' 
some  architectural  pretension.  The  Wrenn  House  is  the  only  remaining  comparab'' 
example  in  Cedar  Falls.  The  early  history  of  the  house  is  unknown,  but  it  featuf* 


40 


'^'erior  v/^  of  ,he  Central  Hotel.  Asheboro,  ca.  1940:  now  destroyed^  ^^V^^r  Z'afsion  mZd 
«^'v«/  period  trim  which  survived  from  its  original  incarnation  as  the  Henry  B.  Ellwtt  mansion,  mo^ea 
f'-om  Cedar  Falls. 

high  quality  Greek  Revival  trim  and  a  mantel  decorated  with  a  "Greek  key"  design 
^hich  is  the  builder's  interpretation  of  one  of  the  illustrations  m  Asher  Benjamin  s 
P'-actical  House  Carpenter. '''  Benjamin  was  a  successful  New  England  architect/ 
builder  whose  popular  books  were  very  influential  in  spreading  t^e  style    ine 
Lambert/Parks  House  and  Hanks  Lodge  reflect  this  academic  pattern-book  'ntt"ence 
^^  did  the  now  destroyed  Homey/Parks  House  (Franklinville).  Another  important 
^'^ample  of  the  Greek  Revival  in  Franklinville  is  the  Thomas  Rice  House.  K.ce 
known  as  a  "mechanic,"  probably  came  from  Greensboro  to  design  ^nd  build  the 
1845  Island  Ford  Factory.  In  1846  Rice  built  his  own  home,  notable  for  its  dis  net  ve 
^"gaged  porch  carried  on  stuccoed  brick  Doric  columns,  ^'f^' ,^l;«i°  ,  "'^^ '  ' 
1848  Franklinville  Covered  Bridge  and  Greensboro's  1851  West  Market  St^e 
^ethodist  Church,  was  involved  with  Robert  Gray  in  the  design  and  construction  ot 
"^   pld  Main"  building  at  Trinity  College  in  1854.  ,^„„  «,ith  a  few 

^^     The  Greek  Revival  sfructures  of  Cedar  Falls  and  Franklinville,  along  wU^  ^^ 
^tered  examples  such  as  the  I.  H.  Foust  House  (Columbia  Townshp,  the 
Thornburg-Macon  House  (Farmer)  and  the  T  W.  Winslow  House  (.Tnmy)  represent 
J^  height  of  the  style  in  Randolph.  By  the  mid-1850s  new  variations  suggs^d  by 
*«  Gothie  and  Italianate  influences  began  to  dilute  its  purity.  ^Je  Win  low  and 
Thornburg-Macon  houses  have  wide  eave  overhangs  with  sawn  fter  ends  sugges 
';^  Of  the  Italianate.  Asheboro's  destroyed  J.  M.  Worth  House  had  a  lovv-ptched 
S  ^"h  ^'^Posed  rafter  ends  probably  intended  to  resemble  A-  J;  Downing 
^««age  Gothic  or  "Bracketed"  style.  Downing  was  one  of  the  ^^^7/' PJg^ 
«f  the  more  picturesque  architectural  styles  such  as  the  ItaHanae  and  Got^^c 
^7;val.  His  books  were  widely  read  and  emulated  by  all  classes  of  builders,  ^n  The 
^,f"ecture  of  Country  Houses  Downing  said  that,  "The  Bracketed  may  be  the 
P'^'ne«  of  all  styles,  showing  itself  externally  only  by  the  ends  of  the  rafters 


Mantelpiece  in  the  Wrenn  House, Cedar  Falls,  copied  from  a  published  design  by  Asher  Benjamin  (Ruth 

Little-Stokes). 


supporting  the  extended  roof."''*^  The  "pains  taken  to  extend  the  roof  more  than  is 
absolutely  needful"  and  the  "bold  shadows"  this  produces  combine  to  create  its 
"picturesque  effect."  ''''^  This  technique  was  rapidly  accepted  and  became  part  of  the 
local  building  vocabulary  in  the  second  half  of  the  century.  It  can  be  seen  in  the 
Robins  Law  Office,  Asheboro  (ca.   1860);  the  Jess  Pugh  House,  Franklinville 
Township  (ca.  1870);  the  Franklinville  Manufacturing  Company  Store  (1884);  and  a 
wide  variety  of  houses  and  buildings  across  the  county.  The  county's  first  Gothic 
Revival  house  was  built  in  1853-1854  by  Braxton  Craven,  the  president  of  Trinity 
College.  The  house  has  been  destroyed,  but  photographs  indicate  that  it  was  a 
Gothic  design  with  vertical  board-and-batten  siding  and  carved  bargeboards.  Several 
other  Gothic  structures  were  built  in  the  Trinity  area,  undoubtedly  attributable  to  the 
influence  of  Craven's  home.  A  small  cottage  in  Trinity  retains  its  carved  bargeboards 
and  some  Gothic  porch  trim  but  has  been  re-sided.  The  ca.  1860  Tomlinson  House  in 
Archdale,  recently  destroyed,  combined  Gothic  forms  with  Greek  Revival  details, 
while  the  nearby  ca.  1875  Homer  Hall  House  displays  Gothic  details  such  as 
board-and-batten  siding,  crenelated  chimney  caps   and  sawn  porch  brackets  with 
trefoil  cutouts.  The  Hall  House  and  others  such  as  the  John  Turner  House,  Columbia 
Township,  illustrate  the  1870  movement  away  from  the  academic  Gothic  Revival 
toward  the  Victorian  "Carpenter  Gothic"  style.  This  trend  was  promoted  and 
nurtured  by  millwork  companies  such  as  Archdale's  Petty  Sash  and  Blind  Company 
which  created  wide  ranges  of  pre-manufactured  ornamentation  in  popular  styles. 
Eariy  records  of  the  company  are  not  available,  but  both  the  Tomlinson  and  Hall 
houses  may  have  used  some  Petty  products.  The  Moses  Hammond  House  in 
Archdale  is  a  virtual  catalogue  of  the  firm's  production  in  the  1880  period.  The 
pseudo-gothic  pedimented  window  architraves  were  some  of  the  company's  most 
popular  products  and  are  found  in  late  nineteenth  century  homes  across  the  county. 

41 


De 


John  Milton  Worth  House. Asheboro,  in  a  documentary  photograph  taken  ca.  1870.  The  original  Greek  Revival  facade 


is  visible  here  before  the  addition  of  an  elaborate  Eastlake-sty, 


style  porch  ca.  1880. 


John  M.  Tomlinson  House.  Archdale,  built  in  I860:  demolished  in  1982 
42 


Homer  Hall  House.  Archdale.  no^  destroyed,  shoeing  Gothic  Revival  detailing. 


^^'1  photograph  appeared  in  a  June.  1952  edition  of  the  Raleigh  News  and  Observer.  The  Gothic  Re- 
^'^ol-style  Braxton  Craven  House  appears  in  the  background,  complete  with  board  and  batten  siding, 
^owfi  bargeboards.  shed  dormers  and  stuccoed  chimney.  The  house  was  demolished  soon  afterwards 
(•courtesy  Duke  University  Archives). 


Growth  of  a  Design  Profession 

The  1880s  and  1890s,  a  golden  age  for  Louis  Sullivan,  Frank  Lloyd  Wright  and 
*e  nascent  Prairie  School  Movement,  saw  a  minimal  but  ever-increasing  role  for 
architects  in  Randolph  County.  While  antebellum  carpenter-builders  could  follow 
^he  mainstream  stylistic  trends  through  publishcl  architectural  handbooks,  these 
men  were  not  architects  by  the  professional  standards  of  today.  Men  such  as  Thomas 
•^ice,  with  training  and  experience  beyond  that  of  a  simple  carpenter-builder,  might 
'^all  themselves  "mechanics"  as  well  as  carpenters,  and  were  entirely  capable  of 
^^signing  and  building  large  structures  such  as  textile  factories  and  Trinity  College's 
1854  "Old  Main"  building.  Others  such  as  Braxton  Craven  of  Trinity  College  were 
architectural  amateurs  in  the  grand  tradition  of  Thomas  Jefferson.  Craven's  own 
^°me,  built  in  the  eariy  1850s,  was  probably  the  county's  first  taste  of  the  Gothic 
Revival.  It  seems  likely  that  Craven  himself  designed  the  house  after  consulting  one 
^r  more  of  A.  J.  Downing's  popular  design  manuals  which  featured  the  style.  When 
•"  I860  Trinity  College  contemplated  a  substantial  new  addition,  it  appears  that 
Craven,  the  school's  president,  drew  up  plans  which  were  to  have  been  executed  by 
Jacob  Holt,  a  fashionable  builder  of  Warrenton.  A  daguerreotype  of  the  elevation  for 
*is  proposed  structure  survives  in  the  Duke  University  Archives,  showing  a  large, 
''omed  building  of  significant  architectural  character.  Though  the  war  intervened 


^tm 


Daguerreotype  of  plans  drawn  by  Braxton  Craven  in  1860  for  an  extensive  addition  to  Trinity  College. 
The  elevation  has  the  monumental  character  of  English  Baroque  architecture  of  the  era  of  Sir 
Christopher  Wren.  Construction  of  the  building  was  cancelled  by  the  Civil  War  (courtesy  Duke  University 
Archives). 


and  the  building  was  never  constructed,  the  episode  is  illustrative  of  the  increasing 
preference  for  stylish  design  over  vernacular  craftsmanship. 

Another  architectural  "semi-professional"  was  Randolph  County  native  Lyn- 
don Swaim  (1812-1893),  who  in  1869  left  his  job  as  editor  of  the  Greensboro  Patriot 
to  open  an  architectural  practice  in  that  city.'^°  Examples  of  Swaim's  designs  have 
not  been  identified,  but  he  ranks  as  one  of  the  eariiest  architectural  designers  in  the 
area  and  may  have  designed  buildings  in  postwar  Asheboro.  Charles  R.  Makepeace, 
son  of  George  H.  Makepeace  of  Franklinville,  was  another  self-trained  architec- 
tural pioneer.  Makepeace  left  Trinity  College's  class  of  1880  without  graduating, 
worked  in  Randolph  County  textile  mills  for  a  time,  then  in  1885  moved  to 
Providence,  Rhode  Island  to  join  the  engineering  firm  of  D.M.  Thompson.  In  less 
than  ten  years  Makepeace  had  taken  over  the  firm,  renaming  it  C.R.  Makepeace  & 
Company.  Specializing  in  textile  mill  architecture  and  industrial  engineering,  the 
firm  designed  cotton  and  woolen  mills,  bleacheries  and  dye  works,  hydroelectric 
power  stations  and  water  treatment  plants  all  over  the  United  States,  as  well  as  in 
Mexico,  Canada,  South  America  and  Australia.'^'  Examples  of  his  work  in  North 
Carolina  include  the  T.  M.  Holt  Manufacturing  Company,  Haw  River  (1895)  and  the 
R.  J.  Reynolds  Building  No.  8,  Winston-Salem  (1899). 

Although  attributions  cannot  now  be  made,  architects  were  probably  responsi- 
ble for  designing  many  of  the  substantial  brick  commercial  buildings  in  Asheboro, 

43 


Mil 

u.. 

'I' 
111 

li 

lii! 
a 


5«r 


Hiiiiliiiili 


De 


Original  or  -Old  Main"  building  of  Trinity  College,  completed  ca.  1854.    The  photograph,  taken  in  1861.  shows  the  ■Trinity  Guard"  unit  (courtesy  Duke  Universit^'  Archives) 


Randleman  and  Liberty  during  the  1890s  and  early  1900s.  Rural  areas  were  slower  to 
accept  the  use  of  architects,  although  the  impressive  manor  hous  o  W  G  BrXw 
near  Tnn.ty  was  said  to  have  been  designed  by  New  York  architect  Stlford  White. 

boTarchi  ea  Tl"  Br"'  T  '""/"""'^  '"  ^''^'^  PapersLwevS  Greens- 
boro architect  W  L  Brewer,  designed  a  public  school  for  Liberty  in  1908  The 
school,  which  burned  in  1925,  was  an  interesting  brick  structure  w'th  a  "eond-floor 
auditorium  The  preservation  of  Brewer's  plans  is  unusual;  mo  t  of  Randolph'* 
early-twentieth  century  buildings  have  lost  any  identification  with  th  ir  c'eatS. 


Development  of  Construction  Industry 


Students  and  faculty  arranged  before  the  Trinity  College  building  in  1 891 .  The  '  'Old  Main  '  building  is  at 
the  left;  the  wing  built  in  1874  is  at  the  right  (courtesy  Duke  University  Archives). 


Sawmilling  and  the  timber  industry  was  all-important  to  Randolph  in  the  late 
nineteenth  and  early  twentieth  centuries,  and  home  building  becamfaclialy 
ndustn^  The  widespread  availability  of  lumber  in  standardized  sizesTnd  pre  man^ 

f  t"he'trewrhrB;i88o' f  "T"'" '''''' ''' '''  f-  ^'^  ^^z:z^ 

oi  tne  nousewright    By  1880  heavy  frame  construction  had  ail  but  died  out  for 

ndtr  i'^:";ircr"8857n  '^zf'  "^'^  ^^^  '^^^^  structures'surh  arbai.* 

Frank  linvi  e  iiustrnte   .  t       v""  '  i"^'"  "'"■  ^"""y^'  '^^'  '^84  Company  Store  in 
S  n  ikd    oSr   T^  ^'^P'  ''  "^  '^^^^  f^^'"'"g  timbers^re  mortised 

out  nailed  together.  The  two-story  center-hall  plan  was  still  nonnlnr  fnr  hnnie 
construction,  but  cosmetic  changes  began  to  alter'exterio"  .  GlTReviv^l  homi 


44 


''airview  Park,  the  William  Gould  Brokaw  mansion.  Trinity  Township.  The  extensive  dwelling  was  built  in 
"  ^tyle  known  as  '•Dutch  Colonial  Revival." 


•lad  introduced  the  use  of  a  centrally-placed  decorative  gable  on  the  main  facade; 
*is  became  a  very  popular  decorative  feature  during  the  latter  nmeteenth  century 
^s  a  design  feature  on  contemporary  homes,  or  as  added  to  older  houses,  the  central 
^•■OSS-gable  design  has  come  to  be  known  as  the  "Triple-A"  house  form. 
.      Other  changes  altered  the  traditional  house  format  during  the  years.  Kitchens, 
formerly  detached  to  reduce  the  heat  and  danger  of  fire  from  large  open  hearths 
^ere  attached  to  the  rears  of  houses  either  as  wings  or  "ells"  or  by  covered 
''reezeways  and  porches.  Porches,  too,  were  lengthened  and  began  to  ramble  around 
^  house.  Shed  roofs  on  porches  and  gables  on  houses  often  became  hip  roots 
|,"stead,  and  sometimes  the  hip  roofs  stood  so  tall  and  steep  they  resembled  pyramids 

''"uching  above  dwarfed  residences. 

.  As  structural  work  house  forms  became  standardized  and  simplified,  so  did 
decorative  and  ornamental  work.  During  the  1880s  much  trim  work  was  stil 
personally  supervised  by  carpenter/builders  with  highly  interesting  and  individual 
results,  such  as  the  Talley  and  Gregson-Pickard  houses  in  Randleman  or  the  series  of 
""Usual  two-tiered  porches  built  by  some  Franklinville  craftsman  and  exemplified 
2'  the  Curtis-Buie  and  Makepeace  houses.  The  R.  R  Dicks  residence,  in  Randleman, 
^as  the  county's  best  example  of  this  kind  of  Victorian  exuberance.  The  mansard- 
^°ofed  Italianate  style  house  sprouted  brackets  and  pendants  and  stained  glass  at 
^^ery  conceivable  point,  a  Randolph  County  echo  of  the  big  city  palatial  mansions 
the  wealthy  during  the  Gilded  Age. 


Gfl&CMSBOIto.M.C'. 


Greensboro  architect  W.  I.  Brewer's  blueprint  and  rendering  of  Liberty  Graded  School.  1908-1925 
(courtesy  Francine  Holt  Swaim.  Liberty  High  School  1885-1968). 


Amos  Hinshaw  barn,  Coleridge  Township.  A  large  barn  with  unusual  earthen  ramps  built  up  to  the 
second  floor. 


!?11 


45 


UUIB 


De 


Detail  of  house  in  Coleridge  Township  showing  sawnnork  brackets,  turned  porch  posts  and  pierced  The  beautiful  raised  porch  of  the  R  L  Cavin^r^  u^„.^  r-  i      j 

sawnwork  soffit  decoration.  sawnwork  soffit  and  .able  ,L  n„H  hr.ZZ"""''-  '^^'''''^Se.  showing  bracketed f, 


sawnwork  soffit  and  gable  trim  and  bracketed  c 


jrieze,  pierci 


■ei 


Elaborate  sawn  brackets  of  the  Gregson-Pickard  House,  Randleman  {courtesy  Randolph  Book  1779- 
\9T) photograph  collection  in  the  Randolph  Public  Library). 


Magnificent  two-tiered  Eastlake  porch  of  the  Curti^-RuipHn,,.^  i^      l,-     ■„     ^ 

tical  porches  once  existed  in  the  vicinity  (ZhLinle)  ''  ^™''*'"'""^-  ^'^'^al  nearly  ide"- 


46 


By  the  turn  of  the  century,  however,  this  flamboyant  period  was  virtually 
exhausted  even  though  many  attractive,  large  and  rambling  Victorian  homes  would 
still  be  built  across  the  county,  especially  in  the  more  urban  areas  which  had  begun 
to  boom  under  the  stimulation  of  the  railroads.  But  the  traditional  shapes  and  plans 
had  lost  their  popularity.  Except  where  it  survived  in  standardized  mill  housing,  the 
rectangular  central-hallway  plan  was  largely  replaced  by  the  polygonal  shapes  and 
plans  of  the  "Queen  Anne"  style.  This,  and  later  dwelling  styles  such  as  the 


t^^:**i- 


l^obertP.  Dicks  House.  Randleman,  built  in  1881  by  T.  C.  Worth.  Mr.  Dicks  extensively  remodeled 
'"^  home  in  1885  creating  Randolph  County's  most  elaborate  Victorian  dwelling  in  the  Second  Empire 
yie.  Destroyed  in  the  1960s  (courtesy  Randolph  Book  1779-1979  photograph  collection  in  the  Ran- 
""'Ph  Public  I  ih.^..,\ 


^Public  Library). 


American  Foursquare,"  bungalow  and  the  Colonial  Revival  were  almost  entirely 
nationwide  in  scope  and  popular  appeal,  accelerated  by  improved  mail  service,  mag- 

^"te,  newspaper  and  catalog  distribution. 

As  the  construction  industry  boomed,  sash-and-blind  companies  expanded 
"eir  product  lines  to  include  virtually  any  part  of  a  house.  Catalogs  of  ornamental 
^^m  were  printed,  orders  could  be  made  through  the  mail,  and  companies  would 
7?  the  pieces  of  a  home  to  the  nearest  railroad  siding.  After  World  War  I 
Asheboro's  Home  Building  and  Materials  Company  became  a  leader  in  the 
Pi'ovision  of  housing,  especially  in  the  growing  popularity  of  the  bungalow.  In 
J^sociation  with  T.  J.  Lassiter,  a  local  contractor  who  had  become  familiar  with  the 
'^"ngalow  style  while  in  California,  the  company  began  to  manufacture  all  the 
^^^erials  and  trim  to  build  a  complete  house  every  day.  These  bungalows  were 
J"'PPed  all  over  the  southeast  and  erected  under  Lassiter's  supervision.  The  trends 
^*ard  simplification,  standardization  and  mechanization  are  still  evident  in  North 
^.arolina's  construction  industry,  although  modem  technology  is  a  far  cry  from  the 

'ghteenth-century  pioneer  with  his  broadaxe. 


.  .  the  great  changes  that  are  altering  the  cuiturallandscape  of  the  South  almost  beyond 
recognition  are  not  simply  negative  changes,  the  disappearance  of  the  familiar.  There  are 
also  positive  changes,  the  appearance  of  the  strikingly  new. 

The  symbol  of  innovation  is  inescapable.  The  roar  and  groan  and  dust  of  it  greet  one 
on  the  outskirts  of  every  Southern  city.  That  symbol  is  the  bulldozer,  and  for  lack  of  a 
better  name  this  might  be  called  the  Bulldozer  Revolution.  The  great  machine  with  the 
lowered  blade  ...  is  the  advance  agent  of  the  metropolis.  It  encroaches  on  rural  life  to 
expand  urban  life.  It  demolishes  the  old  to  make  way  for  the  new. 

The  fact  is  the  South  is  going  through  economic  expansion  and  reorganization  that 
the  North  and  East  completed  a  generation  or  more  ago.  But  the  process  is  taking  place 
far  more  rapidly  than  it  did  in  the  North.  ...  All  indications  are  that  the  bulldozer  will 
leave  a  deeper  mark  upon  the  land  than  did  the  carpetbagger."^ 


I 


S^  " 


if 


■*7»^ 


SN-- 


/3o 


,r,  ><■   ^ 


1/  -Bf/X-'' 


>  ..v*^   .. 


^1 


|i»tu^& 


2? 


d\  /t  ' 


y 


— 4- -r 


(1  .  K.' 


^ 


j.  V 


Jt^    i... 


-^.■.-■'"'"i 


iC^-^L?^ 


/3j    /ierer— .  1  ' 


-t-— 3.- 


i' 


i 


Plan  of  the  Hal  M.  Worth  House.  Asheboro.  The  house  was  built  between  December.  1907  and  April, 1908 
by  contractor  M.  L.  Davis  for  the  sum  of  $2,005.  The  plan,  contract  and  extensive  notes  on  its 
construction  are  found  in  the  Hal  M.  Worth  papers  in  the  Randolph  Room,  Randolph  Public  Library. 


47 


!?11 


Detail  of  house  in  Coleridge  Township  showing  sawnwork  brackets,  turned  porch  posts  and  pierced 
sawnwork  soffit  decoration. 


The  beautiful  raised  porch  oftheR.L.  Caviness  House.  Coleridge  showino  hr„.L  ,  ^  v  •  A 

sawnwork  soffit  and  gable  trim  and  bracketed  rnrr.ir.  ^  '      °" '"«  '"^"'^^eted frieze .  pierced 


EluUii.^u  .sawn  brackets  of  the  Gregson-Pickard  House,  Randleman  (courtesy  Randolph  Book  1779- 
\91<)  photograph  collection  in  the  Randolph  Public  Library). 


Magnificent  two-tiered  Eastlake  porch  of  the  Curtis-BuieHnu^^  p.^  u-     ■„     o 

tical  porches  once  existed  in  the  vicinity  (Ruthli'lle).  '''""klinville.  Several  nearly  iden- 


46 


' 


By  the  turn  of  the  century,  however,  this  flamboyant  period  was  virtually 
exhausted  even  though  many  attractive,  large  and  rambling  Victorian  homes  would 
still  be  built  across  the  county,  especially  in  the  more  urban  areas  which  had  begun 
to  boom  under  the  stimulation  of  the  railroads.  But  the  traditional  shapes  and  plans 
had  lost  their  popularity.  Except  where  it  survived  in  standardized  mill  housing,  the 
rectangular  central-hallway  plan  was  largely  replaced  by  the  polygonal  shapes  and 
plans  of  the  "Queen  Anne"  style.  This,  and  later  dwelling  styles  such  as  the 


Robert  p.  Dicks  House.  Randleman.  built  in  1881  by  T.  C.  Worth.  Mr.  Dicks  extensively  remodeled 
"■*  home  in  1 885  creating  Randolph  County' s  most  elaborate  Victorian  dwelling  in  the  Second  Empire 
^'yle.  Destroyed  in  the  1960s  (courtesy  Randolph  Book  1719-1919  photograph  collection  in  the  Ran- 
"^"'Ph  Public  Library). 

'American  Foursquare,"  bungalow  and  the  Colonial  Revival  were  almost  entirely 
nationwide  in  scope  and  popular  appeal,  accelerated  by  improved  mail  service,  mag- 
azine, newspaper  and  catalog  distribution. 

As  the  construction  industry  boomed,  sash-and-blind  companies  expanded 
their  product  lines  to  include  virtually  any  part  of  a  house.  Catalogs  of  ornamental 
tnm  were  printed,  orders  could  be  made  through  the  mail,  and  companies  would 
^hip  the  pieces  of  a  home  to  the  nearest  railroad  siding.  After  World  War  I 
'^sheboro's  Home  Building  and  Materials  Company  became  a  leader  in  the 
provision  of  housing,  especially  in  the  growing  popularity  of  the  bungalow.  In 
association  with  T.  J.  Lassiter,  a  local  contractor  who  had  become  familiar  with  the 
^"ngalow  style  while  in  California,  the  company  began  to  manufacture  all  the 
■^aterials  and  trim  to  build  a  complete  house  every  day.  These  bungalows  were 
^hipped  all  over  the  southeast  and  erected  under  Lassiter's  supervision.  The  trends 
|^*ard  simplification,  standardization  and  mechanization  are  still  evident  in  North 
^.arolina's  construction  industry,  although  modem  technology  is  a  far  cry  from  the 

'gnteenth-century  pioneer  with  his  broadaxe. 


.  .  .  the  great  changes  that  are  altering  the  culturallandscape  of  the  South  almost  beyond 
recognition  are  not  simply  negative  changes,  the  disappearance  of  the  familiar.  There  are 
also  positive  changes,  the  appearance  of  the  strikingly  new. 

The  symbol  of  innovation  is  inescapable.  The  roar  and  groan  and  dust  of  it  greet  one 
on  the  outskirts  of  every  Southern  city.  That  symbol  is  the  bulldozer,  and  for  lack  of  a 
better  name  this  might  be  called  the  Bulldozer  Revolution.  The  great  machine  with  the 
lowered  blade  ...  is  the  advance  agent  of  the  metropolis.  It  encroaches  on  rural  life  to 
expand  urban  life.  It  demolishes  the  old  to  make  way  for  the  new. 

The  fact  is  the  South  is  going  through  economic  expansion  and  reorganization  that 
the  North  and  East  completed  a  generation  or  more  ago.  But  the  process  is  taking  place 
far  more  rapidly  than  it  did  in  the  North.  ...  All  indications  are  that  the  bulldozer  will 
leave  a  deeper  mark  upon  the  land  than  did  the  carpetbagger'" 


n 

.1 


W-.^^-*'-0. 


Plan  of  the  Hal  M.  Worth  House,  Asheboro.  The  house  was  built  between  December,  1907  and  April, 1908 
by  contractor  M.  L.  Davis  for  the  sum  of  $2,005.  The  plan,  contract  and  extensive  notes  on  its 
construction  are  found  in  the  Hal  M.  Worth  papers  in  the  Randolph  Room,  Randolph  Public  Library. 


Q 


a 


I? 


47 


-J » m  -        ^iiiM 


D( 


Notes 


'Hugh  T.  Lefler  and  Albert  R.  Newsome,  History  of  a  Southern 
State:  North  Carolina  (Chapel  Hill:  The  University  of  North  Carolina 
Press,  1973),  714. 
^Ibid. 

■"Nancy  E  Brenner  (ed.),  Randolph  Public  Library  and  its 
Community:  A  Community-Library  Analysis  (Asheboro,  N.C.:  Ran- 
dolph Public  Library,  1979),  10. 

■"Bill  Sharpe,  A  New  Geography  of  North  Carolina,  vol.  2  (Ra- 
leigh: Sharpe  Publishing  Company,  1958),  1023. 
'Ibid.,  1024-1026. 

'Jasper  Leonidas  Stuckey,  North  Carolina:  Its  Geology  and 
Mineral  Resources  (Raleigh:  North  Carolina  Department  of  Conserva- 
tion and  Development,  1965),  16. 
'Sharpe,  1023-1024. 

'Lawson  crossed  a  "stony  River  .  .  .  called  Heighwaree"  in 
1701  according  to  H.  T.  Lefler  (ed.),  /i  New  Voyage  to  Carolina  by 
John  Lawson  (Chapel  Hill:  The  University  of  North  Carolina  Press, 
1967),  56.  Col.  John  Collett's  1770  map  of  North  Carolina  pinpoints 
"Vbharee  Creek"  (the  map  is  reproduced  in  Randolph  County 
Historical  Society,  Randolph  County,  1779-1979  (Winston-Salem: 
Hunter  Publishing  Company  1980),  25.  Rev  George  Soelle  made 
notes  on  the  German  residents  of  the  "Hugh  Warren"  area  in  1771,  in 
Adelaide  L.  Fries,  Records  of  the  Moravians  in  North  Carolina,  2 
(Raleigh:  Edwards  and  Broughton,  1925),  806.  In  1771  Governor 
Tryon's  Army  took  possession  of  the  ford  of  the  "Huwara  River"  in 
Walter  Clark,  (ed.).  The  State  Records  of  North  Carolina,  16  vols. 
Winston  and  Goldsboro:  State  of  North  Carolina,  1895-1907),  848. 
Methodist  Bishop  Francis  Asbury  in  1793  visited  the  "Uwary 
Mountains"  inSharpe, ANewGeographyofNorthCarolina,  1018. 
The  nineteenth-century  "Uwharie"  gold  mine  is  mapped  in  Bruce 
Roberts,  The  Carolina  Gold  Rush  (Charlotte:  McNally  and  Loftin, 
1972),  76. 

'Sharpe,  1026. 
'"Brenner,  20. 

"E.  Stuart  Chapin  and  Shirley  F.  Weiss  (eds.)  Urban  Growth 
Dynamics  in  a  Regional  Cluster  of  Cities  (New  York:  John  Wiley 
and  Sons,  Inc.,  1962),  14. 

'^George  Shadroui,  "Randolph  Population  Undergoes  Shift," 
Greensboro  Daily  News  Leader,  11  January  1981,  pp.  Rl,  R3. 
"Brenner,  24. 

'"Randolph  County  Historical  Society,  Randolph  County,  1779- 
1979  (Winston-Salem:  Hunter  Publishing  Company,  1980),  249. 
"Brenner,  44. 
'^Ibid. 

"Ibid.;  also  Randolph  County  Historical  Society,  Randolph 
County,  268. 

"Brenner,  39. 

'Vbid.,  37-38. 

^"Lefler,  A  New  Voyage  to  North  Carolina  by  John  Lawson, 
56-59. 


^'Henry  E.  McCulloh  Survey  Book.  Surveys  and  plats  of  land  in 
Rowan  County,  North  Carolina,  Southern  Historical  Collection,  Uni- 
versity of  North  Carolina,  Chapel  Hill,  North  Carolina. 

^^John  Scott  Davenport,  "Earliest  Pfautz/Fouts  Families  in 
America,"  National  Genealogical  Society  Quarterly  63,  no.  4 
(December  1975),  255. 

"G.  W.  Paschal  (ed.),  "Morgan  Edwards'  Materials  Towards 
a  History  of  the  Baptists  in  the  Province  of  North  Carolina,"  A^or/Zi 
Carolina  Historical  Review,  7,  no.  3  (July,  1930),  393. 

^*The  story  of  the  Uwharrie  River  German  Community  is  told 
more  fully  in  L.  McKay  Whatley,  "The  Mount  Shepherd  Pottery: 
Correlating  Archaeology  and  History,"  Journal  of  Early  Southern 
Decorative  Arts,  6,  no.  1  (May,  1980),  21-57. 

^'M.   A.   Huggins,  A  History  of  North  Carolina  Baptists, 
1727-1932  (Raleigh:  The  General  Board  of  the  Baptist  State  Conven- 
tion of  North  Carolina,  1967),  51. 
^"Ibid. 

^'Lefler  and  Newsome,  139. 

^*The  Sandy  Creek  Baptist  Association  followed  associations  in 
Philadelphia  (1707)  and  Charleston,  S.C.  (1751),  M.  A.  Huggins,  65. 
"/iiV/.,  57. 
^Ibid.,  92. 
"/iW.,  60. 
^^Ibid.,  62. 

''"Cox  Family"  file,  "Farlow  Family"  file,  "Milliken  Family" 
file,  "Worth  Family"  file,  "Coffin  Family"  file,  "English  Family" 
file,  "Tomlinson  Family"  file,  "Allen  Family"  file,  "Hinshaw 
Family"  file.  Randolph  Room,  Randolph  County  Public  Library, 
Asheboro,  North  Carolina. 

'"Congregational  histories  in  Seth  B.  Hinshaw  and  Mary  Edith 
Hinshaw,  Carolina  Quakers:  Our  Heritage  of  Hope  (Greensboro: 
Society  of  Friends  North  Carolina  Yearly  Meeting,  1972). 

"Randolph  County  Historical  Society  Randolph  County,  27. 
■"■Rufus  M.  Jones,  The  Quakers  in  the  American  Colonies  (New 
York:  W  W  Norton  and  Company  Inc.,  1966),  326. 

"^Population  figures  in  Sharpe,  1019. 

"John  Hope  Franklin,  The  Free  Negro  in  North  Carolina, 
1790-1860  (New  York:  W  W  Norton  and  Company,  Inc.,  1971), 
15-16. 

*°Ibid.,  180. 

■"Roy  S.  Nicholson,  Wesleyan Methodism  in  the  South  (Syticuse, 
N.Y:  The  Wesleyan  Methodist  Publishing  House,  1933),  52;  Clifton 
H.  Johnson,  "Abolitionist  Missionary  Activities  in  North  Carolina," 
North  Carolina  Historical  Review,  40,  no.  3  (July  1963),  309;  Noble 
J.  Tolbert,  "Daniel  Worth:  Tar  Heel  Abolitionist,"  North  Carolina 
Historical  Review,  i9(July,  1962),  290. 

"^William  S.  Hoffmann,  Andrew  Jackson  and  North  Carolina 
Politics.  The  James  Sprunt  Studies  in  History  and  Political  Science, 
Vol.  40  (Chapel  Hill:  The  University  of  North  Carolina  Press   1958) 
17. 

"'/fcW. 

■"The  actual  vote  in  Randolph  County  was  2,466  against  the 
secession  convention,  45  in  favor  (54.8  to  1).  Guilford  had  the  highest 
number  opposed,  2,771  to  1 13,  but  the  proportion  there  was  only  24.5 


to  1.  Burton  Alva  Konkle,  John  Motlev  Morehead  and  the  Develop- 
ment of  North  Carolina  1796-1866  (Philadelphia:  William  J.  Campbell. 
1922,  repnnt  ed.,  Spananburg,  S.C:  The  Reprint  Company  1971) 
Statistics  taken  from  John  L.  Cheney  Jr.  (ed.).  North  Caroline 

?^^7.T!!!-  ffff  "'^^^  "^^'"'S''^  Office  of  the  Secretary  of  State. 
1975),  1321-1336; /Wrf.,  1385-1403. 

o    r^'fi^''"  '^''^"  ^'""^  Randolph  County  Historical  Society 
Randolph  County,  268. 

"Arthur  M.  Schlesinger,  Jr.,  The  Age  of  Jackson  (Boston:  Lit- 
tle, Brown  and  Company,  1945),  8. 

"^Cornelius  O.  Cathey  Agricultural  Developments  in  Norli 
Carohna.  1783-1860.  The  James  Sprunt  Studies  in  History  ai.^ 
Political  Science,  vol.  38  (Chapel  Hill:  The  University  of  NoH^ 
Carolina  Press,  1956),  24. 

"^Schlesinger,  Jr.,  The  Age  of  Jackson,  8. 

^Cathey  Agricultural  Developments,  134-135 
.      ^'"l'^^^\^''^^- Jonathan  Worth:  A  Biography  of  a  Souther' 
m5)"'42  '^'  ^"'"'""^  °^  North  Carolina  Press. 

"Fred  Burgess,  "Randolph  County:  Economic  and  Social"  (' 
Laboratory  Study  at  the  University  of  North  Carolina  at  Chapel  HilL 
Department  of  Rural  Social  Economics,  1924;  reprint  ed.,  Asheboro 
iN.L.j^  Randolph  County  Historical  Society  1969)   55 

Randolph  County  Historical  Society,  Randolph  County,  26 
Z,uber,  105. 

"Roben  B.  Starling,  "The  Plank  Road  Movement  in  Nortf 

Seal's.  i72""^  "'""'  "^"'"'"^  "'""''''  '-'^'  '^-  ""• ' 
"Randolph  County  Historical  Society,  Randolph  County,  26 

59u??r°''''',  *^°""'y  Historical  Society.  Randolph  County,  22 
r.  ,  ,T  \-  ^f""*^^"  '^''•'-  ^''^  Cotom-fl/  Records  of  Nort* 
mol^ifsysi.  783       '''"""'^  '""'  °^''°"'  ^'"°""''  '^^^' 

rNr?n'V°a^'?''.^'^'^'"-  ^  November  1784,  Randolph  CountJ 
(N.C.)  Deed  Book  2,  p.  136;  Jacob  Skeen  to  daughter  Jane  an^ 

Sf  k"4  Tn«'f  ""!•  "  '^P'^'"'^^  "^-  '*^"<1°'P'  County  Deef 
W.  V'-,7o<='  1'"".""''  ^='"=  ^'"°"^  •«  George  Mendenhall,  2« 
September  1795,  Randolph  County  Deed  Book  17,  p.  226;  Georg' 
Mendenhall  to  Benjamin  Trotter,  "(Miller)."  28  July  1797,  Randolph 

?5T?',^",«m°°o''  ^-  P-  ^^-  ^'"J^'"'"  Trotter  to  Christian  Morel^' 
15  October  801,  Randolph  County  Deed  Book  8,  p.  441;  John  Mo.^' 
to  James  Ward,  2  April  1818,  Randolph  County  Deed  Book  14,  P 
124;  James  Ward  to  Elisha  Coffin.  25  December  1821,  Randolph 
County  Deed  Book  14,  p.  531. 

'^Randolph  County  Historical  Society  Randolph  County,  79 

p    H  1  u  ^  V  °^  "'^  ""'■^'^  S'^'"-  '870:  Industrial  Schedule 

Randolph  County  North  Carolina. 

^'Naomi  Wise  was  an  orphan  girl  strangled  by  her  lover,  Jona- 
than Lewis^  Lewis  worked  as  a  clerk  in  Elliott's  store,  and  murdefC 
Naomi  in  hopes  of  manying  Elliott's  sister.  Hettie.  The  poem  i^ 
song  which  grew  up  around  the  story  is  now  recognized  as  Nof* 
Carolinas  earliest  surviving  ballad.  Also,  see  Hoyle  S.  Burton  (ed  '■ 
North  Carolina  Folklore.  1,  no.  1  (June,  1948)  14.  (Located  >' 
Naomi  Wise  file"   Randolph  Room,   Randolph  Public  LibraD 


48 


Asheboro,  North  Carolina.) 

'^"History  of  Cedar  Falls  Written  in  1880  Tells  of  Early  Settlers 
of  Area,"  Asheboro  (N.C.)  Courier-Tribune,  15  December  1940. 

"Richard  W  Griffin  and  Diffie  W  Standard,  "The  Cotton 
Textile  Industry  in  Antebellum  North  Carolina,  Part  I:  Origin  and 
Growth  to  1830,"  North  Carolina  Historical  Review,  (January,  1957), 
16. 

**Third  Census  of  the  United  States,  1810:  Industrial  Schedule, 
Randolph  County  North  Carolina. 

""Return  of  the  cotton  machine  for  the  Year  1802,"  North 
Carolina  State  Archives,  C.R.  081.701.5,  Miscellaneous  Tax  Re- 
'^ords,  Randolph  County  papers. 

''"North  Carolina,  Private  Acts  Passed  by  the  General  Assembly 
(1829-1830),  Chapter  73,  pp.  46-47. 

''Steve  Dunwell,  The  Run  of  the  Mill:  A  Pictorial  Narrative  of 
'he  Expansion,  Dominion,  Decline  and  Enduring  Impact  of  the  New 
England  Textile  Industry  (Boston:  David  R.  Godine,  1978),  p.  12. 
'"Griffin  and  Standard,  "The  Cotton  Textile  Industry  in  Ante- 
bellum North  Carolina,  Part  I,"  p.  22. 

"Quoted  in  The  Asheboro  Southern  Citizen,  17  June  1837. 
'^Richard  W  Griffin  and  Diffee  W  Standard,  "The  Cotton 
Textile  Industry  in  Antebellum  North  Carolina,  Part  II;  An  Era  of 
°°om  and  Consolidation,  1830-1860,"  North  Carolina  Historical 
«ev,ew  (April,  1957),  137-138,  145-146. 
^^Ibid.,  143-144. 

'''Griffin  and  Standard,  "The  Cotton  Textile  Industry  in  Antebel- 
l"m  North  Carolina,  Part  II,"  144. 

^^^Asheboro  (N.C.)  Southern  Citizen.  3  March  1838. 
^''Asheboro  (N.C.)  Southern  Citizen,  8  March  1839. 
^jAsheboro  (N.C.)  Southern  Citizen,  21  January  1840. 
,        "Griffin  and  Standard,  "The  Cotton  Textile  Industry  in  Ante- 
"e'lum  North  Carolina,  Part  II,"  159. 
Jhid.,  159-160. 

"""  atistics  from  John  Roberts,   "Textile  Fortunes  Rebound 
rough  New  Technology,"  Greensboro  Daily  news,  20  July  1980,  p. 
"';  and  Mariene  Burger  "Textiles  and  Apparel,"  Greensboro  Daily 
'^^^.^24  January  1982,  p.  H-11. 

-,        George  Makepeace  to  Quartermaster,  9  July  1862,  copy  from 
0"!  Presnell's  files  in  "Franklinville"  folder.  The  Randolph  Room, 
•Randolph  Public  Library  Asheboro,  North  Carolina. 
,         A  recent  biographical  study  is  available  in  Gary  R.  Freeze, 
■faster  Mill  Man:  John  Milton  Odell  and  Industrial  Development  in 
°"^ord.  North  Carolina  1877-1907"  (M.A.  thesis.  The  University 
North  Carolina  at  Chapel  Hill,  1980),  25. 
^        Peter  R.  Kaplan,  The  Historic  Architecture  of  Cabarrus  County, 
"'''h  Carolina  (Concord,  NC:  Historic  Cabaniis,  Inc.,   1981), 
pp.  24-25. 

.J,    ,  "Richard  W  Griffin,  "Reconstruction  of  the  North  Carolina 
,,'''ile  Industry,   1865-1885,"  North  Carolina  Historical  Re\ieH- 
'January,  1964),  p.  48. 
Q.      Rev.  Levi  Branson  (ed.),  Branson' s  North  Carolina  Business 

"'^'^^ory  (Raleigh:  Levi  Branson,  Publisher,  1897).  508. 
p        Holt  McPherson  (ed.).  High  Pointers  of  High  Point  (High 
""j,N.C.;  Chamber  of  Commerce,  1976),  32-35. 
The  Greensboro  Patriot,  10  October  1863. 


Th, 


**Sallie  W  Stockard,  The  History  of  Guilford  County,  North 
Carolina  (Knoxville:  Gant-Ogden  Co.,  1902),  136. 

"'Lewis  Publishing  Company  (gen.  ed.),  6  vols.  History  of  North 
Carolina,  vol.  1:  The  Colonial  and  Revolutionary  Records,  1584-1783, 
by  R.  D.  W  Connor;  vol.  2:  The  Federal  Period  1783-1860,  by 
William  K.  Boyd;  vol.  3:  North  Carolina  Since  1860,  by  J.  G.  de 
Roulhac  Hamilton;  vols.  4-6:  North  Carolina  Biography,  by  a  Spe- 
cial Staff  of  Writers.  (Chicago:  Lewis  Publishing  Company,  1919), 

6,  165. 

'^'Established  by  1869,  it  may  have  been  the  first  such  woodwork- 
ing business  in  the  state.  "During  the  Franco-Prussian  War,  1871,  this 
factory  furnished  the  French  Army  with  picks,  handles,  and  spokes 
for  the  Cannon  Wheel."  See  Stockard,  125. 
'•McPherson,  115. 

^^The  High  Point  (N.C.)  News,  24  March  1921. 
''Stockard,  67. 

'^Levi  Branson  (ed.),  Branson's  North  Carolina  Business  Direc- 
tory (Raleigh:  Levi  Branson,  Publisher,  1884),  547-549. 
"McPherson,  118. 
^Ibid.,  20. 

'■'James  W  Clay,  Douglas  M.  Orr,  Jr.,  and  Alfred  W  Stuart, 
(eds.).  North  Carolina  Atlas:  Portrait  of  a  Changing  Southern  State 
(Chapel  Hill:  The  University  of  North  Carolina  Press,  1975),  p.  205. 
"Robert  Gregg  Cherry,  "Conserving  North  Carolina's  Re- 
sources," January  1946,  quoted  in  David  Leroy  Corbitt  (ed.).  Pub- 
lic Addresses  and  Papers  of  Robert  Gregg  Cherry  1945 -1949  (Ra- 
leigh: Council  of  State,  1951),  289-292. 

"Statistics  from  John  Roberts,  "Textile  Fortunes  Rebound 
Through  New  Technology"  Greensboro  Daily  News,  20  July  1980,  p. 
F-1;  and  Mariene  Burger,  "Textiles  and  Apparel,"  Greensboro  Daily 
Nens,  24  January  1982,  p.  H-U. 

■"•"Hunt  Urges  Protection  For  Prime  Farmland,"  Greensboro 
Daily  News,  10  December  1980. 

""Rod  Hackney  "Urbanization  Threatens  Farmlands,"  Greens- 
boro Dailv  News  Leader,  7  June  1982,  p.  R-1. 

'"^R.  Gregg  Cherry,  November  22,  1946;  Corbitt,  Public  Ad- 
dresses and  Papers  of  Robert  Gregg  Cherry,  554. 

'"'Frances  Benjamin  Johnston  and  Thomas  Tileston  Waterman, 
The  Early  Architecture  of  North  Carolina  (Chapel  Hill;  The  Uni- 
versity of  North  Carolina  Press,  1947),  6. 
'°*Ibid. 
'°^Ibid. 

'"^Davidson  County  Historical  Association,  Historical  Gleam- 
ings  of  Davidson  County,  North  Carolina  (Reeds,  North  Carolina; 
Baker  Printing  Company  1976),  74. 

'°'Richard  S.  Allen,  Covered  Bridges  of  the  South  (Brattle- 
boro,  Vermont:  The  Stephen  Greene  Press,  1959),  3. 

""*David  Jacobs  and  Anthony  E.  Neville,  Bridges,  Canals,  and 
Tunnels  (New  York;  American  Heritage  Publishing  Company,  Inc., 
1968),  31. 

'"'Allen,  Covered  Bridges,  6. 

^^°Greensboro  Daily  News,  18  October  1936. 

'"Allen,  Covered  Bridges,  6. 

"^Asheboro  (N.C.)  Courier  Tribune,  13  July  1950. 

'"Randolph  County.  Minutes  of  Court  of  Pleas  and  Quarter 


Session,  4  Febmary  1845,  Minute  Book  1843-1851,  p.  100  (Located 
in  the  North  Carolina  State  Archives,  Raleigh,  N.C). 

'  '''Randolph  County,  Minutes  of  Court  of  Pleas  and  Quarter 
Session,  1843-1851,  p.  379. 

'"Randolph  County,  County  Commissioners'  Minutes,  5  March 
1883,  p.  200.  (Located  in  Randolph  County  Register  of  Deeds). 

"^Randolph  County,  County  Commissioners'  Minutes,  2  April 

1883,  pp.  205-206;  2  June  1884,  p.  306. 

'  '^Randolph  County,  County  Commissioners'  Minutes,  4  August 

1884,  p.  317. 

""Randolph  County,  County  Commissioners'  Minutes,  1  June 
1886,  p.  487. 

'"Allen,  Covered  Bridges,  6-7;  Asheboro  (N.C.)  Courier 
Tribune,  13  July  1950. 

'^"Randolph  County,  County  Commissioners'  Minutes,  5  Janu- 
ary 1885,  p.  352;  3  September  1888,  p.  146. 

'^'Randolph  County,  County  Commissioners'  Minutes,  3  Octo- 
ber 1892,  p.  548;  5  Febmary  1894,  p.  105. 

'^^Randolph  County,  County  Commissioners'  Minutes,  4  June 
1894,  p.  147. 

'^'Randolph  County,  County  Commissioners'  Minutes,  5  August 
1889,  p.  234. 

'^'Ibid. 

'  ^'Randolph  County,  County  Commissioners'  Minutes,  1  Septem- 
ber 1892,  p.  448. 

'^''Randolph  County,  County  Commissioners'  Minutes,  5  Febru- 
ary, 1894,  p.  105. 

'^^Randolph  County,  County  Commissioners'  Minutes,  7  October 
1901,  p.  574;  4  November  1901,  p.  587. 

'^'*Allen,  Covered  Bridges,  p.  6. 

'^''Asheboro  (N.C.)  Courier  Tribune,  13  July  1950. 

""Dorothy  Auman  and  Walter  Auman,  Seagrove  Area  (Ashe- 
boro: Village  Printing  Company,  1976),  101. 

'"Dunwell,  24. 

"^See  the  discussion  of  the  New  England  Mutual  factory  vernac- 
ular in  Kaplan,  The  Historic  Architecture  of  Cabarrus  County,  North 
Carolina,  pp.  28-30. 

'"Dunwell,  19. 

"*/fcW.,  47-48. 

"^Asheboro  (n.C.)  Southern  Citizen,  14  April  1838. 

"'•The  Greensboro  Patriot,  30  September  1843. 

'■"T'/ie  Greensboro  Patriot,  2  August  1851;  22  November  I85I; 
12  June  1852. 

""Susan  Tucker  Hatcher,  "North  Carolina  Quakers;  Bona  Fide 
Abolitionists,"  The  Southern  Friend:  Journal  of  the  North  Carolina 
Friends  Historical  Society  1,  no.  2  (Autumn,  1979),  94. 

"Vbid. 

'""Holland  Thompson,  From  the  Cotton  Field  to  the  Cotton  Mill: 
A  Study  of  Industrial  Transition  in  North  Carolina  (New  York:  The 
Macmillan  Company  1906),  p.  51-52. 

""Reprinted  in  Raleigh  (N.C.)  Register,  22  August  1849 
(Available  in  the  North  Carolina  State  Archives,  Raleigh,  N.C). 

'"^Martha  T  Briggs,  "Mill  Owners  and  Mill  Workers  in  an 
Antebellum  North  Carolina  County"  (M.A.  thesis.  University  of 
North  Carolina  at  Chapel  Hill,  1975),  85. 

continued  on  page  50 

49 


lOII 

y 
II 


»l 
'»» 

9 
a 

1^ 


r  :l' 


!     ,J 


Randolph  County  Inventory 


Trinity  Township 


D( 


continued  from  page  49 

'"'Ibid.,  80-81,  85. 
Carl  Lounsbury.  "Survey  and  discussion  of  Alamance  Village 
at  Alamance  Village,  N.C.,"  7  January  1982. 

'"'John  Baxton  Flowers  III,  Orange  Factory  (Durham:  Orange 
Factory  Preservation  Society,  1978),  15-17. 

'■"■Brent  Glass,  "Southern  Mill  Hills:  Design  in  a  Public  Place," 
in  Carolina  Dwelling:  Towards  Presenation  of  Place:  In  Celebration 
of  the  North  Carolina  Vernacular  Landscapes,  (ed.),  Doug  Swaim 
(Raleigh:  North  Carolina  State  University  School  of  Design,  1978), 


145;  Catherine  W   Bishir,   "Asher  Benjamin's   'Practical  House 
Carpenter'  in  North  Carolina,"  Carolina  Comments  27  (May  1979) 
72-73. 

""Catherine  W  Bishir,  "Asher  Benjamin's  'Practical  House 
Carpenter'  in  North  Carolina,"  Carolina  Comments  27  (May,  1979) 
72-73. 

'■"•a.  J.  Downing,  The  Architecture  of  Country  Houses  (New 
York:  Dover  Publication,  Inc.,  1969),  394. 

'"Ibid..  73. 


r      "°^^'"'^„^•  '^^''1*^".  comp..  Founders  and  Builders  d 
mslnr-  ""'-"''  'C--^""-:  J-  ^  stone  and  Company. 

rac.  'vl?3'rM  '^t™^/''^''  '"""''^  T^'''  Centuries  of  Democ- 
racy, Vol  3  (New  York:  Uwis  Historical  Publishing  Company,  1932). 

RouEr.T;.^!""  ^r^^t^"^'  ^''^  ^"'■den  of  Southern  History  (Bato" 
Kouge.  Louisiana  State  University  Press,  I%8),  5-7. 


50 


t:.iia'-H.'.'.?iif.^»iLv>.Hlr'Tl  •■-'■"-'•'* 


TRT:1  JEDUTHAN  HARPER  HOUSE  NR 

Trinity  Township 

This  architecturally  significant  structure  was 
the  home  of  the  politically  active  Harper  family 
The  house  was  probably  built  ca.  1800  by  Lt. 
Col.  Jeduthan  Harper  (1736-1819),  who  served 
at  various  times  as  a  Randolph  County  justice  of 
'he  peace,  register  of  deeds,  clerk  of  court  and 
member  of  the  state  legislature.  Harper's  son 
Jesse  (1787-1851)  followed  in  his  father's  foot- 
steps as  county  clerk  of  court;  daughter  Ann 
Elizabeth  married  Gov  John  Motley  Morehead 
of  Greensboro;  and  daughter  Sara  married  Alex- 
^der  Gray  Randolph  County's  general  in  the 
"M  of  1812.  Jeduthan  Harper's  will  contained 
*e  unusual  directions  that  his  slaves  be  emanci- 
pated and  provided  with  land,  furniture,  horses 
and  money  from  his  estate. 

The  four-bay  two-story  frame  house  has  9/9 
sash  on  the  first  floor  and  6/6  on  the  second.  The 
entrance  door  with  transom  and  sidelights,  and 
'he  hip  roofs  of  the  house,  west  wing  and  the 


front 


porch,  all  may  be  part  of  a  mid-19th  cen- 


^  remodeling.  The  unusually  fine  Federal  style 
'nterior  woodwork  is  the  outstanding  feature  of 
nis  house.  An  open-string  staircase  rises  from 
'he  rear  of  the  entrance  hall.  The  turned  balusters 
and  newel  post  support  a  rail  which  terminates  in 
a  graceful  curve,  and  risers  of  the  stair  are  carved 
on  the  step  ends.  A  molded  chair  rail  elaborated 
''h  a  rope  molding  decorates  the  hallway,  as 
oes  the  crossetted  surround  of  the  doorway  to 
'he  west  wing.  The  first-floor  parlor,  the  largest 
^0  most  elaborate  room  in  the  house,  opens  off 
!^  hall.  On  the  east  wall  is  a  large  fireplace 
■Wasting  slender,  stylized  Ionic  columns  which 
^"Ppon  a  molded  frieze  and  mantel  shelf.  The 
enimney  breast  is  flanked  by  windows  whose 
I  °odwork  carries  a  raised  panel  at  the  head  with 


lum 


and 
room 


'etted  comers.  Molded  chair  rail,  baseboard 


cornice  accent  the  plastered  interior  of  the 


Unusual  features  of  the  second  floor  are  the 

0  Comer  fireplaces  in  the  small  eastern  bed- 
'ns.  Those  fireplaces  have  deep  finish  shel- 

fed  friezes  with  bolection  moldings  and  molded 
^  antel  shelves.  Evidence  indicates  that  most,  if 
^    all,  of  the  interior  woodwork  of  the  house 

*iP*'n'ed  with  decorative  wood  graining, 
he  only  distinctive  outbuilding  is  a  one-story 

ard-and-batten  structure  formeriy  used  as  a 
.^  Chen.  Local  tradition  mentions  that  this  build- 
^8  originally  sat  parallel  to  the  main  house  and 

*s  connected  to  it  by  a  covered  walkway.  The 

^^^Eir-  ini  inr  inr= 


original  building  probably  had  brick  end  chim- 
neys, and  some  brick  nogging  remains  despite  a 
fire  which  left  the  structure  partially  burned. 

The  house  is  listed  in  the  National  Register  of 
Historic  Places  and  was  bought  in  1978  and 
resold  with  protective  covenants  by  the  Historic 
Preservation  Fund  of  North  Carolina.  John  May 
is  the  present  owner. 


TRT:2  MILLER'S  MILL 

Trinity  Township 

Built  by  Riley  Miller  ca.  1883,  the  mill  com- 
plex also  became  known  as  "Brokaw's  Mill" 
when  it  was  bought  by  neighboring  millionaire 
William  Gould  Brokaw  around  the  turn  of  the 
century.  The  complex  includes  a  house,  store, 
machine  shop  and  mill  sited  in  a  horseshoe  bend 
of  the  Uwharrie  River  where  a  fifteen-foot  dam 
created  the  water  power.  The  house  and  mill  are 
relatively  late  examples  of  mortise-and-tenon 
construction.  The  mill  was  powered  by  a  twenty- 
foot  overshot  water  wheel  or  a  turbine  led  by  a 
concrete  penstock,  both  of  which  are  still  in 
place.  A  steam  engine  and  boiler,  now  replaced 
by  a  diesel  engine,  provided  power  for  summers 
when  water  was  low.  The  exterior  of  the  monitor- 
roofed  mill  features  "dutch"  doors  and  6/6  sash; 
the  interior  feanuts  chamfered  exposed  beams 
and  a  comer  fireplace.  Both  the  com  and  wheat 
stones  remain  in  place,  as  does  all  the  bolting 
and  sifting  equipment  on  the  second  and  third 
floors.  The  three-bay  T-plan  house  has  6/6  sash. 
Nearly  deteriorated,  the  store  building,  once 
used  as  a  post  office,  is  a  simple  structure 
decorated  with  a  "boom-town"  front. 


TRT:3  INGRAM  HOUSE 

Trinity  Township 

Certain  features  of  this  two-story  three-bay 
center-hall  plan  house  indicate  a  date  of  ca.  1810. 
The  gable  roof  exhibits  a  molded  cornice  with 
boxed  remms  and  the  6/6  sash  have  molded 
exterior  frames.  The  gable-end  chimneys  with 
stepped-shoulders  and  the  foundation  are  all 
stuccoed.  The  weatherboarding  is  now  covered 
with  asphalt  siding. 

The  first  floor  exhibits  two  types  of  molded 
chair  rail,  as  well  as  a  molded  baseboard.  There 
are  marks  of  H  and  HL  hinges  on  the  six-panel 
door^  and  filming.  The  fireplace  mantels  are 
simple  Georgian  designs  with  sunken  panels. 


TFT.l 


TRr:3 


111 
if 


!!! 

a 

I? 


EIQE 


3B[= 


=1013 


=1(31= 


=]Q 


51 


.J^ll  ^  _  — i^^tyj-* 


TKr:6 


TRr:6 


'3'===lBI===)l31^^==iRr==im 
52 


I  ini inr= 


TRT:4  "MELROSE" 

Trinity  Township 

"Melrose"  was  built  in  1845-1847  by  Lewis 
M.    Leach  on   a  prominent   hill  just  south   of 
Trinity  In  the  19th  century  students  boarded  in 
the  house,  walking  the  three-quarter  mile  to 
college.  The  original  kitchen  and  dining  room 
were  in  the  basement  and  accessible  from  out- 
side by  a  bulkhead  entrance.  The  original  porch, 
now  gone,   was   a  two-story   veranda  with   aii 
entrance  from  the  second  floor.  The  American 
bond  brick  house  is  now  painted  white,  one  of 
many  alterations  made  since  1931  by  the  present 
owners.   Some  two-panel  Greek  Revival  doore 
survive,  as  well  as  two  simple  post-and-lintel 
mantels  in  upstairs  bedrooms.  The  den  mantel  is 
a  simple  yet  unusual  design  with  swelling  ogee 
curves   resembling   furniture   in   the    "Empire" 
style.  The  tread  ends  of  the  open-string  staircase 
are  decorated  with  brackets  and  the  case  itself 
features  raised  panels  with  applied  oval  shells 
carved  in  a  sunburst  pattern. 

TRT:5  REDDICK  HOUSE 

Trinity  Township 

A  small  one-story  house  which  may  be  a  log 
cabin  now  covered  with  board-and-banen  siding. 

TRT:6  FAIRVIEW  PARK  (destroyed) 

Trinity  Township 

In  the  late  19th  century  "the  area  formed  by 
the  three  counties  of  Randolph,  Davidson  and 
Guilford   was   once   the   most   highly   regarded 
quail  shooting  country   in  the  United  States." 
That  reputation  attracted  some  of  the  nation's 
wealthiest  men  to  the  region,  men  who  were 
eager  to  emulate  the  practices  of  the  English 
landed   gentry.    North   Carolina's   most   prolific 
legacy  from  this  period  is,  of  course,  George 
Vanderbilt's  Biltmore  House.   But  in  the  Pied- 
mont, Vanderbilt's  closest  competitor  was  clearly 
William  Gould  Brokaw  "of  New  York,  Saratoga 
and  Tuxedo  Park,"  railroad  baron  Jay  Gould's 
grandson.    In    1896  Gould   came   to   Randolph 
County  and  began  to  assemble  an  estate  which 
ultimately  included  purchases  of  2,300  acres  and 
leased  hunting  rights  on  30,000  additional  acres 
By  the  time  of  World  War  I  Gould  was  virtually 
the   feudal   lord   of  most   of  the   northwester^i 
quarter  of  Randolph  County 

The  original  section  of  Gould's  "Manor  House" 
was  built  in  1896  and  later  expanded  to  become  a 


EIQE 


3Bt= 


=]BI= 


ow,  white,  gambrel-roofed  structure  moie  than 
160  teet  in  length.  It  included  a  sun  porch, 
library,  dming  room,  billiard  room,  gun  room, 
gymnasium,  shooting  gallery,  bowling  alley, 
lurkish  bath,  indoor  swimming  pool  and  squash 
court,  not  to  mention  fifteen  bedrooms,  some 
with  pnvate  baths.  The  architect  of  this  "har- 
nionious  blending  of  the  colonial  and  French 
chateau  types"  is  said  to  have  been  Stanford 
White,  remembered  locally  as  "that  man  Hany 
K.  Thaw  killed  in  New  York."  White  if  he  was 
indeed  the  architect,  also  designed  the  lodge  of 
Clarence  McKay  in  nearby  Jamestown. 

Although  the  estate  boasted  such  amenities  as 
a  race  track  and  polo  field,  a  golf  course  and 
trap  shooting  facilities,  it  was  first  and  foremost 
a  hunting  establishment,  including  a  35-stall 
bam,  kennels  and  cottages  for  game  keepers  and 
trainers.  Not  satisfied  with  quail,  Brokaw  buiH 
duck  ponds  and  raised  mallards,  imported  liv< 
bnghsh  pheasants,  and  fenced  in  a  500-acie  trad 
around  the  Manor  House,  stocked  it  with  deer 
and  elk,  and  created  a  private  deer  park. 

Hunting  was  Brokaw 's  passion  and  he  used 
his  influence  to  promote  it  in  every  way  North 
Carolina's  game  laws  were  entirely  rewritten  by 
Brokaw  "at  the  request  of  the  Governor"  He 
backed  the  establishment  of  the  state-owned  game 
tarm  below  Asheboro  which  raised  and  released 
game  birds  for  sportsmen.  He  tried  to  attract  his 
tnends  to  the  area,  praising  its  "ideal  climate 
•  •  ■  resembling  that  of  France  and  Italy"  To 
accommodate  the  resulting  overflow  of  guests. 
Brokaw  built  a  "Swiss  Chalet"  (actually  an 
Adirondack  Style"  log  cabin)  about  a  hundred 
yards  east  of  the  Manor  House  and  connected 
to  it  by  a  bridge  that  crossed  the  intervening 
ravine  Soon  after  his  graduation  ftx)m  Hanaitl. 
hanklm  Roosevelt  was  a  guest  at  this  "rustic 
lodge  (which  featured  running  water  and  mar- 
ble fireplaces). 

This  idyUic  life  was,  sadly,  transitory.  "Inflation 
following  the  First  Wbrld  War  forced  Btoka* 
mto  some  financial  difficulty  and  the  Manor 
House  was  turned  into  a  deluxe  club  for  wealth) 
sportsmen  who  could  shoot  and  live  luxuriously 
for  about  $25  a  day."  Then,  in  1921,  the  Manor 
House  burned  to  the  ground.  Brukaw  renovated 
the  Estate  Manager's  Lodge  for  his  own  use,  bul 
the  limes  had  changed.  He  finally  disposed  of 
the  property  in  1938  and  died  in  South  Carolina 
in  1941.  FuBs  slowly  claimed  other  parts  of  th« 
estate,  until  little  was  left.  Today  massive  chim- 
neys mark  the  sites  of  the  Swiss  chalet  and  Estate 
Manager's   Lodge.   The  only   reminder  of  the 

^0 


v&idmmm^  lunii^ 


Manor  House  is  the  tiny  octagonal  shooting 
stand  which  once  stood  behind  the  Manor  House, 
*here  Brokaw  and  his  guests  practiced  trap 
shooting. 

"On  a  quiet  day  in  November,  it  is  possible  to 
stand  on  the  knoll  where  the  Manor  House 
reared  its  lofty  presence  and  see  in  your  imagina- 
tion a  pair  of  hunters  moving  out  for  a  day's 
^Port,  with  dogs  and  handlers.  They  are  wearing 
■English  tweeds  and  carry  custom-made  double 
suns.  The  hunter  tips  his  hat  and  moves  the  dogs 
into  a  covert.  Two  quick  doubles  are  scored  on 
we  covey  rise  and  the  hunters  move  out  of  sight, 
Back  into  the  past."  (Don  FoUmer,  The  High 
Point  Enterprise,  July  25,  1968.) 

TRT:7  ENOS  BLAIR  HOUSE 

Trinity  Township 

Randolph  County's  only  entry  in  Thomas  T 
Waterman's  The  Early  Architecture  of  North  Caro- 
"w  is  this  one-and-a-half-story  log  house  which 

ay  be  the  area's  best  known  log  cabin.  The 
entiy  in  Waterman's  book  is  based  on  a  photo- 
graph by  Frances  Benjamin  Johnston,  the  fa- 
nrous  photographer  of  the  New  Deal  era  who 
Beveled  the  nation  recording  historic  buildings. 

ne  original  portion  of  the  house,  of  V-notched 

8  construction,   has   a   massive   interior   end 

^himney  of  mud-chinked  fieldstone.  A  dog-leg 

to  the  south  of  the  chimney  provides  access 

°,  *e  second   floor.   A   closet,   lit  by  a  tiny 

indow,  occupies  the  space  to  the  north  of  the 
^wmney  Both  the  stair  and  closet  are  closed  off 

.:}  .batten  doors  hung  on  strap  hinges.  Shed 

'hons  on  the  east  and  west  were  built  in  the 

J^  19th  century  when  thin  Victorian  sheathing 

{^  ^PP'i^d  over  most  of  the  interior.  A  concrete 

ndation  and  screened-in  porches  are  recent 

^'terations. 


Wat, 
noted 


ennan  dated  the  house  as  ca.   1750  and 
especially  an  unglazed  window  covered 


y  by  a  sheathed  shutter.  The  window  is  now 
™  and  the  shutter  has  disappeared,  a  victim 

1750°*^*™'^^"°"'  ^^  *^  ^°^^^  '^  '"  ^  ^^^'^  ** 
(17'in  "  '^°"'''  "°'  ^^^^  ''^^"  ''"'''  ''y  ^"°^  '^'^"^ 
the  rT'^'''*^'  ^'^°  ^^*  *'""'  ''^*'  y^^'  '"'^^^'^' 
tha  \  ■  ^a^i'ly  had  migrated  no  farther  south 
tl,^  p^irg'nia  by  1761.  It  would  therefore  seem 
thi<  K  ^  ^^^^  '^°"'''  "°'  ^^^^  acquired  or  built 
hou  ^"^^  ^^°^  '^a.  1770.  Even  at  that,  the 
Rantf  i'^'"*'"^  'be  oldest  standing  structure  in 
dwell'  ^""""y-  "  '5  3  ''^y  example  of  the  log 
thr..  ^"^*  ''"'•'  by  the  first  generations  of  settlers 
"^"ghout  the  FMedmont. 


TRT:8  THOMAS  JEFFERSON 
FINCH  HOUSE 

Trinity  Township 

The  centerpiece  of  Wheatmore  Farms,  this 
massive  Queen  Anne  style  house  was  built  on 
the  site  of  the  little  T.  A.  Finch  House,  which 
was  moved  to  an  adjacent  site.  The  house  was 
designed  and  built  by  Charles  Franklin  Finch, 
brother  of  the  owner.  C.  F  Finch  graduated  fix)m 
Vanderbilt  University  in  1894  with  a  Bachelor 
of  Engineering  degree,  taught  drafting  and  worked 
in  the  lumber  business  beibre  reniming  to  Thomas- 
ville.  The  house  was  his  first  commission;  there- 
after he  built  houses,  stores  and  churches  in 
Thomasville,  as  well  as  the  Palace  and  Stable 
theaters  and  the  first  "Big  Chair." 

The  stnicmre  is  a  rambling  hip-roofed  house 
with  a  projecting  gabled  wing  and  a  polygonal 
bay  with  bracketed  overhang.  The  sawn  gable 
ornamentation  includes  a  spoked  "open  wheel" 
design.  The  glazed  sun  porch  on  the  southeast- 
em  facade  may  have  been  added  in  the  1920s. 
Nearby  is  a  one-story  central-chimney  structure 
which  served  as  kitchen  and  dining  room  for  the 
original  antebellum  house. 


TRT:9  DEMPSEY  BROWN  HOUSE 

Trinity  Township 

This  is  one  of  the  earliest  surviving  brick 
strucmres  in  Randolph  County;  an  inscribed  brick 
near  the  fiunt  door  dates  it  1836.  Oddly,  however, 
the  outstanding  interior  woodwork  seems  to  date 
ftom  an  earlier  period.  The  exterior  has  been 
completely  smccoed  at  some  time,  although  brick- 
work visible  under  the  porch  is  laid  in  1:5  com- 
mon bond.  The  pylon  supports  of  the  porch  date 
from  ca.  1935  alterations  as  do  the  1/1  window 
sash.  Sawn  Federal-style  dentil  work  decorates 
the  gable  and  cornice.  An  unusual  detail  of  the 
brickwork  is  that  all  outside  comers  are  cham- 
fered, including  both  the  edges  of  the  house  and 
the  exterior  end  chimne>'s. 

A  simple  transom  above  the  door  lights  the 
entrance  hallway  In  a  variation  of  the  center-hall 
plan,  two  small  rooms  heated  by  comer  fireplaces 
lie  north  of  the  hall,  with  a  spacious  parlor  on  the 
south.  The  partition  has  been  removed  ftom  the 
north  room,  now  called  the  "Mail  Room,"  after 
its  use  as  a  post  office.  One  of  the  comer 
fireplaces  exhibits  a  simple  mantel  with  molded 
shelf;  the  other  is  similar,  but  a  reeded  panel  is 
centered  below  the  shelf.  A  six-panel  door  sur- 
vives on  the  closet  of  this  room  and  illustrates 


TKr:9 


!?ll 


6 

ij., 

II 

toll 

9, 
»i 

*»„ 

a 

ill 


I? 

i 


nmi nrai ini inr= 


SIDE 


3E1I im IB 

53 


Di 


TRr.12 


the  original  decorative  treatment;  the  pine  door 
has  been  painted  and  grained  to  resemble  more 
expensive  wood,  and  lunettes  have  been  scratched 
into  the  wet  paint  of  the  raised  panels.  The 
wainscoted  hallway  has  an  open  string  staircase 
with  scrolled  stair  brackets;  the  square  newel 
exhibits  several  moldings  and  is  decorated  with 
an  applied  cartouche.  The  parlor  with  a  chair  rail 
highlighting  the  plaster  walls,  is  dominated  by 
its  impressive  mantel.  A  reeded  fireplace  sur- 
round in  a  symmetrically-molded  frame  is  sur- 
rounded by  three  raised  panels,  which  are  in  turn 
topped  by  an  elaborate  molded  comice  which 
breaks  in  the  center  to  form  a  dentiled  "keystone." 
The  simplicity  of  the  room  and  the  intricacy  of 
the  mantel  combine  to  produce  an  elegant  decora- 
tive effect. 


TRT:10  PAYNE'S  MILL  HOUSE 

Trinity  Township 

This  miller's  residence  is  the  only  survivor  of 
the  grist  mill  complex  operated  by  the  Payne 
family  The  original  one-and-a-half-story  house 
dates  ca.  1868;  a  one-room  addition  doubled  its 
size  in  the  late  19th  century.  The  hall-and-parlor 
plan  house  featui^es  two-panel  Greek  Revival 
doors,  a  very  plain  post-and-linlel  mantel  and  a 
boxed  dog-leg  stair.  The  shed  porch  is  supported 
by  columns  with  bases  but  no  surviving  capitals. 
The  mill  stood  across  the  Uwharrie  River  from 
the  house. 


TRT:11  SAMUEL  GRAY  KITCHEN 

Trinity  Township 

Local  farmer  Samuel  Gray  (1778-1856)  built 
this  half-dovetail  log  building  as  the  detached 
kitchen  of  a  planned  house  which  was  never 
built.  The  one-room  building  includes  4/4  sash 
and  boxed  stairs  leading  to  a  loft. 

TRT:12  MARTIN  LEACH  HOUSE 

Trinity  Township 

This  hip-rioof  end-chimney  center-hall  plan  house 
was  built  ca.  1850;  however,  the  log  rear  wing  is 
probably  earlier.  The  facade  is  divided  into  three 
sections  by  monumental  pilasters;  coupled  4/4  sash 
are  used  on  the  facade  while  6/6  are  used  on  the 
sides  and  rear.  Double  two-panel  Greek  Revival 
doors,  flanked  by  four-pane  sidelights,  give  en- 
trance into  the  hall.  An  open-string  stair  rises  to 
the  second  floor.  The  interior  is  plastered  and  has 


simple  Greek  Revival  mantels.  The  house  is  a 
simple  rural  version  of  the  popular  Italianate  style- 
The  Leach  family  was  quite  active  in  North 
Carohna-s  political  and  social  activities.  Col- 
Martin  W  Uach  married  Sallie  Alston  Mangum. 
daughter  of  U.S.  Senator  Willie  Person  Manguw 
ot  Hillsborough.  Col.  Uach's  brother,  James 
Madison  Leach,  was  elected  a  US.  Congress- 
man before  the  Civil  War,  was  a  Confederate 
congressman  during  the  war  and  returned  to  the 
U.S.  Congress  after  the  war. 

TRT:13  LYTLE  JOHNSON  HOUSE 

Trinity  Township 

This  early  I9th  century  house  is  remembered 
as  the  home  of  Lytle  Johnson  (b.  1796)  The 
onginal  house  may  be  the  one-and-a-half-stoiy 
log  cabm  now  covered  wtih  weatherixjaniing  and 
attached  to  the  main  house  by  a  shed  porch.  The 
main  house  is  an  end-chimney  hall-and-parlor 
plan  dwelling  with  symmetrically  placed  6/6 
sash;  one  single-shoulder  brick-end  chimney;  and 
a  granite  fieldstone-and-brick  double-shoul- 
dered chimney,  stuccoed  and  painted  to  resem- 
ble brick.  The  molded  comice  terminates  with  a 
nicely  detailed  pattern  board.  A  concrete  porch 
with  wrought  iron  posts  has  replaced  the  original. 

TRT:14  TOMMY  WHITE  HOUSE 

Trinity  Township 

The  brick  for  this  ca.  I860  house  was  made  in 
a  nearby  field.  The  walls,  two  feet  thick,  are  i" 
1:5  common  bond.  There  are  double  entrance 
doors  flanked  by  four-pane  sidelights,  and  cou- 
pled 4/4  sash  characterize  the  three-bay  facade. 
The  center-hall  plan  house  has  interior  chimneys 
on  the  rear  wall,  with  simple  Greek  Revival 
mantels.  There  is  an  open-string  staircase,  and 
the  interior  is  completely  plastered.  The  one- 
story  west  wing,  now  used  as  a  kitchen,  wa* 
originally  the  one-room  log  "Glencoe"  School. 

TRT:15  WILLIAM  ZEIGLER  LODGE 

Trinity  Township 

This  hunting  lodge  was  built  by  Northern 
financier  William  Zeigler  about  1910  and  con- 
sisted of  four  bedrooms,  a  large  "lodge  lootn." 
dog  lots  and  suppon  buildings.  It  was  used  bJ  ' 
Mr.  Zeigler  until  his  death  in  the  1950s  and  '« 
now  owned  by  former  High  Pbinl  mayor  Roy  B 
Culler,  Jr. 


UQE 


TRT:16  MENDENHALL  DAIRY  HOUSE 

Trinity  Township 

Once  the  nucleus  of  the  Mendenhal!  Dairy, 
former  supplier  of  milk  to  High  Point  and  the 
surrounding  area,  this  two-story  central-gable 
'-house  was  built  perhaps  ca.  1890  and  remod- 
eled in  the  1920s.  The  house  has  many  surviving 
elements  of  Victorian  decoration  such  as  the 
small  brackets  closely  spaced  under  the  main 
comice,  the  sawn  brackets  of  the  porch  cornice 
and  the  sawn  porch  balusters. 

TRT:17  T.  A.  FINCH  HOUSE 

Trinity  Township 

This  is  known  as  the  Thomas  Austin  Finch 
House,  although  it  was  probably  built  ca.  1840, 
almost  twenty  years  before  Finch  bought  the 
property  from  John  P  H.  Russ  in  1857.  The 
One-and-a-half-story  end-chimney  center-hall  plan 
"ouse  is  a  lovely  example  of  Greek  Revival 
''esign.  The  9/9  sash  have  molded  frames  and 
*ere  once  shuttered.  The  entrance  door  and 
sidelights  are  set  in  a  symmetrically-molded  frame 
complete  with  comer  blocks.  The  interior  trim 
features  comer  blocks  with  raised  central  panels; 
e^en  the  mantels  have  symmetrically-molded  sur- 
rounds with  comer  blocks.  The  first  floor  rooms 
'"^  wainscoted.  A  boxed  stair  leads  to  the  sec- 
ond floor.  The  rear  shed  wing  is  contemporary  to 


the 
and 
from 


main  block  and  features  molded  comer  boards 
cornice  end  plate.  The  house  was  moved 


Hou; 


'ts  original  site  in  1897  when  the  T.  J.  Finch 
se  at  Wheatmore  Farms  was  built  on  the 
'fe-  The  kitchen-dining  room  outbuilding  for 
™s  house  remained  at  the  original  site. 

TRT:18  HOUSE 

Trinity  Township 

Perhaps  dating  to  ca.  1860,  this  house  has  now 
^n  converted  to  the  "Gospel  Music  Hall."  The 

ar  wing  features  a  massive  granite  chiitmey 
ase;  a  single  shouldered  end  chimney  has  been 

moved,  and  the  opposite  end  displays  what 
^  Cms  to  be  an  original  single-shouldered  stove 
^.'mney.  Dnp  moldings  protect  the  6/6  sash  and 

^   'c  framing  is  of  the  mortise-and-tenon  variety. 


TRT:19  ALEXANDER  GRAY  HOUSE 

Trinity  Township 

This  beautifully-sited  house  was  built  in  1832, 
probably  by  General  Alexander  Gray,  whose  son 
Robert  Harper  Gray  lived  here  until  his  death  in 
the  Civil  War.  Alexander  Gray,  the  county's 
largest  slaveowner,  was  a  merchant  and  militia 
officer  who  was  made  a  general  during  the  War 
of  1812.  He  married  Sarah  Harper  and  is  buried 
in  the  Harper  cemetery  at  the  nearby  Jeduthan 
Harper  House.  The  hip-roofed  center-hall  plan 
house  is  set  on  the  crest  of  a  hill,  surrounded  by 
pastureland  and  original  buildings  such  as  the 
detached  kitchen,  stable  and  bam.  The  rafter 
ends  aie  decorated  with  sawn  brackets  and  the 
porch  is  supported  by  an  elaborate  Victorian 
trellis  featuring  pointed  pendant  drops.  The  inte- 
rior exhibits  twelve-foot  ceilings  and  four-panel 
and  two-panel  Greek  Revival  doors  throughout. 
All  mantels  are  in  a  rather  plain  Greek  Revival 
style;  and  the  window  architrave  extends  down  to 
the  top  of  the  high  molded  baseboard  in  each 
room.  The  ramped,  open-string  staircase  has 
bracketed  stair  ends. 


mr.ie 


TFT:  17 


TRr:I8 


TKT-.W 


m 


C5 


6 
9 

\9 


HiltlL. 


IVinity 


Copyright 
Superior    Mop 

56 


TR:1      BOARDING  HOUSE 

West  Side  NC  62 
Trinity 

This  ca.  1871  house  served  for  many  years  as  a 
student  boarding  house  for  Trinity  College.  The 
'6n  rooms  on  the  two  floors  are  said  to  have 
originally  possessed  public  entrances  opening 
off  a  two-story  gallery  porch.  The  gabled  porch 
and  roof  treatment,  and  perhaps  the  Palladian 
*indow  over  the  entrance,  may  date  from  a 
turn-of-the-century  remodeling.  Much  of  the  sur- 
viving interior  trim  is  of  a  late  Greek  Revival 
character;  the  closed-string  staircase  may  be 
original.  Some  unusual  19th  century  wallpaper 
survives  in  one  room. 

TR:2      store  BUILDINGS 

East  Side  NC  62 
Trinity 

These  two  gabled  roof  buildings  with  false 
Doom-town"  fronts  were  originally  separate 
stores.  Now  connected  and  covered  with  asbes- 
tos siding,  they  were  possibly  built  around  the 
'"fn  of  the  century. 

TR:3      TRINITY  CEMETERY 

Cemetery  Street 
Trinity 

The  first  burial  in  this  public  cemetery  was  on 
pPril  9,  1859.  It  exhibits  a  variety  of  Victorian 
™neral  art,  as  well  as  a  large  number  of  Masonic 
"ombstones.  Braxton  Craven  (d.  1882),  the  first 
president  and  guiding  spirit  of  Trinity  College,  is 
buried  here. 

^^•'*      R.  W.  REDDICK  HOUSE 

West  Side  NC  62 
Trinity 

.  Almost  certainly  the  oldest  existing  structure 
}  Trinity,  this  is  known  to  have  been  the  home  of 
^  Reddick  family  at  least  by  1850,  when  Robert 
I  esley  Reddick  was  one  year  old.  A  persistent 

_OCal  traditinn    olcr,    i^ontitit^c    thic    nc   thf*   TrinitV 


Ma; 


tradition  also  identifies  this  as  the  Trinity 


'Sonic  Lodge.  Trinity  Lodge  #256  was  char- 

red  on  December  5,  1866,  and  its  charier  was 

P^eited  for  unknown  reasons  in  1876.  The  1905 

"th   '^"^°''''s  of  an  adjacent  house  refer  to  this  as 

^  Odd  Fellows  Lodge,"  and  it  may  be  this 

'Upancy  which  is  mistakenly  remembered  as  a 
^^^sonic  lodge.  The  house  is  of  brick  in  1:6 

"^mon  bond;  all  interior  walls  are  plastered. 


^hil, 


second  floor  exhibits  a  center-hall  plan, 
^  the  first  floor  is  hall-and-parior,  perhaps 


the  resuh  of  an  alteration.  A  simple  Greek  Re- 
vival mantel  remains  on  the  second  floor.  The 
building  has  long  been  abandoned  and  is  in  a 
much  deteriorated  condition  but  is  a  worthy 
candidate  for  restoration. 

TR:5      T.  W.  WINSLOW  HOUSE 

East  Side  NC  62 
Trinity 

This  house  is  thought  to  have  been  built  for 
Dr.  Thomas  Winslow,  probably  ca.  1855.  The 
large  pane  6/6  windows,  two-panel  interior  doors 
and  Greek  Revival  mantels  indicate  this  date. 
The  entrance,  with  three-pane  sidelights  and 
comer-blocked  trim,  is  set  in  a  small  area  of 
flush  siding;  weatherboards  cover  the  rest  of  the 
facade.  This  indicates  that  the  present  porch 
replaces  an  earlier  smaller  porch.  The  wide  over- 
hang of  the  roof,  supported  by  sawn  rafter  ends, 
may  be  original — perhaps  a  vernacular  reference 
to  the  popular  Italianate  style.  Now  the  residence 
of  Mr.  and  Mrs.  Jess  Richardson,  it  was  once  the 
home  of  Lorenzo  Mendenhall. 

TR:6      CAPTAIN  PARKINS  HOUSE 

West  Side  NC  62 
Trinity 

Thought  to  have  been  built  ca.  1870  by  "Cap- 
tain" Parkins,  an  official  of  the  Hoover  Hill  Gold 
Mine,  this  four-room  center-hall  plan  house  with 
rear  wing  has  been  considerably  altered  through 
the  years.  Pink  asbestos  siding,  wrought  iron 
porch  supports  and  1/1  window  sash  have  all 
replaced  earlier  elements.  Some  original  6/6 
windows  remain  on  the  north  side. 

TR:7      METHODIST  PARSONAGE 

East  Side  NC  62 
Trinity 

This  house  was  probably  built  shortly  before 
1881,  when  it  was  bought  by  the  Methodist 
Protestant  Church  for  use  as  a  parsonage.  It 
served  in  this  capacity  until  the  late  1950s.  Tnm 
elements  still  visible  under  the  aluminum  siding 
added  in  1975  include  bracketed  cornice  returns 
and  6/6  windows. 


«**«''^-^W 


TR:1 


TR:3 


TR:4 


^  ^  '-r 


TR:5 


TR:6 


11-     PI  III 


TR:7 


m 


»llt 

p 

a 

'3! 


="=11 iFir= 


57 


TR:8 


TR:9 


y 

? 

7VJ.70 


TR:8      WILLIAM  LEACH  HOUSE 

West  Side  NC  62 
Trinity 

Built  ca.  1900  by  the  owner's  father,  this  is  a 
simple  clapboarded  one-story  T-plan  house. 

TR:9      ROYALS  HOUSE 

East  Side  NC  62 
Trinity 

Probably  built  ca.  1890,  this  Queen  Anne 
style  house  features  an  end  pavilion  with  project- 
ing polygonal  bay  window.  There  is  a  closed 
string  staircase.  The  porch  has  been  altered  to 
include  iron  posts  and  a  concrete  floor.  An 
interesting  original  feature  is  the  south-facing 
glazed  "flower  house"  off  the  porch.  The  exte- 
rior of  this  small  wing  repeats  the  feathered 
shingles  and  dentiled  cornice  eaves  of  the  main 
house;  the  interior  is  plastered-over  lathe.  Exist- 
ing outbuildings  include  a  hip-roofed  carriage 
house  and  a  detached  kitchen.  The  house  is 
known  as  "the  old  Royals'  homeplace." 

TR:10      J.  E  HEITMAN  HOUSE 

East  Side  NC  62 
Trinity 

Originally  built  ca.  1860,  this  house  received 
roof  modifications  and  a  bungaloid  porch  in  the 
eariy  20th  century.  The  interior  features  such 
antebellum  features  as  molded  two-pane!  doors 
and  oversized  6/6  window  sash  which  extend  to 
floor  level.  The  main  entrance  door  is  flanked  by 
three-pane  sidelights.  The  central  hallway  holds 
an  open-string  staircase.  John  Franklin  Heitman 
(1840-1904)  was  bom  in  nearby  Davidson  County 
and  entered  Trinity  College  with  the  class  of 
1861.  He  left  to  join  the  Confederate  Army 
during  the  war  and  finally  graduated  from  Trinity 
in  1868.  Following  the  death  of  Braxton  Craven 
in  1882,  Heitman  was  nominated  for  college 
president  but  lost  to  Marquis  L.  Wood.  Heitman 
was  then  appointed  Professor  of  Greek  and  Ger- 
man as  well  as  elected  treasurer  of  the  faculty. 
Following  President  Wood's  resignation  in  1884, 
Trinity  was  administered  by  a  "Committee  of 
Management"  composed  of  members  of  the 
Board  of  Trustees;  Heitman  served  as  Chairman 
of  the  Faculty  from  1884  to  1886  under  the 
committee,  and  was  responsible  for  most  admin- 
istrative and  academic  duties  until  the  election  of 
Dr.  John  Franklin  Crowell  as  president  in  1887. 
Even  though  his  wife  was  the  sister  of  Durham 
industrialist  Julian  S.  Carr,  Heitman  opposed  the 


removal  of  the  college  to  Durham,  and  remained 
in  Tnnity  to  serve  as  headmaster  of  the  prepara- 
tory school  which  was  established  at  the  old 
campus. 

TR:11       GOTHIC  COTTAGE 

West  Side  NC  62 
Trinity 

This  ca.  1860  house  is  interesting  because  it 
illustrates  the  roots  of  the  one-story  and  two- 
story  three-bay  center-gable  houses  which  be- 
came widely  popular  by  the  turn  of  the  century. 
Here  the  central  gable  exhibits  its  original  func- 
tion, that  of  lighting  the  second  story  with  a 
pointed  window  The  gable  is  still  decorated  with 
the  onginal  sawn  bargeboard.  Now  covered  with 
asbestos  siding,  the  house  was  almost  certainly 
built  with  board-and-batten  siding.  Two  pilasters 
remain  from  the  original  bracketed  porch,  now 
replaced  by  wrought  iron  supports.  The  house 
may  have  been  a  product  of  the  same  carpenter 
as  the  1853  Braxton  Craven  house  and  the  Dr. 
Tomlinson  house  in  Archdale,  two  other  Gothic- 
style  homes. 

TR:12      HOUSE 

West  Side  NC  62 
Trinity 

This  small  three-bay  house  may  date  from  the 
1850s,  but  a  variety  of  alterations  through  the 
years  make  an  accurate  estimate  of  its  age 
difficult.  The  unusual  central  chimney  place- 
ment divides  the  house's  interior  into  two  main 
rooms,  and  one  original  simple  Greek  Revival 
mantel  remains.  The  three-bay  exterior  facade 
has  been  covered  with  aluminum  siding  and 
most  windows  converted  to  1/1  sash;  however, 
several  earlier  6/6  sash  remain 


L 


7-/J./4 


TR:I5 


TR:13      STEPHEN  B.  WEEKS  HOUSE 

East  Side  NC  62 
Trinity 

Boasting  an  end-pavilion  and  deep  eave  over- 
hangs, this  large  two-story  house  seems  to  have 
been  built  ca.  1870.  Its  chief  decorative  features 
include  coupled  6/6  windows  in  the  gable  ends, 
tripled  6/6  sash  on  the  main  facade  and  square 
coupled  porch  columns  reminiscent  of  the  Greek 
Revival  style.  Local  residents  refer  to  this  as 
"Dr.  Weeks'  house,"  almost  certainly  recalling 
Dr.  Stephen  Beauregard  Weeks  (1865-1918), 
one  of  North  Carolina's  earliest  professional 
historians.  Weeks,  a  native  of  Pasquotank  County 
was  graduated  from  the  University  of  North 
Carolina  in  1886.  He  received  Ph.Ds.  from  the 
University  of  North  Carolina  in  1888  and  from 
Johns  Hopkins  University  in  1891.  In  September, 
1891 ,  he  was  elected  Trinity  College's  first  Profes- 
sor of  History  and  Political  Science.  He  resigned 
from  the  Trinity  faculty  in  1893  after  following 
the  college  to  its  new  home  in  Durham.  Weeks 
was  a  founder  of  both  the  Trinity  College  Histori- 
cal Society  and  the  Southern  History  Association. 
A  prolific  writer,  his  most  prominent  work  was 
the  book  Southern  Quakers  and  Slavery  (1896), 
one  of  the  earliest  examinations  of  North  Caro- 
lina's Quaker  heritage.  Weeks,  who  served  as 
Trinity's  first  librarian,  was  a  bibliophile  and 
collector  of  North  Caroliniana;  his  extensive 
collections  became  the  basis  for  the  North  Caro- 
lina Collection  in  Chapel  Hill.  Dr.  Weeks  estab- 
lished firm  connections  to  the  Trinity  area  in 
1893  when  he  married  his  second  wife  Sallie 
Mangum  Leach,  the  daughter  of  Colonel  Martin 
W  Leach  of  Trinity  and  the  niece  of  Congress- 
man J.  Madison  Leach. 

TR:14      GEORGE  CRAVEN  HOUSE 

West  Side  NC  62 
Trinity 

An  early  20th  century  home  substantially  al- 
tered in  a  1950s  conversion  into  apartments.  An 
unusual  feature  is  the  casement-windowed  wing 
providing  sun  rooms  on  the  first  and  second 
floors. 


TR:15      TRINITY  MEMORIAL  UNITED 
METHODIST  CHURCH 

East  Side  NC  62 
Trinity 

This  church,  a  substantial  hip-roofed  structure 
with  projecting  end  bays,  was  probably  built  in 
the  1930s.  The  pediment  over  the  entrance  is 
supported  by  coupled  Tuscan  columns. 

TR:16      TRINITY  HIGH  SCHOOL 

(destroyed  1980) 

West  Side  NC  62,  jet.  with  SR  1600 

and  SR  1603 

Trinity 

Designed  by  the  architectural  firm  of  Northrup 
and  O'Brien  of  Winston-Salem  and  built  by  the 
firm  of  E.  T.  Hedrick  and  Son,  this  structure 
replaced  the  old  Trinity  College  in  1924.  Dyna- 
mite was  required  to  clear  the  site  of  the  old 
three-story  brick  college,  built  in  1855  and  ex- 
panded in  1872-1876.  Ten  fluted  iron  columns 
with  lotus-leaf  capitals  suggesting  an  Egyptian 
motif  were  reused  to  support  the  balcony  of  the 
school  auditorium  and  were  the  only  elements  to 
survive  from  the  19th  century  construction.  These 
columns  were  fortunately  preserved  when  the 
school,  abandoned  in  1977,  was  demolished  by 
the  Randolph  County  Board  of  Education. 

The  columns  were  almost  certainly  bought 
originally  for  the  college  chapel  which  occupied 
the  entire  second  and  third  floors  of  the  1872 
wing.  Observers  at  the  time  praised  the  chapel  as 
"the  best  auditorium  in  the  country,  both  for  the 
speaker  and  the  hearer.  It  will  pleasantly  seat 
2000  persons,  and  is  so  perfect  in  acoustics, 
ventilation,  and  arrangement,  that  a  much  larger 
number  might  be  accommodated,  each  seeing 
the  speaker  without  obstruction,  hearing  distinctly, 
and  suffering  no  inconvenience  from  impression." 


i4n 


0 


g 

a 
o 


irif==inr^=^nr=^^=lEll= 


59 


TR:17 


TRINITY  INN 

East  Side  NC  62 
Trinity 


The  original  portion  of  this  structure  was  one 
of  the  oldest  buildings  in  Trinity  dating  perhaps 
as  far  back  as  the  1840s.  That  eight-room  original 
building,  demolished  in  the  1930s,  formed  the 
south  wing  of  the  present  house.  It  was  a  three- 
bay  two-story  center-hall  plan  house  with  a 
sidelighted  front  door.  When  the  north  wing  was 
built,  probably  ca.  1850  a  two-story  gallery 
porch  united  both  halves.  Details  of  the  later 
wing  included  coupled  4/4  windows,  a  front 
door  with  three-pane  sidelights,  projecting  end 
pavilions  and  a  dining  room  extending  the  full 
width  of  the  house.  An  original  detached  kitchen 
serves  today  as  a  garage.  The  inn  was  run  both 
as  a  hotel  for  visitors  and  as  a  student  boarding 
house. 


TR:18      HOUSE 

East  Side  NC  62 
Trinity 

A  center-hall  plan  house  probably  dating  from 
the  late  19th  century,  as  evidenced  by  the  4/4  sash 
and  semicircular  gable  vent  with  sawn  keystone. 
The  hipped  porch  with  central  gable  may  be 
original  but  the  bungaloid  pylons  on  brick  piers 
were  added  in  the  1920s.  The  original  facade 
may  be  the  south  side  rather  than  the  western, 
street  facade. 


TR:19      LEMUEL  JOHNSON  HOUSE 

East  Side  NC  62 
Trinity 

Lemuel  Johnson  (Trinity  class  of  1853)  was 
one  of  the  two  brothers  who  served  the  college  as 
professors  of  mathematics.  D.  C.  Johnson  was 
made  professor  "pro  tempore"  for  the  1850-1851 
term;  Lemuel  was  made  tutor  for  the  1853-1854 
term  and  was  appointed  professor  of  mathemat- 
ics in  1855.  He  served  Trinity  in  this  position  for 
more  than  thirty  years.  In  1858  he  was  elected 
the  first  president  of  the  Trinity  College  Alumni 
Association.  In  1864  he  was  appointed  first 
official  librarian  of  Trinity  as  well  as  treasurer  of 
the  college.  After  1884,  failing  health  forced 
Johnson  to  accept  a  reduced  teaching  load.  A 
former  student  wrote  the  following  sketch  of 
Johnson:  "From  across  the  hollow,  climbing 
the  hill  with  long  steps  and  swinging  gait.  Pro-- 
fessor  Johnson,  the  Mathematician  of  the  College, 
comes  into  view.  I  seem  to  see  his  straight  black 
hat  and  to  hear  him  say  as  he  demonstrates  a 
problem  in  calculus  or  mathematical  astronomy 
on  the  blackboard,  "Looking  at  it  thus,  we  will 
easily  understand  it' — which  was  not  always  the 
case."  (Chaffin,  p.  183)  Johnson's  home  may 
have  been  built  before  the  Civil  War  and  cer- 
tainly would  have  featured  Victorian  millwork  of 
the  1870s  or  1880s,  but  massive  recent  alter- 
ations such  as  the  "Mount  Vernon"  porch.  Colo- 
nial Williamsburg  trim  and  aluminum  siding 
effectively  disguise  its  origins. 


TR:19 


60 


Archdale 


1^1! 


<4U 


a 


iai 

i 


'I 


Copyright 
^"Psrior    Map    Co. 

'^^"'^'"^  inr 


3QE 


3B[= 


3QE 


EIGE 


E3E1E 


ElBE 


3BS 


3GE 


EIQE 


BQE 


Scole 


1/4  Mil* 


E]B(= 


=]QE 


l/B  0 

ini= 


3BI= 


1/4  Mil* 
3E1I IBE 


i/alMii* 

3BI IB 

61 


AR:I 


AR:2 


AR:1       POST  OFFICE 

Behind  3509  Archdale  Road 
Archdale 

The  first  official  recognition  of  Bush  Hill 
occurred  in  1866  when  the  United  States  Govern- 
ment transferred  its  post  office  from  the  declin- 
ing settlement  of  Bloomington  to  the  new  com- 
munity of  Bush  Hill.  The  first  postmaster,  W  M. 
Wilson,  installed  the  office  in  a  small  building 
behind  his  home,  located  on  the  northwest  cor- 
ner of  the  Trindale/Archdale  Road  intersection. 
Ca.  1940  the  office  was  moved  to  its  present 
location  and  remodeled  to  match  the  adjacent 
residence.  The  original  gable  roof  was  replaced 
with  a  hip  roof  at  that  time.  The  chimney  and 
fireplace  have  also  disappeared.  When  Bush  Hill 
was  incorporated  as  a  town  in  1874,  postmaster 
W  M.  Wilson  also  became  the  first  mayor  and 
undoubtedly  governed  from  the  office.  It  is  one 
of  the  oldest  structures  in  Archdale. 

AR:2      JOHN  M.  TOMLINSON  HOUSE 

Southwest  corner  of  NC  62  and 

Archdale  Road 

Archdale 

Built  ca.  1860  this  is  one  of  several  homes 
constructed  in  the  Trinity  area  in  the  Gothic 
Revival  style.  The  brick  foundation  of  the  center- 
hall  plan  house  was  originally  stuccoed  and 
scored  to  resemble  cut  stone.  Remnants  of  the 
original  chamfered  and  bracketed  porch  posts 
also  survive.  A  pointed  casement  sash  is  posi- 
tioned in  the  center  gable;  pointed  double-hung 
sash  flank  the  interior  end  chimneys.  Despite  the 
stylish  exterior,  Greek  Revival  mantels  are  used 
throughout,  suggesting  that  the  exterior  was  cop- 
ied from  a  pattern  book,  while  the  interior  was 
finished  in  the  carpenter's  regular  style  of  work. 
The  sash  and  trim  may  be  eariy  examples  of  the 
local  work  of  W  C.  Petty  and  Company.  Dr.  John 
M.  Tomlinson  was  the  area's  most  prominent 
physician  during  the  late  19th  century.  This  his- 
toric and  architecturally  significant  home  was 
demolished  in  1982. 


AR:3 


LEATH  HOUSE 

120  Trindale  Road 
Archdale 


This  house  is  very  similar  to  the  neighboring 
Hammond  house  and  is  likewise  an  example  of 
the  work  of  the  W  C.  Petty  Sash  and  Blind 
Company.  Although  smaller  than  the  Hammond 
house,  this  house  has  many  identical  elements 


such  as  brackets  and  sash  and  was  probably  also 
built  ca.  1880.  A  vague  local  tradition  states  that 
the  house  was  built  by  a  Quaker  preacher,  but  it 
IS  referred  locally  as  the  "Dr.  Uath"  house. 

AR:4      MOSES  HAMMOND  HOUSE 

118  Trindale  Road 
Archdale 

This  house  is  an  outstanding  example  of  the 
work  of  a  well-known  19th  century  Archdale 
industry,  the  sash  and  blind  factory  of  W  C. 
Petty.  "Clinton"  Petty,  his  brother  D.  M.  Petty 
and  their  brother-in-law  Moses  Hammond,  came 
to  Bush  Hill  ca.  1855  and  began  manufacturing 
furniture  and  building  houses.  W.  C.  Petty  was 
an  expert  machinist  and  mechanic  who,  just 
before  the  Civil  War,  invented  a  machine  for 
making  shoe  pegs.  These  pegs  were  needed  for 
making  the  shoes  and  boots  so  indispensible  to 
the  war  effort,  so  Petty  and  his  employees  were 
exempted  by  the  Confederate  government  from 
the  draft.  In  1866  W  C.  Petty  and  Company  first 
engaged  in  the  business  of  manufacturing  win- 
dow sash  and  blinds,  doors  and  mantels,  mold- 
ings, and.  in  fact,  anything  made  of  wood  which 
could  be  used  for  building  purposes.  The  com- 
pany was  the  only  one  of  its  kind  in  the  area  and 
reaped  the  profitable  harvest  of  the  post-war 
building  boom.  W  C.  Petty  died  in  1885  at  the 
age  of  55.  The  business,  reorganized  after  a 
disastrous  fire  in  1889,  was  continued  for  some 
time  under  the  management  of  Moses  Hammond. 
Hammond  was  an  active  and  prominent  worker 
m  the  Temperance  and  Prohibition  movements 
on  both  the  state  and  national  levels.  For  several 
years  he  was  president  of  the  North  Carolina 
Temperance  Union,  and  in  1888  was  candidate 
for  the  office  of  lieutenant  governor  on  the  Prohi- 
bition ticket. 

The  house  Moses  Hammond  built  for  himself 
ca.  1880  is  virtually  a  catalog  of  the  output  of  W 
C.  Petty  and  Company.  The  elaborate  tapered 
porch  posts,  the  cornice  brackets  with  drops,  the 
molded  pediment  frames  of  the  2/2  windo* 
sash,  the  gable  vents,  moldings  and  probably 
even  the  clapboards  and  framing  lumber  were 
products  of  the  Petty  establishment.  On  the  inte- 
nor  all  the  mantels,  the  turned  balusters  and 
newel  of  the  open-string  staircase  and,  indeed, 
everything  but  the  plaster  cornices  originated  in 
the  local  factory.  Since  1917  the  house  has  been 
the  residence  of  Mr.  and  Mrs.  H.  S.  Ragan,  Jr. 


=113 


AR:S      BEN  ENGLISH  HOUSE 

(destroyed  1980) 

3300  South  Main  Street 

Archdale 

The  nucleus  of  this  house  was  a  small  (approxi- 
mately 20  feet  X  25  feet)  V-notched  log  cabin 
(hidden  from  view)  which  may  have  been  built 
5'efore  the  Civil  War,  although  exact  dating  is 
"iipossible.  The  main  portion  of  the  house  was  a 
"'gh-ceilinged,  early  20th  century  wing  built  by 
°2n  T.  English  as  a  hunting  lodge  for  Yankee 
Visitors.  The  family  lived  in  the  original  wing, 
and  guests  roomed  in  the  large  wing,  hiring  Mr. 
English  as  a  hunting  guide. 

'^R:6      MERLEY  ENGLISH  HOUSE 

3307  Archdale  Road 
Archdale 

The  rambling  character  of  this  house,  with 
Sables  and  wings  projecting  from  all  sides,  and 
Several  different  styles  of  window  sash,  indicates 
"2t  the  structure  was  built  over  a  period  of  time 
starting  ca.  1890.  An  unusual  decorative  treat- 
"^ent  is  the  bracketed  comer  boards  which  seem 
^°  support  the  frieze  of  the  cornice.  The  trim 
?ay  be  a  product  of  W  C.  Petty  and  Company, 
rile  house  was  built  by  Meriey  English,  a  hunt- 
"|g  dog  trainer.  Part  of  the  house  was  used  for 
^'Siting  hunters,  and  a  strong  local  tradition  says 
hat  the  "Prince  of  Wales"  stayed  here  on  one 
"""ting  trip. 

^^:7      GEORGE  CROWELL  HOUSE 

3108  Archdale  Road 
Archdale 

Built  between  1908  and  1912  by  a  Mr.  Welbom, 
^|s  house  was  the  home  of  George  Crowell,  a 
'gh  Point  superintendent  of  schools.  The  main 
ature  of  the  house  is  its  two-tiered  porch  with 
'^cess  to  the  balcony  from  the  second  floor  hall. 
"■"Ejecting  gabled  bays  break  the  hip  roof  on  the 


AR:8      QUINCE  BLAIR  HOUSE 

106  Petty  Street 
Archdale 

The  pedimented  window  frames  and  a  brack- 
eted cornice  found  on  this  ca.  1880  house  are 
similar  to  other  products  of  W  C.  Petty  and 
Company  and  almost  certainly  were  purchased 
from  Petty  for  this  house.  The  porch  of  the 
end-pavilion  house  was  replaced  ca.  1930.  A 
kitchen  wing  (now  destroyed)  is  said  to  have 
been  an  earlier  house. 

AR:9      HOMER  HALL  HOUSE 

NC  311 
Archdale 

The  pointed  pediment  window  frames  set  in 
the  gable  end  of  this  house  are  highly  reminis- 
cent of  the  Gothic  style  Tomlinson  house.  This 
house  may  originally  have  been  even  more  similar, 
for  board-and-batten  siding  survives  on  the  rear 
wing  and  may  at  one  time  have  covered  the  entire 
house.  Even  the  brick  chimney  caps  are  embattled, 
suggesting  the  Gothic,  as  do  the  porch  brackets 
and  trefoil  cut-outs.  The  three-bay  one-and-a- 
half-story  house  with  its  central  gable  featuring 
feathered  shingle  decoration  is  almost  identical 
to  any  of  the  three-bay  center-gable  farmhouses 
built  in  the  area  up  to  1920.  The  early  date  of  this 
house— seemingly  ca.  1875— suggests  a  transi- 
tional form  in  a  period  between  the  pattern  book 
Gothic  of  the  1853  Braxton  Craven  house  in 
Trinity  the  Tomlinson  house  in  Archdale  and  the 
later  houses  which  dropped  the  Gothic  details 
altogether,  retaining  only  the  masses  and  shapes 
of  the  design.  Empty  for  several  years  following 
the  death  of  Mr.  Hall,  the  house  was  demolished 
in  1982. 


AR:5 


AR:6 


l-'J 


(ok* 

iai 

ion 

(1-1 

:<! 

a 

'• 

o 

1*4 

i? 


AR:7 


New  Market  Township 


WMT;/ 


INNteft. 


NMT:3 


BJ= 


BtDB 


3mt= 


3BB 


EIBE 


3HE 


3BJ= 


3BE 


BBE 


EIGE 


NMT:1  HOUSE 

New  Market  Township 

This  house  was  probably  built  ca.  1850,  al- 
though aluminum  siding  and  a  variety  of  modern- 
izations confuse  dating.  The  entrance  door  has 
four-pane  sidelights;  large  6/6  sash  are  used  on 
the  first  floor,  with  smaller  6/6  on  the  second. 
The  roof  is  probably  a  recent  replacement. 

NMT:2  GRAY  HOUSE 

New  Market  Township 
A  hall-and-parlor  plan  house  with  Greek  Re- 
vival trim,  two-panel  doors,  post-and-lintel  man- 
tels and  sheathed  paneling.  Probably  built  ca. 
1840,  with  alterations  dating  around  1940. 

NMT:3  VVELBORN  HOUSE 

New  Market  Township 
An  open-string  staircase  and  simple  Greek 
Revival  style  mantels  characterize  this  center- 
hall  plan  dwelling.  The  outside  is  covered  wtih 
aluminum  and  the  interior  has  been  heavily 
altered. 

NMT:4  GLADESBORO  SPORE 

New  Market  Township 

The  Gladesboro  Store  is  a  three-bay  hall-and- 
parlor  plan  house  with  6/6  sash,  probably  buiH 
ca.  1840.  The  window  trim  features  comer  blocks 
on  both  interior  and  exterior.  Other  trim  includes 
an  open-string  stair  with  turned  newel  and  a 
bracketed-shelf  post-and-lintel  mantel.  The  build- 
ing originally  stood  at  a  nearby  intersection,  the 
site  of  Gladesboro.  an  early  crossroads  town.  " 
was  moved  to  this  site  by  Cyrus  Taylor  (1860- 
1924).  Lxxal  tradition  believes  this  to  be  Robert 
Gray's  Store  and  post  office.  Robert  Gray  was  a 
Gladesboro  merchant  and  the  progenitor  of  the 
prominent  Winston-Salem  Gray  clan.  Grayly"' 
the  family  manion  there,  is  built  of  stone  col- 
lected in  the  Gladesboro  area. 


64 


<<ii.'<a  ijf.  I»^:»!-„t.>-.-f  ■-  ■«-. 


NMT:S  FARM  COMPLEX 

New  Market  Township 

A  ca.  I860  hall-and-parlor  plan  house  with 
"rick  end  chimneys.  An  earlier  small  house  is 
Attached  as  a  rear  wing;  it  has  a  large  granite 
<^himney.  Nearby  is  a  mortise-and-tenon  bam 
*ith  strap  hinges  and  a  V-notched  log  com  crib. 

NMT:6  BLAIR-ANTHONY  HOUSE 

New  Market  Township 

This  tiny  story-and-a-half  house  may  have 
"^sn  built  ca.  1800.  Despite  major  alterations 
made  ca.  1950,  the  hall-and-parlor  plan  house 
f^'ains  6/6  sash,  six-panel  doors  and  sheathed 
^'ding  under  the  shed  porch. 

NMT:7  ED  SWAIM  FARM 

New  Market  Township 

The  two-story  dwelling  of  this  farm  complex 
*as  built  by  Ed  Swaim,  the  father  of  the  current 
"^cupants,  in  1919.  It  features  2/2  sash,  a  hipped 
P^fch  on  Tliscan  columns  and  a  roof  with  wide 
"''erhang  and  exposed  rafter  ends.  The  end- 
^himney  center-hall  plan  house  preserves  the 

aditional  farmhouse  form  in  all  but  details  such 
^  'he  shed  dormer  which  is  used  instead  of  the 
^niiliar  central  gable.  The  complex  includes  an 
"'oer  double-pen  half-dovetail  log  bam  as  well 
/  ?  '^rge  bam  of  mortise-and-tenon  construction 
I  "lit  with  the  house  in  1919.  This  is  an  unusually 
*'^  date  to  find  this  technique  in  use. 

'^MT:8  WILLIAM  COLETRANE  HOUSE 

New  Market  Township 

^ne  of  the  county's  most  significant  early 
^omes,  this  house  was  probably  built  ca.  1785. 
^°^al  residents  attribute  it  to  James  Ruffin 
f  ^'^'fane,  but  evidence  points  instead  to  his 
j^"er  William  Coletrane.  Bom  in  Edenton  to 

■^o'sman  David  Coletrane,  William  was  a  sur- 


yor  by  profession.  He  served  as  constable  and 
^^  collector  in  the  1780-1781  Randolph  County 
j^^,  and  was  appointed  deputy  sheriff  in  1782. 
With  *  house  exhibits  a  hall-and-parlor  plan 
coeH  ""^^^'^^  s"d  chimneys  of  stone  (now  stuc- 
Kia  ^^  interior  boasts  the  county's  best  Geor- 
n  style  trim.  Both  lower  rooms  feature  beauti- 
faised  panel  overmantels  with  molded  shelves 


capped  by  an  embattled  frieze.  Vertical  beaded 
boards  are  used  above  an  elaborate  molded  chair 
rail  with  horizontal  beaded  boards  below.  Six- 
panel  doors  with  strap  hinges  are  used  througout 
the  interior;  those  on  the  second  floor  retain  their 
original  red  and  black  pseudo-mahogany  graining. 
The  upper  floors  are  accessible  by  a  boxed  stair 
which  rises  from  the  engaged  south  porch.  The 
porch  may  originally  have  been  open,  but  is  now 
closed  by  double-leaf  two-panel  Greek  Revival 
doors  set  in  a  sidelighted  frame.  The  exterior 
was  further  altered  ca.  1930  when  German  siding 
and  new  double-hung  sash  replaced  the  original 
work. 

NMT:9  EBENEZER  METHODIST 
EPISCOPAL  CHURCH 

New  Market  Township 

In  March,  1806,  this  property  was  deeded  to 
the  trustees  of  "Gossett's  Meeting  House,"  so- 
called  after  William  and  Elizabeth  Gossett,  the 
original  owners  of  the  land.  The  church's  first 
minister  was  the  influential  minister  and  teacher 
Brantley  York.  The  present  structure,  three  bays 
long,  was  built  in  1858.  Sunday  school  rooms 
were  built  to  the  rear  in  1921,  and  the  church  was 
brick  veneered  in  1964.  The  cemetery  has  some 
impressive  early  gravestones. 

NMT:10  WELBORN-DOUGAN  CEMETERY 

New  Market  Township 

Some  of  the  county's  earliest  marked  burials 
are  found  in  this  cemetery;  predating  the  Revo- 
lution. Local  heroine  Martha  McGee  Bell  is 
buried  here.  Her  husband  William  Bell  (who 
may  be  buried  here  in  an  unmarked  grave)  was 
Randolph's  first  sheriff.  Martha  Bell  was  an 
unwilling  hostess  to  Lord  Comwallis  and  his 
army  for  several  days  after  the  Battle  of  Guilford 
Courthouse,  during  which  time  she  spied  on  the 
British  for  General  Greene. 


NMT:7 


NMT:8 


NMT:9 


NMT:10 


l«n 


Q 

o 


a 

r:i 

mi 

3 


=ini mi ini ini imr: 


65 


NMT:12 


NMT:13 


NMTtll  FRAZIER  HOUSE 

New  Market  Township 

Ca.  1780  may  be  the  construction  date  of  this 
large  double-pen  log  house.  A  boxed  slab  pro- 
vides access  to  a  loft.  A  shed  wing  was  added  to 
the  north;  the  south  porch  is  engaged  between 
two  small  rooms.  Massive  stone  end  chimneys 
are  the  most  impressive  feature  of  the  house.  The 
firebox  of  the  larger  east  chimney  is  constructed 
of  large  blocks  of  hewn  granite,  with  a  brick 
flue.  Fireplace  openings  are  arched,  with  simple 
mantel  shelves.  The  type  of  notching  is  hidden 
under  clapboarding.  The  house  was  one  of  two 
Randolph  County  residences  photographed  in 
1940  by  Miss  Frances  Benjamin  Johnston,  noted 
architectural  photographer.  Sadly,  this  important 
structure  was  demolished  in  1981.  It  was  sold  to 
a  Guilford  County  antique  dealer  for  reconstruc- 
tion as  a  shop. 

NMT:12  R.  W.  SPENCER  HOUSE 

New  Market  Township 

The  original  section  of  this  T-pIan  house  is  a 
story-and-a-half  log  house  which  exhibits  half- 
dovetail  comer  notching.  This  is  now  attached  to 
an  early  20th  century  two-story  center-hall  plan 
house.  The  nearby  bam  is  unusual  in  that  its 
beams  are  mortised,  but  are  nailed,  not  pegged 
together. 

NMT:13  JOSEPH  WELBORN  HOUSE 

New  Market  Township 

This  house  was  built  by  Joseph  Welbom  (son 
of  John  and  Jane  McGee  Welbom)  when  his 
daughter  Sarah  (bom  1838)  "was  a  baby."  The 
gabled  dormer  balconies  are  unique  in  the  county. 
Placed  over  the  engaged  porches  on  the  north 
and  south  facades,  the  gabled  dormers  are  open 
and  unglazed,  although  originally  railed.  The 
engaged  porches  are  paneled  in  flush  horizontal 
boards  above  and  below  a  molded  chair  rail.  The 
six-panel  doors  and  6/6  sash  are  set  in  molded 
three-panel  surrounds.  The  interior  of  the  hall- 
and-parlor  plan  house  has  exposed  beams  with 
molded  surrounds  and  a  boxed  stair.  The  mantels 
have  been  stored  for  safekeeping  but  are  de- 
scribed by  the  owner  as  "carved  all  up  and 
down."  The  chimneys  are  of  rock  with  brick 
flues;  the  fireboxes  are  lined  with  soapstone.  The 
northwest  porch  room  originally  had  its  own 
small  fireplace. 


NMT:14  BELL'S  MILL 

New  Market  Township 

William  Bell's  Mill  on  Muddy  Creek  is  Ran- 
dolph County's  only  recognized  Revolutionary 
War  site,  mentioned  as  early  as  1849  in  Benson 
Lossing's  Pictorial  Field  Book  of  the  Revolution. 
British  General  Comwallis  camped  here  a  few 
days  before  the  Battle  of  Guilford  Courthouse 
and  sent  his  baggage  back  to  the  area  where  he 
stopped  for  action  on  the  evening  of  March  14, 
1781.  After  remaining  for  two  days  on  the  battle- 
field, Comwallis  spent  two  days  marching  back 
to  Bell's  Mill  where  he  rested  and  resupplied  his 
troops  for  two  days  before  moving  on  towards 
Wilmington. 

William  Bell  was  elected  first  sheriff  of  Ran- 
dolph County  in  1779,  the  same  year  he  married 
Martha  McFarlane  McGee,  the  area's  richest 
widow.  Martha  Bell  is  well-remembered  as  a 
local  heroine  of  the  Revolution  and  is  commemo- 
rated in  a  monument  at  Guilford  Courthouse 
National  Military  Park.  The  mill  itself  was  known 
after  the  Revolution  by  the  name  of  the  Welbom 
and  Walker  families.  A  later  mill,  built  in  the 
early  19th  century,  was  demolished  in  1967. 

NMT:15  SOPHIA  SCHOOL 

New  Market  Township 

This  now-unused  building  is  a  well-preserved 
example  of  an  early  20th  century  niral  school 
house  built  after  the  pro-education  campaigns  of 
Governor  Charles  Aycock.  A  gable  decorated 
with  feathered  shingling  embellishes  one  end  of 
the  steeply  pitched  roof.  Oversized  6/6  sash  ligh' 
the  twin  school  rooms. 

NMT:16  JOHNSON-SPENCER  HOUSE 

New  Market  Township 

The  two  most  distinctive  features  of  this 
dwelling  are  the  "ridge  pole"  dormers,  designed 
for  attic  ventilation,  and  the  glassed,  second- 
floor  sleeping  porch.  The  house  was  built  for  (a) 
Madison  Johnson  by  contractor  Aaron  Spencef 
and  completed  in  May,  1889.  It  was  acquired  W 
Thomas  Oliver  Spencer,  grandfather  of  the  pres- 
ent owner,  Eleanor  Hartley  in  September,  1900 
Between  1936  and  1946  Chicago  interior  de- 
signer Ross  Crane,  fonner  decorator  with  ih^ 
popular  Greensboro  furniture  store  Mon-iso" 
Neese,  was  a  frequent  visitor. 


]I3[= 


Level  Cross  Tbwnship 


LCT:1  SETH  BEESON  HOUSE 

Level  Cross  Township 

Seth  Beeson,  a  Quaker  immigrant  from  present- 
day  TUscarora  1\impike,  West  Virginia,  built  this 
log  house  before  his  death  in  1816.  The  northern 
shed  wing  is  contemporary  with  the  main  block; 
its  logs  are  mortised  into  the  half-dovetail  notch- 
ing of  the  house.  The  three-bay  house  is  divided 
into  a  "Quaker"  or  "Continental"  three-room 
plan  by  a  vertical  board  partition  which  features 
sunken  panels  above  the  board-and-batten  doors. 
The  second  floor  is  reached  by  a  boxed  stair.  A 
huge  exterior  chimney  and  fireplace  in  the  main 
room  once  served  the  entire  house.  The  chimney 
is  now  in  the  center  of  the  expanded  house.  The 
east  wing  was  added  in  the  1880s  so  Cane  Creek 
Friends  could  board  there  during  quarterly  meet- 
ings at  nearby  Centre  Friends  Meeting  in  Guil- 
ford County.  The  house  has  recently  been  ex- 
tensively remodeled. 

LCT:2  COLETRANE'S  MILL 

Level  Cross  Township 

Deep  River  enters  Randolph  County  just  north 
of  this  site,  which  has  seen  industrial  use  for  over 
two  centuries.  Elisha  Mendenhall,  one  of  the 
county's  twelve  wealthiest  men  of  1779,  had 
buih  a  grist  mill  here  by  1787,  the  supposed 
construction  date  of  the  present  dam.  The  dam, 
constructed  of  massive  granite  blocks  (some  as 
large  as  four  feet  square)  held  in  place  by  lead- 
sealed  iron  straps,  is  the  most  prominent  feature 
of  the  site.  Local  tradition  maintains  the  mill  was 
built  of  stone  hauled  by  oxen  from  Moore  County; 
however,  several  granite  quarries  are  found  in  the 
immediate  area  surrounding  the  mill,  and  granite 
is  a  rarity  in  Moore  County.  At  any  rate,  the  dam 
is  one  of  the  IBth  century  engineering  landmarks 
of  the  county,  if  not  the  Piedmont.  The  existing 
mill  structures  of  frame  and  reinforced  concrete 
date  from  the  early  20th  century.  Ice-makitig 
machinery  of  the  period  (which  used  ammonia 
as  a  coolant)  and  a  turbine  water  wheel  are  still 
in  place,  although  last  used  in  1973.  The  mill  is 
now  known  after  its  last  owner,  Daniel  Coletrane, 
who  bought  it  from  the  Mendenhalls.  The  last 
covered  bridge  crossing  Deep  River  stood  here  at 
Coletrane's  Mill  until  1950. 


LCT:1 


LCT:2 


0 
I-.. 

'Mia 

2» 


a 

I* 

{3 


""■  ]mi irii  ini ISE 


^^^^ 


WTA 


T-W, 


LCT:5 


LCT:7 


LCT:6 


LCT.8 


LCT:3  FAIR  OAKS 

Level  Cross  Township 

The  imposing  pillared  portico  of  this  house  is 
the  only  one  of  its  kind  found  in  the  county.  As 
the  house  seems  to  have  been  built  ca.  1900,  it  is 
probably  an  early  example  of  the  Classical  Re- 
vival style.  The  porch  and  balcony  are  the  only 
such  elements  found  on  the  house,  which  other- 
wise is  a  standard  L-plan  with  Victorian  details. 
A  one-story  kitchen  wing  on  the  rear  may  be  an 
earlier  house.  A  dairy,  stable,  several  bams  and 
rent  houses  complete  the  plantation-like  setting 
of  the  house. 

LCT:4  MALCOLM  GRAY  HOUSE 

Level  Cross  Township 

An  end-chimney  hall-and-parlor  plan  house 
built  in  1857  and  still  owned  by  descendants  of 
the  builder.  The  house  has  been  heavily  remod- 
eled, although  it  retains  some  interior  trim,  such 
as  very  simple  post  and  lintel  mantels.  The  rock 
chimneys  have  been  stuccoed. 

LCT:5  LOG  CABIN 

Level  Cross  Township 

Following  originally  a  one-room  plan,  this 
small  log  cabin  illustrates  an  odd  combination  of 
both  half-dovetail  and  V-notching  construction  at 
each  comer.  The  cabin  has  a  loft  and  stone  end 
chimney  with  brick  flue.  At  some  time  a  board- 
and-batten  extension  and  rear  shed  wing  were 
added  to  the  cabin  tripling  it  in  size.  The  cabin 
may  pre-date  the  Civil  War. 

LCT:6  HOLDER  HOUSE 

Level  Cross  Township 

A  substantial  mral  house  probably  built  ca. 
1850  and  recently  subjected  to  extensive  renova- 
tion. The  front  and  rear  entrances  have  four- 
panel  doors  with  raised  panels  and  sidelights. 
Six-over-six  sash  and  two-panel  Greek  Revival 
doors  are  commonly  used  throughout.  Since 
1976  the  "Mount  Vernon"  porch  has  replaced 
one  which  was  built  ca.  1880.  Its  original  cham- 
fered posts  and  scroll  brackets  are  piled  nearby. 
Aluminum  siding  has  been  applied  as  well. 


LCT:7  RITA  PARHAM  HOUSE 

Level  Cross  Township 

Built  in  1978-1979,  this  is  one  of  the  most 
advanced  solar  homes  in  Randolph  County.  It 
was  designed  under  a  grant  from  the  U.S.  Depart- 
ment of  Housing  and  Urban  Development  by 
John  Alt,  who  lives  nearby.  Winter  heat  is  stored 
in  water-filled  steel  dmms  stacked  inside.  The 
most  unusual  exterior  features  are  the  sail-like 
fabric  shades  which  can  be  adjusted  to  keep  out 
unnecessary  heat  and  light. 

LCT:8  WADE  HOGGOTT  HOUSE 

Level  Cross  Township 

This  farm  complex  includes  what  may  be  an 
early  one-story  cabin  with  a  later  two-story 
addition,  both  of  which  probably  pre-date  the 
Civil  War.  The  house  had  6/6  sash  and  a  clay- 
mortared  stone  chimney.  Both  front  and  rear 
porches  are  supported  by  deeply  chamfered  posts. 
Outbuildings  of  all  sizes  and  descriptions  sur- 
round the  house.  Chief  among  these  are  a 
V-notched  log  com  crib  and  a  board-and-batten 
woodworking  shop. 


68 


3E1E 


=1[3L-^ — =imi  — iPii  =ini  =nni  =inr= 


="^'  <rr„=^=r-^^ ip^ 


■-/J 


Providence  Tbwnship 


PT:1  UNDERWOOD  STORE  AND 
GAS  STATION 

Providence  Township 

R.  H.  ("Reggie")  Underwood  bought  this 
rural  store  in  1916.  It  may  have  been  built  ca. 
1885.  The  store  has  survived  virtually  unaltered 
both  on  the  interior  and  exterior.  In  1918  Under- 
wood became  a  Texaco  dealer  and  began  to  sell 
gasoline.  The  cantilevered  pump  shelter  was 
erected  at  that  time  and  is  perhaps  the  oldest  gas 
station  in  the  county.  The  rear  wing  of  the  T-plan 
store  is  thought  to  have  been  part  of  the  former 
Gray's  Chapel  Methodist  Church. 

PT:2  ALVIS  UNDERWOOD  HOUSE 

Providence  Township 

This  house,  built  ca.  1911,  exhibits  some  late 
Queen  Anne-style  features  such  as  the  polygonal 
bay  on  the  first  floor  level  of  the  end  pavilion 
and  the  zinc  cresting  on  the  roof  peak.  The  house 
otherwise  has  many  elements  of  the  Colonial  Re- 
vival style  and  illustrates  the  melding  of  styles 
prevalent  in  a  transitional  period.  An  earlier  house 
occupied  the  site,  but  it  was  moved  nearby  and 
converted  into  a  bam.  That  two-story  ca.  1880 
house  with  boxed  stair  is  in  ruinous  condition. 

PT:3  PROVIDENCE  FRIENDS  MEETING 

Providence  Township 

The  first  meeting  house  on  this  site  was  built 
in  1769.  The  present  brick  sanctuary  is  entered 
through  the  base  of  the  steeple  on  the  north  gable 
end;  it  was  built  in  1929.  The  cemetery  contains 
the  grave  of  folk  heroine  Naomi  Wise,  subject  of 
North  Carolina's  oldest  known  ballad.  Accord- 
ing to  tradition.  Wise  was  drowned  in  Deep 
River  near  New  Salem  by  her  lover,  Jonathan 
Lewis.  The  original  stone  was  replaced  by  the 
current  marker  in  1949.  Unfortunately,  the  dates 
"1789-1808"  inscribed  on  it  are  incorrect.  Court 
records  indicate  that  Naomi  Wise  died  in  Febru- 
ary or  March,  1807;  her  date  of  birth  is  unknown. 


PT:1 


PT:2 


WW 


|4<l 


I-.. 

!i; 

I'M!* 

iai 


10 


PT:3 


PT:4 


PT:4  MILES  CHAMNESS  HOUSE 

Providence  Township 

The  one-story  east  wing  of  this  house  is  thought 
to  have  been  built  by  Miles  Chamness  ca.  1810. 
That  small  wing  has  an  interior  end  chimney, 
although  the  two-story  antebellum  main  block  of 
the  house  has  an  exterior  end  chimney.  The  most 
unusual  feature  of  the  house  is  its  porch  posts, 
massive  square  timbers  which  have  been  beveled 
to  form  a  diamond-shaped  design.  The  adjoining 
farm  complex  includes  a  huge  bam  and  a  small 
shop,  both  of  heavy  frame  construction.  The 
two-story  bam  once  featured  a  threshing  floor, 
now  removed  to  create  a  center  aisle.  The  shop 
has  been  a  "coffin  factory"  or  woodworking 
shop  and  a  weaving  house.  The  once  prominent 
Quaker  Chamness  family  has  now  died  out  in 
Randolph  County. 

PT:5  STORE 

Providence  Township 

This  tiny  stmcture  may  well  be  the  oldest 
existing  commercial  building  in  Randolph  County. 
Ca.  1866  the  store  housed  a  new  mercantile  and 
hardware  company  founded  by  J.  A.  Odell  and 
W  H.  Ragan,  two  young  former  employees  of 
the  Franklin ville  textile  mill.  The  two  partners 
left  the  factory  and  came  here  to  the  home  of 
Thomas  Ragan,  W  H.  Ragan's  father,  where 
they  set  up  shop  in  this  building.  In  1867  the 
Ragans  and  Odell  moved  to  High  Point,  reopen- 
ing the  store  there.  In  1872  Odell  moved  to 
Greensboro,  where  he  founded  the  still-extant 
Odell  Hardware  Company. 

This  building  quite  evidently  pre-dates  the 
Odell/Ragan  business  by  many  years.  The  origi- 
nal beaded  weatherboarding,  now  gathered  on 
the  east  facade,  is  known  on  only  two  other 
stmctures  in  Randolph  County.  All  three  of  these 
structures  stand  in  this  far  northwestem  comer  of 
the  county  and  all  seem  to  have  been  constructed 
ca.  1800.  The  building  originally  had  an  end 
chimney  and  fireplace,  with  a  second  floor  loft 
reached  by  an  open  stair.  It  is  being  privately 
renovated. 

PT:6  SANDY  CREEK  FRIENDS  MEETING 

Providence  Township 

Sandy  Creek  Friends  Meeting  was  set  up 
under  the  supervision  of  Cane  Creek  Friends 
Meeting  in  1780.  Quaker  congregations  in  gen- 
eral declined  in  the  late-18th/early-19th  centuries 


and  the  Sandy  Creek  meeting  did  not  prosper.  Its 
records  do  not  survive  so  the  history  of  the 
meeting  is  very  unclear.  The  structure  was  in  a 
ruinous  condition  when  its  remains  were  disas- 
sembled and  stored  ca.  1970. 

The  meeting  house  was  some  twelve  by  eigh- 
teen feet  in  plan,  covered  with  beaded  weather- 
boarding.  The  structure  does  not  seem  to  have 
possessed  a  partition  dividing  the  sexes,  in  com- 
mon with  what  is  known  of  some  other  early 
Friends  meetings.  Evidence  suggests  that  the 
stmcture  was  built  ca.  1800,  some  years  before 
the  1812  Jamestown  meeting  house.  The  Sandy 
Creek  meeting  house,  if  reassembled  and  restored, 
would  be  the  oldest  Friends  meeting  house  in 
North  Carolina.  It  is  presently  stored  here,  under 
cover. 

PT:7  JULIAN  DEPOT 

Providence  Township 

A  ca.  1886  board-and-batten  depot  built  in 
connection  with  the  constroction  of  the  Cape 
Fear  and  Yadkin  Valley  Railroad.  The  well- 
preserved  building  has  been  sold  into  private 
hands  and  is  being  moved  to  Ramseur. 

PT:8  C.  H.  HARDIN  HOUSE 

Providence  Township 

Charles  H.  Hardin  had  this  house  built  in  1889 
by  two  builders  for  just  over  $1,000.  Hardin 
operated  a  store  and  the  Julian  post  office  in  a 
little  hardware  store  which  stands  nearby.  The 
house  is  elaborately  decorated.  Coupled  brackets 
with  drops  and  spindles  articulate  the  cornice. 
The  double  entrance  doors  are  framed  by  ^ 
transom  and  sidelights.  The  porch  posts  are 
meticulously  detailed  with  moldings,  applied 
panels  and  sawn  scroll  brackets.  The  pressed  tin 
roof  is  pattemed  to  look  like  tile.  An  early  farm 
building  complex  nearby  was  once  part  of  this 
property,  including  a  flush-gabled  bam  surrounded 
by  sheds  which  may  pre-date  the  Civil  War  The 
iron-banded  wooden  silo  was  one  of  two  build 
ca.  1910  by  J.  E.  Hardin,  who  ran  a  beef  cattle 
operation  on  the  farm. 


"•  •"'  '"'  —      ■         •"»= mis: irn==ini;=^=ig[= 


70 


PT:9  THOMAS  RAGAN  HOUSE 

Providence  Township 

This  small  two-story  house  was  built  ca.  1845 
W  Thomas  Ragan,  a  miller  who  moved  here 
from  Montgomery  County.  Ragan's  son  left  for 
Franklinville  to  learn  the  textile  business,  retum- 
■ng  in  1866  with  J.  A.  Odell  to  open  a  small 
store.  They  lived  here  with  Ragan's  family  while 
operating  the  nearby  business.  Ca.  1867  the 
Ragans  moved  to  Jamestown,  selling  the  house 
*nd  property  to  the  Charles  Hardin  family.  The 
Hardins  later  built  another  house  nearby. 

The  hall-and-parlor  plan  house  is  capped  by  a 
gable  roof  with  molded  cornice  and  pedimented 
ends.  The  interior  features  some  fine  work,  with 
two-panel  doors  and  an  open-string  stair  with 
'urned  balusters  and  a  massive  turned  newel 
post.  The  building  was  moved  from  its  original 
^'te  in  the  path  of  US  421  in  1969. 

PT:10  ALLRED  PLACE 

Providence  Township 
The  focus  of  this  rural  farm  complex  is  a  ca. 
'*90  two-story  center-hall  plan  house  connected 
y  a  covered  walkway  to  a  two-story  V-notched 
|og  house.  The  ca.  1870  log  house,  known  as  the 
Roddy  Doak"   house,  has  a  massive  stone 
^nimney,  as  well  as  frame  shed-roofed  and  ga- 
oled wings.  The  farm  complex  includes  other 
g  buildings  such  as  a  smokehouse  and  com 
^0  with  half-dovetail  notching,  and  a  bam  with 
-notching.  The  log  bam  is  connected  by  a 
feezeway  to  a  large  frame  stmcture  covered  in 
J  "  lengths  of  clapboarding.  This  building  was 
one  time  used  as  a  school,  although  it  seems  to 
ave  been  built  as  a  cabinetmaker's  shop.  Another, 
^"laller  frame  building  nearby  has  "1882"  painted 

"  'ts  door;  it  is  said  to  have  been  a  blacksmith's 
stiop. 


PT:11  BETHEL  METHODIST 
PROTESTANT  CHURCH 

Providence  Township 

The  sanctuary  of  this  church  may  have  been 
built  ca.  1900,  although  later  classroom  wings 
and  aluminum  siding  have  obscured  almost  all  of 
the  building's  details  and  make  dating  difficult. 
The  congregation  is  an  old  one;  stones  marking 
burials  as  early  as  1821  are  found  in  the  graveyard. 
In  April,  1865,  Confederate  troops  camped  in 
the  Bethel  Church  yard,  leaving  tons  of  ammuni- 
tion and  equipment  when  they  were  mustered 
out.  Although  most  of  the  material  was  sold  to 
the  iron  foundry  of  Franklinville,  rifle  and  can- 
non balls  are  still  occasionally  discovered. 


1:1. 

1$ 


3» 

|2i 

9 


PT.IO 


PT:I1 


Liberty  Ibwnship 


LT:1  LIBERTY  GROVE  METHODIST 
PROTESTANT  CHURCH 

Liberty  Township 

Liberty  Grove  Church  began  in  1760  as  Barton's 
Meeting  House,  a  union  meeting  house  estab- 
Hshed  by  both  Lutheran  and  Reformed  German 
settlers  in  the  area.  In  1787  the  Lutherans  broke 
from  the  union  and  established  Richland  Lu- 
theran Church  nearby.  Barton's  was  unable  to 
survive  the  split  and  the  log  building  stood 
unused  until  the  1820s,  when  dissidents  within 
the  Methodist  Episcopal  Church  formed  the  Meth- 
odist Protestant  Church.  When  the  Methodist 
Protestant  conference  was  formed  in  1828  Lib- 
erty Grove  Church  was  one  of  four  circuits  in 
North  Carolina,  along  with  Roanoke,  Warrenton 
and  Oxford.  Liberty  Grove  was  not  only  the  first 
Methodist  Protestant  Church  in  Randolph  County, 
but  the  first  in  the  Piedmont.  It  was  served  by  the 
Rev  Alson  Gray. 

The  present  frame  church  was  built  in  1873  by 
Patterson  and  Philmore  Pickett,  and  Eli  Fogleman. 
William  Overman  and  A.  Cook  made  11,902 
shingles  for  the  roof  between  July  and  August, 
1873.  The  resulting  building  has  4/4  sash  and 
sawn  rafter  ends.  The  entrance  porch  seems  to 
have  been  added  ca.  1900.  A  Methodist  Protes- 
tant Church  built  in  the  town  of  Liberty  in  1895 
pulled  many  members  from  this  church,  which 
now  has  some  fifteen  members.  There  are  many 
interesting  stones  in  the  cemetery. 

LT:2  MELANCTHON  LUTHERAN 
CHURCH 

Liberty  Township 

In  1820  the  North  Carolina  Synod  of  the 
Lutheran  Church  became  divided  along  factional 
lines  due  to  differences  of  opinion  on  doctrines 
and  practices.  Disaffected  members  organized 
their  own  faction,  the  Tennessee  Synod.  The 
congregation  at  Richland  Lutheran  Church  was 
also  divided  on  the  issues  but  both  factions  used 
the  old  Richland  Church.  In  1849  the  Tennessee 
Synod  decided  to  build  their  own  church,  named 
Melancthon  in  1 85 1 .  The  present  church  build- 
ing was  built  in  1902  and  remodeled  in  1936. 
Membership  subsequently  declined  and  the  church 
is  no  longer  used  for  regular  services. 


LT:2 


LT:3  RICHLAND  LUTHERAN  CHURCH 

Liberty  Township 

Richland  Evangelical  Lutheran  Church  was 
organized  in  1789  by  the  Rev.  Christian  Eberhart 
Bernhardt,  pastor  of  three  other  Lutheran  congre- 
gations in  Guilford  and  Orange  counties.  The 
first  church  was  built  in  1790.  After  a  doctrinal 
split  in  1820  two  congregations  shared  the  church 
"ntil  1849.  On  July  14,  1849,  the  Evangelical 
Lutheran  congregation  voted  to  build  a  new 
■"eeting  house  "12  feet  high,  35  feet  wide  and 
55  feet  long,"  to  be  paid  for  by  subscription. 
The  1849  building  exists  virtually  unaltered, 
*ith  9/9  sash  and  one-panel  double  doors.  The 
<^hurch  has  been  inactive  since  1950.  The  adja- 
cent cemetery  has  many  unusual  early  tombstones. 

LT:4  RANDOLPH  UNITED  METHODIST 
CHURCH 

Liberty  Township 

The  original  sanctuary  section  of  this  church 
features  a  molded  cornice  with  cornice  returns 
*nd  may  date  to  the  ca.  1870  period.  Ca.  1890  an 
Entrance  pavilion  with  boxed  cornice  and  pointed 
Window  sash  were  added.  The  classroom  wings 
'Id  asbestos  siding  probably  date  from  the  1950s. 

LT:S  JOHN  LONG  HOUSE 

Liberty  Township 

This  house,  sited  on  the  dividing  line  between 

"Randolph  and  Guilford  counties  and  near  their 

^ommon  border  with  Alamance,  was  built  by 

*"  Long,  Jr.  (1785-1857).  Long  was  Randolph 

ounty's  premier  early  politician,  serving  in  the 

|;Orth  Carolina  legislature  from  1811  to  1815  and 

firee  terms  in  the  U.S.  House  of  Representatives 

°20-i828).  One  of  his  sons  became  a  graduate 

""  'he  U.S.  Military  Academy  and  four  were 

graduated  from  the  University  of  North  Carolina. 

T°"g's  son  John  Wesley  became  a  physician,  as 

'u  his  grandson  John  Wesley,  Jr. ,  who  practiced 

Randleman  and  later  in  Greensboro,  where 

^Wesley  Long  Hospital  is  named  for  him. 

Reflecting  Long's  increasing  prosperity  as  well 

his  growing  family,  his  house  was  built  in  two 

M^'  ^^  earliest,  northern  half  built  ca.  1810, 

'ows  a  hall-and-parlor  plan  some  thirty  feet 

quare.  The  two-story  house  has  a  two-story 

sa  u"^"°"  '"  'he  west  under  a  shed  roof.  The  6/6 

tall   °"  ^^^  sheathed  porch  facade  are  seven  feet 

p  ,  snd  extend  down  to  the  molded  baseboard. 

th  ''"''  S''^''"^''  six-panel  doors  are  used 

o^ghout,  as  is  horizontal  board  paneling  above 


and  below  the  molded  chair  rail.  There  is  also  a 
molded  cornice  and  mitred  three-part  door  and 
window  surrounds.  The  mantel  is  a  large  Federal- 
style  design  with  a  molded  shelf,  sunken  panels 
flanking  the  fire  opening  and  an  unusual  central 
panel  carved  in  an  ogee  curve.  A  boxed  stair 
rises  from  a  rear  room  to  the  second  floor.  The 
exterior  has  a  molded  cornice,  9/6  sash  on  the 
rear,  4/4  sash  on  the  gable  end  and  well-preserved 
yellow  poplar  weatherboarding. 

Ca.  1820  a  thirty-foot  extension  was  built  to 
the  south,  which  in  effect  constituted  a  second 
house.  An  off-center  two-panel  door  with  three- 
pane  sidelights  opened  into  a  new  entrance  hall 
complete  with  a  graceful  open-string  staircase. 
The  mantel  in  the  parlor  of  this  wing  is  a  simple 
Greek  Revival  post-and-lintel  design.  The  sash 
and  trim  in  general  match  those  of  the  earlier 
house,  although  a  boxed  cornice  with  minimal 
molding  is  used,  as  well  as  pine  weatherboarding. 
The  original  house  has  a  large  double-shouldered 
chimney  laid  in  1;8  bond:  the  wing  has  a  single- 
shouldered  construction  in  1:3  bond.  The  house 
has  been  in  the  possession  of  the  present  owner 
since  1919. 

LT:6  HENRY  KIVETT  HOUSE 

Liberty  Township 

This  highly  unusual  house  is  an  important 
example  of  North  Carolina  Germanic  vernacular 
design  related  more  closely  to  the  Pennsylvania 
"Dutch"  than  to  the  Moravians  at  Salem.  The 
two-story  house  is  thought  to  have  been  built  in 
1818,  while  its  one-story  northern  extension  seems 
to  date  to  the  1830  period.  The  exterior  of  the 
two-story  section  has  a  boxed  cornice  and  molded 
comer  boards,  with  an  interior  end  chimney. 
Some  original  beaded  clapboards  remain  on  the 
west  side.  The  interior  was  the  glory  of  the 
house.  A  massive  arched  fireplace  (with  an  open- 
ing five  feet  wide)  was  paneled  with  an  elabo- 
rately molded  chimney  breast.  The  main  room 
boasted  a  raised-panel  wainscoting  with  molded 
chair  rail.  H  and  HL  hinges  were  used  throughout. 
The  boxed  stair  has  beaded  and  molded  treads. 
Upstairs  a  sawn  baluster  rail  protected  the  stair 
opening.  The  use  of  color  was  perhaps  the  house's 
most  unusual  decorative  element.  The  raised 
panels  of  the  wainscoting  were  marbleized  in 
shades  of  blue,  while  the  paneling  was  painted 
gray.  Baseboards  were  marbleized  in  shades  of 
brown  and  red.  The  chimney  breast  was  marble- 
ized in  blue  and  gray.  The  doors  were  painted 
and  grained.  The  ceiling  and  stair  rail  were 


U:4 


U:5 


»^'^?^ 


=]GE 


I 

«>» 

-*",i 

CX 

h 

1*4 

IS) 


U:9 


painted  green.  At  one  time  the  interior  was 
virtually  a  riot  of  color.  Unfortunately,  most  of 
this  interior  work  has  been  removed  and  sold  to  a 
Raleigh  antique  dealer. 

LT:7  MILLER'S  HOUSE 

Liberty  Township 

This  was  formerly  the  site  of  Nixon's  Mill, 
now  destroyed,  and  the  site  in  the  18th  century  of 
Regulator  Herman  Husband's  mill.  The  small 
house  still  standing  at  the  site  was  the  home  of 
the  miller.  It  is  of  mortise  and  tenon  construction 
and  may  date  to  the  1850  period.  Abram  York  of 
Melancthon  was  a  millwright  and  miller  here 
during  the  Civil  War  and  is  said  to  have  filled  the 
space  between  the  exterior  and  interior  walls  of 
the  house  with  grain  to  hide  it  from  the  Yankees. 

LT:8  JOHN  WRENN  HOUSE 

Liberty  Township 

Now  serving  as  a  bam,  this  is  one  of  the  few 
eariy  log  houses  which  remain  in  the  county.  In 
shape  and  size  the  house  is  similar  to  the  frame 
Peter  Dicks  house  in  New  Salem,  a  small  square 
gable-roof  house  which  seems  disproportionately 
tall.  Also,  like  the  Dicks  house,  the  Wrenn  house 
has  suffered  considerably  from  conversion  into  a 
bam.  In  moving  the  house  some  100  feet  from  its 
original  site,  the  double-shouldered  brick  chim- 
ney was  destroyed,  the  interior  was  gutted  and 
shed  wings  were  added.  Original  features  which 
are  still  evident  include  saddle  notching,  6/6 
sash  and  board-and-batten  doors  with  strap 
hinges.  John  Wrenn,  a  native  of  Virginia,  ac- 
quired the  property  in  1805  and  died  ca.  1833. 

LT:9  SANDY  CREEK  BAPTIST  CHURCH 

Liberty  Township 

Sandy  Creek  Baptist  Church  is  both  the  oldest 
organized  church  and  oldest  surviving  religious 
structure  in  Randolph  County.  A  recognized  land- 
mark in  religious  history,  it  is  noted  by  the 
nearby  state  historic  marker  as  the  "Mother  of 
Southern  Baptist  Churches."  The  church  was 
founded  by  the  Separate  Baptist  Minister  Shubal 
Steams  (1706-1771),  a  Boston  native  who  led  a 
group  of  eight  families  into  the  area  in  1755. 
Most  colonial  or  "Particular"  Baptists  were  mem- 
bers of  the  Philadelphia  Association  and  advo- 
cated a  strict  Calvinistic  philosophy  of  "What 


will  be,  will  be."  Separate  or  "New  Light" 
Baptists  broke  with  this  practice  and  proposed 
active  campaigns  to  win  converts  with  Sunday 
schools,  revivals  and  missionary  work.  Steams' 
efforts  to  awaken  the  religious  impulses  of  the 
back  country  were  wildly  successful,  with  his 
original  congregation  of  eight  families  mush- 
rooming into  606  members  by  1770.  In  June, 
1758,  he  had  formed  the  Sandy  Creek  Associ- 
ation, an  organization  including  not  only  the 
original  church  but  three  nearby  offshoot  churches 
as  well.  The  association  soon  grew  to  include 
members  all  over  the  south,  and  as  far  west  as 
Mississippi.  Morgan  Edwards  noted  in  1772  that 
"It,  in  17  years,  is  become  mother,  grandmother, 
and  great  grandmother  to  42  churches,  from 
which  sprang  125  ministers,  many  of  which  are 
ordained  and  support  the  sacred  character  as  well 
as  any  set  of  clergy  in  America."  In  1830  the 
Sandy  Creek  Association  backed  the  creation  of 
the  new  Southem  Baptist  Convention  and  the 
two  organizations  soon  combined.  Sandy  Creek 
Church  itself,  centered  in  the  area  of  most  active 
opposition  to  the  colonial  government,  suffered 
greatly  during  the  War  of  the  Regulation.  Ed- 
wards estimated  that  1,500  families  left  the  re- 
gion after  the  Battle  of  Alamance.  This,  com- 
bined with  the  death  of  Rev  Steams  in  November, 
1771,  soon  caused  the  membership  of  the  church 
to  dwindle  to  a  mere  fourteen. 

The  existing  Sandy  Creek  Church  is  the  third 
building  to  house  the  congregation,  built  (accord- 
ing to  strong  tradition)  in  1826.  The  first  building 
had  bumed  ca.  1785,  and  the  second,  bui" 
across  the  road,  was  blown  down  by  a  storm- 
The  log  church  building  is  approximately  20  W 
25  feet  in  size.  It  still  houses  the  original  pulp" 
or  "Bible  Rail"  and  some  original  benches- 
Raked  balconies  across  each  end  of  the  stmcture 
were  removed  in  1936.  The  church  was  weather- 
boarded  in  1870  and  asphalt  siding  was  added  i" 
1953. 

Nationally,  the  Separate  Baptists  combined 
with  the  Regular  Baptists  in  the  early  19th  centuC- 
but  the  merger  was  not  popular.  In  1836  discon- 
tent was  so  profound  at  Sandy  Creek  that  part  of 
the  congregation  broke  away  and  formed  the 
nearby  Shady  Grove  Baptist  Church,  leaving  th^ 
old  building  to  the  Primitive  (or  anti-missionaO'' 
Baptists  who  maintain  it  today. 


74 


EJEIE 


El  IDE 


EIQE 


EJGE 


=ifni nfnr= 


Liberty 


1^1! 


\*H 


I 


"(•in 

Q 

..1 
1**1 

j3] 


Copyright 

"P«fior     Map    Co. 


EIQCE 


3BE 


=]□[= 


3CDE 


EIQE 


3QE 


3Bf= 


3B<= 


1/4  Mil* 


3GC 


Scale 


1/4  Mil* 


]Qi:= 


ElOIE 


=]Q[= 


3BE 


1/2  Mil* 

=11 

75 


L:l 


L:3 


inn.  rt^rrrTi 


\nm 


L:5  141-143  W.Swannanoa  Si. 


H 


L:5    119,  123-125,  127  W.  Swannanoa  St. 


ftPJiW   I 


L:l      A.  J.  PATTERSON  HOUSE 

South  Fayetteville  Street 
Liberty 

Dr.  A.  J.  Patterson  built  this  simple  two-room 
cottage  with  loft  ca.  1884  on  the  lot  where  he 
lived,  for  his  parents  George  and  Sophia  Coble 
Patterson.  It  was  located  across  the  street  from 
the  business  section  which  burned  in  1895  and  is 
the  only  house  on  that  block  which  survives 
today.  The  original  location  was  Graham  Street 
(now  South  Fayetteville).  It  was  moved  to  the 
grounds  of  Town  Hall  in  1974  and  renovated  as  a 
museum. 

L:2      STALEY  HOUSE 

East  Dameron  Avenue 
Liberty 

The  Gothic  Revival  is  faintly  echoed  in  this 
mid- 1880s  dwelling.  The  two-story  end-chimney 
center-hall  plan  house  is  a  typical  form  of  the 
late  19th  century  while  the  sawn  bargeboards  are 
holdovers  from  the  Gothic  tastes  popular  in  the 
1850s  and  1860s.  Six-over-six  sash  are  used  ex- 
cept in  the  central  bay  above  the  entrance  where 
coupled  4/4  sash  fill  the  enlarged  space  under  the 
shallow  gable.  This  house  formerly  occupied  a 
site  on  South  Fayetteville  Street. 

L:3      GRACE  EVANGELICAL 
LUTHERAN  CHURCH 

South  Fayetteville  Street 
Liberty 

This  four-bay  brick  sanctuary  was  built  in 
1915.  It  features  a  cruciform  plan,  a  roof  "kicked" 
at  the  eaves  and  4/4  sash  set  in  arched  openings. 

L:4      REESE-SILER  HOUSE 

229  West  Raleigh  Avenue 
Liberty 

Most  of  this  house  bears  evidence  of  a  major 
I930s-era  renovation.  The  asbestos  siding  and 
first  floor  bungaloid  porch  pylons  date  from  this 
period.  The  sawn  balusters  and  chamfered  posts 
of  the  second  floor  balcony  are  late  1 9th  century 
survivals. 

L:5      CENTRAL  BUSINESS  DISTRICT 

West  Swannanoa  Street 
Liberty 

The  Liberty  central  business  district  is  an 
attractive  eariy  20th  century  commercial  street- 
scape.  Some  of  the  major  landmarks  include: 


141-143  West  Swannanoa  Street  is  a  ca.  1920. 
double  storefront  built  to  house  the  Bank  of 
Chatham.  The  two-story  brick  building  features 
granite  window  sills  and  lintels  and  a  metal 
cornice  above  the  shop  windows.  141  retains  its 
original  metal-clad  display  windows  and  frosted 
glass  transom. 

127  West  Swannanoa  Street.  Built  by  Dr.  G. 
A.  Foster,  president  of  the  bank,  this  two-story 
brick  commercial  structure  features  star  end  tie- 
rods,  a  corbeled  cornice  and  arched  hood  mold- 
ings linking  the  three-bay  second  floor  facade. 
The  first  business  housed  here  was  Farmer's 
Union  Mercantile  Co.  A.  E.  Dark  later  ran  a 
grocery  store  from  this  location. 

123-125  West  Swannanoa  Street.  Built  by 
Tom  Trogdon,  this  1930s-era  brick  double  store- 
front has  granite  window  sills  and  decorative 
bands  of  herringbone  brickwork.  Five  large  quartz 
rocks  are  inset  at  the  parapet  level. 

1 19  West  Swannanoa.  Known  as  the  Gilliam- 
Patterson  building,  this  is  a  lovely  tum-of-the- 
century  structure.  Its  second  floor  facade  is  five 
window  bays  wide;  the  segmental-arched  open- 
ings are  linked  by  an  undulating  hood  molding- 
Immediately  above  the  windows  the  parapet  is 
decorated  with  elaborate  brickwork.  A  miniature 
blind  arcade  of  round  arches  is  set  below  a 
mousetooth  frieze  and  corbeled  cornice.  The 
storefront  is  partially  preserved,  with  a  recessed 
entrance  and  shop  windows  set  on  marble  knee 
walls. 

120  Wfest  Swannanoa  displays  Randolph  Coun- 
ty's only  remaining  complete  metal  storefront. 
The  facade  includes  not  only  patterned  sheet 
metal  cornices  and  pilasters  but  rusticated  "stone" 
infill  panels  of  press-molded  metal.  The  shop 
front  retains  its  original  paneled  wooden  window 
bays,  but  the  entrances  and  transoms  have  been 
remodeled.  O'Kelly  Overman  ran  a  general  mer- 
chandise business  in  this  store. 

122-124  West  Swannanoa  is  an  interesting 
one-story  double  shop  front.  Display  windows 
and  entrance  doors  in  wooden  frames  are  set  in 
large  elliptical  arches  which  bridge  the  width  of 
each  store  bay.  A  paneled  parapet  with  mouse- 
tooth  frieze  and  corbeled  cornice  caps  the  design- 
The  stnicture  may  have  been  built  ca.  1915  by 
O'Kelly  Overman.  The  little  post  office  building 
was  on  this  site. 


L:5  120,  122-124  W.  Swannanoa  St. 

I  'PI'  ini ini  ini  ini  ini  iri inr  irn= 

76 


L:6      CAPE  FEAR  AND  YADKIN  VALLEY 
RAILWAY  DEPOT 

156  West  Swannanoa  Avenue 
Liberty 

The  Liberty  Depot  is  the  last  remaining  Ran- 
''olph  County  structure  built  by  the  Cape  Fear 
^nd  Yadkin  Valley  Railway.  (The  Julian  Depot, 
nowever,  has  recently  been  moved  to  Ramseur 
from  Guilford  County.)  The  Cape  Fear  and  Yadkin 
Valley  Railway  grew  out  of  early  19th  century 
efforts  to  connect  the  Cape  Fear  and  Yadkin 
"Vers  by  canal,  efforts  that  soon  changed  in  the 
erection  of  a  railroad.  The  C.FYVR.W  was 
organized  in  1879  from  the  remains  of  an  antebel- 
jum  railroad  company,  and  ultimately  completed 


main  line  from  Wilmington  to  Mt.  Airy  in 


Its 

'°90.  Service  on  the  first  part  of  that  line,  from 
Payetteville  to  Greensboro,  began  on  March  16, 
°^4,  Construction  of  that  line  gave  Randolph 
^ounty  its  first  railroad,  founded  the  town  of 
'3ley  as  a  shipping  terminal  for  the  Deep  River 
6xtile  factories,  and  revived  the  small  cross- 
roads town  of  Liberty. 

\on     '""'^rty  Depot  was  built  some  time  before 

'^S,  when  photographs  of  it  were  made.  It  is  an 

"cellent  example  of  a  tum-of-the-century  train 

*|'on  and  the  most  elaborate  example  in  Ran- 

olph  County.  The  hip-roofed  station  has  both  a 

Saoled  dormer  and  an  octagonal  turret  which 

^Ps  a  polygonal  window  bay  at  trackside.  The 

ves  of  the  roof  are  "kicked"  out  to  overhang  at 

^'  six  feet;  this  is  supported  by  sawn  braces. 

^^nnan  siding  is  now  used  above  an  exterior 

Wainscoting"  of  beaded  vertical  paneling. 

•^      R.  D.  PATTERSON  HOUSE 

204  West  Swannanoa  Avenue 
Liberty 

p  Originally  this  was  the  home  of  Dr.  Rez  D. 
p  'erson  before  he  built  his  home  on  South 
l^y«tteville  Street,  and  was  bought  from  Dr. 
fu       .'^""^''son,  Jr.  by  Carl  Loflin  to  use  as  a 

tion; 


'^■■al  home.  At  the  center  of  a  mass  of  addi- 


Pla  ^  f '^"''^  ^  two-story  central  gable  center-hall 

"  house  of  the  1880s.  Its  overhanging  eaves 

^ed  by  sawn  brackets  with  pendants,  and 


an 
Pierc, 

L:8 


Ornate  circular  vent  with  sawnwork  tracery 
'"es  the  central  gable. 


Th 


CHURCH  OF  CHRIST 

West  Swannanoa  Street 
Liberty 

's  attractive  early  20th  century  sanctuary 


has  segmental  arched  windows  with  hood  mold- 
ings on  the  sides  and  large  round  arches  with 
hoods  on  the  street  facade.  The  latter  frame  both 
the  entrance  and  coupled  stained  glass  windows 
with  fanlight.  The  entrance  is  offset  in  a  tower  at 
the  southeast  comer.  The  rear  quarter  of  the 
structure  was  added  sometime  later.  The  brick- 
work is  laid  in  1:6  common  bond  and  a  granite 
sill  trims  the  large  south  window.  This  church 
was  originally  called  the  Christian  Church  and 
was  the  first  church  organized  in  the  town  of 
Liberty. 

L:9, 10      J.  M.  PICKETT  HOUSES 

303  and  307  Asheboro  Street 
Liberty 

These  homes  are  two  of  a  dozen  or  more 
substantial  dwellings  which  front  the  railroad 
tracks  and  line  the  west  side  of  Asheboro  Street 
in  Liberty.  The  Asheboro  Street  neighborhood 
developed  from  ca.  1890  to  1915  and  its  houses 
illustrate  the  styles  popular  at  the  turn  of  the 
century.  303  Asheboro  Street  is  a  typical  center- 
hall  plan  central-gable  house  with  a  single  chim- 
ney on  the  north  end.  Its  hip  porch  is  carried  on 
turned  posts  with  sawn  brackets.  307  Asheboro 
Street  is  an  end-pavilion  or  "T-plan"  house  with 
chamfered  porch  posts  and  elaborate  "feathery" 
sawnwork  brackets.  Both  homes  were  probably 
built  ca.  1900  by  J.  M.  Philmore  Pickett. 

L:ll       H.  C.  CAUSEY  HOUSE 

415  Asheboro  Street 

Liberty 
This  attractive  ca.  1895  home  turns  its  side 
toward  Asheboro  Street,  showing  off  a  late  19th 
century  two-story  "double  decker"  veranda  pop- 
ular in  North  Carolina  but  rarely  seen  in  Ran- 
dolph County.  The  form  of  the  house  is  that  of  a 
common  three-bay  central  gable  house,  with  a 
central  hallway  and  two-story  rear  wing.  But  the 
center-gable  facade  faces  south  toward  a  neigh- 
boring house.  The  hip  porch  of  that  facade 
features  elaborate  tapered  posts  set  on  square 
bases;  sawn  brackets  with  turned  drop  pendants 
brace  the  cornices  of  the  house  and  its  porches. 
H.  C.  Causey,  a  house  builder  by  trade,  built  this 
house  for  himself. 


L.7 


SBSBBSsSinSMMM 


L:9    L:10 


WW 


l*<l 


0 


S3I 

CI 

ar 

I  Ml 


L:12      SMITH-WYLIE  HOUSE 

605  Asheboro  Street 
Liberty 

This  house  is  one  of  Randolph  County's  major 
landmarks  of  the  Queen  Anne  style.  It  was 
probably  built  in  the  mid-1890s.  The  primary 
portion  of  the  two-story  house  is  a  square  hip- 
roofed  block  with  wings  projecting  to  the  south 
and  east.  A  two-story  polygonal  window  bay 
sprouts  to  the  north,  covered  by  a  cantilevered 
roof  overhang.  This  bay  and  the  gables  are 
decorated  with  feathered  shingling;  the  gable 
which  fronts  on  Asheboro  Street  displays  a  turned 
eave  decoration.  The  patterned  slate  roof  is  one 
of  the  very  few  in  the  county,  and  the  porch  with 
turned  posts,  spindle  frieze  and  polygonal  ga- 
zebo is  particularly  fine.  Charies  Philip  Smith 
built  this  home  which  was  later  occupied  by  his 
daughter  Margaret  Smith  Wylie. 

L:13      LIBERTY  CHAIR  COMPANY 

330  North  Greensboro  Street 
Liberty 

In  1910  James  Alexander  Martin  organized  the 
Liberty  Picker  Stick  and  Novelty  Company;  reor- 
ganized in  November,  1923  as  the  Liberty  Chair 
Company.  The  original  plant  was  destroyed  by 
fire  on  February  18,  1926.  The  nucleus  of  the 
present  plant  dates  from  the  subsequent  recon- 
struction. Built  of  large  brick  blocks,  a  stepped 
parapet  conceals  theroof  of  the  main  building.  It 
uses  metal  industrial  window  sash.  The  date 
"1910"  on  the  gable  is,  of  course,  the  date  of  the 
founding  of  the  company,  not  the  construction  of 
the  building.  Liberty's  first  electric  power  was 
furnished  by  the  generators  installed  by  this 
company. 

L:I4      LIBERTY  FRIENDS  MEETING 

316  North  Greensboro  Street 
Liberty 

Much  of  the  considerable  original  charm  of 
this  elaborate  Victorian  structure  is  now  buried 
under  aluminum  siding.  It  was  built  in  1890  as 
the  home  of  the  Liberty  Methodist  Episcopal 
congregation.  It  was  acquired  by  the  Quakers  in 
1943  after  the  merger  of  the  Methodist  Episcopal 


and  Methodist  Protestant  churches.  The  gabled 
four-bay  structure  was  lighted  by  oversized  4/4 
sash  and  topped  by  an  elaborate  cupola.  The 
square  tower  has  lost  its  ornamentation,  but  the 
spire  covered  with  feathered  wooden  shingles 
and  the  bellfast  roof  retain  their  original  iron 
filigree  decoration.  This  is  the  only  Victorian 
ironwork  remaining  in  Randolph  County. 

L:IS      E  A.  SHEPHERD  HOUSE 

North  Fayetteville  Street 
Liberty 

This  cruciform-plan  house  was  built  ca.  1924 
by  Henry  Frazier  for  Dr.  Frank  A.  Shepherd. 
Originally  designed  to  be  converted  to  a  medical 
clinic,  it  has  recently  served  as  office  space  fof 
the  Liberty  Furniture  Company.  The  low  hip 
roofs  and  spreading  porches  carried  on  woode" 
pylons  echo  the  Prairie  School  of  midwestem 
architecture  and  hint  of  bungalows  that  were  to 
follow. 

L:16      BUNN  MURRAY  HOUSE 

421  East  Swannanoa  Avenue 
Liberty 

The  transitional  period  between  the  Queen 
Anne  and  Colonial  Revival  styles  are  particularly 
evident  in  this  dwelling.  The  conical  slate-roofed 
tower  capping  the  engaged  porch  is  a  very  u"' 
usual  feature.  Feathered  shingling  decorates  the 
gables  and  the  space  above  the  first  floor  windows^ 
The  hidden  offset  entrance,  window  sash  and 
much  of  the  trim  indicate  a  pre-World  War  ' 
origin. 


Columbia  Township 


CLT:1  JOHN  TURNER  HOUSE 

Columbia  Township 

This  two-story  "Triple-A"  house  was  built  ca. 
1880  in  a  florid  "Carpenter  Gothic"  style.  Four- 
over-four  sash  with  molded  pediments  are  used 
throughout,  and  the  paired  windows  over  the 
central  entrance  have  arched  heads,  as  do  those 
on  the  side  elevations.  The  entrance  door  is 
framed  by  sidelights.  The  chief  feature  of  the 
house  is  its  elaborate  sawn  decoration,  such  as 
the  bargeboard  under  the  eaves  and  the  lattice- 
work porch  supports  which  have  intricate  pierced 
brackets. 

CLT:2  HOUSE 

Columbia  Township 

This  house  is  clearly  related  to  the  John  Turner 
House,  its  neighbor  to  the  north,  in  such  details 
as  the  lattice- work  porch  supports,  pedimented 
4/4  sash  and  sawn  bargeboard.  Both  were  proba- 
bly built  ca.  1880.  The  rear  wing  of  this  house, 
however,  is  an  earlier  one-room  log  building. 

CUr:3  I.  H.  FOUST  HOUSE 

Columbia  Township 

A  prominent  Randolph  County  businessman, 
Isaac  H.  Foust  ran  a  successful  store  and  post 
office  here  at  Reed  Creek,  a  community  which 
predated  Ramseur.  He  was  one  of  the  partners 
who  incorporated  the  Deep  River  Manufacturing 
Company  at  nearby  Allen's  Fall  in  1848  and  in 
1857  was  one  of  the  investors  who  refinanced  the 
bankrupt  Island  Ford  Manufacturing  Company. 
Foust  also  ran  a  grist  mill  on  Sandy  Creek  and 
invested  in  both  the  North  Carolina  Railroad  and 
the  Atlantic  and  North  Carolina  Railroad.  One  of 
the  three  wealthiest  men  in  the  county  in  1860, 
Foust  owned  fourteen  slaves.  He  was  politically 
a  staunch  Whig,  serving  as  a  county  justice  from 
1846  to  his  death  in  1864,  and  was  elected  to  the 
House  of  Commons  in  1860. 

Foust's  home  was  probably  built  ca.  1850 
although  the  rear  wing  may  be  an  earlier  house 
dating  to  ca.  1840.  The  house  is  five  bays  wide 
and  one  room  deep,  with  9/6  sash.  The  shed- 
roofed  full-facade  porch  is  carried  on  rectangular 
posts  decorated  with  sunken  panels,  and  the 
siding  under  the  porch  is  flush  with  a  tall 
baseboard.  The  roof  and  porch  have  identical 
boxed  cornices  with  returns.  A  central  gable  on 
the  facade  was  probably  added  about  1900.  The 
one-panel  double-leaf  doors  have  a  symmetri- 
cally-molded surround  with  plain  comer  blocks 


CU:2 


O 

o 

I 

h 

«2|l 

a 

-!1 


ii3Ci 


HI 

I  mi 


79 


CU:4 


CU:S 


r*^^ 


and  a  transom.  The  house  features  a  center-hall 
plan  with  open-string  staircase,  two-panel  doors 
throughout  and  wainscoting  in  both  first  floor 
rooms.  The  rear  wing  is  a  four-bay  hall-and- 
parlor  plan  structure  with  central  chimney.  Ac- 
cess to  its  second  floor  was  originally  by  a  boxed 
stair  The  wing  has  short  9/9  sash  on  the  first 
floor,  with  short  6/6  on  the  second.  The  cornice 
and  returns  of  the  wing  are  molded.  The  mantels 
have  been  removed  from  the  house  and  are  in 
storage.  Four  of  them  are  simple  post-and-linlel 
type  Greek  Revival  mantels.  Two  are  more  elabo- 
rate with  symmetrically  molded  trim  and  sawn 
vernacular  decoration. 

CLT:4  WHITE'S  CHAPEL  METHODIST 
EPISCOPAL  CHURCH 

Columbia  Township 

The  White's  Chapel  congregation  was  organ- 
ized in  1897.  The  present  sanctuary  seems  to 
have  been  built  about  that  time.  Three  bays  long 
with  overhanging  eaves,  it  is  entered  through  a 
vestibule  capped  by  a  belfry  with  rectangular 
vents.  An  apsidal  bay  with  4/4  sash  projects 
from  the  gable  behind  the  altar  Sunday  school 
rooms  have  been  added  on  each  side  of  the  altar. 
The  early  White's  Chapel  school  stands  beside 
the  sanctuary. 

CLT:5  HOUSE 

Columbia  Township 

This  well-preserved  house  is  the  centerpiece 
of  a  rural  farm  complex  which  may  date  from  the 
mid-1870s.  The  house  has  6/6  sash  on  the  first 
floor  facade  with  4/4  sash  on  the  second.  The 
twin  exterior  end  chimneys  have  stepped  should- 
ers, and  the  roof  has  exposed  rafter  ends  and  a 
deep  overhang.  The  wraparound  porch  is  carried 
on  chamfered  posts.  It  links  the  house  to  a 
one-story  rear  wing  which  may  originally  have 


been  a  detached  kitchen.  A  central  chimney  rises    I 
from  this  wing,  which  itself  has  been  given  a 
20th  centur>-  ell  addition.  The  yard  contains 
large  boxwoods  and  an  enormous  mulberry  tree,    'j 

CLT:6  HUNTING  LODGE  STABLES 

Columbia  Township 
Slaley 

In  December,  1908,  local  resident  C.  P  FoX 
sold  lots  between  Pittsboro  and  Edwards  streets 
to  Edward  R.  Coleman  of  Lebanon,  Pennsyl- 
vania. Coleman  built  a  hunting  lodge  on  the 
propeny  which  was  later  sold  to  Senator  Harr)' 
Byrd  of  Virginia.  A  local  history  records  thai 
"many  nonhem  dignitaries  visited  the  lodge  W 
hunt  throughout  the  years."  The  lodge  itself  i* 
now  gone,  and  this  one-story  four-stall  bricl' 
stable,  built  perhaps  ca.  1915,  is  the  only  surviv- 
ing element  of  the  complex. 


CLT:7  J.  \V.  COX  HOUSE 

Columbia  Township 
Staley 

This  one-and-a-half  story  end-pavilion  hous< 
was  probably  built  ca.  1890.  It  is  a  late  example  ' 
of  the  Gothic  Revival  style,  with  sawn  barg«' 
boards,  unusual  pedimcnted  doors  and  4/4  sash'  • 
which  display  sawnwork  decorations  in  the  pei^ 
of  each  pediment.  The  porches  are  carried  o" 
turned  posts  with  brackets.  A  colored  gl"** 
window  framed  by  feathered  shingles  is  set  in  ih' 
end  pavilion.  The  house  is  now  covered  *'•'' 
asbestos  siding.  In  the  1930s  this  was  the  hortj^ 
of  Ed  Bray.  It  is  said  to  have  been  built  by  J-  ^' 
Cox. 


3  IDE 


ElIDE 


80 


CLT:8  C.  P.  FOX  HOUSE 

Columbia  Township 
Staley 

•his  one-slory  central-gable  house  has  4/4 
sash  and  an  overhanging  cornice  with  brackets 
and  pendants.  The  central  gable  contains  a  qua- 
refoil  vent.  The  hip  porch  is  carried  on  cham- 
m  ''  posts  with  brackets  and  pendants.  In  the 
'530s  this  was  the  home  of  C.  P.  Fox. 

CLT:9  JOHN  W.  STALEY  HOUSE 

Columbia  Township 
Staley 

'his  two-story  center-hall  plan  end-chimney 
ouse  features  elaborate  porches  on  front  and 
ear.  The  two-story  front  porch  is  carried  by 

■■acketed,  chamfered  posts,  and  the  balcony  has 
"nied  balusters  railing.  The  hip-roofed  rear  porch 

"h  projecting  central  balcony  is  similar  to 

j ,  ^'■"^^  in  the  Franklinville  area.  Local  residents 

aentify  this  as  the  dwelling  of  John  W.  Staley 

°"'»  ca.  1888.  During  the  1930s  it  was  the  home 

Brown  and  Gamer  families. 

^LT:10  HOUSE 

Columbia  Township 
Staley 

fro       °"^"S<ory  hall-and-parlor  plan  house  dates 
m  the  1850  period.  The  interior  features  two- 
inel  • 

'"m  and 

Chi  *  ''""^'^  cornice  with  returns  and  a  stone 
Ihe'""^^  *''h  brick  stack.  Just  across  the  road  to 
Sal  *^^'  '^  "^^  cemetery  of  the  now-defunct 
■"  Methodist  Protestant  Church. 

^LT:H  SALEM  CEMETERY 

Columbia  Township 

stro'^'T  '^^"^"'^'*'  Protestant  Church,  now  de- 
Prio  *'"'  established  at  this  site  sometime 
(1752  '°  '^"^'^'^''^"'"'  '832,  when  John  Craven 
ofo  ~'°33)  sold  the  property  to  the  "Trustees 
the  0^1"  fleeting  Hou.se."  Craven's  grave  is  now 
'hounh  '^^'^'^'^''  grave  in  the  cemetery,  al- 
'■oneri  '  "comer  of  the  graveyard"  is  men- 
nijfK,'" 'he  1832  deed,  indicating  earlier,  un- 
°^in  '"'''■  ^'i''*  ws  probably  the  location 

lies  b*^"^'^  Craven  family  cemetery.  Other  fami- 
uned  here  include  Doves,  Cables,  Yorks 


,r^"^'  ''oors,  a  molded  baseboard,  three-part  door 
hg    _*"''  a  post-and-lintcl  mantel.  The  exterior 


CU:8 


CU:9 


CU:10 


I 

<*illi 

Sal 


II""* 


|«M1 


■a 


andBi 


"rgesses. 


Ramseur 


Copyright 
Superior    Mop     Co. 

nr=^ 

82 


1/2  Mil* 


RM:1      w.  H.  WATKINS  HOUSE 

901  Coleridge  Road 
Ramseur 

W  H.  Watkins  (1839-1919),  former  sheriff  of 
Montgomery  County,  became  secretary-treasurer 
of  the  reorganized  Columbia  Manufacturing  Com- 
pany in  1879.  Watkins  assumed  an  influential 
role  in  the  life  of  the  town,  donating  sites  for  the 
Methodist  Church  and  local  school,  acting  as  a 
state  senator  and  town  commissioner,  and  even 
naming  the  village  for  Major  General  Stephen 
Ramseur,  his  commander  in  the  Civil  War. 

The  Watkins  home,  built  ca.  1885,  was  an 
elaborate  and  eclectic  structure,  exhibiting  ele- 
nients  of  the  Italianate,  Romanesque  Revival, 
Eastlake  and  Queen  Anne  styles.  The  original 
porches  were  supported  by  chamfered  square 
posts  with  pendant  brackets.  Among  the  surviv- 
ing elements  are  paired  Italianate  cornice  brack- 
ets and  round-headed  sash.  The  cornice  frieze  is 
embellished  with  sawn  leaf-like  dentils.  Most 
Unusual  is  the  elaborate  hood  over  the  second 
noor  end  pavilion  window,  decorated  with  pierced 
Scrollwork.  The  interior  was  equally  elaborate, 
*'th  plaster  cornices  and  ceiling  rosettes.  The 
dining  room  rosette  is  decorated  with  shells,  ears 
°f  corn,  bunches  of  grapes  and  sunflowers.  The 
nouse  was  converted  into  a  funeral  home  some 
twenty-five  years  ago  and  is  now  the  nucleus  of  a 
senes  of  rambling,  aluminum  sided  additions. 

^^•2      HOUSE 

907  Coleridge  Road 
Ramseur 

This  T-plan  house  is  placed  with  its  side  to- 
ward the  street,  so  that  its  cross-bar  becomes  a 
Polygonal  end  pavilion.  The  hip  porch  is  carried 
°n  Square  posts  and  is  railed  with  square  balusters, 
•^"e  house  has  double-hung  2/2  sash.  The  ab- 
ence  of  elaborate  trim  indicates  that  it  was 
probably  built  in  the  eariy  20th  century. 

*^=3      E.  J.  STEED  HOUSE 

908  Coleridge  Road 
Ramseur 

This  ca,  1895  T-plan  house  has  an  end-pavilion 

1  'ts  street  facade.  A  squared  one-story  window 

y  with  bracketed  cornice  projects  from  this 

Id  pavilion.  The  second  floor  window  above  the 

y  's  capped  by  an  elaborate  wooden  hood  and 

^awnwork  frieze.  Sidelights  frame  the  entrance 

"n^'  *hich  is  set  in  a  projecting  entrance  bay. 

ne  original  porch  posts  have  been  replaced  by 


bungaloid  pylons  on  brick  bases.  E.  J.  Steed  was 
superintendent  of  the  Columbia  Manufacturing 
Company  at  the  time  of  World  War  I. 

RM:4      HOUSE 

909  Coleridge  Road 
Ramseur 

This  "L-plan"  house  probably  dates  from  the 
middle  1890s.  Its  2/2  window  sash  have  molded 
flat  cornices.  The  Colonial  Revival  porch  is  a 
relatively  recent  addition.  The  most  interesting 
feature  of  the  projecting  end  pavilion  is  the 
two-story  polygonal  window  bay  decorated  with 
molded  recessed  panels  and  coupled  brackets. 
Bays  such  as  this  one  are  found  throughout 
Ramseur  and  are  the  trademark  of  an  as-yet- 
unknown  carpenter-builder  The  Copeland  fam- 
ily are  the  earliest-remembered  residents  who 
lived  here. 

RM:5      TOM  WEST  HOUSE 

910  Coleridge  Road 
Ramseur 

This  rambling  one-story  house  is  an  eclectic 
combination  of  late-19th  century  house  forms. 
The  street  facade  seems  to  be  a  three-bay  central- 
gable  end-chimney  house,  but  on  the  southwest 
this  expands  into  a  square  deck-on-hip  roofed 
wing  with  decorative  end  gable.  Yet  another 
small  gable-roofed  wing  is  attached  to  the  rear  of 
the  house.  The  porch  is  carried  on  Tuscan  col- 
umns and  features  a  railing  with  mmed  balusters. 
Each  gable  is  pierced  by  an  elaborate  sawnwork 
vent. 

RM:6      HOUSE 

911  Coleridge  Road 
Ramseur 

This  simple  tum-of-the-century  dwelling  fea- 
tures a  center-hall  plan  and  2/2  sash.  Its  hip 
porch  is  carried  by  chamfered  posts.  A  rear  shed 
addition  now  connects  the  house  to  what  may 
originally  have  been  a  detached  kitchen.  The 
exterior  has  been  covered  with  asphalt  siding. 


RM:1 


RM:2 


RM:5 


RM:6 


Nil 


i4<t 


-I, 

""I 
w; 

*^ 

CI 

u     ail 


83 


I_^ 


RM:7 


RM:8 


RM:IO 


RM:7      HOUSE 

915  Coleridge  Road 
Ramseur 

Take  a  typical  one-story  center-hall-plan  cen- 
tral-gable house  and  add  a  polygonal  Queen 
Anne  style  end  pavilion,  and  this  home  is  the 
result.  The  cantilevered  overhang  of  the  polygo- 
nal bay  is  braced  by  sawnwork  brackets  with 
turned  pendant  drops  and  applied  bull's-eye 
molding.  The  gable  vents  are  decorated  with 
elaborate  sawnwork  moldings.  The  wraparound 
veranda  was  altered  in  the  early  20th  century  by 
the  replacement  of  the  supporting  posts.  The 
existing  paired  pylons  set  on  prick  piers  are 
connected  at  the  throat  by  miniature  collar  beams 
which  seem  to  be  mortised  together.  This  is  a 
Craftsman  style  detail  which  is  similar  to  bunga- 
low decoration. 


RM:8 


FERREE  HOUSE 

Coleridge  Road 
Ramseur 


RM:I1 


84 


RM:12 


This  substantial  two-story  house  originally 
faced  east  or  west  and  has  been  remodeled  to 
front  the  south  on  Coleridge  Road.  The  fenestra- 
tion and  plan  have  been  extensively  altered  and 
most  detail  has  been  obscured  by  aluminum 
siding.  Only  paired  brackets  with  turned  pendants 
remain,  as  well  as  applied  quatrefoil-pattem  frieze 
trim  identical  to  that  found  on  the  W  C.  Watkins 
House/Loflin  Funeral  Home.  At  one  time  this 
must  have  been  a  very  elaborate  and  beautiful 
dwelling.  From  1883-1891  its  resident,  Mrs. 
Sarah  Ferree,  was  Ramseur's  postmaster. 

RM:9      CHARLES  LANE  HOUSE 

1501  Main  Street 
Ramseur 

A  tum-of-the-century  residence,  this  one-story 
center  hall-plan  central  gable  house  offers  no 
surprises.  It  has  a  single  end  chimney,  a  hip 
porch  carried  on  chamfered  posts  and  4/4  sash. 

RM:10      W.  D.  LANE  HOUSE 

1503  Main  Street 
Ramseur 

This  two-story  hip-roofed  dwelling  illustrates 
a  variation  of  the  two-tiered  veranda  and  balcony 
combination  popular  along  Deep  River  in  the 
late  19th  century.  Probably  built  ca.  1905,  it  is 
the  latest  known  example  of  the  form.  The 
wraparound  porch  curves  around  the  comers  of 
the  house,  carried  on  Tuscan  columns.  The  bal- 


cony gable  displays  a  Colonial  Revival  style 
vent,  while  the  balcony  itself  is  railed  by  a  turned 
balustrade.  The  central  hall-plan  house  is  lighted 
by  6/6  double-hung  sash,  with  oversized  sash 
used  on  the  first  floor  facade.  Contractor  W  H. 
Tippett  of  Franklinville  is  said  to  have  built  the 
house  for  "Captain"  W.  D.  Lane,  local  rail- 
way conductor. 

RM:11      A.  W.  E.  CAPEL  HOUSE 

Main  Street  (beside  Public  Library) 
Ramseur 

Aaron  Capel,  a  native  of  Montgomery  County, 
was  one  of  three  investors  who  bought  and 
reorganized  the  Columbia  Manufacturing  Com- 
pany in  1879.  Capel  moved  to  the  village  and 
became  superintendent  of  the  mill.  In  1894  Cape' 
founded  another  industry,  the  Alberta  Chair 
Works,  and  in  1895  became  a  town  commis- 
sioner at  Ramseur's  incorporation. 

Capel's  striking  ca.  1880  home  features  a 
gable  and  hip  roof  with  sawn  bargeboards  and 
turned  and  bracketed  porch  posts  supporting  a 
one-story  wraparound  porch.  The  ca.  1890  wing 
with  bracketed  cornice  and  polygonal  bay  '« 
known  as  the  "Ballroom." 

RM:12      POST  OFFICE  MUSEUM 

Behind  Public  Library 
Ramseur 

On  March  4,  1879,  the  town  of  Columbia  was 
awarded  a  post  office.  This  frame  building  was 
built  in  1880  to  house  that  office.  The  small  siz« 
of  the  office  enabled  it  to  be  moved  to  the 
residences  of  subsequent  postmasters,  as  it  was 
in  1889  and  1891.  By  the  turn  of  the  century, 
other  buildings  were  serving  as  the  post  office 
and  in  1909  this  building  was  moved  to  the  rear 
of  a  home  on  Main  Street  and  became  a  kitchen. 
In  1970  the  building  was  given  to  the  town  and 
moved  to  its  current  site  behind  the  Public  Library- 
In  1975  the  building  was  restored  as  a  museum- 

The  old  Ramseur  Post  Office  is  a  small,  square. 
one-room  structure  approximately  15  by  15  fee' 
in  plan  and  thought  by  local  historians  to  have 
been  built  ca.  1880.  One  of  the  two  board-and- 
batten  doors  has  a  mail  slot  cut  into  its  center.  A 
9/6  sash  is  used  on  one  end,  while  a  6/6  sash  is 
found  beside  the  front  door. 


3BIE 


ElBIr 


rini  nrire 


RM:13      JORDAN  MEMORIAL 
METHODIST  CHURCH 

Main  Street 

Ramseur 
Finding  tlieir  Liberty  Street  sanctuary  inade- 
quate, the  trustees  of  the  Methodist  Church  were 
authorized  to  build  a  new  building  on  Main 
Street  in  September  1896.  The  structure  was 
completed  by  contractor  W  J.  Jones  the  follow- 
'ug  spring.  In  1954  the  church  was  renamed  to 
honor  the  minister  who  oversaw  the  construction 
of  the  new  church,  the  Rev.  Henry  Harrison 
Jordan.  Jordan  was  the  father  of  Sen.  B.  Everett 
Jordan  and  Dr.  Henry  Jordan  of  Cedar  Falls. 

The  hip-roofed  church  is  an  outstanding  eclec- 
tic design.  The  three-tier  steeple  is  clapboarded 
on  top  and  bottom,  shingled  in  the  middle.  The 
cornices  are  uniformly  bracketed.  In  1947  a 
framed  educational  building  was  added  which 
Sensitively  copied  the  brackets  and  trim  of  the 
original  church. 

RM:14      CARTER  MERCANTILE  STORE 
COMPANY 

Main  Street 
Ramseur 

This  tum-of-the-century  commercial  building 
*as  built  as  the  "Ramseur  Store  Company,"  the 
third  company  store  of  the  Columbia  Manufactur- 
ing corporation.  The  gable-roofed  one-story  build- 
")g  is  set  on  a  large  brick  basement.  The  sloping 
?'te  allowed  a  one-story  frame  commercial  build- 
'"g  to  be  placed  on  a  large  brick  basement, 
'treating  a  full  two  stories.  The  basement  walls 
^^  built  on  a  rubble  stone  foundation;  the  walls 
themselves  are  laid  in  1;6  common  bond  with 
Penciled  joints.  A  shed  wing  added  to  the  north 
^'de  provided  additional  floor  space,  which  was 
"t  by  a  monitor  skylight.  The  street  facade  of  the 
store  was  modernized  ca.  1960,  with  the  result 
that  brick  veneer  now  conceals  the  form  of  the 
Original  storefront.  In  the  early  20th  century  the 
business  was  acquired  by  local  merchant  H.  B. 
J-arter,  from  whom  it  took  its  familiar  name.  In 
the  late  1960s  the  building  was  used  as  a  setting 
'°r  the  motion  picture  "Killer's  Three,"  which 
*as  filmed  in  Ramseur. 

l^Mas      OFFICES 

Main  Street 
Ramseur 

These  two  frame  structures  are  charming  exam- 

P'=s  of  a  type  of  late  19th  and  early  20th  century 

ommercial  construction  which  has  nearly  van- 


ished in  the  state.  The  larger  office,  with  three 
2/2  windows  fronting  Main  Street  and  an  en- 
trance door  on  the  south  side,  was  once  the 
business  office  for  the  adjoining  Carter  Mercan- 
tile store.  Both  frame  offices  have  gable  roofs 
hidden  behind  "boom-town"  false  fronts.  Brack- 
ets with  turned  pendants  brace  the  overhanging 
cornice  of  the  large  office  facade.  Both  struc- 
tures at  one  time  housed  the  Ramseur  Public 
Library  with  the  smaller  building  being  the 
library's  last  stop  before  its  present  permanent 
location. 

RM:16      RED  FRONT  ^ORE 

1535  Main  Street 
Ramseur 

Stores  of  this  type  were  once  very  common 
across  Randolph  County.  Standard  elements  are 
the  gable  roof  masked  by  a  false  "boom-town" 
front,  recessed  double-leaf  entrance  doors  and 
overhanging  canopy.  The  store  is  now  covered 
with  red  aluminum  siding.  It  once  housed  the 
Crescent  Fumimre  Store,  and  the  Brady  Funeral 
Home  was  operated  out  of  the  basement.  The 
original  tenant  was  J.  O.  Forrester  who  sold 
furniture,  jewelry  and  coffins. 


RM:17 


THEATRE 

Main  Street 
Ramseur 


The  rather  plain  smcco  facade  of  this  former 
movie  theatre  is  a  faint  echo  of  the  more  robust 
Spanish  or  Mediterranean  styles  widely  used  for 
motion  picture  theatres  in  the  1920s.  The  theatre 
was  opened  and  operated  by  Lee  Jones  who  lived 
on  Oliver  Street. 

RM:I8      COMMERCIAL  ROW 

1538-1542  Main  Street 

Ramseur 
This  brick  commercial  row  was  originally  a 
single-story  brick  block  of  three  stores.  The 
recessed  storefronts  are  tied  together  by  a  brack- 
eted wooden  cornice  and  capped  by  decorative 
brick  corbeling  and  mousetoothing.  The  street 
level  side  doors  and  windows  (now  filled  in)  are 
set  in  arched  openings  crowned  by  brick  hood 
moldings.  A  second  floor  was  later  added  atop 
the  first  with  segmental-arched  windows  cut  into 
the  decorative  brickwork.  These  later  windows 
are  without  hood  moldings.  During  the  1920s 
and  1930s  this  building  housed  a  barbershop,  J. 
A.  ("Jim")  Craven's  grocery  store  and  the  Dob 
Johnson  Cafe. 


RM:13 


RM:14 


1 

fM 

RM:I5 


RM:16 


RM:17 


RM:I8 


III 
,31 

n 
"J 

•11* 
ar 

|i 


RM:19 


ROLLER  MILL 

Main  Street 
Ramseur 


The  Ramseur  Roller  Mill  was  organized  in 
1913  with  the  mill  built  shortly  thereafter.  It 
manufactured  Rose  Bird  flour,  Robin  Bird  self- 
rising  flour,  com  meal  and  feed,  with  an  average 
output  in  1938  of  twenty  barrels  per  day.  The 
two-and-a-half-story  frame  structure  has  a  moni- 
tor roof,  a  widely  used  feature  of  early  industrial 
architecture.  The  mill  has  recently  been  reno- 
vated and  reopened  as  a  feed  mill. 

RM:20      COLUMBIA  MANUFAC- 
TURING COMPANY  NR 

Main  Street 
Ramseur 

The  Columbia  Manufacturing  Company  mill 
complex  consists  of  a  three-story  gable-roof 
structure,  built  in  three  stages;  a  southeast  comer 
power  plant;  a  four-story  tower;  and  several  free- 
standing auxiliary  buildings — an  office,  pump 
house  and  warehouse,  located  northwest  of  the 
main  building. 

The  original  mill,  built  ca.  1850,  is  the  two- 
story  southern  section,  eleven  bays  long  and  five 
bays  wide,  whose  narrow  south  end  abuts  a  mill 
race  parallel  to  the  Deep  River.  This  section  is  of 
brick  laid  in  1:3  common  bond.  Each  bay  is 
pierced  by  a  9/9  sash  window  with  a  plain 
wooden  sill  and  an  ovolo-molded  surround, 
surmounted  by  a  simple  brick  lintel.  No  original 
doors  remain.  Each  interior  floor  is  a  single  large 
room  with  one  row  of  eleven  posts  supporting 
the  wooden  ceiling  joists  at  the  center  of  the 
span.  About  half  of  the  posts  are  turned,  tapering 
columns  with  cmde  brick  and  wood  bases.  These 
are  perhaps  the  original  supports.  The  other 
supports  are  chamfered  wooden  posts  or  cast- 
iron  posts.  The  ceiling  joists,  each  a  single 
beam,  are  hand  hewn  and  measure  approxi- 
mately two  feet  by  eight  inches.  The  third  story 
of  this  section,  laid  in  1:4  common  bond,  is  a 
pre-1885  addition.  This  floor  has  sash  windows 
identical  to  the  first  section;  it  is  capped  with  a 
gable  roof,  covered  with  tin,  with  overhanging 
eaves  with  exposed  rafter  ends,  and  has  no 
interior  supports. 

After  1888  a  three-story  addition  connected 
the  main  block  and  the  picker  room.  This  thir- 
teen bay-long  section  is  laid  in  1:6  common 
bond,  with  star-headed  iron  tie  rods,  paneled 
doors  within  segmental-arched  openings  and  9/9 
sash  windows  within  two  types  of  openings. 


Those  on  the  east  side  have  rectangular  openings 
with  simple  brick  lintels;  the  remainder  have 
segmental-arched  openings,  also  with  brick  labels. 
The  interior  of  each  story  is  an  extension  of  the 
open  space  of  the  original  mill,  with  a  single  row 
of  center  supports  bracing  the  ceiling  joists.  The 
tumed  wooden  posts,  more  slender  than  those  in 
the  original  mill,  have  a  metal  base  and  necking. 
The  sawn  joists,  of  identical  dimensions  as  the 
original  joists,  are  spliced  at  the  center.  Wood 
floors,  bare  brick  walls  and  wood  sheathed  ceil- 
ings exist  within  both  sections.  The  third  story 
lacks  intermediate  supports  in  this  section  also. 
A  belfry,  sheltered  by  an  onion  dome  sheathed 
with  tin,  perches  on  the  roof  ridge  in  the  center 
of  the  entire  block. 

The  original  wheel  house,  built  over  the  mill 
race,  has  disappeared,  but  the  engine  house 
which  powered  the  mill  by  1885,  still  remains  at 


the  southeast  comer  of  the  main  block.  The 
picker  house  was  built  before  1885  as  a  one-story 
free-standing  building  located  north  of  the  main 
block.  Between  1885  and  1888  it  was  doubled  in 
size  and  raised  to  two  stories.  This  structure, 
which  now  abuts  the  northwest  corner  of  the 
north  mill  addition  comprises  five  bays  of  brick 
laid  in  1:6  common  bond.  It  has  segmental- 
arched  9/9  sash  windows  surmounted  by  arches 
and  a  tin  gabled  roof.  The  interior  has  a  dirt 
floor,  bare  brick  walls,  no  intermediate  sup- 
ports and  an  exposed  roof  tmss  system  of  bolted 
wood  trusses  with  vertical  metal  tie  rods  ex- 
tending from  the  ridge  to  the  center  of  the  joist. 
A  four-story  brick  stair  tower  abuts  the  cen- 
ter west  side  of  the  mill.  Added  between  1885 
and  1888,  the  tower  is  laid  in  1:6  common  bond, 
had  9/9  sash  windows  with  segmental-arched 
openings  with  brick  labels  and  segmental  arched 


doors.  The  original  frame  fifth  story,  with 
bracketed  pyramidal  roof  containing  a  water 
tank,  was  removed  after  1949. 

The  westem  wings— a  two-story  wing  which 
abuts  the  north  side  of  the  tower  and  a  one-story 
wing  which  abuts  the  west  side  of  the  picker 
room— form  the  final  expansion  phase;  they 
were  added  within  a  few  years  of  one  another, 
probably  in  the  early  20th  century.  The  two- 
story  wing,  laid  in  1:6  common  bond,  has  9/9 
sash  and  double,  paneled  doors  within  segmen- 
tal-arched openings  with  brick  labels.  The  shed 
roof  has  exposed  rafter  ends  on  the  south  side, 
and  the  comice  parapet  on  the  remaining  sides 
is  ornamented  with  mousetooth  and  brick  cor- 
bel courses.  Each  floor,  one  large  room,  has 
wood  floors  and  bare  brick  walls.  The  first-floor 
supports  consist  of  two  rows  of  chamfered  and 
bracketed  wooden  posts  supporting  sawn  ceil- 


=]Q[= 


=]I3[= 


3BE 


3Bf= 


3UK 


86 


ing  joists,  each  of  which  is  spliced  at  each  sup- 
port. The  second-story  supports  are  simple  posts 
without  brackets,  and  the  roof  truss  system  is 
exposed.  The  one-story  wing,  laid  in  random 
common  bond,  has  door,  window  and  roof 
treatment  similar  to  the  two-story  wing.  A  sin- 
gle row  of  turned  wood  columns  support  the 
sawn,  spliced  ceiling  joists,  and  the  roof  truss 
system  is  exposed. 

At  the  northwest  comer  of  the  one-story  wing 
IS  the  free-standing  mill  superintendent's  of- 
fice, a  one-story  brick  building  laid  in  1 :5  com- 
mon bond,  with  front  and  side  roof  parapets 
concealing  the  shed  roof.  Corner  brick  pilasters 
*id  a  parapet  frieze  of  pointed-arched  brick 
panels,  brick  corbel  cornice  and  molded  wooden 
eave  ornament  the  building.  The  front  (west) 
elevation  contains  a  paneled  door  within  a  seg- 
■nental-arched  opening;  each  side  elevation 
Contains  a  triple  sash  window,  each  sash  with 
^0  panes,  within  a  segmental-arched  opening. 
The  office  interior  contains  a  vertically-sheathed 
Wainscot,  sheathed  ceiling,  plaster  walls  and 
molded  opening  surrounds.  Beside  the  office  is 
'he  pump  house,  a  hexagonal  brick  structure 
With  a  pyramidal  tin  roof  surmounted  by  a  turned 
*ooden  finial.  The  walls  are  laid  in  random 
Common  bond,  with  segmental-arched  open- 
"igs  with  brick  labels.  The  metal  pump  is  prob- 
^°ly  a  replacement  for  the  original,  which 
supplied  water  to  both  the  mill  and  the  entire 
town, 

'he  one-story  brick  warehouse  located  west 
°f  the  pump  house,  is  laid  in  1:5  common  bond 
and  capped  with  a  tin  gable  roof  with  exposed 
fafter  ends.  Each  of  the  four  sections,  divided 
°y  stepped,  parapeted  fire  walls  on  the  interior 
and  by  brick  pilasters  on  the  exterior,  has  a 
found-arched  opening  with  a  metal  door  at  the 
font  and  rear.  The  gable  end  and  fire  wall  par- 
Pets  are  ornamented  with  mousetooth  and  cor- 
^'  brick  courses.  Along  the  south  side  is  a 
*^oncrete  loading  platform  sheltered  by  a  brack- 
eted shed  roof. 

National  Register  Nomination  written  by  Ruth 
Little-Stokes  and  Brent  Glass. 

RM:21       METHODIST  CHURCH/ 
MASONIC  LODGE 

729  Liberty  Street 
Ramseur 

The  Ramseur  Methodist  Episcopal  Church, 
^outh,  was  organized  in  1886.  This,  their  first 
sanctuary,  was  completed  in  1890.  The  growing 


congregation  soon  buiU  yet  another  new  sanctu- 
ary on  Main  Street,  to  which  the  church  moved 
in  1897.  The  Methodist  trustees  then  sold  the 
1890  building  to  the  local  Marietta  Masonic 
Lodge  Number  444,  which  had  been  organized 
in  January,  1892.  The  original  form  of  the  church 
was  probably  one  large  open  sanctuary  with  a 
balcony  along  three  sides.  Oversized  6/6  sash  in 
the  first  floor  with  smaller  6/6  sash  above  still 
indicate  this  layout.  After  1897  the  building  was 
divided  into  upper  and  lower  chambers  by  the 
addition  of  a  floor  at  the  balcony  level.  The  gable 
vent  in  the  form  of  the  Masonic  emblem  was  also 
added  at  this  time.  The  only  major  alteration  of 
recent  years  occurred  ca.  1965  when  the  entrance 
pavilion  was  brick  veneered. 

RM:22      METHODIST  PARSONAGE 

733  Liberty  Street 
Ramseur 

Although  its  unusual  siting  on  the  lot  tends  to 
disguise  the  fact,  this  is  a  standard  three-bay 
two-story  house  with  central  gable  interruption. 
The  house  stands  at  a  forty-five  degree  angle  to 
the  street,  to  which  it  is  related  by  an  entrance 
pavilion  extending  from  one  comer  of  the  Colo- 
nial Revival  style  porch.  The  interior  follows  a 
typical  center-hall  plan.  Though  local  historians 
say  the  house  was  built  as  the  parsonage  for  the 
neighboring  Methodist  church  (now  the  Masonic 
lodge)  ca.  1890,  the  house  seems  to  be  at  least 
ten  years  older.  Its  6/6  sash  suggests  an  eariier 
date  of  construction,  as  does  the  angled  position 
of  the  house  which  implies  that  the  house  existed 
before  the  street  was  built. 

RM:23      FIRST  BAPTIST  CHURCH 

Southeast  comer  Liberty  Street  and 

Coleridge  Road 

Ramseur 

Outgrowing  their  small  antebellum  church  ad- 
jacent to  the  cemetery,  the  Baptists  in  1894 
erected  a  rectangular  plan  brick  church  on  Lib- 
erty Street  which  is  the  nucleus  of  the  present 
structure.  Two  wings  were  added  between  1897 
and  1912,  and  a  baptistry  built  in  1919,  producing 
a  cruciform  plan.  Additional  Sunday  school  rooms 
were  added  in  1921,  and  an  education  building 
was  built  in  1950. 

The  original  church  had  a  Gothic  character, 
with  pointed  windows  and  car\«d  cornice  brackets. 
The  tall  wooden  bell  tower  and  shingled  steeple 
gave  the  church  an  almost  European  Medieval 


RM:22 

flavor.  In  the  course  of  major  remodelings  in 
1921  and  1957,  much  of  the  original  character 
was  lost;  the  pointed  windows  were  replaced 
with  round-headed  Roman  sash  windows,  and 


RM:23 


ill* 


i«*M, 


2» 


1*1* 

I*  1 

L    ail 

w 

*.«-ll 


=iRi nnrs 


3II1E 


87 


the  old  steeple  entrance  replaced  with  a  classical 
facade  and  colonial-type  steeple.  The  penciled 
mortar  joints  are  an  interesting  surviving  feature 
of  the  original  construction. 

RM:24      HOUSE 

927  Coleridge  Road 
Ramseur 

The  sawn  balusters  of  its  porch  railing  are  the 
prime  features  of  this  rather  typical  central  gable 
house.  Sawn  balusters  are  found  on  houses  in 
Ramseur,  Franklinville  and  Randleman  though 
they  are  seldom  seen  in  other  parts  of  the  county. 

RM:25      E.  C.  WATKINS  HOUSE 

Carter  Street 
Ramseur 

Like  the  neighboring  I.  E  Craven  house,  this 
structure  is  a  pre-1880  dwelling  with  tum-of-the- 
century  cosmetic  improvements.  The  original 
two-story  center-gable  three-bay  house  with  6/6 
sash  received  a  polygonal  window  bay  facing 
Coleridge  Road  on  the  east  and  an  elaborate 
Colonial  Revival  porch  carried  on  paried  fluted 
TUscan  columns.  The  entrance,  with  sidelights 
and  transom,  is  set  in  a  monumental  portico  with 
balcony.  E.  C.  Watkins,  son  of  mill  owner  W  H. 
Watkins.  was  owner  and  operator  of  the  Ramseur 
Furniture  Company. 

RM:26      I.  E  CRAVEN  HOUSE 

1398  Salisbury  Street 
Ramseur 

The  original  portion  of  this  house  seems  to 
have  been  a  two-story  three-bay  center-gable 
structure  with  a  central  chimney  similar  to  other 
nearby  mill  houses.  The  original  house  may  have 
been  built  before  1880,  with  enhancements  made 
in  the  1890s  when  a  wing  and  gabled  pavilion 
with  polygonal  bay  were  added  to  the  east.  The 
bracketed  roof  overhang  and  porches  with  spin- 
dle frieze,  brackets  and  turned  posts  were  proba- 
bly added  during  the  renovation.  Fletcher  Craven 
was  the  son-in-law  of  mill  owner  W  H.  Watkins 
and  followed  him  as  company  president. 


RM:27 


MILL  HOUSES 

Salisbury  Street 
Ramseur 


These  three  identical  houses  on  a  hillside 
above  the  cotton  mill  are  ca.  1880  versions  of 
mill-built  worker  housing.  The  three-bay  center- 
hall-plan  houses  were  one  room  deep  and  had 


6/6  sash,  rear  kitchen  wings  and  side  gable 
roofs.  There  were  originally  several  more  such 
houses  in  the  area. 

RM:28      COLUMBIA  FACTORY  BAPTIST 
CHURCH 

317  West  Ridge  Street 
Ramseur 

Baptists  had  begun  to  meet  together  in  the 
village  of  Columbia  Factory  by  May  3,  1851- 
From  1851  until  1853  the  "Missionary  Baptist 
Church  of  Christ  of  Columbia"  was  pastored  by 
the  Rev  William  C.  Patterson.  In  1855  this 
frame  structure  was  built  to  house  the  congrega- 
tion. It  was  heated  by  an  open  fireplace.  In  1894 
a  new  Baptist  church  was  built  with  this  one  sold 
to  the  newly-organized  Congregational  Christian 
church.  In  1897  that  congregation  built  a  new 
sanctuary  and  the  old  Baptist  building  was  moved 
to  its  present  site  and  remodeled  as  a  dwelling- 
This  small  structure  has  obviously  undergone 
substantial  alterations  since  1855.  The  porch  and 
current  interior  configuration  probably  date  to 
the  1897  remodeling,  while  the  molded  cornice 
with  returns  and  the  6/6  sash  may  be  survivals 
from  the  original  trim. 

RM:29      CONGREGATIONAL 
CHRISTIAN  CHURCH 

Church  Street 
Ramseur 

This  Christian  Church  was  organized  in  Ram- 
seur in  1893  by  Rev  M.  L.  Hurley  with  nineteen 
chaner  members.  The  denomination  had  been 
brought  to  Randolph  County  by  the  Rev  Thomas 
C.  Moffitt  who,  in  1842,  began  the  organization 
of  five  Christian  churches  in  the  southwestern 
quarter  of  the  county.  The  denomination  has 
since  merged  with  the  northern  Congregation- 
alists,  but  this  church  is  now  independent.  The 
congregation  first  purchased  the  1855  Baptisl 
Church  adjoining  the  cemetery  and  in  1896 
erected  the  present  sanctuary.  The  old  church 
was  moved  to  the  rear  of  the  property  and  remod- 
eled as  a  home.  The  1896  building  was  five  bays 
long  with  a  bellcast  steeple  over  the  entrance 
pavilion.  Four  classrooms  were  added  in  1926 
and  a  brick  educational  building  added  in  th' 
1960s.  In  1981  a  new  sanctuary  was  built  and  the 
1896  structure  was  demolished. 


88 


RM:30      J.  E.  BRADY  HOUSE 

710  Liberty  Street 
Ramseur 

This  dwelling  is  Ramseur's  most  elaborate 
and  robust  example  of  the  Queen  Anne  style 
popular  at  the  turn  of  the  century.  It  is  a  T-plan 
house  with  many  decorative  elements.  The  ga- 
bles feature  feathered  shingling  and  sawnwork 
eave  ornaments.  A  cantilevered  gable  with  pen- 
dant brackets  and  sawn  bargeboards  accents  the 
south  wing.  The  shed-roofed  porch  is  carried  by 
chamfered  posts  with  sawn  balusters  and  a  turned 
spindle  frieze.  The  house  was  built  by  John 
Emmett  Brady  and  remains  in  his  family. 

•^M:31      J.  H.  MARLEY  HOUSE 

601  Oliver  Street 
Ramseur 

This  T-plan  house  now  turns  a  remodeled  face 
toward  Jordan  Road  (US  64)  but  its  original  form 
*as  that  of  an  end-pavilion  house  fronting  on 
Oliver  Street.  From  that  angle  the  two-story 
polygonal  window  bay  is  evident,  as  is  the  side 
porch  with  brackets  and  turned  posts.  The  4/4 
Sash  are  set  in  molded  window  frames.  Ca. 
1^25,  after  the  construction  of  US  64,  the  hip 
porch  supported  by  bungaloid  pylons  on  brick 
bases  was  added  to  the  north  facade.  A  small 
Projecting  central  gable  on  the  porch  accents  the 
^ntrance.  J.  Harris  Marley  was  the  father  of 
'aughn  and  Woosley  Marley,  proprietors  of  a 
general  store  on  Liberty  Street.  Vaughn  Marley 
*rote  a  popular  column,  "Trash  'N'  Whittlin's," 
for  the  Asheboro  Courier-Tribune  for  forty  years. 

•^^1:32      GEORGE  LAMBERT  HOUSE 

603  Oliver  Street 
Ramseur 

.  This  is  a  T-plan  house  similar  to  the  neighbor- 
'ng  Marley  house;  it  also  turns  its  end-pavilion 
tacade  towards  Oliver  Street.  Instead  of  a  two- 
^'°ry  window  bay,  as  on  the  Marley  house,  a 
°ie-story  polygonal  bay  is  found,  decorated  with 
■■scessed  panels  and  a  sawnwork  frieze.  The 
^scond  floor  window  above  the  bay  has  a  hood 
Jl^olding  with  a  matching  sawnwork  frieze.  The 
P  roofed  side  porch  is  carried  on  turned  posts 
*"h  sawn  brackets.  George  Lambert's  son,  J.  I. 
■-ambert,  ran  a  local  grocery  store  for  many 


RM:30 


RM:31 


)••' 


;) 


«i|l«^ 

3! 


'1 


RM:32 


^'^^.;.-.■^ 


RM:33      ED  YORK  HOUSE 

609  Oliver  Street 

Ramseur 
This  house  provides  a  good  illustration  of  the 
changing  faces  a  home  may  show  the  world  over 
the  years.  A  documentary  photograph  of  the 
house  about  1915  shows  a  solid,  respectable  late 
19lh  century  dwelling.  Sawnwork  "gingerbread" 
decorates  the  central  gable,  the  hip  porch  is 
carried  on  chamfered  posts  with  sawn  brackets 
and  the  porch  railing  is  made  up  of  sawn 
balusters.  At  least  three  contrasting  colors  are 
used  to  pick  out  and  emphasize  the  various 
surfaces  and  edges.  Today  we  see  a  white  house 
devoid  of  Victorian  ornament,  and  a  massive 
bungaloid  porch  with  white  flint  pylons  speaks 
of  the  new  tastes  of  the  1920s  and  1930s. 

RM:34      HOUSE 

314  Oliver  Street 

Ramseur 
1\vo-story  three-bay  center-gable  dwellings 
such  as  this  one  were  popular  and  frequently 
built  throughout  Randolph  County  in  the  late 
19th  and  early  20th  centuries.  This  end-chimney 
house  has  a  hip  porch  carried  on  turned  posts 
with  sawnwork  brackets  and  retains  a  complete 
set  of  working  louvered  window  shutters. 


RM:34 


RM:35      RAMSEUR  GRADED  SCHOOL 

(destroyed  1981) 
Jordan  Road 
Ramseur 

The  Ramseur  Graded  School  building  was  a 
handsome  example  of  a  Colonial  Revival  style 
public  school.  The  original  block,  built  in  1921, 
consisted  of  an  imposing  three-story  (technically 
two  stories  atop  a  raised  basement)  classroom 
block  with  an  800-seat  auditorium  wing  attached 
to  the  rear.  Multiple  bays  of  two,  three  and  five 
6/6  and  12/12  double-hung  window  units  lighted 
the  classrooms.  The  double-leaf  entrance  doors 
were  capped  by  a  fanlight  and  recessed  into  an 
elevated  classical  pavilion.  The  entrance  arch 
w ith  keystone  was  framed  by  Tuscan  order  pilas- 
ters which  carried  a  classical  entablature  com- 
plete with  modillion  blocks.  An  inscribed  "Book 
of  Know  ledge"  sculpture  set  in  a  gabled  pediment 
originally  capped  the  entrance  bay,  but  in  some 
subsequent  renovation  the  gable  was  replaced  by 
a  flat  brick  parapet.  A  molded  cornice  ran  around 
the  south,  east  and  west  facades  below  the 
parapet,  while  a  belt  course  emphasized  the  first 
floor  level.  The  belt  course,  cornice,  entrance 
pavilion  trim  and  door  and  window  sills  were 
constructed  of  white  sandstone. 

A  classroom  wing  was  added  in  1936,  a  gym 
in  1948,  additional  wings  in  1949  and  1953,  and 
the  building  was  completely  renovated  in  1961- 
The  construction  of  a  new  high  school  in  the 
early  1970s  demoted  the  old  building  to  the 
position  of  an  elementary  school.  A  modem 
single-story  elementary  school  built  elsewhere 
on  the  site  in  the  late  1970s  finally  made  the  old 
building  totally  redundant.  It  is  unfortunate  that 
no  imaginative  adaptive  reuse  scheme  was  pro- 
posed for  this  structure;  so  much  space  built  at  a 
time  when  energy  and  materials  were  relatively 
cheap  will  not  be  seen  again. 


3IIit= 


SHtH 


RM:35 


90 


Franklinville  Township 


FT:1  COOL  SPRINGS  MISSIONARY 
BAPTIST  CHURCH 

Franklinville  Township 

The  Cool  Springs  congregation  was  organized 
on  November  20,  1938  and  the  present  sanctuary 
built  soon  thereafter.  Contemporary  elements 
such  as  bungaloid  brackets,  asbestos  siding  and 
concrete  block  foundation  make  its  recent  con- 
struction evident,  but  it  is  interesting  to  note  the 
conservatism  of  church  design  which  lasted  until 
World  War  II.  The  form  of  the  building  and  its 
tripartite  vestibule/steeple  are  similar  to  churches 
built  fifty  years  eariier. 

FT:2  ENOCH  PUGH  CABIN 

Franklinville  Township 

Exhibiting  commonly  used  half-dovetail  log 
construction,  the  Enoch  Pugh  Cabin  is  an  impor- 
tant single-pen  story-and-a-loft  antebellum  log 
dwelling.  Characteristic  features  include  the  ga- 
ble roof,  the  combination  fieldstone  and  brick 
exterior  end  chimney  and  stone  foundation.  The 
two-bay  facade  is  distinguished  by  a  batten  door 
with  a  rare  example  of  a  wooden  door  latch. 
Exterior  weatherboard  sheathing  appears  to  be  a 
more  recent  addition.  On  the  interior  a  steep 
ladder-type  stair  rises  next  to  the  stone  fireplace 
with  its  simple  shelf.  The  cabin  is  remembered 
as  the  home  of  Enoch  Pugh  and  family. 

FT:3  JESS  PUGH  HOUSE 

Franklinville  Township 

Exhibiting  an  unusual  five-bay  fenestration 
pattern  with  two  entrances,  this  vernacular  house 
was  probably  built  ca.  I860.  A  flush  sheathed 
facade  is  protected  by  a  hip  porch  roof,  which 
seems  to  be  original  although  the  porch  itself  has 
been  dismantled.  Large  6/6  sash  light  the  first 
floor  and  smaller  6/6  sash  are  used  above.  The 
same  size  sash  is  also  used  in  the  tight  space 
between  the  porch  roof  and  the  gable-roof  eaves 
—the  carpenter  simply  turned  it  on  its  side.  The 
exposed  rafter  ends  supporting  the  roof  are  decor- 
ated by  sawn  embellishment.  The  stone  end 
chimneys  have  brick  stacks.  The  hall-and-parlor 
plan  interior  is  finished  very  simply  with  horizon- 
tal board  sheathing,  two-panel  Greek  Revival 
doors  and  crude  shelves  instead  of  mantels. 


i  .         ..kfc.....:l 

'^f 

m^^ik^SiL-                       -*" 

mn 

■'"""■■~"">^  ■'■■*"■"  «*»■■■ " 

FT:1 


FT:3 


III 


MH 


0*\ 


■||»' 


••'ll 

Chi 

•I*  I 

3 

i) 
a? 


313[-  im  irnr  im  \I3E 


3[3(^^^3[3[^^^S][3l==="3[S 


91 


FT:4 


FT:6 


n:s 


FT:9 


FT:4  D.  S.  SUMNER  HOUSE 

Franklinville  Township 

This  house,  with  6/6  sash  and  a  handsome 
bracketed  cornice  with  pendant  drops,  was  proba- 
bly built  ca.  1885.  Its  two-tiered  porch  is  similar 
to  those  of  four  other  houses  built  in  nearby 
Franklinville.  The  central  balcony  is  accessible 
from  the  second  floor.  The  house  has  a  center- 
hall  plan  with  end  chimneys  and  a  two-story 
rear  wing.  The  original  porch  supports  were 
replaced  by  lattice-work  posts  set  on  brick  piers 
ca.  1925.  The  house  may  have  been  built  by 
Matthew  Sumner  (1823-1886),  superintendent 
of  the  "upper"  mill  in  Franklinville  from  1876 
to  1881,  or  by  his  son  David  Spurgeon  Sumner 
(1862-1939),  engineer  of  the  "upper"  mill  from 
1886  to  1895.  Apparently  Matthew  Sumner  had 
acquired  the  property  in  1874,  and  David  inher- 
ited it  at  his  father's  death  in  1886.  David  lived 
there  until  he  purchased  the  Lambert-Parks  House 
in  Franklinville.  The  extensive  farm  lies  on  the 
northeast  bank  of  Deep  River  at  its  junction  with 
Sandy  Creek.  The  nearby  Salem  Church  prop- 
erty was  originally  part  of  the  holdings. 

FT:S  COX'S  DAM 

Franklinville  Township 

The  25-foot  high  concrete  and  rubble  dam  im- 
pounding Deep  River  between  Cedar  Falls  and 
Central  Falls  was  built  between  1919  and  1924  by 
Clark  and  Ervin  Cox,  who  operated  the  Central 
Falls  Manufacturing  Company.  The  31 -acre  lake 
formed  by  the  dam  is  the  largest  on  Deep  River, 
and  the  third  largest  in  Randolph  County.  The 
three-story  wheel  house  housed  two  generators 
powered  by  turbine  water  wheels.  When  com- 
pleted, it  immediately  became  apparent  that  the 
flow  rate  of  Deep  River  had  been  miscalculated: 
two  generators  could  not  be  run  continuously 
without  draining  the  lake.  The  facility  was  used 
on  a  limited  basis  until  1953,  when  it  was  aban- 
doned. It  is  now  virtually  inaccessible. 


FT:6  WALKER'S  GROCERY 

Franklinville  Township 

Originally  a  one-room  store  expanded  ca.  1940 
by  Charlie  Walker,  this  building  included  living 
quarters  in  the  rear.  The  small  bracketed  dormers 
and  large  10/10  sash  are  unusual.  The  store  was 
operated  for  many  years  by  Bessie  Lawson  and 
closed  ca.  1968. 

FT:7  KIDD'S  MILL 

Franklinville  Township 

This  three-story  monitor-roofed  grist  mill  was 
probably  built  ca.  1890.  It  was  known  as  "Henry 
Pugh's  Mill  on  Sandy  Creek"  until  Mr.  and  Mrs. 
Charlie  Kidd  came  to  run  it  in  1934,  An  old 
board-and-batten  store  nearby  was  replaced  by 
the  concrete  block  "Kidd's  Place"  store,  still 
operating.  The  frame  mill  was  at  an  early  date 
covered  with  pressed  tin  siding,  decorated  in  a 
brick  pattern.  The  mill  closed  ca.  1960. 

FT:8  "GAS"  REDDING  HOUSE 

Franklinville  Township 

This  hip-roofed  house  was  built  ca.  1880- 
Its  brick  end  chimney  has  paved  shoulders.  The 
rear  wing  is  an  earlier  log  structure  which  had  a 
stone  end  chimney,  now  surrounded  by  later 
construction. 

FT:9  STORE 

Franklinville  Township 

This  tiny  rural  store  may  date  ca.  1875.  The 
door  and  window  trim  is  molded.  The  6/6  sash 
were  originally  shuttered. 


FT:  10  WATER  TANK 

Franklinville  Township 
Millboro 

This  frame  water  tank  is  now  a  unique  survival 
in  Randolph  County.  The  shingled  structure  en- 
closes a  metal  tank  which  served  a  gravity-flow 
Water  system  for  the  adjoining  Halliday  hunting 
lodge.  The  guest  house  and  lodge  still  stand 
nearby,  remodeled  into  private  dwellings.  Access 
'0  the  lodge  was  provided  by  the  Cape  Fear  and 
Yadkin  Valley  Railway,  which  ran  within  sight  of 
the  complex.  All  of  Millboro  grew  up  along  the 
railroad  after  1889  and  for  a  while  Millboro  was 
'he  shipping  point  for  all  the  surrounding  cotton 
textile  mills. 

FTsll  W.  C.  JONES  HOUSE 

Franklinville  Township 

The  W  C.  Jones  house  was  the  nucleus  of  a 
Community  across  Deep  River  from  Franklinville 
which  is  sometimes  known  as  the  "Fair  Mount" 
Community,  after  a  Methodist  Protestant  church 
which  stood  here  at  the  turn  of  the  century. 
Lesley  Cornelius  Jones  (1862-1925)  is  listed  in 
the  1894  Branson  Directory  as  a  "contractor  and 
builder"  but  is  best  remembered  as  a  wagon- 
■^aker  Jones'  wagon  shop,  machine  shop  and 
felated  businesses  surrounded  his  home.  As 
automobiles  replaced  horse-drawn  vehicles  Jones 
"^San  to  custom-build  truck  bodies;  his  first  was 
'Of  a  1912  Model  T.  Jones  later  converted  horse- 
drawn  hearses  to  fit  Model  T  chassis  for  many 
'ocal  funeral  homes.  Jones  was  killed  during  the 
^onstruction  of  a  new  business,  the  Franklinville 
"totor  Company,  which  was  subsequently  owned 
^nd  operated  by  his  son,  B.  C.  Jones. 

The  house  was  probably  built  by  Jones  in  the 
'°80s,  and  has  undergone  at  least  three  major 
femodelings.  The  original  one-story  central  gable, 
"^enter-hall  plan  house  has  oversized  4/4  sash  and 
^  elaborate  molded  cornice  with  sawnwork  cor- 
beling or  dentilwork.  The  simple  porch  was  then 
replaced  by  an  elaborate  Victorian  creation  with 

great  deal  of  decorative  "gingerbread."  This 
•n  turn,  replaced  ca.  1929  by  the  current 


Was 


poled  porch  carried  by  bungaloid  pylons  on 
""ek  pillars. 


FT:  12  L.  M.  JONES  HOUSE 

Franklinville  Township 

This  early  20th  cenmry  dwelling  was  built  by 
Leonidas  Mountvale  ("Lxjnnie")  Jones,  son  of 
W  C.  Jones  whose  home  stands  directly  across 
the  road.  The  hip-roofed  house  has  gables  or 
projecting  gabled  wings  at  each  comer  of  the 
square  main  block,  creating  an  exceedingly  com- 
plex roof  plan.  The  mmed  porch  posts  are  linked 
with  arched  tie  beams. 

FT:  13  HOUSE 

Franklinville  Township 

This  late-19th  century  cruciform-plan  house 
has  a  corbeled  chimney  at  the  center  of  the  four 
wings.  Randolph  County  now  has  few  of  this 
type  of  home.  It  has  been  extensively  remodeled. 

FT:  14  J.  F.  ALLRED  HOUSE 

Franklinville  Township 

The  massive  stone  chimney  of  this  house 
indicates  a  pre-Civil  War  construction  date.  Now 
in  the  center  of  the  house,  it  was  undoubtedly 
built  to  one  end  of  a  smaller  house  which  was 
later  expanded.  A  boxed  cornice  is  still  partially 
visible,  though  aluminum  siding,  storm  windows, 
replacement  sash  and  a  variety  of  improvements 
obscure  original  details.  Joseph  Franklin  AUred 
was  a  Methodist  Protestant  minister. 


FT:10 


FT:  11 


-astMasi?*-:' 


FT:12 


FT:13 


at 


"•i 


1. 
i, 

a! 


Franklinville 
NRHD 


SOUTHERN     e 
:-r— ' — ' — ' — »-■  I    (- 


Copyright 
Superior     Mop     Co. 

I  ini  inr= 

94 


SHE 


SHE 


EJBE 


ElBE 


El  IDE 


SEE 


=)BE 


El  IDE 


Sea  le 


F:l 


FAITH  ROCK 

Deep  River 
Franklin  ville 


Rising  out  of  the  river  several  hundred  yards 
Upstream  from  the  site  of  Island  Ford  is  Franklin- 
ville's  major  geographic  landmark,  a  huge  blue- 
stone  outcrop  known  as  Faith  Rock.  It  was  the 
setting  for  one  of  Randolph  County's  best-known 
Revolutionary  War  legends,  an  incident  which 
has  been  both  elaborated  and  confused  over  the 
years. 

David  Fanning  was  the  notorious  Tory  guer- 
f'lla  leader  of  Piedmont  North  Carolina,  and 
Andrew  Hunter  was  a  southwestern  Randolph 
resident.  On  May  2,  1782,  Hunter  and  a  neigh- 
bor were  captured  by  Fanning  while  taking  a 
*agon  of  produce  to  trade  for  salt  at  the  Pee  Dee 
River  market.  Promised  immediate  execution  by 
Panning,  Hunter  took  a  desperate  chance  for 
escape.  In  Fanning's  words.  Hunter  "sprung 
Upon  my  riding  mare,  and  went  off  with  my 
saddle,  holsters,  pistols,  and  all  my  papers  of 
any  consequence  to  me.  We  fired  two  guns  at 
h'Ti;  he  received  two  balls  through  his  body  but 
"  did  not  prevent  him  from  sitting  the  saddle; 
and  make  his  escape."'  Enraged,  Fanning  plun- 
dered Hunter's  home,  kidnapping  his  slaves  and 
holding  his  pregnant  wife  as  hostage  for  the 
return  of  Bay  Doe,  "a  mare  I  set  great  store  by, 
and  gave  One  Hundred  and  ten  guineas  for  her."^ 
Hunter,  however,  coolly  called  Fanning's  bluff. 
The  war  was  over;  the  British  had  begun  the 
evacuation  of  Charieston;  Fanning  and  his  men 
eould  not  afford  to  wait.  They  were  forced  to 
felease  Mrs.  Hunter  and  ride  to  rejoin  the  British. 
But  before  he  left.  Fanning  determined  to  risk 
*  final  return  to  Randolph  for  the  single  purpose 
°f  recovering  Bay  Doe.  He  rode  out  of  Charles- 
ton on  September  5,  1782,  and  left  the  county  in 
frustration  on  September  22.'  Fanning  does  not 
uescribe  the  incident  at  Faith  Rock,  which  must 
have  occurred  at  this  time,  although  Caruthers  is 
"lost  specific.  Hunter  "was  riding  the  Bay  doe. 
On  the  high  ground  South  of  Deep  River,  and  not 
|5  above  the  [island]  ford,  where  the  village  of 
ffanklinville  now  stands"  when  "he  was  like  to 
"*  overtaken  by  some  of  Fanning's  men.  He  first 
attempted  to  gain  the  ford;  but  found  they  were 
heading  him  in  that  direction.  He  then  turned  his 
<^ourse  up  the  river,  but  they  were  there  ready  to 
deceive  him.  The  only  alternative  was  to  surren- 
''er,  which  would  be  certain  and  instant  death,  or 
o  make  a  desperate  plunge  down  a  precipice, 
Some  fifty  fee(  i,igh  jnto  the  river.  He  chose  the 


latter.  ...  It  was  such  a  daring  adventure  that 
his  pursuers,  though  they  were  burning  with 
revenge,  would  not  dare  to  follow  him,  but 
stopped  short,  in  a  kind  of  amazement,  and 
contented  themselves  with  firing  two  or  three 
pistols  after  him.  As  there  was  no  level  ground  at 
the  bottom  of  the  descent,  he  plunged  right  into 
the  river  and  turned  down  the  stream,  sometimes 
swimming  and  sometimes  on  terra  firma  or 
floundering  over  rocks,  until  he  found  a  place 
where  he  got  out  on  the  north  side  and  made  his 
escape.'"*  Today  a  plaque  placed  by  the  Daugh- 
ters of  the  American  Revolution  on  the  nearby 
highway  bridge  commemorates  Hunter's  escape. 

'David  Fanning,  The  Narrative  of  Colonel 
David  Fanning  (Spartanburg:  The  Reprint  Com- 
pany, 1973),  p.  59. 

^Ibid,  p.  60. 

^Ibid.  p.  62. 

■*£.  W  Caruthers,  Revolutionary  Incidents: 
And  Sketches  of  Character  Chiefly  in  the  "Old 
North  State"  (Philadelphia:  Hayes  &  Zell, 
1856),  pp.  280-281. 


F:2      FRANKLINVILLE  IRON  WORKS 

(destroyed) 

West  side  Bush  Creek  at  junction  with 

Deep  River 

Franklinville 

A  foundry  was  built  here  ca.  1850  to  process 
ore  from  the  Iron  Hill  mine  some  four  miles  to 
the  southwest.  The  mine  and  smelter  were  worked 
periodically  from  ca.  1849  to  1868,  but  particu- 
larly during  the  Civil  War  when  workers  were 
exempted  from  the  military  draft.  A  report  of  the 
enrolling  officer  dated  July  4,  1864,  listed  thirty 
hands  at  the  iron  works,  indicating  an  extensive 
operation.  Little  remains  at  the  site  although  the 
dam  on  Bush  Creek  and  the  power  race  are  still 
visible.  The  property  was  sold  to  G.  H.  Make- 
peace in  1869  and  later  operations  at  the  site 
included  a  chair  manufacturing  plant  and  a  rock 
crusher.  The  Iron  Hill  mine  was  one  of  the  most 
extensive  mining  operations  in  the  eastern  half 
of  Randolph  County  with  the  main  shaft  reach- 
ing a  depth  of  eighty  feet. 


F:3 


"UPPER  DAM' 

Deep  River 
Franklinville 


A  dam  has  been  at  this  site  on  Deep  River 


F:l 


since  the  eariiest  use  of  the  river's  power  for  grist 
milling.  In  1901  the  Franklinsville  Manufactur- 
ing Company  replaced  all  eariier  dams  with  a 
massive  new  dam  of  coursed  rubble  stone  con- 
struction. This  impounded  water  to  run  both  the 
grist  mill  and  cotton  factory.  The  last  water 
wheel  to  be  used  at  the  factory  was  a  285 
horsepower  horizontal  Smith  wheel,  installed  in 
1909.  This  turned  all  the  machinery  of  the  fac- 
tory through  a  belt  and  pulley  system  until  elec- 
tric drives  were  installed  in  1922.  On  November 
29,  1934  the  Courier  noted  that  "The  Randolph 
Mills,  Inc.  are  preparing  to  raise  their  dam 
across  Deep  River  at  Mill  #  1  thirty  inches  higher. 
This  will  give  them  a  resource  supply  of  water 
for  their  equipment  and  will  be  one  of  the 
prettiest  ponds  of  water  on  the  river."  As  a  result 
of  that  remodeling  the  1901  stone  dam  became 
the  core  of  a  new  concrete  dam  with  massive 
buttresses,  floodgates  and  hydroelectric  generat- 
ing station.  This  installation,  the  most  elaborate 
in  Randolph  County,  was  used  to  generate  elec- 
tricity for  the  mills  until  1963. 


Alii 


11  • 
lit 


=1BS 


iini= 


=ini HFii -ini in 

95 


•A^--- 


^ 


F:4 


F:4      FRANKLINSVILLE  ROLLER  MILL 

SR  2235 
Franklinville 

Flour  milling  is  Franklinville's  oldest  activity. 
That,  and  the  kinetic  energy  of  Deep  River 
which  made  it  possible,  entirely  determined  the 
location  and  subsequent  development  of  the 
Franklinville  community.  The  potential  of  the 
site  was  realized  before  the  year  1800.  Both 
George  Mendenhall,  who  acquired  the  site  in 
1795,  and  Benjamin  Trotter,  who  bought  it  in 
1797,  were  millers.  It  is  not  known  whether 
those  men  made  any  use  of  the  site;  their  pur- 
poses may  have  been  purely  speculative.  Since  at 
least  1890  local  tradition  has  stated  the  first  mill 
at  this  spot  on  Deep  River  was  built  in  1801  by 
Christian  Moretz,  or  Morris,  who  bought  the 
property  in  that  year.  By  1802  Morris  was  being 
taxed  for  the  operation  of  a  large  cotton  gin,  and 
it  is  known  that  a  wool-carding  machine  and  saw 
mill  were  also  operated  at  the  mill.  The  availabil- 
ity of  such  a  variety  of  products  and  services 
soon  led  to  the  formation  of  a  rural  trading 
community  at  the  mill  even  before  Elisha  Coffin, 
a  miller  and  former  Quaker,  bought  the  property 
in  1821. 

The  small  two-and-a-half  story  mill  housed 
com  and  wheat  stones  which  ground  and  pro- 
cessed the  grain  into  meal  and  flour  with  a 
minimum  of  machinery.  The  grist  and  saw  mills 
continued  to  be  operated  into  the  20th  century  as 
adjuncts  to  the  neighboring  textile  factory.  Meth- 
ods of  producing  flour  changed  in  the  later  19th 
century,  with  mills  utilizing  steel  rollers  instead 
of  stones  to  grind  grain,  a  process  first  demon- 
strated in  Philadelphia  at  the  Centennial  Exposi- 
tion in  1876.  This  roller  process  produced  a 
higher  yield  of  finer  flour  from  the  wheat  and 
soon  became  the  industrial  standard.  The  all- 
roller  Pillsbury  "A"  Mill,  built  in  Minneapolis  in 
1880,  was  the  largest  such  mill  in  the  world  at 
that  time. 

This  new  technology  arrived  in  Randolph 
County  soon  thereafter.  The  Enterprise  Roller 
Mills,  built  in  the  eariy  1880s  at  which  is  now 
Coleridge,  was  the  county's  first  roller  mill  and 
one  of  the  earliest  in  the  Piedmont.  In  the  eariy 
1890s  Dr.  John  Milton  Worth  founded  the  Ashe- 
boro  Roller  Mill;  it  later  merged  with  other  local 
mills  to  form  the  Southern  Crown  Milling  Com- 
pany which  survived  until  1958.  In  the  eariy  20th 
century  many  rural  mills  began  to  upgrade  their 
operations  and  adopt  the  roller  process.  Roller 
mills  were  built  in  Farmer,  Seagrove,  Archdale 


F:5 


96 


and  Ramseur  during  this  period,  in  addition  to 
the  new  mill  at  Franklinville. 

In  1912  the  Franklinsville  Manufacturing  Com- 
pany, under  Hugh  Parks,  Jr.,  decided  to  replace 
the  antique  grist  mill  with  a  completely  new, 
greatly  enlarged  roller  mill  operation.  The  three- 
story  frame  mill  was  opened  in  1913  and  the 
former  structure  was  demolished.  The  roller  mil' 
retained  water  power  as  its  primary  source  of 
energy,  but  made  use  of  the  textile  mill's  nearby 
steam  engine  for  back-up  power.  Today  the  mil' 
uses  neither  steam  nor  water,  being  entirely 
powered  by  electricity. 

Ca.  1920  a  new  product  was  added  to  the 
traditional  brands  of  whole  wheat  "Excelsior" 
flour;  this  was  a  new  "self-rising"  flour,  name'' 
"Dainty  Biscuit"  flour.  The  "Excelsior"  natne 
was  later  discontinued  and  "Dainty  Biscuit" 
flour  today  is  available  in  both  plain  and  self- 
rising  styles.  Extensive  additions  were  built  to- 
ward the  south  in  the  1930s  and  1940s  to  house 
an  animal  feed  operation;  tile,  concrete  and 
metal  grain  bins  were  added  for  increased  stor- 
age capacity. 

Just  three  men  supervised  manufacturing  opera- 
tions at  the  mill  through  most  of  this  century- 
Edgar  G.  Routh  began  as  miller  in  1901;  J.  A 
Wallace  took  over  in  1932  after  Routh  was  elected 
RandolphCountyregisterofdeeds;  and  Wallace's 
son,  Paul  Wallace,  served  until  1978.  The  gen- 
eral bankruptcy  of  Randolph  Mills,  Inc.  forced 
the  roller  mill  to  close  temporarily  in  1978,  but  i' 
is  now  in  operation  once  more. 

F:5      FRANKLINSVILLE  MANUFAC- 
TURING COMPANY 

("The  Upper  Mill") 
SR  2235 
Franklinville 

The  earliest  sections  of  this  extensive  indus- 
trial complex  include  the  oldest  textile-related 
buildings  in  Randolph  County.  Although  *« 
Cedar  Falls  factory  was  established  first,  none  o' 
its  original  structures  remain. 

The  drive  to  establish  Deep  River's  second 
cotton  mill  culminated  in  a  public  meeting  "" 
April  2, 1838.  when  "The  Randolph  Manufactur- 
ing Company"  was  organized  and  Elisha  Coffi" 
was  dispatched  "to  the  North"  to  buy  equipmeni 
On  March  4,  1839,  the  president  of  the  corpora; 
tion  advertised  for  bids  on  the  "factory  House.' 
which  was  "to  be  80  feet  by  40,  3  stories 
high— materials  brick,  and  covered  with  shingleS' 
the  whole  to  be  finished  off  in  the  most  workma"' 


3tDI  I13[= 


ElISE 


=ini ini ini in[= 


like  and  best  style.  .  .  .The  Directors  prefer  mak- 
ing two  separate  contracts,  with  different  indi- 
viduals—one for  the  MASON  WORK  and  the 
other  for  the  CARPTENTER  WORK."  The 
structure,  the  county's  first  large  brick  building, 
Was  nearly  complete  by  February,  1840,  when 
the  local  newspaper  reported  that  "they  are  put- 
ting up  the  Machinery.  It  is  expected  they  will 
commence  spinning  in  a  few  weeks — by  the  first 
of  March  at  furtherest." 

The  true  appearance  of  that  original  building 
is  largely  uncertain  due  to  later  alterations  and 
damage  by  fire.  It  is  clear  that  the  structure,  nine 
window  bays  long  and  three  wide,  used  an  un- 
usual brick  bond  consisting  of  a  course  of  alter- 
nating stretchers  and  headers  (similar  to  Flemish 
^nd);  Ave  courses  of  stretchers;  and  another 
course  of  alternating  stretchers  and  headers.  This 
t>ond  was  used  again  in  repairs  and  additions  to 
tile  factory  in  1851  and  1882,  although  it  is  not 
found  in  any  other  Randolph  County  building. 
The  bond  may  have  been  designed  to  strengthen 
the  walls  of  the  factory,  which  were  subject  to 
floods  and  constant  vibration  from  machinery. 
The  only  contemporary  description  of  the  1839 
factory  is  a  partial  one  included  in  a  newspaper 
recount  of  the  fire  which  destroyed  the  mill  on 
Saturday,  April  18,  1851.  "The  fire  was  first 
discovered  about  nine  o'clock  at  night,  in  the 
dressing  room,  which  was  in  the  upper  story  of 
'he  building.  In  a  short  time  the  flames  were 
^communicated  to  the  roof.  .  .  .  The  walls  of  the 
building  were  of  brick,  but  the  falling  in  of  heavy 
burning  timbers  left  them  in  a  ruined  state." 

Ironically  the  stone  "Picker  House,"  the  one 
Part  of  the  mill  complex  designed  to  be  fireproof, 
^as  not  even  involved.  The  picker  house  was 
'Considered  to  be  the  greatest  fire  threat  in  any 
"^'11  due  to  its  atmosphere  of  combustible  cotton 
"Ust.  The  stone  walls  of  the  building  were  built 
to  contain  a  fire  and  allow  the  roof  and  interior  to 
be  rebuilt  easily  and  inexpensively.  It  remains 
today,  embedded  in  later  additions,  the  county's 
Only  major  stone  structure.  Though  in  a  "ruined 
*'*te,"  much  of  the  mill's  solidly-built  lower 
^b^cture  seems  to  have  remained  standing  after 
*^  tire.  The  factory  was  soon  rebuilt  on  the 
"tiginal  first  floor  walls;  the  dividing  line  be- 
*'6en  old  and  new  brickwork  can  be  clearly 
^^sn.  The  earliest  photograph  (1874)  of  the  mill 
bows  its  reconstructed  appearance:  a  simple 
Sable  roof  with  exposed  rafter  ends;  small  6/6 
*^b  lighting  the  work  areas;  and  the  north  end 
Frowned  by  a  Greek  Revival  cupola  housing  a 
^"-  This  earliest  section  of  the  building  is  now 


visible  only  at  the  northwest  comer  and  on  the 
upper  west  facade,  where  the  antebellum  sash 
are  still  in  place. 

From  the  scrapbooks  of  mill  superintendent 
George  Russell  a  complete  record  of  post-Civil 
War  alterations  is  available.  In  July,  1882,  a 
two-story  wing  was  added  to  the  south,  enclos- 
ing the  water  wheel  and  providing  space  for  a 
new  steam  engine  and  boiler.  This  was  raised  to 
three  stories  in  1897.  The  baling  room  wing  was 
added  to  the  west  in  1883,  enlarged  in  1888  and 
raised  to  two  stories  in  1900.  An  addition  was 
built  to  the  picker  house  in  1887;  it  was  raised  to 
two  stories  in  1899.  When  mill  output  changed 
from  cotton  bags  to  sheeting  in  1915,  a  large  new 
weaving  shed  wing  was  added  to  the  southeast. 

Some  alterations  were  made  for  the  sake  of 
safety.  In  1883  the  gable  roof  was  rebuilt  as  a  flat 
roof  with  brick  parapet.  In  1892  a  stair  tower  was 
added  to  the  north  end  and  the  old,  open  interior 
stairwells  were  removed.  The  tower  also  sup- 
ported a  large  water  tank  which  fed  a  new 
sprinkler  system.  Electric  lights  were  installed  in 
October,  1896,  replacing  kerosene  lanterns  and 
lard  lamps.  In  the  most  extensive  improvement, 
the  mill  was  doubled  in  size  in  1899,  when  a 
three-story,  40  x  80-foot  addition  was  built  at 
the  eastern  side  of  the  original  mill.  This  1889 
addition,  with  12/12  sash,  is  the  present  river 
facade  of  the  mill  complex. 

F:6      COTTON  WAREHOUSE 

SR  2235 
Franklinville 

This  brick  warehouse  was  built  during  the 
summer  of  1900  to  shelter  cotton  bales  shipped 
down  the  railroad.  The  four  bays  were  divided  by 
substantial  brick  firewalls  with  stepped  gables 
echoing  the  north  and  south  ends.  Arched  door- 
ways on  the  west  facade  originally  opened  onto  a 
wooden  loading  platform;  the  platform  was  de- 
stroyed and  the  doorways  filled  in  the  1950s 
when  new  doors  were  opened  on  the  east  facade. 
At  that  time  a  metal  shelter  was  constructed 
which  linked  the  warehouse  with  the  adjacent 
powerhouse.  The  powerhouse  had  been  built  in 
1919,  along  with  a  125-foot  tall  smokestack  of 
radial  brick.  The  powerhouse  and  coal-fired  steam 
generator  were  installed  in  preparation  for  the 
conversion  of  the  mills  to  all-electric  operation 
rather  than  belt  drives.  On  January  10,  1921,  the 
upper  mill  first  ran  entirely  on  electric  motor 
drives.  Both  the  warehouse  and  powerhouse  are 
now  abandoned  and  the  smokestack  was  demol- 
ished in  1976. 


F:7       FRANKLINSVILLE  MANUFAC- 
TURING COMPANY  STORE 

(The  "Upper"  Store) 
SR  2235 
Franklinville 

Mill  records  note  that  "The  old  red  store  was 
burned  April  18,  1884  just  thirty-three  years  after 
the  old  cotton  mill  was  burned."  The  "old  red 
store"  was  the  company  store  built  by  the 
"upper"  mill  soon  after  it  began  operations. 
This  building,  built  in  1884,  is  its  replacement 
and  one  of  the  oldest  surviving  commercial  struc- 
tures in  the  county.  It  was  originally  a  rectangu- 
lar structure  approximately  25  by  65  feet  in  plan. 
The  interior  was  plastered  and  white-washed,  a 
seldom-used  treatment  in  Randolph  County  which 
must  have  made  the  store  seem  unusually  clean 
and  bright.  Oversized  doors  and  windows  were 
located  on  the  gable  ends.  The  building's  exte- 
rior was  clad  in  board-and-batten  siding,  a  deco- 
rative treatment  popular  in  the  Gothic  Revival 
style,  which  is  also  hinted  at  by  the  trefoil  vent  in 
the  gable.  The  exterior  seems  also  to  have  boasted 
a  highly  unusual  decorative  effect,  gained  by 
painting  the  vertical  boards  and  battens  in  alter- 
nating stripes  of  pink  and  gray.  After  consolida- 
tion of  the  two  company  stores  in  1920,  the 
building  was  turned  into  a  laundry,  and  still  later 
into  a  machine  shop.  This  pivotal  stnicture  is 
cleariy  deserving  of  a  major  restoration  effort. 

F:8      GEORGE  MAKEPEACE  HOUSE 

Greensboro  Road 
Franklinville 

The  most  impressive  house  in  Franklinville  and 
one  of  the  most  architecturally  significant  homes 
in  Randolph  County,  the  George  Makepeace 
House  is  a  two-story  brick  Greek  Revival  style 
stnicture  with  a  low  gable  roof  and  partially 
recessed  single-stepped  shoulder  exterior  end 
chimneys.  Its  most  prominent  feature  is  the  or- 
nate Victorian  two-tiered  porch,  probably  built 
in  the  1880s,  which  hints  of  the  Chinese  Chippen- 
dale style.  The  facade  boasts  9/9  sash  and  a 
handsome  Greek  Revival  entrance  feamring  Doric 
pilasters,  sidelights  and  fanlight. 

The  ca.  1840  house  displays  an  austere  use  of 
the  Greek  Revival  which,  in  its  simplicity,  is  as 
much  related  to  the  New  England  Federal  style 
popular  in  the  early  19th  century.  It  indicates  the 
conservative  survival  of  earlier  architectural  tastes 
among  Randolph  County  artisans  and  clients. 
The  builder  of  the  house  may  have  been  Franklin- 
ville's  founder,  Elisha  Coffin,  who  originally 


F:6 


F:8 


3i 


"•I 


•Hi* 


F.IO 


F:I4 


98 


owned  all  the  surrounding  acreage.  Its  location, 
on  the  west  of  the  highest  point  in  town,  was 
originally  a  central  location  in  regard  to  the 
church  and  school  across  the  street  and  the 
factory  at  the  foot  of  the  hill.  In  1850  the  prop- 
erty was  sold  to  its  earliest-remembered  owner, 
the  mill  supervisor  George  Makepeace.  It  passed 
into  the  hands  of  his  son,  George  Henry  Make- 
peace, and  remained  in  the  hands  of  the  family 
into  the  early  20th  century.  It  later  housed  the 
families  of  W  A.  Grimes  and  W  R  Ward,  and, 
until  recently,  a  religious  cult. 


F:9 


HOUSE 

Smith  Street 
Franklinville 


This  house  appears  to  have  been  built  in  two 
stages.  The  east  wing  was  the  early  section,  a 
one-and-a-half-story  hall-and-parlor  plan  house 
identical  to  the  ca.  1838  "cotton  row"  houses  at 
the  bottom  of  the  hill.  Ca.  1850  the  two-story 
interior-end  chimney  section  seems  to  have  been 
added.  It  features  6/6  sash  and  a  wide  cornice 
with  overhanging  eaves,  while  the  earlier  section 
has  a  boxed  cornice  with  returns  and  4/4  sash. 
The  later  section  also  features  the  hall-and-parlor 
plan  with  boxed  stair  and  simple  Greek  Revival 
post-and-lintel  mantel. 


F:10 


HOUSE 

Smith  Street 
Franklinville 


The  current  owner  reports  that  part  of  this 
house  is  of  heavy  frame  construction,  pegged 
together.  This  indicates  an  antebellum  date,  al- 
though the  house  has  been  moved  and  modern- 
ized so  often  that  dating  is  difficult.  It  now  sits 
approximately  on  the  site  of  the  old  Franklinville 
Methodist  Church,  which  stood  here  from  1839 
to  1913.  The  house  once  stood  diagonally  across 
the  street  from  its  current  site;  there  it  adjoined 
the  cemetery  and  the  Franklinville  Academy 
building,  now  destroyed.  Even  earlier,  the  house 
was  part  of  the  Makepeace  property  and  at  one 
time  was  joined  to  that  house  by  a  rambling 
porch. 


F:ll 


HOUSE 

Greensboro  Road 
Franklinville 


This  house  has  undergone  a  similar  evolution 
to  the  nearby  house  on  Smith  Street  (F:9).  A 
one-and-a-half-story  hall-and-parlor  "cotton  row"- 
type  house  was  first  built  ca.  1838.  Ca.  1850  a 


two-story  section  was  added  to  the  east,  with  6/6 
sash  and  wide  overhanging  eaves.  The  major 
difference  between  the  Smith  Street  house  and 
this  one  is  that  the  former  has  an  interior  end 
chimney,  while  an  exterior  end  chimney  is  found 
here. 

F:I2      H.  B.  BUIE  HOUSE 

Greensboro  Road 
Franklinville 

Hugh  Buie  and  his  father  "Gib"  (M.  G.)  Buie 
built  this  house  themselves  in  1908.  At  the  time 
Hugh  Buie  was  in  charge  of  operations  at  the 
upper  dam  power  plant  nearby;  he  was  later 
overseer  of  weaving  in  the  upper  mill.  The  end- 
pavilion  or  "T-plan"  house  was  a  very  popular 
form  in  mill  villages.  Versions  of  the  plan  were 
printed  in  various  books  and  magazines  which 
may  have  provided  a  source  for  Buie's  home. 
The  turned  posts,  sawn  brackets  and  other  trim 
materials  were  readily  available  from  local  mill- 
work  companies. 

F:13      MADISON  BROWER  HOUSE 

Buie  Lane 
Franklinville 

This  two-story  hall-and-parlor  plan  house  with 
one-story  wing  seems  to  have  been  built  ca.  1840 
and  is  almost  identical  to  the  two  nearby  houses 
of  similar  design  and  age.  It  is  said  to  have  been 
built  by  Madison  Brower  (1826-1914),  who  is 
listed  as  a  local  "Contractor  and  builder"  in  the 
1894  Branson  directory.  Brower.  however,  ac- 
quired the  property  from  an  earlier  owner,  Cal- 
vin E.  Graves,  who  may  have  had  it  built.  The 
Peter  AUred  family  were  19th-century  residen'* 
of  the  house. 

F:14      CURTIS-BUIE  HOUSE 

Greensboro  Road 
Franklinville 

One  of  the  show  places  of  Franklinville.  this 
house  was  a  substantial  residence  both  before 
and  after  the  Civil  War.  Though  the  magnificent 
Eastlake-style  porch  is  its  more  prominent  feature. 
the  rear  wing  may  be  part  of  one  of  the  earliest 
remaining  structures  in  Franklinville.  The  tvvo- 
story  frame  building  had  a  massive  end  chimney, 
a  molded  cornice  and  9/6  window  sash.  These 
eariy  sash  relate  the  building  to  the  nearby  Julia" 
House  and  indicate  that  it  may  precede  the  con- 
struction of  the  textile  mill.  At  that  time  this 
probably  was  the  home  of  Dr.  Phillip  Homey 
(1791-1856).  father  of  Alexander  Homey.  The 


EIGE 


=]Q(= 


=ini  ini iPif jRl iPii inf= 


two  Homeys  were  deeply  involved  in  the  county's 
textile  development,  having  been  partners  with 
Benjamin  and  Henry  Elliott  in  the  construction 
of  the  original  Cedar  Falls  factory,  and  then 
assisting  the  establishment  of  both  the  Franklins- 
ville  and  Island  Ford  factories.  Phillip  Homey 
acquired  the  property  (a  substantial  portion  of 
the  present  town)  in  1838;  Alexander  Homey 
sold  it  in  1872  to  Dennis  Curtis.  Dennis  Curtis 
(1826-1885)  was  a  son-in-law  and  apprentice  to 
George  Makepeace,  the  revered  superintendent 
of  the  mill.  Curtis  and  his  brother-in-law,  George 
Henry  Makepeace,  were  the  second  owners  of 
the  Columbia  Factory;  they  operated  it  until 
October,  1879,  when  they  sold  out  to  William 
Watkins  and  Company.  It  was  Curtis  who,  about 
'880,  more  than  doubled  the  size  of  the  old 
house  by  adding  the  impressive  two-story  river- 
front facade.  It  features  a  deep  roof  overhang 
with  bracketed  cornice;  these  brackets  have  turned 
drop  pendants.  The  center-hall  plan  house  has 
interior  chimneys  placed  on  the  rear  facade  and 
Unusual  rounded  window  and  door  architraves  in 
'he  Italianate  style.  Two-over-two  sash  are  used, 
as  well  as  a  double-leaf  entrance  with  transom. 
The  glorious  porch  once  had  a  near-twin  on  the 
Homey-Parks  House  across  town.  The  hip  porch 
*ith  central  gabled  pavilion  is  an  eclectic  compo- 
sition with  elements  of  several  styles.  Chamfered 
posts  with  applied  moldings  and  boxy  capitals 
'^arry  a  bracketed  cornice  with  sawnwork  dentils. 
The  balustrades  are  flat,  sawnwork  cutouts;  the 
Central  gable  exhibits  pseudo-Gothic  elements 
such  as  an  applied  bargeboard  and  trefoil  vent. 
Curtis  moved  to  Greensboro  in  the  mid-1880s 
and  the  house  was  acquired  by  Matthew  Gilbert 
^uie  (d.    1912),   overseer  of  weaving  at  the 
'upper"  mill.  It  then  passed  to  his  son  J.  T. 
("■loe")  Buie,  bookkeeper  for  the  Franklinsville 
Manufacturing  Company. 

^=1S      JULIAN  HOUSE 

Greensboro  Road 
Franklinville 

This  lovely  home  is  perhaps  the  oldest  struc- 
ture in  Franklinville.  Local  historian  Comelius 
°-  Julian,  whose  descendants  still  own  the  home. 
Said  that  the  date  "1819"  is  carved  into  one  of 
'he  sills.  The  architectural  record  certainly  bears 
this  out  for  the  house  exhibits  graceful,  refined 
Proportions,  and  trim  which  indicates  the  transi- 
'■onal  period  between  the  Georgian  and  Federal 
styles.  The  end-chimney  house  has  a  molded 
Cornice  with  returns  and  a  closed-string  staircase 


which  rises  from  its  central  hallway.  Asymmetri- 
cally placed  6/9  sash  in  a  sheathed  facade  are 
sheltered  by  the  shed  porch  which  is  carried  by 
replacement  chamfered  posts  with  sawn  brackets. 
Six-over-nine  sash  also  light  the  second  floor 
facade  with  4/4  sash  used  on  the  gable  ends.  A 
formerly-detached  kitchen  dependency  is  now  an 
attached  kitchen  wing. 

C.  H.  Julian  (1871-1953)  was  a  prominent 
Franklinville  resident,  acting  as  postmaster  from 
1933  to  1948  and  previously  serving  as  depot 
agent,  town  clerk  and  treasurer.  The  house  was 
for  many  years  the  home  of  Mary  Jane  Cox 
(1840-1913),  a  weaver  in  the  "upper"  mill  and 
daughter  of  former  owner  Nathan  Cox.  Nathan 
Cox  (1809-1872)  bought  the  house  sometime 
before  1850  when  he  operated  it  as  a  boarding 
house  for  workmen  engaged  in  rebuilding  the 
fire-damaged  mill.  Like  Franklinville's  founder, 
Elisha  Coffin,  Nathan  Cox  was  a  birthright  Friend 
who  had  been  disowned  for  marrying  a  non- 
Quaker.  According  to  C.  H.  Julian,  Cox  bought 
the  house  from  a  Mr.  Johnson,  who  had  built  it. 
Almost  certainly  this  was  James  Johnson,  who 
in  April,  1844,  advertised  for  sale  in  the  local 
newspaper  his  "valuable  real  property  in  Frank- 
linsville ...  4  town  lots,  on  which  there  are  2 
excellent  dwelling  houses,  a  good  blacksmith 
shop  and  all  necessary  and  convenient  out- 
houses. .  .  .  The  premises  are  well  adapted  to 
keeping  Entertainment — there  being  no  other 
tavem  or  house  of  public  entertainment  in  the 
place.  It  is  also  to  be  remembered  that  .  .  .  this 
place  is  directly  on  the  stage  route  from  Raleigh 
to  Salisbury."  (Southern  Citizen,  1  May  1844) 

F:16      J.  A.  WALLACE  HOUSE 

Greensboro  Road 
Franklinville 

Older  residents  of  Franklinville  think  that  this 
1920s  bungalow  set  on  a  foundation  of  quartz  or 
"white  flint"  rock  includes  part  of  a  much  older 
house.  Arthur  V  Jones,  overseer  of  spinning  in 
the  "upper"  mill,  had  the  bungalow  built  for  his 
family  about  1922.  Supposedly  it  acmally  remod- 
eled the  Lizzie  Jobe  House,  a  small  two-story 
house  which  may  have  been  built  of  logs.  Liz- 
zie Jobe  was  a  daughter  of  Nathan  M .  Cox ,  the 
owner  of  the  neighboring  C.  H.  Julian  House  in 
the  last  half  of  the  19th  cenmry.  The  Jobe  House 
could  have  been  part  of  the  complex  of  build- 
ings described  in  newspaper  advertisements  in 
1844  by  James  Johnson.  Whether  Jones  ac- 
tually did  remodel  the  eariier  house  is  not  now 


F:I6 


«: 


F:19 


evident.  The  property  was  acquired  in  1933  by 
J.  A.  Wallace,  a  professional  miller  from  Mil- 
ton, N.C.,  who  came  to  Franklinville  to  take 
charge  of  the  roller  mill.  Wallace  served  as 
mayor  of  Franklinville  from  1961-1953  and 
1967-1969. 

F:17      "COTTON  ROW"  HOUSES 

Greensboro  Road 
Franklinville 

These  four  one-story  frame  houses,  along  with 
four  similar  structures  now  attached  to  larger 
two-story  dwellings,  are  undoubtedly  among  the 
dwellings  built  by  the  original  Randolph  Manu- 
facturing Company  after  April,  1838.  In  March, 
1839,  the  Asheboro  newspaper  noted  that  "since 
the  commencement  of  that  works  but  one  shon 
year  ago,  a  little  village  has  sprung  up  at  the 
place  which  has  assumed  the  name  of  Franklins- 
ville,  embracing  some  eight  or  ten  respectable 
families."  Each  small,  sixteen  by  twenty-two- 
foot  house  had  two  rooms  in  a  hall-and-parlor 
plan,  a  single  fireplace  on  the  west  end  for  heat 
and  cooking  and  a  loft  reached  by  a  boxed 
staircase. 

Five  and  perhaps  six  of  these  houses  were 
built  in  a  row  on  the  hillside  above  the  factory. 
The  western-most  one  has  been  destroyed  and 
the  eastern-most  is  now  attached  to  the  two-story 
Will  Tippett  House,  leaving  these  four  in  between. 
Each  has  evolved  similarly,  with  turn-of-the- 
century  wings  and  porches,  ca.  1920  additions, 
and  ca.  1950  renovations  and  German  siding. 
But  the  roof  of  the  original  houses  can  still  be 
seen  poking  up  above  the  later  additions  and 
showing  its  boxed  cornice  returns  on  the  western 
gables. 

F:18      W.  H.  TIPPETT  HOUSE 

Greensboro  Road 
Franklinville 

Originally  one  of  the  "Cotton  Row"  houses 
built  ca.  1838,  this  house  developed  differently 
from  its  neighbors.  In  the  later  19th  century  it 
became  the  residence  of  William  H.  Tippett 
(1857-1938),  one  of  the  area's  most  prominent 
house  carpenters  and  builders  of  the  period. 
Tippett  is  first  listed  in  the  1877  Branson  direc- 
tory as  a  cabinetmaker,  but  by  1894  he  is  identified 
as  a  "builder  and  contractor."  It  was  probably 
Tippett  who  ca.  1890  moved  the  original  two- 
room  1838  house  to  face  its  gable  end  north  and 
built  the  two-story  center-gable  house  as  its 
south  wing.  That  three-bay  center-hall  plan  house 
is  typical  of  more  than  a  dozen  houses  built  in 


Franklinville  from  1890  to  1910,  some  of  them 
no  doubt  also  built  by  Tippett.  Will  Tippett  is 
said  to  have  built  the  George  Russell  House  on 
Main  Street  ca.  1903  among  many  in  Franklin- 
ville, and  the  W.  D.  Lane  House  in  Ramseur 
among  many  in  that  community.  He  was  also 
responsible  for  a  great  deal  of  industrial  construc- 
tion for  the  local  factories,  most  of  which  is  now 
unknown;  one  notice  survives  from  the  Courier 
of  6  May  1915  which  states  "Mr.  W  H.  Tippett 
has  commenced  the  new  press  house  for  the 
Franklinsville  Manufacturing  Company"  Ca.  1918 
Tippett  built  and  moved  into  another  house  (now 
destroyed)  on  Clark  Avenue  near  Depot  Street. 

F:19      TRESTLE  (destroyed) 
SR  2235 
Franklinville 

The  identification  plate  on  this  trestle  recorded 
the  facts  that  it  was  built  by  the  Roanoke  Iron  and 
Bridge  Works  in  1924.  The  official  North  Caro- 
lina Depanment  of  Transportation  information 
described  it  as  a  "bridge  with  50'  steel  thru 
girder  span  on  frame  towers,  over  2  lane  road, 
with  50'  and  25'  timber  apparatus."  The  trestle 
was  destroyed  in  1983,  as  was  the  18.7  mile 
length  of  railroad  originally  known  as  the  "Fac- 
tory Branch"  of  the  Cape  Fear  and  Yadkin 
Valley  Railway. 

The  "Factory  Branch"  included  three  other 
major  wooden  trestles:  across  Sandy  Creek,  Bush 
Creek  and,  the  longest,  over  SR  2141  at  Cedar 
Falls.  The  branch  line  was  built  from  1888  to 
1890  in  order  to  connect  Randolph  County's 
Deep  River  textile  mills  to  the  main  line  of  the 
CFYV  at  Climax.  The  Cape  Fear  and  Yadkin 
Valley  Railway  was  the  final  outcome  of  early 
efforts  to  link  the  Cape  Fear  and  Yadkin  rivers. 
first  by  canal,  then  later  by  railroad.  Organized 
in  1879,  the  corporation  opened  its  main  line 
from  Fayetteville  to  Greensboro  on  March  16. 
1884.  For  the  next  five  years  Staley  was  used  as 
the  shipping  terminal  for  the  local  factories,  until 
the  completion  of  the  branch  line  to  Millboro  in 
1889.  The  "Factory  Branch"  was  completed  by 
July  1890.  The  corporation  was  reorganized  as 
the  "Atlantic  and  Yadkin  Railroad"  in  1898  and 
was  absorbed  into  the  Southern  Railway  system 
in  the  1920s.  All  of  the  local  depots  along  ihe 
line  were  demolished  in  1976,  the  line  was 
officially  abandoned  in  1980,  and  the  tracks  and 
trestles  dismantled  by  February,  1983. 


==r  ^ 


F:20 


MILL  HOUSES 

Main  Street 
Franklin  ville 


The  three  houses  in  this  row  are  very  similar 
and  may  have  been  built  as  worker  housing  for 
the  Franklinsville  Manufacturing  Company  dur- 
ing the  1850s.  The  house  on  the  southwest  cor- 
ner of  Main  and  Depot  streets  nearest  the  Meth- 
odist church  is  abandoned  and  deteriorating,  but 
it  best  illustrates  the  original  appearance  of  the 
three  dwellings.  The  one-and-a-half-story  hall- 
and-parlor  plan  house  has  a  boxed  stair  and 
Greek  Revival  style  post-and-lintel  mantels.  A 
single  chimney  at  the  rear  serves  both  the  house 
and  a  one-story  wing.  The  wing  is  placed  at  the 
east  rear  comer  of  this  house  but  is  found  at  the 
West  rear  comers  of  the  other  two.  All  three 
houses  have  been  extensively  remodeled,  with 
new  siding  and  4/4  sash,  but  mortise-and-tenon 
or  "heavy  frame"  constmction  indicates  an  ante- 
helium  date.  The  center  house  has  been  altered 
"lost  radically  having  lost  its  upper  floor  in 
1978. 

F:21      ISHAM  JONES  WAGON  SHOP 

River  Road 
Franklin  ville 

Remembered  today  for  its  20th  century  use  as 
a  town  hall  and  jail,  or  "calaboose,"  this  build- 
ing was  originally  built  before  the  Civil  War  as 
pan  of  the  Isham  Jones  (1834-1915)  wagon 
factory  complex.  It  is  the  only  survivor  of  the 
houses,  shops  and  commercial  stmctures  which 
'ined  the  River  Road  in  the  19th  century  Franklin- 
^'"e.  Around  the  turn  of  the  century  Jones 
retired  and  his  shop  was  remodeled  into  a  town 
hall  and  concert  hall  for  use  by  the  Franklinville 
'Riverside  Band."  In  the  1950s  it  was  renovated 
for  use  as  a  dwelling  by  Randolph  Mills.  Due  to 
'ts  deteriorated  condition,  portions  of  its  mor- 
tised and  tenoned  frame  are  currently  visible. 

^=22      HOUSE 

Main  Street 
Franklinville 

Essentially  two  houses  combined  into  one 
'■Welling,  the  eastem  end  is  of  mortise-and-tenon 
•Construction,  indicating  an  antebellum  date.  That 
Original  structure  was  a  small  end-chimney  hall- 
and-parlor  plan  house;  its  details  have  been  lost 
'"subsequent  remodelings.  The  4/4  sash  and 
twin  gables  date  from  the  tum-of-the-century 
enlargement.  The  house  at  one  time  stood  across 
"spot  Street  behind  the  Lambert-Parks  House 


and  probably  was  a  dependency  of  that  dwelling. 
The  house  was  even  further  remodeled  and  brick- 
veneered  in  1983. 

F:23      FRANKLINVILLE  METHODIST 
CHURCH 

Main  Street 
Franklinville 

The  Franklinville  Methodist  Episcopal  Church 
was  officially  organized  August  15,  1839  by 
trustees  Elisha  Coffin,  Bethuel  Coffin,  J.  M.  A. 
Drake,  Alexander  Homey  and  Phillip  Homey. 
Both  the  first  church,  built  in  1839,  and  a  second 
replacement  building,  erected  1894-1895,  stood 
on  the  hill  at  the  present  cemetery  across  from 
the  Makepeace  house.  In  1912  the  present  brick 
church  was  built  on  Main  Street  to  house  the 
growing  congregation.  Hugh  Parks,  Jr.,  mill 
owner  and  chairman  of  the  building  committee, 
is  said  to  have  personally  drawn  up  plans  for  the 
new  structure.  In  a  contract  dated  July  2,  1912, 
the  building  committee  hired  J.  H.  Burrow  as 
brick  mason  and  D.  A.  Curtis  as  carpenter  to 
jointly  erect  the  church.  The  design  is  what 
Methodists  call  the  "Akron  Plan,"  named  after 
the  Ohio  city  where  it  was  formulated,  which 
included  a  special  wing  of  Sunday  school  class- 
rooms arranged  around  a  central  assembly  hall. 
The  Franklinville  church  plan  includes  this  wing 
in  an  apsidal  bay  on  the  south  side  of  the 
sanctuary. 

Several  alterations  have  been  made  over  the 
years.  A  large  folding  door  which  opened  be- 
tween the  sanctuary  and  Sunday  school  rooms 
has  been  removed,  the  opening  walled  up  and  the 
sanctuary  reoriented.  The  original  lancet  sash 
have  been  replaced  by  stained  glass  windows. 
The  entrance,  once  on  the  north  side  of  the 
tower,  has  been  moved  to  the  east  due  to  road 
widening.  The  Sunday  school  wing  has  not  been 
altered,  however,  and  retains  its  molded  door  and 
window  surrounds  with  bull's-eye  comer  blocks. 
The  soaring,  vaulted  two-story  interior  space  of 
the  assembly  hall  is  the  county's  best  example  of 
this  once-popular  plan. 


F:24 


GROVE  HOTEL 

Sumner  Street 
Franklinville 


This  building  has  been  called  by  many  names, 
including '  'The  Teacherage , "  "The  Franklinville 
Inn"  and  "The  Grove  Hotel,"  which  seems  to 
have  been  its  first  name.  Local  tradition  says  that 
the  hotel  is  built  around  an  earlier  house  which 


F:20 


F:21 


^,.^Mm^i 


F:22 


llf 

*1l. 

"',!l 

V 

■•!<•< 
.1  •  ■« 

3! 

ttVlm 

51* 
if* 

it 


F:25 


F:26 


!i 


!! 


J 


was  the  home  of  a  blind  man  named  McPherson. 
In  1915  it  began  to  be  remodeled  and  was  opened 
as  a  hotel  in  the  fall  of  1919.  M.  G.  (Mack) 
Maner  and  wife,  Hannah,  were  the  innkeepers. 
The  hotel  is  a  large  hip-roofed  structure  approxi- 
mately fifty  feet  square.  A  projecting  bay  on  the 
facade  marks  the  off-center  entrance  facing  the 
railroad  and  River  Road.  The  hotel  included  ten 
guest  rooms  opening  off  large  central  lobbies  on 
the  first  and  second  floors.  Four-over- four  sash 
are  used  throughout  the  structure.  The  large 
dining  room  was  once  well  known  for  its  good 
food  but  the  hotel  housed  its  last  guests  almost 
twenty  years  ago  and  is  now  in  a  very  deterio- 
rated condition. 

F:25      BANK  OF  FRANKLINVILLE 

Main  Street 
Franklinville 

In  1920  Hugh  Parks,  Jr.,  decided  to  consoli- 
date the  management  of  the  "  lower' '  and  "upper' ' 
mills — the  Randolph  Manufacturing  Company 
and  the  Franklinsville  Manufacturing  Company 
respectively — in  a  single  new  office  building 
which  would  also  house  the  town's  first  bank. 
The  first  brick  was  laid  on  May  20, 1920,  and  the 
combined  offices  moved  into  the  building  on 
August  4.  The  new  Bank  of  Franklinville  opened 
the  next  day  with  fifty-seven  accounts  and  over 
$15,000  in  deposits.  The  structure  is  a  typical 
brick  building  of  the  period  with  recessed  en- 
trances and  corbeled  cornice.  The  bank,  housed 
in  the  west  half  of  the  building,  closed  in  the 
Depression.  The  entire  building  then  became 
offices  for  Randolph  Mills,  Inc. 

F:26      GEORGE  RUSSELL  HOUSE 

Main  Street 
Franklinville 

George  Russell,  superintendent  of  the  "upper" 
mill  from  1907  to  1927,  was  a  close  personal 
friend  and  business  associate  of  the  Parks  family. 
He  left  Franklinville  in  1927  and  died  in  the 
1930s.  Russell  and  Hugh  Parks,  Jr.,  were  ama- 
teur photographers,  and  perhaps  George  Russell's 
greatest  legacy  is  his  photograph  collection  of 
Franklinville.  Arranged  in  several  scrapbooks 
and  given  to  friends  and  relatives,  Russell  left  a 
documentary  record  of  the  village  from  1874  to 
the  1920s  which  is  unequaled.  Russell's  home 
was  built  for  him  in  the  1890s  by  Will  Tippett, 
local  contractor.  It  was  a  cruciform  plan  house 
with  polygonal  bays  projecting  from  the  east  and 
west.  The  cantilevered  roof  overhangs  are  braced 


by  sawn  brackets  with  turned  pendants.  The 
gables  display  lacey  sawnwork  gable  ornaments. 
Most  of  the  original  porch  has  been  removed  and 
a  two-story  shed  wing  has  been  added  to  the  rear. 


F:27 


HANK'S  LODGE 

Main  Street 
Franklinville 


The  first  Masonic  Lodge  in  Randolph  County 
was  Hank's  No.  128,  organized  March  26,  1850, 
at  Franklinville.  The  second  was  built  five  years 
later  at  Foust's  Mill  (now  Coleridge),  with 
Asheboro's  Balfour  Lodge  third  in  the  same 
year.  Ten  Masonic  brothers  residing  in  the  Frank- 
linville neighborhood  were  granted  permission 
to  establish  a  Lodge  of  Ancient  York  Masons;  by 
1869  there  were  82  members.  In  July,  1850,  a 
building  committee  was  appoointed,  and  on  Sep- 
tember 10,  1850  the  committee  signed  a  contract 
to  "erect  a  Masonic  Hall"  in  the  village  with 
Spencer  M.  Dorsett  and  Thomas  W  Allred. 
Dorsett,  28,  and  Allred,  27,  were  Franklinville 
residents.  Dorsett  listed  his  occupation  in  the 
1850  census  as  "Carpenter."  The  building  was 
contracted  for  a  price  of  $1,350.00,  to  be  paid  in 
installments,  and  to  be  completed  in  six  months 
from  the  date  of  the  contract.  It  was  specified  to 
be  of  two  stories,  40  by  20  feet,  with  the  lower 
story  nine  feet  high  and  the  upper  story  ten  feel 
high.  The  framing  was  to  be  of  oak  five  inches 
thick  and  the  studding  set  on  18-inch  center  The 
remainder,  including  shingles  and  any  exposed 
timber  was  "to  be  of  good  heart  pine."  The  Hall 
was  built  on  the  south  side  of  the  River  Road 
between  the  two  cotton  mills.  In  1890  the  rail- 
road was  extended  from  Millboro  to  Ramseur, 
running  across  the  lodge  lot  between  the  Hall 
and  the  River  Road.  The  River  Road  fell  in'o 
disuse  following  the  construction  of  "Highway 
90"  (the  present  NC  22),  and  in  early  1924  the 
Hall  was  moved  to  its  current  location  on  the 
south  side  of  that  highway. 

The  temple  form  Greek  Revival  building  is 
one  of  the  oldest  public  buildings  in  the  area, 
and  is  doubly  important  since  its  construction 
contract  has  survived,  preserving  the  names  of 
its  builders.  Dorsett  and  Allred  were  obviously 
men  of  some  skill,  for  the  Hall  is  as  sophisti- 
cated an  example  of  the  Greek  Revival  style  as  is 
to  be  found  in  Randolph  County.  The  form  of  the 
building  can  best  be  seen  on  its  rear  elevation- 
where  three  monumental  pilasters  rise  the  ful' 
height  of  the  facade,  dividing  it  into  two  bays- 
On  the  front  facade  the  entrance  door  interrupis 


]Q(= 


102 


the  central  pilaster.  The  pent  roof  above  that  door 
is  probably  a  later  addition.  Further  study  of  this 
building  may  lead  to  other  buildings  which  can 
be  attributed  to  Dorsett  and  AUred. 

F:28      FRANKLINVILLE  STORE 
COMPANY 

Rose  Street 

Franklinville 
The  Franklinsville  and  Randolph  Manufactur- 
ing Companies  maintained  separate  "upper"  and 
"lower"  stores  until  1920,  when  it  was  decided 
to  consolidate  the  two  under  one  roof.  The 
combined  store,  renamed  the  Franklinville  Store 
Company,  was  ready  for  occupancy  in  December, 
'920.  Its  first  managers  were  John  Marley  and 
H.  S.  Edwards.  The  structure  was  a  45  X  90-foot 
brick  building  with  a  basement.  The  store  level, 
*ith  twin  entrances  on  Rose  Street,  was  divided 
in  half  down  the  middle.  Dry  goods  and  "notions" 
*ere  on  one  side  and  the  meat  and  grocery 
'department  was  on  the  other.  At  various  times 
'he  building  sheltered  a  drugstore,  doctor's  office, 
beauty  parlor  and  public  library.  The  basement 
eurrently  houses  a  barbershop  and  the  post  office. 
The  Franklinville  Store  Company  was  liquidated 
'n  1981  and  the  building  taken  over  by  store- 
'^eeper  Harold  Poole. 

f =29      LAMBERT-PARKS  HOUSE 

Main  Street 
Franklinville 

Known  locally  as  the  "Sumner  House"  after 
'ts  19th-century  owners,  this  house  has  had  a 
'ong  and  colorful  history  of  ownership.  In  1907 
•^avid  S.  Sumner  (1862-1939),  superintendent 
of  the  "lower"  mill,  moved  here  from  his  former 
home  east  of  town.  He  and  his  family  resided 
"ere  for  the  next  seventy  years.  Sumner  bought 
'be  property  from  the  widow  of  Alexander  S. 
Horney,  one  of  the  most  influential  citizens  in 
Pranklinville  and  Randolph  County  for  much  of 
'be  19th  century.  Homey  and  his  father  helped  to 
found  both  the  Cedar  Falls  and  Franklinville 
^otton  factories  and  Alexander  Homey  acted  as 
brst  superintendent  of  the  Island  Ford  factory, 
"orney  also  served  as  chairman  of  the  county 
Commissioners  for  many  years.  He  owned  the 
house  twice,  both  before  and  after  the  Civil  War. 
From  1871  until  about  1893  the  dwelling  was 
'be  home  of  Hugh  Parks,  undoubtedly  the  most 
Powerful  personage  in  Franklinville.  During  that 
Period  Parks  acquired  control  of  both  the  town's 
^'"ile  corporations,  serving  as  secretary-treasurer 


of  the  Franklinsville  Manufacturing  Company 
and  as  president  of  the  Randolph  Manufacturing 
Company,  the  former  Island  Ford  factory.  Under 
Parks'  benevolent  paternalism  Franklinville  first 
acquired  many  civic  amenities  such  as  its  river- 
side park.  He  was  politically  influential,  serving 
as  mayor  and  county  commissioner,  among  a 
variety  of  offices.  Ca.  1893  Parks  engineered  a 
house  trade  with  Ruth  Homey  in  which  she 
moved  back  to  this  home  and  Parks  moved  his 
family  into  the  impressive  Homey  mansion  on 
the  hill  above  the  Island  Ford  mill. 

These  later  deeds  and  transfers  cite  the  prop- 
erty as  "the  Lambert  lot  in  the  village  of 
Franklinsville."  This  refers  to  John  R.  Lambert, 
who  sold  the  lot  to  A.  S.  Homey  in  July,  1850. 
The  substantial  purchase  price  indicates  the  house 
already  existed,  which  confirms  the  architectural 
evidence  that  the  home  was  built  in  the  1840s. 
Lambert,  36  years  old  in  the  census  of  1850, 
listed  his  occupation  as  "Manufacturer."  Lam- 
bert was  probably  connected  with  the  "upper" 
mill,  which  had  been  destroyed  by  fire  in  April 
of  1851;  besides  his  wife  and  six  children,  Lam- 
bert housed  two  boarders  identified  as ' '  plasterers' ' 
and  obviously  engaged  in  the  reconstruction  of 
that  factory. 

The  house  is  one  of  the  county's  best  exam- 
ples of  the  full-blown  Greek  Revival  style.  The 
two-story  center-hall  plan  dwelling  has  exterior 
end  chimneys,  comer  boards  and  a  molded  cor- 
nice with  returns.  Wide  flush  sheathing  on  the 
first  floor  facade  is  sheltered  by  a  shed  porch 
with  paneled  cornice.  The  porch  superstructure 
is  obviously  original  to  the  house,  although  the 
chamfered  posts  with  sawn  decoration  and  brack- 
ets seem  to  have  been  added  by  Hugh  Parks  in 
the  late  1880s.  The  finest  exterior  feature  is  the 
entrance  where  double  leaf  raised  panel  doors 
are  framed  by  sidelights  over  raised  panels  and  a 
Greek  Revival  architrave  with  molded  comer 
blocks. 

F:30      JAMES  BUIE  HOUSE 

Rose  Street 
Franklinville 

Originally  facing  south  toward  the  river,  this 
ca.  1885  three-bay  center-hall  plan  house  then 
boasted  an  engaged  porch  with  elaborate  sawn- 
work  detail  similar  to  that  of  the  Dennis  Curtis 
house.  This  porch  has  since  been  enclosed.  En- 
trance to  the  house  is  now  gained  through  a  door 
facing  Rose  Street  in  the  rear  wing.  James  Bute 
was  overseer  of  spinning  in  the  "upper"  mill 


=][3E 


3> 

si 


(•41 


11*1 

\t 
h 

f 


\l 


»2 


F:31 


F:32 


F:33 


F:34 


F:35 


F:36 


from  1877  to  1882  and  overseer  of  carding  from 
1882  to  1923. 

F:31       DUNCAN  DOVE  HOUSE 

Rose  Street 
Franklinville 

This  two-story  end-chimney  house  has  feath- 
ered shingles  in  its  central  gable  and  2/2  sash. 
The  cornice  is  supported  by  sawn  brackets.  The 
hip  porch  has  lost  its  original  supports.  Duncan 
"Dune"  Dove  (1851-1939)  worked  at  the  "lower" 
or  Randolph  Manufacturing  Company  store  and 
later  owned  his  own  general  store. 

F:32      HOUSE 

Rose  Street 
Franklinville 

This  dwelling  is  very  similar  to  the  hall-and- 
parlor  plan  mill  houses  on  Main  Street  near  the 
Methodist  church  which  seem  to  date  from  the 
1850s.  The  two-story  house  has  6/6  sash  and  is 
two  bays  wide  with  a  door  centered  on  the  first 
floor  facade.  The  house  displays  a  molded  cor- 
nice with  returns  and  its  hipped-roof  porch  has 
turned  balusters.  The  structure  was  moved  here 
from  the  rear  of  the  neighboring  Duncan  Dove 
House  to  which  it  was  connected  by  a  breeze- 
way.  It  may  have  served  as  a  kitchen  or  serv- 
ants' quarters. 

F:33      FRAZIER-FENTRESS  HOUSE 

Rose  Street 
Franklinville 

Henry  W  Frazier,  a  director  of  the  Franklins- 
ville  Manufacturing  Company  from  1884  to  1890 
and  the  builder  of  this  ca.  1890  house,  moved  to 
High  Point  in  1899  and  founded  the  Myrtle  Desk 
Company,  maker  of  roll-top  desks.  The  house 
was  then  acquired  by  Lewis  F  Fentress,  overseer 
of  spinning  1883-1914  and  postmaster  1914- 
1924.  The  two-story  end-chimney  house  has  a 
sawnwork  gable  ornament  in  its  gable,  along  with 
vents  and  feathered  shingling.  The  cornices  ter- 
minate in  unusual  sawn  pattern  boards.  A  one- 
story  wing  with  matching  details  extends  from 
the  rear  toward  Depot  Street.  The  "Mount  Ver- 
non" porch  on  the  Rose  Street  facade  was  added 
in  the  1960s,  replacing  a  one-story  hip  porch 
with  chamfered  posts  and  sawn  brackets. 

F:34      T.  A.  SLACK  HOUSE 

Pine  Street 
Franklinville 


This  two-story  hall-and-parlor  plan  house 
seems  unusually  tall  and  narrow  because  of  its 
short  two-bay  facade.  The  date  of  its  construc- 
tion is  difficult  to  estimate,  although  the  fluted, 
tapered  columns  supporting  the  porch  indicate 
the  Greek  Revival  style.  The  4/4  sash  and  other 
details  imply  a  later  19th-century  date  house. 
The  frame  house  is  covered  with  brick-patterned 
asphalt  siding,  which  further  obscures  its  features. 
T.  A.  ("Bud")  Slack  was  a  peddler  and  farmer. 


F:3S 


HOUSE 

Pine  Street 
Franklinville 


Although  disguised  by  later  additions,  this 
small,  story-and-a-half  dwelling  has  the  look  of 
a  pre-Civil  War  structure.  The  house  is  built 
around  a  massive,  stuccoed  stone  chimney  and 
the  east  end  sags  noticeably  implying  that  it  was 
an  addition  to  the  original  structure.  The  second 
floor  is  lighted  by  windows  on  the  west  end.  The 
house  seems  to  have  been  drastically  remodeled 
in  the  1930s  or  1940s  when  it  received  German 
siding  and  a  rear  wing. 

F:36      MOORE'S  CHAPEL 

Church  Street 
Franklinville 

The  oldest  existing  church  building  in  Frank- 
linville, this  frame  structure  was  built  in  1888. 
The  church  was  organized  in  October,  1887  by 
Franklinville  members  of  the  Columbia  Baptist 
Church  in  Ramseur.  At  first  the  Ramseur  pastor 
J.  E  Moore  sened  double  duty  as  pastor  of  the 
Franklinville  church,  and  the  church  was  named 
in  his  honor  after  his  sudden  death  in  1889.  A 
brick  sanctuary  was  built  in  1919  and  the  frame 
structure  used  as  Sunday  school  rooms.  In  1958. 
after  the  destruction  of  the  local  community 
building,  John  W  Clark  purchased  the  church. 
moved  it  across  the  street  and  renovated  it  fof 
use  as  a  community  center.  It  has  not  been  used 
for  several  years.  The  original  church  was  a 
simple  three-bay,  twenty  by  thirty  feet  building 
with  boxed  cornice  returns.  The  porch  was  added 
in  the  1958  renovation. 

F:37      J.  E  MARABLE  HOUSE 

Academy  Street 
Franklinville 

John  Paschal  Marable  (1856-1932)  was  the 
last  of  a  family  of  potters.  Marable"s  grandfather. 
Paschal  McCoy,  was  a  potter,  as  was  his  step- 


104 


=iPii "^1  inr  inr inr= ]ni= 


father,  E.  K.  ("Kelly")  Moffitt,  whom  his  mother 
married  in  1866.  The  1870  census  of  manufactur- 
ers lists  Moffitt  as  making  salt-glazed  stoneware. 
The  history  of  an  adjoining  pottery  site  on  the 
creek  behind  the  house  is  unclear,  although  it  is 
thought  that  Marable  and  perhaps  Moffitt  worked 
there.  Pottery  is  believed  to  have  been  made  in 
Franklinville  well  before  the  Civil  War.  The 
three-bay  central-gable  end-chimney  house  dis- 
plays a  center-hall  plan  and  tum-of-the-century 
detailing.  It  may  contain  parts  of  an  earlier 
structure. 

F:38      HOUSE 

Academy  Street 
Franklinville 

The  nucleus  of  this  dwelling  is  a  two-story 
antebellum  building  which  originally  faced  south 
toward  the  river.  This  portion  of  the  house  has 
^'6  sash  and  a  large  stone  chimney  with  brick 
stack.  A  two-story  gable-roofed  wing  and  a 
Single-story  shed  wing  were  added  later;  both 
feature  4/4  sash.  The  hip  porch  on  turned  posts 
*as  added  to  shelter  a  new  entrance  on  Academy 
Street.  This  seems  to  be  the  only  dwelling  re- 
tiaining  from  the  Island  Ford  mill  village  com- 
munity which  centered  around  this  road,  then 
called  Mulberry  Street. 

F!39      THOMAS  RICE  HOUSE 

Weatherly  Drive 
Franklinville 

One  of  the  most  architecturally  significant 
structures  in  Franklinville,  this  small  house  was 
built  by  Thomas  Rice  (1803-1893),  a  well-known 
carpenter  and  "mechanic."  Rice  worked  in  both 
■Randolph  and  Guilford  counties,  building  such 
structures  as  the  Franklinville  covered  bridge 
(1848)  and  Greensboro's  West  Market  Street 
^Icthodist  Church  ( 1849- 185 1 ).  One  of  his  most 
"nportant  commissions  came  in  1854  when  he 
]*as  hired  to  build  the  "Old  or  Main  building  at 
Trinity  College,"  a  large  three-story  brick  struc- 
''"'c.  Rice  held  several  public  offices  in  Randolph, 
*nd  was  a  justice  of  the  peace  from  1843  to  1859. 
'n  1846  Rice  became  one  of  the  founding 
stockholders  of  the  Island  Ford  Manufacturing 
Company.  He  probably  supervised  the  construc- 
•'on  of  the  frame  Island  Ford  factory.  At  the 
Same  time.  Rice  bought  five  acres  of  land  on  the 
mllside  above  the  factory,  and  built  a  home  for 
nis  wife  and  five  (later  seven)  children.  The 
P''operty  was  part  of  the  mill's  Mulberry  Street 
cvelopment,  where  property  was  sold  off  to 
aise  operating  capital  for  the  company.  The  most 


unusual  feature  of  Rice's  house  is  its  distinctive 
engaged  porch,  set  back  under  the  gabled  roof 
and  supported  by  four  stuccoed  brick  columns. 
(There  is  some  evidence  that  these  were  origi- 
nally painted  to  resemble  marble.)  This  kind  of 
engaged  porch  is  a  characteristic  of  the  Greek 
Revival's  "Creole  Cottage"  house  type,  popular 
in  coastal  areas  and  standard  for  the  area  along 
the  Mississippi  River.  No  other  examples  of  this 
kind  of  house  are  known  in  Randolph  County, 
nor  is  it  often  found  elsewhere  in  Piedmont 
North  Carolina.  The  high  quality  of  Rice's  crafts- 
manship is  evident  in  the  sophisticated  architec- 
tural details  of  the  exterior.  Its  lines  are  simple 
and  strong.  Since  this  is  the  only  known  example 
of  Rice's  work,  it  is  extremely  unfortunate  that 
little,  if  anything,  survives  of  his  interior  work. 
The  house  was  remodeled  by  Randolph  Mills  in 
the  1960s  for  use  as  a  conference  center.  The 
interior  of  the  first  floor  was  drastically  altered. 
The  second  floor  is  no  longer  accessible. 

Financial  difficulties  during  the  1850s  seem  to 
have  caused  Rice  to  leave  Franklinville;  during 
the  1860's  he  settled  in  the  Farmer  community 
in  southwestern  Randolph.  Much  more  research 
needs  to  be  done  on  the  career  of  this  man,  one 
of  Randolph's  premier  builders. 
F:40      D.  M.  WEATHERLY  HOUSE 
Weatherly  Drive 
Franklinville 

Henry  Parks,  a  cousin  of  mill  owner  Hugh 
Parks,  built  this  Queen  Arme  style  dwelling  ca. 
1890.  It  was  subsequently  acquired  by  D.  M. 
("Dave")  Weatherly  principal  and  headmaster 
of  the  Franklinville  Academy.  The  brothers,  D. 
M.  and  J.  A.  Weatherly.  were  prominent  local 
educators  at  the  turn  of  the  century,  jointly  or 
individually  running  schools  at  Liberty,  Ramseur, 
Asheboro  and  High  Point,  among  others.  D.  M. 
Weatheriy,  settled  in  Franklinville  and  lived  here 
in  1922  when  he  was  elected  Randolph  County 
clerk  of  court.  The  house  is  a  transitional  form 
from  the  Eastlake  to  Queen  Anne  periods.  It  is 
essentially  a  traditional  two-story  rectangular 
house  with  square  and  polygonal  window  bays 
breaking  up  its  angularity.  A  flowing,  rounded 
porch  wraps  around  the  first  floor  and  also  works 
to  disguise  the  sharp  edges  of  the  traditional 
house  form.  The  porch  has  turned  posts  with 
sawn  brackets,  turned  pendants  and  a  spindle 
frieze.  The  eaves  of  the  hipped  roof  are  decor- 
ated with  sawn  details.  A  central  gable  on  the 
south  facade  has  a  sawnwork  gable  ornament 
with  spindle  decoration. 


in 


F:40 


=i™ "^'= 


3ni ii3t= 


="^1 ^1FH= 


105 


\* 


ii 


'3 


.> 


'•V,'- 


;'iri'^*i.,,. ;  i5j?;-^i*„-ji-«; 


F;47 


F:41       RANDOLPH  MANUFACTURING 
COMPANY 

("The  Lower  Mill") 
NC  22  at  Academy  Street 
Franklinville 

On  September  5,  1846,  Elisha  Coffin  and 
three  of  his  sons  and  nephews,  along  with  A.  S. 
Homey,  George  Makepeace,  Thomas  Rice  and 
nine  other  men  and  women,  incorporated  the 
county's  third  textile  mill,  the  Island  Ford  Man- 
ufacturing Company.  A  large  frame  building 
was  constructed  to  house  the  factory  and  "went 
into  operation  in  1848,  supplied  with  the  Latest 
and  most  approved  machinery.  The  dam  and 
canal,  factory  house  and  houses  for  the  opera- 
tives, store  house,  cotton  house  and  all  necessary 
appendages  [were]  constructed  by  experienced 
workmen  and  in  the  most  elegant  and  durable 
style."  The  factory  building  may  have  been  de- 
signed by  George  Makepeace  and  built  by  Thomas 
Rice,  both  of  whom  were  stockholders  and  local 
residents.  The  four-story  factory  "house"  was 
40  by  80  feet  in  plan,  nine  bays  long  and  three 
wide — essentially  the  same  size  as  the  Frank- 
linsville  factory  just  upriver.  But  at  Island  Ford, 
instead  of  a  wholly  brick  building,  a  wooden 
superstructure  was  built  upon  a  brick  first  floor, 
and  a  fourth  floor  was  lighted  by  a  clerestory 
monitor  roof.  This  feature  was  widely  used  in 
English  and  New  England  factories,  and  fore- 
told the  spread  of  mainstream  industrial  innova- 
tions into  the  infant  Deep  River  manufacturing 
environment. 

The  corporation  prospered  for  a  few  years,  but 
deteriorating  economic  conditions  forced  the  com- 
pany to  declare  bankruptcy  on  July  14,  1856.  By 
October,  1859  the  property  had  been  sold  to  a 
group  of  local  investors  including  A.  S.  Homey 
John  M.  Coffin,  Reed  Creek  merchant  Isaac  H. 
Foust  and  Foust's  store  clerk  Hugh  Parks.  In 
1862,  following  Foust's  death,  a  revised  partner- 
ship was  incorporated  as  the  "Randolph  Manu- 
facturing Company"  with  John  D.  Williams  as 
president,  Hugh  Parks  secretary-treasurer  and  J. 
A.  Luther  as  superintendent.  The  corporation  at 
that  time  had  capital  stock  worth  $30,000.  sev- 
enty employees  and  consumed  850  bales  of  cot- 
ton to  produce  3,000  yards  of  4-4  sheeting. 

In  1895  the  "Cotton  Mill  Edition"  of  the 
Raleigh  News  and  Observer  wrote  of  the  Island 
Ford  mill,  saying  that  "the  fates  have  decreed 
that  it  shall  not  stand  to  see  the  flowers  bloom 
again,  for  the  architects  and  brick  layers  are 
building  long,  new  brick  walls  all  about  it.  and 


so  soon  as  new  floor  space  is  ready,  the  quaint 
old  wooden  building  will  tumble  to  the  tune  of 
the  new  order  of  things,  and  give  way  to  modem 
architecture  and  convenience."  The  "architects" 
mentioned  by  the  newspaper  seems  to  have  been 
just  one  non-professional  "architect,"  W  C. 
("Will")  Russell  (1848-1912),  the  superinten- 
dent of  the  "upper"  mill.  Russell's  obituary 
states  that  "The  new  mill  of  the  Randolph  Manu- 
facturing Company  was  designed  and  built  by 
Mr.  Russell  and  stands  as  a  monument  to  his 
genius."  The  new  brick  factory  may  have  been 
the  largest  of  Randolph  County's  19th-century 
industrial  buildings.  It  was  built  immediately  W 
the  west  of  the  Island  Ford  stmcture,  which  was 
located  approximately  where  the  present  engine 
room  and  smokestack  of  the  new  factory  stand- 
The  1895  C-plan  factory  straddled  the  existing 
mill  race  or  power  canal,  which  is  the  only  trace 
of  the  antebellum  factory  which  is  still  evident. 
The  building  was  very  visually  appealing,  with 
continuous  brick  hood  moldings  connecting  rows 
of  arched  windows  on  both  floors.  Its  central 
three-story  stair  tower  was  accessible  only  by  a 
bridge  over  the  power  canal,  and  was  capped  by 
a  very  unusual  bell  cupola  with  a  semicircular 
pediment.  The  stair  tower  was  destroyed  in  the 
mid-1950s  when  new  construction  filled  the  cen- 
tral courtyard  area,  leaving  the  gable  ends  of  the 
east  and  west  wings  the  only  visible  parts  of  the 
1895  mill. 

F:42      J.  A.  LUTHER  HOUSE 

Wagon  Wheel  Road 
Franklinville 

When  the  Randolph  Manufacturing  Company 
was  created  in  1862.  Jonathan  Luther  was  listed  as 
superintendent  of  manufacturing  operations.  He 
held  this  position  for  many  years.  This  house  was 
probably  built  in  the  late  1880s.  although  an  ad- 
joining outbuilding  may  have  been  part  of  a" 
earlier  dwelling.  The  house  is  a  typical  center-hall 
plan  end-chimney  design,  with  2/2  sash.  Its  mos' 
prominent  decorative  feature  was  a  hip  porch  on 
the  south  facade  w  ith  central  second-floor  balcony- 
This  porch-and-balcony  arrangement  was  the 
trademark  of  some  as-yet-unidentified  local  car- 
penter/builder: it  is  or  was  found  on  at  least  si" 
substantial  dwellings  in  Franklinville. 


106 


F:43      KITCHEN  OUTBUILDING 

Horney-Parks  House 
West  Street 
Franklinville 

This  tiny  structure  is  one  of  the  very  few 
antebellum  dependencies  remaining  in  Randolph 
County.  Its  flush  roof  overhang,  boxed  cornice 
and  6/6  sash  speak  of  a  pre-Civil  War  construc- 
tion date.  A  large  chimney  once  existed  on  the 
*est  end  and  the  structure  may  originally  have 
consisted  of  a  single  large  room.  Converted  into 
a  dwelling,  it  now  features  a  hall-and-parlor  plan 
with  rear  wing.  Immediately  in  front  of  the 
''uilding  are  masonry  steps  down  to  Main  Street 
*hich  mark  the  site  of  the  Homey- Parks  House, 
One  of  the  most  ornate  residences  of  Franklin- 
^'"e's  mill  owners. 

That  two-story  double-pile  house  featured  a 
<^enter-hall  plan  and  interior  end  chimneys.  Its 
"lost  prominent  architectural  feature  was  a  hip 
Porch  with  central  balcony  similar  to,  but  more 
elaborate  than,  the  porch  of  the  Curtis-Buie 
House.  Probably  built  ca.  1846  in  conjunction 
*ith  the  Island  Ford  factory  which  it  overlooked, 
'he  house  may  have  been  home  to  the  A.  S. 
Homey  family  for  more  than  forty  years.  Homey 
('815-1891),  a  mill  owner,  superintendent,  county 
'commissioner  and  political  leader,  was  one  of 
"Randolph  County's  most  prominent  men  of  his 
l^neration.  In  1937  Jonathan  Worth's  daughter, 
Elvira,  wrote  that  'Alexander  S.  Homey  was  a 
•ine  citizen  and  his  home  fittings  outside  and  in 
^as  a  pattern  for  any  community.  The  Homey 
house  was  later  owned  by  Mr.  Hugh  Parks,  then 
^r-  John  Clark,  and  was  burned  Dec.  1935.  The 
'Urniture  in  this  Homey  house  was  very  elegant. 

•  ■ '  The  steps,  concrete  walkway,  tennis  court 
^^d  kitchen  are  all  that  survive  of  this  elegant 
ffisidence.  A  Colonial  Revival-style  house  was 
"""'It  on  part  of  the  site  ca.  1940. 


F:44      "CLIFF"  TROGDON  HOUSE 

Main  Street  at  Sunrise  Avenue 
Franklinville 

This  ca.  1895  two-story  end-chimney  center- 
hall  plan  dwelling  has  lost  its  porch  and  most  of 
its  architectural  detail  under  aluminum  siding. 
Its  mill  work  and  decorative  detail,  such  as  the 
fine  "sunburst"  omament  with  spindled  frieze 
which  survives  in  the  central  gable,  was  almost 
certainly  purchased  from  one  of  the  many  local 
millwork  companies  or  by  mail  from  a  catalog. 
This  type  of  "store-bought"  millwork  features 
more  elements  tumed  on  lathes  and  built  from 
pieces  of  molding,  while  "gingerbread"  decora- 
tive elements  were  usually  cut  out  with  scroll 
saws  by  local  carpenters.  S.  Clifford  Trogdon 
worked  as  engineer  for  the  nearby  Randolph 
Manufacturing  Company  or  "lower"  mill.  Her- 
bert Edwards,  manager  of  the  "lower"  company 
store  and  later  manager  of  the  Franklinville  Store 
Company,  lived  here  just  after  his  marriage  while 
his  bungalow-style  house  across  Sunrise  Avenue 
was  under  construction. 


Hi 


Ml 

II' 


.ti 
"A 

'"I 


••31 


F:44 


Cedar  Falls 


15 


■3 


ol 


Copyright 
Superior     Mop    Co. 


Scale 


CF:  1      CEDAR  FALLS  BAPTIST  CHURCH 

SR  2116 
Cedar  Falls 

In  the  summer  of  1844,  a  group  of  Baptists 
■net  and  established  a  church  in  Cedar  Falls. 
Within  a  year  the  church  had  more  than  one 
hundred  members.  Negroes  were  received  into 
church  membership  and  seated  in  a  separate 
section.  The  original  church  building  built  in 
1844-1845  was  used  until  1975.  The  building 
had  been  extensively  remodeled  about  1920, 
when  a  classroom  wing  and  asbestos  siding  were 
added.  The  window  sash  have  also  been  replaced. 
An  early  feature  is  the  molded  cornice  with 
cornice  returns.  The  original  pine  pulpit  has 
been  preserved;  it  is  decoratively  painted  to 
resemble  a  more  valuable  wood,  such  as  walnut. 


CF:2 


HOUSE 

SR  2116 
Cedar  Falls 


This  house  may  have  originally  been  a  single- 
story  house  built  ca.  1850  and  expanded  to  two 
full  stories  about  1880.  The  double  entrance 
doors  are  set  in  a  pilastered  Greek  Revival  frame 
with  transom,  sidelights  and  comer  blocks.  The 
fifst  floor  windows  have  9/9  sash;  the  second 
floor  has  4/4.  The  roof  and  porch,  with  exposed 
fafters  and  shallow  pitch,  seem  to  be  later 
''^placements.  A  one-story  rear  wing  has  sawn 
f after  ends  supporting  the  deep  overhang. 

CF:3      HOUSE 

SR  2116 
Cedar  Falls 

This  1885-era  house  exhibits  a  two-tiered  porch 
^d  balcony  of  the  type  so  popular  in  the  area  at 
'he  time,  The  cornice  and  gable  cornice  returns 
afe  braced  by  a  frieze  of  paired  sawnwork 
Jackets,  The  house  follows  a  central-hall  plan 
*ith  brick  exterior  end  chimneys  and  4/4  sash. 

^^•4      CEDAR  FALLS  UNITED 
METHODIST  CHURCH 

SR  2221 
Cedar  Falls 

'"  1878  a  Methodist  Protestant  congregation 
^as  organized  in  Cedar  Falls.  The  cornerstone 
°f  the  church  building  was  laid  December  25, 
^^y  in  the  center  of  the  present  cemetery.  In 
.  ^39  the  local  Methodist  Protestant  and  Method- 
^'  Episcopal  congregations  merged.  In  1941  the 
■Methodist  Protestant  building  was  moved  to  its 

'^^^nr  inr  inr= inf= 


present  site,  where  classroom  wings,  asbestos 
siding  and  stained  glass  windows  were  added. 
The  simple  steeple  with  pilasters  is  the  only 
obvious  early  feature  of  the  building. 


CF:5 


HOUSE 

SR  2221 
Cedar  Falls 


This  dwelling  has  been  much  altered  over  the 
years,  but  it  seems  to  date  from  the  1850s.  The 
center-hall  plan  hip-roofed  house  with  raised 
basement  still  retains  hints  of  the  Italianate  style. 
An  early  map  suggests  that  the  structure  may 
have  originally  stood  across  the  street,  and  was 
moved  to  this  location  about  1900. 

CF:6      O.  R.  COX  HOUSE 

SR  2221 
Cedar  Falls 

Commanding  the  crest  of  a  hill  in  a  horseshoe 
bend  of  Deep  River  just  across  the  bridge  from 
the  Cedar  Falls  factory,  this  house  was  tsuilt  ca. 
1895  by  Orlando  R.  Cox,  general  manager  of  the 
Cedar  Falls  Manufacturing  Company.  In  1876 
Cox  was  elected  sheriff  of  Randolph  County,  but 
resigned  the  following  year  to  assume  the  mana- 
ger's duties.  By  1884,  under  his  leadership,  the 
mill  had  doubled  in  size  and  output.  Cox  later 
moved  to  Asheboro;  the  house  was  subsequently 
the  residence  of  Dr.  Henry  Jordan.  The  building 
is  a  fine  example  of  the  Queen  Anne  style.  The 
iron  cresting  around  the  roof  deck  and  the  stuc- 
coed arched  panels  in  the  chimneys  are  unusual 
features.  Several  comtemporary  outbuildings 
remain.  An  iron  planter  now  in  a  flower  garden 
behind  the  house  was  originally  the  fountain 
which  stood  in  Asheboro  in  front  of  the  old  Bank 
of  Randolph  building. 


CF.l 


jimr =inr= 


3  till 3t3E 


It 


'"f 
\tl 
"J 

|Cii 

I'* 


Ifi 


I- 


C    I 


I    I 


CEDAR  FALLS  MANUFAC- 
TURING COMPANY 

SR2144 
Cedar  Falls 

This  mill  was  the  first  in  Randolph  County, 
organized  in  1836  and  built  in  1837  by  Benjamin 
and  Henry  Elliott  and  Dr.  Philip  and  Alexander 
S.  Homey  The  original  wooden  building  was 
replaced  in  1846  by  a  three-story  building  of 
brick  laid  in  1:3  common  bond.  At  least  the  north 
and  east  walls  of  this  structure  remain,  incorpo- 
rated with  subsequent  1950s-era  expansion.  There 
are  some  timber  supports  in  the  interior  of  this 
section. 

The  1846  factory,  fifty  by  one  hundred  feet  in 
plan,  was  almost  twice  as  large  as  the  only  other 
contemporary  brick  factory  at  Franklinville.  A 
fourth  attic  story,  was  lighted  by  a  clerestory 
monitor  roof.  In  1860  the  water-powered  mill 
operated  1,500  spindles  and  38  looms  to  produce 
yam  and  sheeting  material.  In  1870  a  water 
wheel  producing  as  much  as  80  horsepower 
operated  2,249  spindles  and  50  looms.  The  dam 
and  portions  of  the  mill  race  still  exist  as  well  as 
an  unused  turbine  wheel.  A  steam  engine  was 
added  in  1898  for  auxiliary  power. 


COTTON  WAREHOUSE 

SR  2144 
Cedar  Falls 

This  stracture,  built  ca.  1900,  was  used  to 
store  bales  of  cotton  brought  in  on  the  railroad.  It 
was  originally  three  bays  wide  divided  by  fire 
walls,  and  a  fourth  bay  was  added  later.  Each  bay 
was  entered  through  a  large  arched  opening.  The 
end  wall  is  decorated  with  elaborate  corbeled 
brickwork.  The  mortar  joints  between  bricks 
were  originally  striped  with  white  paint,  and 
certain  bricks  in  the  corbeled  decoration  were 
picked  out  with  white,  creating  a  checkerboard 
effect. 


CF:9      SHOTGUN  HOUSE 

SR  2144 
Cedar  Falls 

These  two  nearly  identical  houses  are  called 
"shotgun"  houses  because  of  their  long  narrow 
plan,  said  to  resemble  the  barrel  of  a  shotgun. 
Three  rooms  long  and  one  room  wide,  each  of 
the  rooms  can  only  be  entered  one  after  the 
other.  The  east  house  has  comice  returns,  boxed 
rafter  ends  and  a  shed  front  porch.  The  west 
house  has  no  comice  returns,  exposed  rafter 
ends  and  a  hip-roofed  porch.  Both  have  6/6  sash. 
Like  most  houses  in  the  village  they  date  to  the 
ca.  1890  period.  (Both  homes  have  been  de- 
stroyed since  1982.) 

CF:IO      LOG  MILL  HOUSE 

SR  2144 
Cedar  Falls 

As  the  only  known  log  house  in  Randolph 
County's  earliest  textile  mill  village,  and  the 
only  known  sur\iving  example  found  in  the 
state,  this  small  house  was  one  of  the  most 
significant  structures  in  Cedar  Falls.  Log  mil' 
housing  was  once  common  in  the  state's  early 
mill  villages.  Its  needless  destraction  in  1980  is 
therefore  especially  to  be  regretted.  The  half- 
dovetail  notched  structure  had  a  stone  chimney 
with  a  brick  stack  and  a  board-and-batten  rear 
shed.  The  house  may  have  been  built  by  the 
Elliott  family  for  their  village  as  early  as  1836. 1' 
may  always  have  been  clapboarded,  to  protect 
the  logs  and  mud-mortared  chimney  from  bad 
weather. 


'2^==='Bt^^nt^^Bn i^ae^^at^^HE 


=ini  ^nr 


CF:ll 


POST  OFFICE 

SR  2226 
Cedar  Falls 


This  tiny  store  now  used  as  the  local  post 
office  originally  faced  the  adjoining  brick  com- 
pany store,  which  burned  in  the  early  1970s.  The 
2/2  sash  and  "boom-town"  storefront  suggest 
that  the  structure  was  built  ca.  1890.  It  was  once 
used  as  a  barbershop  and  cafe. 


CF:12 


WRENN  HOUSE 

SR  2226 
Cedar  Falls 


This  ca.  1850  dwelling  is  one  of  the  landmarks 
of  the  Greek  Revival  style  in  Randolph  County. 
The  builder  of  the  two-story  center-hall  plan 
house  drew  inspiration  for  the  decorative  trim 
*ork  from  a  well-known,  widely  used  builder's 
guide,  The  Practical  House  Carpenter,  by  Asher 
Benjamin.  Benjamin  (1773-1845)  was  a  New 
England  builder-architect  whose  published  manu- 
als helped  popularize  the  Greek  Revival  style  all 
across  the  United  States.  A  mantel  in  the  house 
's  directly  adapted  from  Benjamin's  book,  speci- 
fically from  Plate  51,  "Design  for  a  Chimney 
Piece."  The  mantel  is  a  traditional  "post  and 
'inter '  form,  with  a  Greek  key  design  decorating 
'he  frieze;  this  is  carried  on  turned  colonnettes. 
The  firebox  is  framed  by  a  molded  architrave 
*ith  bull's-eye  comer  blocks.  The  local  artisan's 
rendition  of  the  mantel  is  somewhat  crude  and 
two-dimensional  when  compared  to  the  Asher 
benjamin  design,  but  it  is  important  to  find  that 
•Randolph  County  craftsmen  tried  to  imitate 
published  examples  in  their  work. 

The  house  has  a  great  deal  of  additional  high- 
quality  work.  The  molded  cornice  is  carried 
across  the  gable  to  form  a  classical  pediment;  the 
Sable  is  covered  with  sheathed  siding  as  is  the 
area  sheltered  by  the  Doric  gallery  across  the 
facade.  The  double-leaf  entrance  is  framed  by 
sidelights  in  a  symmetrically  molded  architrave 
^ith  beveled  comer  blocks.  The  house  is  built 
into  the  hillside  so  that  the  rear  facade  displays 
^'''y  a  single  story;  the  central  door  on  the  rear 
facade  is  set  in  a  crossetted  architrave  with 
'fansom.  Nine-over-nine  double-hung  sash  are 
Used  on  the  ground  floor,  with  9/6  sash  on  the 
''PPer  story.  The  house  also  features  interior 
chimneys,  molded  two-panel  doors  and  an  open- 
string  staircase  with  turned  newel  post  and  square 
balusters. 


CF:13      SAPONA  MANUFACTURING 
COMPANY 

SR  2226 
Cedar  Falls 

The  Sapona  cotton  textile  mill  was  built  ca. 
1895  by  the  Cedar  Falls  Manufacturing  Company 
under  superintendent  O.  R.  Cox.  The  original 
structure,  much  of  which  is  still  visible,  was  a 
one-story  brick  factory  built  in  1:6  common 
bond.  The  northern  or  railroad  facade  features 
nine  window  bays  with  9/9  double-hung  sash 
flanking  a  central  entrance  tower.  The  tower  has 
bracketed  cornices  and  a  domed  belfry.  The 
original  structure  is  now  surrounded  on  three 
sides  by  brick  and  metal  additions  built  by  the 
Acme-McCrary  Corporation.  The  Asheboro  ho- 
siery manufacturer  converted  the  plant  to  spin 
silk  in  the  late  1930s;  it  now  processes  man- 
made  fibers. 

CF:14      SAPONA  MILL  HOUSES 

SR  2226 
Cedar  Falls 

These  six  houses  grouped  in  a  row  on  a  ridge 
above  the  Sapona  mill  were  probably  built  in 
connection  with  it  in  1895.  Five  of  the  houses 
are  two-story  central-chimney  duplexes,  entered 
through  dual  entrances  on  the  front  porch.  The 
northemmost  dwelling  is  a  hall-and-parior  plan 
house  with  an  end  chimney.  The  story-and-a-half 
house  has  six-light  casement  windows  lighting 
the  second  floor.  All  of  the  houses  have  shed 
porches  carried  on  square  posts  and  all  are  raised 
high  on  piers. 


Ml 

Ml 


r 


•  * 


I 


Randleman  Ibwnship 


'9 


Built  by  John  H.  Ferree  in  1895  and  named  after  his  two  daugh- 
ters, this  documentary  photograph  depicts  the  mill  building  ca  1900 
It  still  stands,  but  has  lost  its  Classical  Revival  style  conical  tower 
roof  which  sheltered  the  sprinkler  water  tank. 


XVI 


■  <■■ 


:;      ^ 


'A}i       *" 


•«  .-) 


Mary  Antoinette  Mill 
Randleman 


EJEJE 


112 


rime. 


E)GI= 


3Elt= 


=)QE 


=]Q(= 


EIEICE 


ElBE 


=1B\= 


ElBE 


=]B(= 


ElBE 


ilBE 


E3HE 


ElBE 


ElBE 


ElBE 


EIBG 


New  Salem 


H, 


t:i 


•  * 

.141 

:\\ 

(HI 
l<'4l 


":3! 


Copyright 
^"P«rior    Mop   Co. 


nni  ini  ini  iHr= 


jm =inr= 


EIBI lEE 


Siai 3IS1E 


3H(^^^e[^^^GI^^^HI^^^Ell==^=JSl= 


=]G][= 


Scale  -^5- 


It'll trnr 


113 


NS:1 


ROSS  WOOD  HOUSE 

New  Salem 


NS:2 


NS:3 


This  three-bay  center-gable  house  was  built 
ca.  1900,  although  its  present  bungalow  style 
dates  from  the  1920s.  Surviving  early  features 
include  a  dentiled  cornice  on  the  east  elevation 
and  a  decorative  attic  vent  in  the  facade  gable. 

NS:2      THE  "DOCTOR  HOUSE" 

New  Salem 

Known  as  the  "Doctor  House"  since  1944 
when  a  retired  physician  purchased  it,  this  mod- 
est frame  house  was  bought  in  1895  by  J.  V  Van 
Arsdale,  a  New  York  native  and  Civil  War 
pensioner.  Van  Arsdale  altered  an  early  19th 
century  cottage  by  adding  an  elaborate  porch 
with  decorative  fascia,  bracketed  posts  and  sawn 
balusters. 


NS:3 


HOUSE 

New  Salem 


This  small  three-bay  structure  has  been  greatly 
obscured  by  modem  additions,  but  the  massive 
stone  chimney  indicates  a  19th  century  construc- 
tion date.  The  building  may  be  the  "Ingold  Store 
and  Barroom"  mentioned  by  local  writer  W  S 
Lineberry.  The  tavern  was  a  part  of,  but  separate 
from,  Joel  Ingold's  adjacent  hotel.  In  later  years 
the  barroom  was  converted  into  a  house  by  Billy 
Brown,  a  deputy  under  sheriff  Joe  Steed. 


NS:4 


INGOLD  HOTEL 

New  Salem 


This  structure  was  heavily  altered  in  the  1950s 
when  the  modem  window  sash,  red  asbestos 
siding  and  rear  shed  rooms  were  added  The 
massive  stone  gable  end  chimneys  with  stuccoed 
exteriors,  double  shoulders  and  brick  stacks  indi- 
cate the  antiquity  of  the  house,  probably  built  ca 
1820.  Before  the  Civil  War  Joel  Ingold  ran  a 
hotel  or  stagecoach  inn  here.  His  son  A  W 
Ingold,  was  for  many  years  owner  and  editor  of 
the  Greensboro  Patriot  and  later  editor  of  the 
Yorkville,  S.C.  Enquirer 


NS:5      JARRELL-HAYES  HOUSE 

New  Salem 

As  one  of  the  town's  earliest  houses,  the 
Jarrell-Hayes  House  probably  dates  from  the 
towns  incorporation  in  1815.  The  end  chimney 
center-hall  plan  house  retains  a  beautiful  Federal 
period  mantel  whose  symmetrically  molded 
colonnettes  support  a  molded  shelf  which  breaks 
in  the  middle  and  at  both  ends.  The  parlor  is 
wainscoted.  The  main  entrance  door  was  flanked 
by  sidelights,  but  the  trim  is  now  hidden  under 
aluminum  siding. 

The  unusual  three  front  doors  undoubtedly 
relate  to  the  period  when  the  house  served  as  a 
store,  owned  and  operated  by  Noah  and  Manliff 
Jarrell.  The  post  office  was  in  the  store,  and 
elections  wtre  held  on  the  porch.  Subsequently 
the  house  was  the  home  of  J.  M.  (James  Madison) 
Hayes,  a  stoneware  potter.  His  shop  was  just  to 
the  west  of  the  house,  on  the  present  site  of  the 
garden. 


NS^ NS:5 

I 3BI 3I3t^^^3St^^^3G[^^^=lt-ll^^^=lE]^^^=iat^^^313]E 

114. 


3  CUE 


=1[3E 


^t^' :jaL==]Sl=zJBt: 


NS:6      ROM  WARD  HOUSE 

New  Salem 

Its  present  owner  believes  that  this  house  was 
built  by  Pierce  Hayes,  son  of  the  local  potter 
^'  M.  Hayes,  probably  ca.  1880.  It  may  origi- 
nally have  been  a  three-bay  center-gable  farm- 
house, but  was  extensively  altered  in  the  bunga- 
low style  after  its  purchase  by  Ward  in  1918. 

NS:7      STORE 

New  Salem 

Dating  from  the  late  19th  century,  this  small 
frame  building  originally  fronted  the  road  but 
^as  moved  by  Rom  Ward  into  his  side  yard  and 
's  now  used  as  a  tool  shed.  The  oversized  door, 
*ith  seven  raised  panels,  is  noteworthy. 

NS:8      PETER  DICKS  HOUSE 

New  Salem 

What  is  now  Rom  Ward's  bam  may  be  the 
°'dest  house  in  New  Salem.  The  house  origi- 
nally fronted  the  street.  It  was  the  home  of  Peter 
Dicks  (1772-1843),  owner  and  operator  of  a 
Siist  and  oil  mill  on  Deep  River,  about  a  mile 
**ay.  Dicks  was  a  prominent  Quaker  and  one  of 
the  founders  of  Guilford  College.  In  1848  his 
^01.  James,  was  one  of  the  incorporators  of 
JJnion  factory,  built  on  Deep  River  beside  the 
D'cks  mill  complex.  His  daughter  Sallie  mar- 
"«d  Dr.  John  Milton  Worth  of  Asheboro. 

The  ruinous  condition  of  the  house  makes 
oating  difficult,  but  it  seems  to  have  been  built 
l^a.  1800.  What  little  decorative  trim  remains  in 
'"e  two-and-a-half-story  structure  is  of  high 
quality.  The  exposed  ceiling  joists  of  the  first 
""or  are  chamfered;  those  on  the  second  floor 
'"■e  beaded.  The  house  seems  to  have  had  an 
^"d-chimney  and  hall-and-parior  plan,  although 
either  the  chimney  nor  the  partition  remains. 


The  original  parlor  seems  to  have  been  sheathed 
in  wide  vertical  boards  above  a  chair  rail,  with 
molding  around  the  ceiling  and  exposed  beams. 
A  surviving  board-and-batten  door  has  strap 
hinges.  Clapboards  on  the  west  end  appear  to  be 
riven,  not  sawed,  a  very  early  technique.  However, 
if  the  chimney  was  on  this  end,  these  boards 
must  be  replacements.  This  important  early  struc- 
ture is  definitely  worthy  of  further  study,  docu- 
mentation and  preservation. 

NS:9      WARD  "RENT  HOUSE" 

New  Salem 
This  two-room  cottage  with  rear  shed  wing 
seems  to  predate  the  Civil  War,  although  the 
decorated  mantel  inside  could  date  ca.  1870.  The 
stepped  single-shoulder  chimney  is  of  bnck  in 
common  bond  on  a  stone  base.  Several  two- 
panel  Greek  Revival  doors  survive  in  the  shed 
wing.  The  house  may  have  been  an  early  home 
of  the  Woollen  family. 

NS:10      NEW  SALEM  METHODIST 
CHURCH 

New  Salem 
Burials  in  the  cemetery,  dating  to  at  least  1813, 
seem  to  have  predated  the  official  organization 
of  the  New  Salem  Friends  meeting  house  in  1815. 
In  1889  the  Quaker  church  was  sold  to  a  Metho- 
dist Protestant  group,  who  erected  a  new  church 
building  in  1895.  In  1948  a  new  bnck  veneer 
sanctua^  was  built  and  the  1895  building  was 
turned  around,  brick  veneered  and  rebuilt  as  a 
classroom  wing.  The  1895  church  was  a  one- 
room  four-bay  strticture  with  tall  9/9  sash. 


NS:6 


NS:7 


11 


t 

turn 


■lBl^^=i<^'^ 


5  II 


%  '" 


NS:11 


WOOLLEN  HOUSE 

New  Salem 


This  was  originally  the  home  of  Dr.  C.  W 
Woollen,  the  area's  most  prominent  physician. 
Woollen  married  the  daughter  of  the  Rev.  Daniel 
Worth,  the  Wesleyan  Methodist  minister  who 
was  arrested  in  1859  and  tried  both  in  Asheboro 
and  Greensboro  for  distributing  anti-slavery  liter- 
ature. Woollen  later  moved  to  Randleman  and 
the  house  was  sold  to  J.  N  Caudle,  who  may 
have  been  responsible  for  the  extensive  Victorian 
embellishments  including  the  bracketed  cornice, 
pedimented  window  and  door  frames  and  brack- 
eted porch.  Caudle  was  a  merchant  and  his  store 
was  located  immediately  to  the  west  of  the 
house.  The  front  porch  was  again  altered  in  the 
1920s.  Down  the  hill  behind  this  house  is  "Naomi 
Spring,"  the  legendary  trysting  place  of  Naomi 
Wise  and  Jonathan  Lewis. 

NS:12      JACOB  LINEBERRY  HOUSE 

New  Salem 

An  unusual  feature  of  this  eariy  19th  century 
house  is  its  complex  fenestration.  The  facade  has 
large  pane  6/6  sash  on  the  first  floor  level  and 
small  pane  6/6  sash  on  the  second  floor  In 
contrast,  the  gable  ends  have  4/4  sash  on  the  first 
floor,  4/2  above.  New  Salem's  last  post  office 
origmally  a  separate  one-story  frame  structure 
sited  near  the  road,  is  now  attached  to  the  rear  of 
the  house  as  a  kitchen  wing.  The  small  mail  slot 
IS  still  visible  in  the  door.  Post  office  service  was 
transferred  to  Randleman  in  1900. 


NS:13      WILLIAM  VICKORY  HOUSE 

New  Salem 

A  combination  of  late  Federal  mantels  and 
Greek  Revival  trim  indicate  a  ca.  1820  construc- 
tion date  for  this  house,  which  was  demolished 
m  1982.  Its  4/4  sash  and  the  molded  cornice  with 
matching  returns  were  probably  original  to  the 
house.  (The  kitchen,  once  detached,  had  a  simple 
Greek  Revival  post-and-lintel  mantel.)  Vickory 
ran  a  tan  yard  on  the  site. 

NS:14      VANCE  DORSETT  STORE 

New  Salem 

This  is  a  typical  rural  gas  station  and  store  of 
the  1930s.  The  hip  roof  was  extended  to  shelter 
the  gas  pumps  and  the  shed  room  was  used  for 
storage  of  meat  and  produce. 


«.-•*?«»-»«■••• 


NS:I2 


NS:13 


3BE 


=)G[= 


NS:14 
^t3l  EIEIE 


nni arir= 


116 


='^t====Je^^^[3[===ini==ia 


Randleman 


[hajjmon*  ST       I 


\l 


u 


ii3 


Copyright 
^"P»rior    Mop    Co. 


Seal* 


1^1. 1 


I!l  I 


it 


«5:;i 


R:4 


R:l       UNION  FACTORY  HOUSES 

West  Side  Commonwealth  Street 
Randleman 

Besides  the  houses  built  for  the  mill  agent  and 
superintendent,  only  three  houses  survive  from 
those  shown  on  the  1849  map  of  the  Union 
Manufacturing  Company  property.  The  houses 
built  for  workers  were  slightly  less  elaborate  than 
those  of  the  agent  and  superintendent,  but  ap- 
proximately the  same  size:  two-story  structures 
in  a  twenty-by-thirty-foot  hall-and-parlor  plan. 
The  houses  were  heated  by  fireplaces  on  each 
floor.  The  houses  originally  had,  or  at  an  early 
date  added,  a  one-story  rear  wing  with  fireplace. 
This  was  probably  used  as  a  kitchen. 

These  houses  are  virtually  identical  to  those 
built  by  E.  M.  Holt  in  his  Alamance  Factory 
village  about  the  same  time.  They  are  also  sim- 
ilar to  the  houses  built  in  the  1850s  at  Orange 
Factory  in  Durham  County  It  is  interesting  to 
note  that  North  Carolina  textile  mill  village  houses 
built  in  the  1850s  seem  similar  in  size,  plan  and 
window  and  chimney  placement,  varying  only  in 
the  quality  of  the  Greek  Revival  detailing. 


SUPERINTEN- 


R:2      UNION    FACTORY 
DENT'S  HOUSE 

210  Commonwealth  Street 
Randleman 

On  the  1 849  map  of  the  Union  Factory  property , 
this  is  labeled  as  the  mill  superintendent's  resi- 
dence. It  differs  very  little  from  the  two-story 
end-chimney  hall-and-parlor  plan  houses  built 
for  the  workers.  Instead  of  a  boxed  cornice  with 
boxed  returns,  the  cornice  returns  here  are  molded 
both  at  the  roof  level  and  on  the  shed  porch.  That 
porch  is  carried  on  square  posts  with  molded 
capitals.  The  steeply  sloping  site  made  a  massive 
stone  foundation  necessary.  The  one-story  wing 
and  asbestos  siding  are  recent  additions. 

R:3      J.  B.  RANDLEMAN  HOUSE 

215  Commonwealth  Street 
Randleman 

The  1849  map  of  the  Union  Manufacturing 
Company  labels  this  end-chimney  dwelling  as 
the  'Agent's  House."  The  agent  was  then  some- 
thmg  of  a  business  manager  for  a  textile  mill 
while  the  superintendent  managed  the  actual 
operation  of  equipment  and  employees.  After  his 
acquisition  of  the  Union  Factory  corporation 
John  Banner  Randleman  chose  this  house  as  his 
own  and  added  the  end  pavilion  to  bring  it  to  its 


present  form.  This  wing  exhibits  four-over- four 
sash  set  in  molded  surrounds  with  odd  notched 
comer  blocks  and  a  small  diamond-shaped  win- 
dow in  the  gable.  The  southeast  windows  are 
shaded  by  bellcast  shed  awnings  on  chamfered 
Eastlake  brackets,  but  the  overall  style  of  the 
house  is  Gothic  Revival.  Chimneys  are  stuccoed 
and  scored  to  resemble  stone,  and  bargeboards 
decorate  the  gables.  The  most  unusual  feature  is 
the  bulb  pendants  which  drop  from  the  porch 
cornice  and  resemble  those  on  the  overhang  of 
17th  century  Jacobian  style  houses.  While  paint- 
mg  the  interior  of  St.  Paul's  Methodist  Church, 
the  painter,  "Reubin  Rink"  (acmally  Jules  Komer 
of  Kemersville),  is  thought  to  have  redecorated 
the  interior  of  the  house  but  this  is  not  now 
evident.  Ironically  in  1879  at  the  height  of  this 
flurry  of  remodeling  activity,  J.  B.  Randleman 
died  and  was  buried  in  the  cemetery  at  St.  Paul's. 

R:4      RANDLEMAN  MANUFACTURING 
COMPANY 

Northwest  comer  of  High  Point  Street 

and  Main  Street 

Randleman 

In  1848  twelve  stockholders,  all  of  whom 
seem  to  have  been  Quakers,  organized  the  Union 
Manufacturing  Company  to  build  a  textile  mill 
on  this  site.  The  property  was  provided  by  James 
Dicks,  and  adjoined  the  grist  and  oil  mill  built 
much  earlier  by  his  father,  Peter  Dicks.  Union 
Factory  was  the  largest  mill  built  in  Randolph 
County  before  the  Civil  War,  measuring  fifty  by 
one  hundred-twenty  feet.  The  flow  of  Deep  River 
at  this  point  was  inadequate  to  run  such  a  mill- 
Even  though  the  power  was  augmented  by  chan- 
neling the  adjacent  "Factory  Branch"  into  the 
mill  headrace,  the  mill  was  continually  idled  by 
low  water.  The  factory  structure  itself  was  an 
advanced  "slow  bum"  design,  with  crow-step 
gables  concealing  a  roof  of  very  shallow  pitch- 
The  1:3  common  bond  brick  building  was  built 
on  a  steeply  sloping  site  which  made  a  massive 
and  elaborate  stone  foundation  necessary.  It  is 
unusual  that  the  mill  was  designed  to  straddle  its 
power  canal,  with  the  wheel  housed  under  the 
mill  itself.  This  feature  was  used  in  Europe  and 
New  England  to  prevent  winter  ice  from  freezing 
the  wheel;  its  purpose  here  is  unknown. 

In  July  1868,  the  mill  was  bought  by  John 
Banner  Randleman.  who  soon  augmented  the 
water  power  with  steam.  Randleman  died  in 
1879.  and  the  corporation  was  carried  on  by  his 
partner.  John  B.  Ferree.  On  June  12,  1885,  the 


mill  was  destroyed  in  a  fire,  although  evidence 
indicates  that  its  immediate  reconstruction  used 
the  original  stone  foundation  and  much  of  the 
standing  first  floor  wall  structure.  As  many  as 
four  different  brick  bonds  were  used  in  the 
reconstruction,  indicating  that  several  masons 
*ere  hired,  working  independently,  to  rebuild 
3s  fast  as  possible. 

In  1911  this  mill,  the  Naomi  mill,  the  Mary 
Antoinette  Mill  and  the  Plaidville  mill  were 
consolidated  into  a  single  company.  Deep  River 
^ills.  Inc.  The  corporation  entered  bankruptcy 
'1 1929,  an  early  victim  of  the  Depression.  For  a 
"me  the  mills  were  operated  by  the  Hunter 
'Manufacturing  and  Commission  Company  of 
New  York,  but  when  it,  too,  declared  insolvency, 
'he  mills  were  closed  for  several  years.  In  1934 
E.  W  Freeze  of  High  Point  moved  his  Common- 
wealth Hosiery  Company  from  that  city  to  this 
"lill,  building  the  three-story  shed-roofed  exten- 
sion facing  the  river.  The  site  is  now  used  as 
Warehouse  space  by  several  companies. 

West  of  the  main  building  across  the  central 
Square  is  a  three-story  brick  building  in  1:5  com- 
mon bond.  Its  history  is  unclear,  although  it  seems 
•o  have  been  built  in  the  mid-1870s.  The  1885 
Sanborn  Insurance  Map  shows  it  was  used  as  an 
office  and  for  storage,  as  well  as  for  Masonic 
Lodge  meetings.  It  later  served  for  a  time  as  the 
)^andleman  Town  Hall  and  Community  Build- 
">8.  The  cornice  of  the  gable  roof  returns  slightly 
*nd  the  building  has  elaborate  segmental-arched 
windows  with  brick  labels.  Also  on  the  site  are 
*  Warehouse,  an  office  and  two  power  plants, 
°ne  a  coal-fired  boiler  and  engine  room,  the 
°'her  a  small  hydroelectric  station. 

*=S      HOUSE 

312  High  Point  Street 
Randleman 

Following  a  three-bay  two-story  form  standard 
''"ring  the  late  19th  century,  the  ca.  1880  gable- 
''"of  house  features  such  typical  characteristics 
^  exposed  rafter  ends,  double-leaf  entry  and  a 
hip-roof  porch  with  distinctive  tapered  posts.  All 
me  facade's  6/6  sash  windows  originally  had 
louvered  shutters.  At  one  time  the  house  was  run 
^^  a  hotel  by  Ellen  and  Ebenizer  Ferguson.  Later 
°<=eupied  by  J.  A.  Lamb. 

R:6      "THE  COTTAGE" 

315  High  Point  Street 
Randleman 

This  tiny  dwelling,  said  to  be  of  log  construc- 

3B[= 


tion,  once  housed  the  children's  Sunday  school 
classes  from  nearby  St.  Paul's  Methodist  Church. 
Whether  it  is  or  isn't  built  of  logs  is  really  a  good 
question,  since  it  almost  certainly  has  always 
been  covered  with  weatherboarding.  The  upper 
class  residential  atmosphere  of  the  surrounding 
St.  Paul's  Hill  neighborhood  would  have  clashed 
with  a  rustic  log  cabin. 

R:7      FRANK  TALLEY  HOUSE 

319  High  Point  Street 
Randleman 

Like  its  neighbor,  this  dwelling  was  once 
owned  by  mill  superintendent  James  O.  Pickard. 
It  displays  elements  of  the  Italianate  style  but 
these  are  outshown  by  robust  Victorian  elements, 
probably  bought  from  a  mill  work  catalog.  The 
rounded  Italianate  sash  have  bull's-eye  comer 
blocks  and  have  been  capped  by  elaborate,  de- 
tailed cornices  set  on  brackets.  A  monumental 
two-story  portico  shelters  a  second-floor  balcony 
which  repeats  the  trim  of  the  entrance  door 
below.  The  portico  may  have  originally  been  of  a 
two-tiered  design  similar  to  the  Curtis  House  in 
Franklinville;  it  seems  to  have  been  much  sim- 
plified and  altered.  With  the  losses  of  the  R.  P. 
Dicks  and  John  H.  Ferree  mansions,  this  house 
is  the  best  reminder  of  the  flamboyant  Victorian 
residences  which  Randleman  once  boasted.  Frank 
Talley  lived  in  the  house  forty  years. 

R:8      GREGSON-PICKARD  HOUSE 

323  High  Point  Street 
Randleman 

This  dwelling  was  buiU  in  the  mid-1880s  by 
Amos  Gregson,  a  carpenter  and  Methodist  minis- 
ter from  Rock  Hill,  S.C.  Gregson  later  became 
superintendent  of  the  Naomi  mill.  In  1889  the 
house  was  sold  to  James  O.  Pickard,  superinten- 
dent of  the  nearby  Randleman  Manufacturing 
Company.  It  is  still  owned  by  the  Pickard  family. 
The  center-hall-plan  house  is  a  bold  statement  of 
the  Victorian  Italianate,  with  arched  window 
surrounds  and  heavy  scrolled  brackets  on  the 
cornice.  The  chamfered  porch  posts  with  lamb's 
tongue  motifs  support  extremely  elaborate  sawn- 
work  brackets. 


•  « 
t 

1 

•  •( 
«* 

'Jl 
Ml 

'A\ 

:\\ 

HI 
f3i 


|!l 


R:9      ST.  PAUL'S  CHURCH  PARSONAGE 

324  High  Point  Street 
Randleman 

This  simple  cottage,  built  ca.  1880,  was  the 
minister's  residence  for  nearby  St.  Paul's  Meth- 
odist Episcopal  Church.  The  hall-and-parlor 
plan  house  has  interior  end  chimneys  and 
chamfered  porch  posts.  The  doors  and  win- 
dows are  set  in  elaborate  frames  with  bull's-eye 
corner  blocks  and  dog-ear  surrounds. 

R:10      ED  KIRKMAN  HOUSE 

330  High  Point  Street 
Randleman 

This  small,  simple  house  is  said  to  have  been 
used  as  a  "powder  house"  or  "ammo  dump" 
during  the  Civil  War.  Reputed  to  be  of  log 
construction,  this  point  is  not  immediately  evi- 
dent. The  asbestos  siding  and  modem  replace- 
ment sashes  make  dating  difficult. 

R:1I       S.  E.  KIRKMAN  HOUSE 

338  High  Point  Street 
Randleman 

This  center-hall  plan  house  is  two  rooms  deep 
and  is  capped  by  a  hip  roof  with  decorative  side 
gables.  S.  E.  (Ed)  Kirkman  was  an  office  man- 
ager for  the  Randleman  Manufacturing  Com- 
pany, and  later  served  as  Randleman's  city 
clerk. 

R:12      ST.  PAUL'S  METHODIST 
EPISCOPAL  CHURCH 

Southwest  comer  of  High  Point  Street 

and  Stout  Street 

Randleman 

St.  Paul's  M.  E.  Church  was  founded  in  the 
village  of  Union  Factory  in  1855,  when  a  small 
wooden  structure  was  built  on  the  present  site  a 
hillside  overlooking  the  nearby  mill  complex  on 
Deep  River.  In  1868,  John  Banner  Randleman 
and  John  H.  Ferree  purchased  the  factory  and 
renamed  it  the  Randleman  Manufacturing  Com- 
pany. Tfen  years  later  these  two  partners  called  for 
the  erection  of  a  new  St.  Paul's  which  they  would 


donate  to  the  community.  Local  brick  mason 
Peter  Clark  and  carpenter  Allen  Redding  con- 
tracted to  build  the  structure,  the  first  brick 
church  in  the  county.  The  most  uniquely  signifi- 
cant feature  of  the  church  is  its  interior,  designed 
and  painted  by  Forsyth  County  artisan  Jules 
Komer.  Remembered  locally  today  by  his  trade 
name  "Reubin  Rink,"  Komer  and  two  workmen 
lived  in  the  town  for  several  weeks,  decorating 
the  interiors  of  several  homes  as  well  as  the 
church.  At  the  church  Komer  expanded  on  the 
theme  of  the  single  pointed-arch  stained  glass 
window  behind  the  pulpit  to  create  a  triumph  of 
trompe-l'oeil  interior  design:  a  marble  Gothic 
cathedral  in  paint  and  plaster  The  church  was 
used  continuously  from  its  opening  in  1879  until 
1947,  when  the  members  of  St.  Paul's  combined 
with  the  Naomi  Falls  Methodist  congregation 
and  built  a  new  church  on  Main  Street  in 
Randleman.  St.  Paul's  was  donated  to  the  North 
Randolph  Historical  Society  in  1969. 


R:13 


HOUSE 

154  Poplar  Street 
Randleman 


Though  seemingly  a  house  dating  to  the  late 
1940s  or  early  1950s,  this  structure  was  origi- 
nally built  ca.  1900  to  house  a  cotton  gin.  " 
fronted  on  High  Point  Street  beside  the  James  0- 
Pickard  house,  and  was  later  moved  to  this 
location  and  remodeled. 

R:14      HOUSES 

153.  156  Poplar  Street 
Randleman 

These  two  dwellings  are  typical  of  worker 
housing  in  the  late  1870s  and  early  1880s:  three 
bays  long,  center  chimney  and  hall-and-parlor 
plan,  with  no  central  gable.  There  are  similar 
houses  in  every  mill  village  on  Deep  River. 


R:15      PLAIDVILLE  MANUFACTURING 
COMPANY 

Poplar  Street 
Randleman 

The  Plaidville  Manufacturing  Company  was 
organized  in  1886  by  Randleman  Manufacturing 
Company  officers  John  H.  Ferree,  S.  G.  Newlin 
and  J.  O.  Pickard.  A  stair  tower  topped  by  a 
water  tank  and  bell  cupola  was  centered  on  the 
east  facade  of  the  two-story  brick  building,  six 
bays  wide  and  about  twenty-two  bays  long.  The 
building  has  a  shallow  roof  with  stepped  end 
gables.  In  1894  the  mill  employed  125  hands  and 
Wove  3,500,000  yards  of  plaid  cloth.  It  is  now 
used  by  Deep  River  Dyeing  Company. 

R:16      MARY  ANTOINETTE  MILL 

Plaid  Street 
Randleman 

This  large  factory  was  built  in  1895  by  John  H. 
Ferree,  and  named  after  his  two  daughters,  Mary 
and  Antoinette.  The  two-story  brick  building  in 
':6  common  bond  was  originally  graced  with  a 
whimsical,  elaborate  stair  tower  on  its  southwest 
eorner  The  round  tower  and  cupola  surrounding 
a  Water  tank  was  designed  to  resemble  a  euro- 
Pean  castle  tower.  The  cupola  has  since  been 
dismantled.  The  building  has  round-headed  12/12 
window  sash  with  hood  moldings.  Above  the 
?econd  floor  level  these  hood  moldings  merge 
into  a  continuous  brick  cornice.  Also  on  the  site 
are  two  other  large  buildings,  probably  a  picker 
house  and  dye  house,  which  have  decorative 
eorbeling  at  the  roof  level.  Several  additions 
*ere  made  to  the  mill  around  the  1950s.  The 
structure  is  now  a  warehouse. 

^•i''      JAMES  DICKS  HOUSE 

Carlisle  Avenue 
Randleman 

James  Dicks  (18  May  1804-14  October  1883), 
*e  son  and  heir  of  Peter  Dicks,  was  the  owner  of 
|''e  grist  mill  which  became  the  nucleus  of  the 
'ater  town  of  Randleman.  James  Dicks  was  one 
°f  the  organizers  of  the  Union  factory  and  lived 
'"  this  house  on  a  hill  above  the  mill.  The  house 
■"ay  in  fact  pre-date  the  mill,  and  thus  be  the 
"'"lest  structure  remaining  in  Randleman.  The 
'wo-story  frame  structure  is  built  on  a  pebble- 
^'one  foundation.  A  surviving  window  on  the 


second  floor  displays  a  6/6  sash,  although  the 
first  floor  windows,  now  replaced,  were  larger. 
The  house  is  now  covered  with  asbestos  siding, 
and  little  of  the  Greek  Revival  trim  remains. 


R:18 


STORE 

West  Side  US  220 
Randleman 


Albert  Hinshaw  ran  a  grocery  store  from  this 
interesting,  tiny,  early  20th  century  commercial 
building  set  with  its  gable  end  to  the  street.  The 
jerkin-headed  roof  and  German  siding  are  Bunga- 
loid  elements  suggesting  a  ca.  1920  date.  Once 
very  common,  pre-franchise  roadside  commer- 
cial architecture  is  becoming  difficult  to  find. 

R:19      HOUSE 

107  West  River  Avenue 
Randleman 

This  end  pavilion  house  features  some  of  the 
most  intricate  sawnwork  decoration  in  Randle- 
man. The  hip  porch  has  turned  posts  and  an 
elaborate  sawn  frieze.  The  paired  4/4  sash  in  the 
projecting  pavilion  is  capped  by  a  triangular 
pediment  with  sawnwork  frieze  and  finials. 

R:20      HAYES-LINEBERRY  HOUSE 

313  Main  Street 
Randleman 

Although  this  house  is  said  to  be  "pegged" 
together,  which  would  indicate  a  pre-Civil  War 
construction  date,  its  robust  Victorian  decoration 
features  date  from  the  1880s.  Six-over-six  sash 
can  be  seen  on  the  two-story  rear  wing,  but  2/2 
sash  are  found  on  the  three-bay  end-chimney 
main  block.  This  portion  also  features  a  hip 
porch  carried  on  chamfered  posts  with  sawn 
brackets  and  turned  balusters.  It  is  crowned  by 
an  eyebrow  dormer  instead  of  the  usual  central 
gable.  An  elaborate  veranda  with  decorative  fea- 
tures matching  the  front  porch  connects  the  house 
to  a  dependency  which  may  have  been  used  as  a 
separate  kitchen/dining  room.  Hayes  was  the 
owner  and  operator  of  the  "New  York  Racket 
Store"  on  Main  Street.  The  house  was  subse- 
quently owned  by  local  historian  W .  L .  Lineberry . 


R:I9 


R:20 


11 


Ml 


'it 

il 
Ml 

Mi 
'"II 

1 31 


^nT=3=iR[= 


121 


m 
1^" 


« '« 


R:23 


R:24 


;19^P-'' 

'vli 

I 

1 

P 

^^* 

R 

ft.  26 


/{.•27 


R:21       AMOS  GREGSON  HOUSE  #2 

239  Main  Street 
Randleman 

Amos  Gregson,  Methodist  minister  and  Na- 
omi mill  superintendent,  built  this  house  and 
moved  here  in  1889,  after  selling  his  former 
home  on  High  Point  Street  to  James  O.  Pickard. 
This  house  is  not  quite  as  elaborate  as  his  former 
dwelling.  The  center-hall  plan  end-chimney  house 
has  a  hip  porch  carried  on  chamfered  posts  with 
sawn  brackets.  The  roof  overhang  and  porch 
cornice  are  bracketed.  The  side  windows  retain 
paneled  and  bracketed  hoods. 

R:22      R.  R  BELL  HOUSE 

238  Main  Street 
Randleman 

This  two-story  three-bay  house  has  an  end 
chimney  with  a  roof  overhang  with  exposed 
rafter  ends.  Four-over-four  sash  are  used  on  the 
first  floor  but  the  second  floor  exhibits  four-pane 
casement  windows.  The  monumental  "Mount 
Vernon"  porch  was  added  by  R.  P  Bell,  father  of 
former  Randleman  mayor  Paul  Bell,  who  owned 
and  operated  a  coffee  roasting  business. 

R:23      SHERWOOD  HOUSE 

228  Main  Street 
Randleman 

This  two-story  three-bay  end-chimney  house 
has  feathered  shingles  in  its  central  gable  and  a 
bracketed  cornice.  The  second  floor  windows  are 
capped  by  intricate  sawnwork  hoods  which  in- 
clude small  brackets.  Mr.  Sherwood  came  to 
Randleman  as  a  mill  overseer. 

R:24      R.  P  DEAL  HOUSE 

212  Main  Street 
Randleman 

This  is  an  early  20th  century  vintage,  two- 
story  end-pavilion  house  with  2/2  sash,  a  colored 
glass  window  in  the  projecting  pedimented  gable 
and  a  hip  porch  carried  on  Tliscan  columns.  R.  P 
Deal  came  to  Randleman  to  act  as  superinten- 
dent of  the  Randleman  Manufacturing  Company. 

R:2S      C.  A.  LAMB  BUILDING 

205-209  Main  Street 
Randleman 

C.  A.  Lamb  operated  his  meat  market  from 
the  southern-most  portion  of  this  triple  shopfront. 
The  original  building  was  a  single  story,  with 


arched  shop  windows  and  entrances  united  by  an 
undulating  corbeled  brick  pattern.  The  second 
floor  of  apartments  was  added  later. 

R:26      A.  B.  CAUDLE  HOUSE 

206  Main  Street 
Randleman 

This  is  one  of  the  most  elaborate  Colonial 
Revival  style  homes  in  Randolph  County  The 
gambrel  roof  is  an  unusual  feature,  as  are  the 
Palladian  windows  set  in  the  gable  ends.  Three 
dormer  windows  face  the  street;  two  single  win- 
dow shed  dormers  flank  a  larger  dormer  contain- 
ing a  Palladian  window  and  capped  by  a  Chip- 
pendale-type broken-pediment  bonnet.  The  house 
may  have  been  built  by  Bart  Caudle,  a  mail 
carrier,  and  remains  in  his  family. 

R:27      S.  G.  NEWLIN  HOUSE 

134  Main  Street 
Randleman 

The  nucleus  of  this  home  is  a  two-story  T-plan 
house  of  the  1880s.  The  doors  and  windows  of 
this  part  of  the  building  are  set  in  molded  sur- 
rounds with  bull's-eye  comer  blocks.  The  origi- 
nal windows  have  been  replaced  by  1/1  sash;  the 
upper  sections  of  the  front  windows  are  edged  in 
colored  glass  or  feature  stained  glass  panels.  The 
sidelights  framing  the  entrance  door  are  filled 
with  beveled  glass.  The  comers  of  the  house  are 
edged  with  molded  comer  boards,  and  a  paneled 
frieze  with  brackets  supports  the  roof  overhang- 
The  windows  of  the  southwest  second  floor  are 
capped  by  elaborate  bracketed  wooden  hoods, 
while  the  coupled  windows  of  the  second  floor 
end  pavilion  are  shaded  by  bellcast  wooden  shed 
awnings  on  chamfered  Eastlake-siyle  brackets. 
The  extensive  Colonial  Revival  veranda  with 
modillioned  comice,  turned  balusters  and  col- 
umns with  full  Ionic  capitals,  was  added  in  the 
early  20th  century  by  the  owner,  Samuel  Gray 
Newlin.  The  house  may  have  been  given  '" 
Newlin  in  the  1880s  by  his  brother-in-law  John 
H.  Ferree.  Newlin  rose  through  the  hierarchy  "f 
Randleman  Manufacturing  Company  becoming 
first  secretary-treasurer  and  then  president,  step- 
ping down  only  when  the  corporation  was  forced 
into  bankruptcy  during  the  Depression.  Along 
with  A.  N.  Bulla,  Newlin  founded  and  built  the 
Randleman  Hosiery  Company  the  county's  first 
hosiery  mill.  It  was  located  at  117  South  Main 
Street,  the  present  site  of  First  Union  National 
Bank. 


R:28   RANDLEMAN  GRADED  SCHOOL 

131  West  Academy  Street 
Randleman 

The  impressive  two-story  main  block  of  this 
building  was  built  in  1904.  The  massive  round- 
arched  entrance  framed  by  squat  piers  and  cor- 
beled shoulder  pilasters  are  characteristic  of  the 
Richardsonian  Romanesque  style.  It  is  found 
here  almost  twenty  years  after  the  height  of  its 
popularity  in  the  rest  of  the  country  and  is  the 
county's  only  example  of  this  style.  Its  architect 
's  not  known.  The  entrance  bay  was  originally 
capped  by  a  pointed  brick  pediment  carrying  a 
flag  pole  but  at  some  point  this  was  replaced  by  a 
curvilinear  Flemish  gable.  This  detail,  combined 
*ith  a  coat  of  whitewash  which  deemphasized 
|he  Romanesque  brickwork,  gives  the  building 
'ts  present  Mission  Style  atmosphere.  Several 
*'ngs  were  added  over  the  years  and  a  detached 
frame  gymnasium  still  stands  in  the  rear.  Ca. 
I960  new  schools  replaced  the  aging  facility  and 
the  building  was  converted  into  showroom  space 
for  the  Shaw  Furniture  Galleries. 

R:29      ROBERT  P.  DICKS  HOUSE 

(destroyed) 

Southwest  corner  of  Main  Street 

and  W.  Academy  Street 

Randleman 

"This  old  home,  originally  known  as  "Wav- 
^■■'y."  is  situated  on  a  slight  rise  well  back  from 
'he  street  in  an  oak  grove  almost  in  the  center  of 
'own.  The  house  fronts  on  the  highway,  but  now 
|hat  the  business  block  is  extending  in  front  of 
".  the  present  owner  J.  W.  Johnson,  is  planning 
'o  rnake  the  main  entrance  on  Academy  street, 
*hich  runs  by  the  school  building. 

The  grand  old  house  is  three  stories,  topped 
^y  a  little  tower.  It  contains  15  rooms,  not 
counting  an  unfurnished  attic  under  the  mansard 
roof,  There  are  leaded  stained  glass  windows  in 
the  octagon-shaped  library  and  music  room.  On 
these  are  designs  with  a  shield  in  various  colors, 
'n  the  upstairs  hall  a  full  length  of  windows  of 
colored  glass  pours  bright  light  over  the  aged 
*ood  of  the  walls. 

Downstairs  there  is  a  sitting  room,  a  library, 
two  parlors,  which  were  often  opened  into  one 
[or  dancing,  two  bedrooms,  a  dining  room, 
'''tchen,  butler's  pantry  and  a  bathroom.  On  the 
^ccond  floor  there  are  five  bedrooms  and  a  bath, 
'-^rge  square  bay  windows  ornament  several  of 
'he  bedrooms. 


This  was  one  of  the  first  houses  in  Randleman, 
in  fact,  in  Randolph  County,  to  boast  its  own 
water  system,  hot  air  heating  system  and  gas 
lights.  A  windmill  operated  the  water  system. 
Back  of  the  large  house  is  a  servants'  house. 
There  was  once  an  ice  house,  a  smoke  house,  a 
big  bam — and  other  structures. 

The  original  house  was  built  in  about  1881  by 
the  late  T.  C.  Worth,  who  with  his  family  occu- 
pied it  for  several  years  before  moving  to  Worth- 
ville.  He  sold  the  house  to  Robert  R  Dicks,  then 
secretary-treasurer  of  the  Naomi  Falls  Manufac- 
turing Company.  Mr.  Dicks  spent  nearly  $15,000, 
a  large  amount  in  those  days,  in  remodeling  the 
house.  Carpenters  worked  on  it  for  a  year  and 
when  it  was  completed,  it  was  described  in  the 
newspapers  of  that  day  as  "an  elegant  and  stately 
mansion." 

Mr.  Dicks  had  built  the  home  to  provide  a 
home  for  the  family  where  they  could  show  the 
cordial  hospitality  which  was  a  characteristic  of 
the  family.  Unfortunately,  he  died  after  having 
lived  in  it  only  one  year. 

His  family  continued  to  live  there  for  a  num- 
ber of  years.  After  the  death  of  Mrs.  Dicks  the 
homeplace  was  sold  to  John  T.  Council,  Randle- 
man merchant,  who  moved  to  Greensboro  and 
sold  the  house  to  Mr.  Johnson,  of  High  Point, 
who  has  moved  to  Randleman." 

Greensboro  Daily  NeviS.  April  23,  1946 

Robert  Peele  Dicks  (1847-1888)  was  a  son  of 
Union  factory  founder  James  Dicks.  He  re- 
turned to  Randolph  County  from  Texas  to  as- 
sume management  of  the  Naomi  Falls  mill  and 
acquired  the  house  from  Thomas  Clarkson  Worth 
(1854-1891),  son  of  Dr.  John  Milton  Worth  of 
Asheboro.  Worth  had  moved  to  Worthville  to 
manage  his  family's  business  interests  there. 
Dicks'  extensive  remodelings  from  1885-1886 
created  Randolph  County's  most  elaborate  Victo- 
rian dwelling.  A  mansion  in  the  Second  Empire 
style,  it  was  as  impressive  as  any  contemporary 
home  in  North  Carolina.  Its  destruction  in  the 
early  1960s  was  a  great  loss  to  Randleman  and 
the  county. 


R:28 


=]Gt; 


I* 
iJ 

111 
I* 

111 

,3! 


5I> 


R:30 


R:30      O.  C.  MARSH  HOUSE 

214  Main  Street 
Randleman 

Probably  built  ca.  1910,  the  O.  C.  Marsh 
House  is  a  substantial  two-story  "Triple-A"  house 
with  Colonial  Revival  trim.  The  door  has  side- 
lights set  in  a  classical  frame,  and  there  is  a  del- 
icate fanlight  in  the  central  gable.  The  porch  is 
supported  on  Tuscan  posts,  and  another  small 
gable  highlights  the  entrance.  The  house  fol- 
lows a  center  hall  plan  with  a  rear  ell  and  inte- 
rior chimney. 

R:31       PILGRIM  TRACT  SOCIETY 

Depot  Street 
Randleman 

This  large,  two-story  frame  commercial  struc- 
ture was  built  in  1886  as  the  Company  Store  for 
the  Powhatan  Manufacturing  Company.  That  cor- 
poration was  yet  another  creation  of  the  indefati- 
gable John  H.  Ferree,  with  James  E.  Walker  and 
Samuel  G.  Newlin  joining  the  venture.  Land- 
locked on  Main  Street,  the  frame  mill  was  com- 
pletely dependent  on  steam  engines  and  boilers 
for  power  It  had  a  yearly  production  of  224,500 
pounds  of  yam  and  1,300,000  yards  of  colored 
cotton  cloth.  In  September,  1894,  the  Powhatan 
factory  was  sold  to  members  of  the  Worth  family, 
who  renamed  it  the  Engleworth  Cotton  Mills' 
Inc.  In  1900  the  Engleworth  property  was  merged 
into  the  Worth  Manufacturing  Company  and  oper- 
ated as  "Mill  #3."  The  history  of  the  property 
after  the  1913  bankruptcy  of  the  Worth  Manufac- 
turing Company  is  unclear,  but  the  Powhatan/ 
Engleworth  factory  building  no  longer  survives. 
The  Company  Store  was  originally  sited  at  the 
southwest  corner  of  Depot  and  Main  streets, 
with  the  factory  immediately  to  the  south.  Ca. 
1960  the  comer  lot  became  the  site  of  a  service 
station  and  the  store  was  moved  to  front  on 
Depot  Street.  It  is  now  the  headquarters  of  the 
Pilgrim  Thict  Society,  a  religious  publishing 
house. 


R:32      O.  M.  STOUT  STORE 

Depot  Street 
Randleman 

This  store  was  originally  sited  on  Stout  Street 
behind  St.  Paul's  Methodist  Church  and  was 
later  moved  across  town  to  this  site.  The  delapi- 
dated  building  was  perhaps  built  ca.  1890,  al- 
though its  type  of  bracketed-comice  "Boom- 
Town"  front  was  common  up  to  the  World  War  I 
period.  Such  commercial  buildings  have  now 
become  very  rare  in  Randolph  County. 

R:33      RANDLEMAN  DEPOT 

Depot  Street  at  Railroad  Street 
Randleman 

This  seems  to  be  the  original  depot  built  in 
1889  when  the  High  Point,  Randleman,  Asheboro 
and  Southern  Railroad  reached  town.  Most  de- 
tail and  trim  has  either  been  removed  or  covered 
by  asbestos  siding;  however,  typical  brackets 
remain  bracing  the  overhanging  shed  roof.  A 
documentary  photograph  shows  that  a  sawnwork 
frieze  once  embellished  the  eaves. 

R:34      PRESNELL  HOUSE 

209  Depot  Street 
Randleman 

This  two-story  three-bay  hip-roofed  house  has 
been  heavily  remodeled  with  asbestos  siding, 
modem  sash  and  a  small  wing  to  the  side- 
Corbeled  brick  chimneys  indicate  a  late  19th  ot 
early  20th  century  construction  date. 


JBt= 


R:35      JOHN  BROWN  HOUSE 

Northwest  corner,  Depot  Street  and 

Tabernacle  Street 

Randleman 

This  is  a  two-story  hip-roofed  T-plan  house 
with  projecting  dining  room  bay  and  6/6  sash. 
The  generous  hip-roofed  wraparound  porch,  fea- 
tures sawn  balusters  and  brackets.  John  Brown 
ran  a  local  grocery. 

R:36      HOUSE 

305  Ferguson  Street 
Randleman 

This  hip-roofed  house  has  projecting  gables 
on  each  side.  Those  on  the  north,  east  and  south 
are  purely  decorative,  while  that  on  the  west  is 
a  projecting  dining  room/kitchen  wing.  The  en- 
trance door  with  sidelights  on  the  east  opens  into 
'he  central  hallway  and  another  door  opens  on 
the  north.  The  hip  porch  is  carried  on  Tuscan 
Columns;  its  railing  has  turned  balusters. 

R:37      ARGUS  BARKER  HOUSE 

Church  Street 
Randleman 

This  two-story  center-hall  plan  house  origi- 
nally fronted  on  Main  Street  but  lost  its  front  yard 
to  a  service  station.  Its  rear  porch  retains  some 
original  trim  with  tapered  posts  and  sawn 
brackets.  The  door  and  window  frames  include 
Pedimented  lintels. 


R:38 


HOUSE 

203  Church  Street 
Randleman 


This  one-story  center-hall  plan  house  with  rear 
c"  includes  a  diamond  vent  in  the  central  gable 
and  paired  6/6  sash.  Most  of  the  house  trim  is 
obscured  by  aluminum  siding,  but  the  shed  porch 
retains  chamfered  posts  and  sawnwork  brackets 
and  balusters. 


R:39      FOX  HOUSE 

114  East  Naomi  Street 
Randleman 

This  two-story  end-chimney  house  has  feath- 
ered shingles  in  the  central  gable  as  well  as  a 
king  post  and  tie  beam  ornament  with  pierced 
sawnwork  decoration.  The  doors  and  6/6  sash 
are  set  in  molded  surrounds  with  bull's-eye  cor- 
ner blocks.  The  cornices  of  the  hip-roofed  porch, 
main  house  and  two-story  rear  wing  are  brack- 
eted and  feature  decorative  modillion  blocks. 

R:40      A.  N.  BULLA  HOUSE 

116  East  Naomi  Street 
Randleman 

This  two-story  L-plan  end-chimney  house 
features  a  wraparound  Colonial  Revival  veranda 
with  balconied  entrance.  Sidelights  set  with  col- 
ored glass  frame  the  entrance  door  and  fanlight 
windows  are  used  instead  of  vents  in  the  gables. 
A.  N.  ("Arch")  Bulla  was  mayor  of  Randleman 
in  the  early  1900s.  Along  with  S.  G.  Newlin,  he 
organized  the  pioneer  Randleman  Hosiery  Com- 
pany which  was  powered  by  a  hydroelectric  sta- 
tion built  by  Bulla  on  Polecat  Creek.  Later  the 
site  of  a  Greensboro  YMCA  Camp,  the  dam  and 
power  plant  provided  Randleman's  first  electricity. 

R:41      DOBSON  HOUSE 

1 19  East  Naomi  Street 
Randleman 

This  T-plan  house  points  its  gable  end  toward 
the  street.  The  Colonial  Revival  porch  on  Tuscan 
columns  includes  an  octagonal  gazebo.  Rome 
Dobson  ran  a  general  store  on  Main  Street;  his 
son  Charlie  Dobson  was  advertising  manager  for 
the  Progressive  Farmer  magazine. 


R:39 


R:40 


=1[3I 


Ill 


jii 


?  .^ 


*'«i 


R:42      WALKER-STORY  HOUSE 

204  East  Naomi  Street 
Randleman 

Although  an  earlier  house  may  have  stood  on 
this  site,  the  nucleus  of  this  home  was  built  ca. 
1880  by  Col.  J.  Ed  Walker,  one  of  Randleman's 
prominent  industrialists.  It  is  sited  at  a  command- 
ing location  at  the  head  of  East  Naomi,  looking 
down  the  street  toward  the  factory  building.  The 
original  house  was  similar  to  the  surrounding 
two-story  Naomi  village  houses,  but  featured 
much  more  elegant  and  fashionable  detailing. 
The  center-gable  center-hall  plan  end-chimney 
house  featured  crossetted  window  frames  with 
arched  2/2  sash,  a  bracketed  roof  overhang  and  a 
simple  hip-roofed  porch  carried  by  turned  posts 
with  sawn  brackets.  Additions  were  made  to  the 
house  and  the  porch  was  replaced  ca.  1905  by 
Stanhope  Bryant,  a  later  owner.  The  wraparound 
hip-roofed  porch  is  carried  by  paired  chamfered 
posts.  Small  sawn  brackets  with  pendant  drops 
are  paired  along  the  eaves  above  each  post.  The 
railing  features  turned  balusters.  The  house  was 
provided  with  bathrooms  and  running  water 
pumped  by  a  windmill.  The  surviving  well  house 
is  elaborately  decorated  to  match  the  residence. 
In  1917  the  property  was  acquired  by  Philip 
Custer  Story  who  arrived  from  Massachusetts  to 
manage  the  Deep  River  Mills  Corporation.  His 
daughter  still  occupies  the  house,  one  of  Randle- 
man's  finest  survivors  from  the  era  of  its  greatest 
prosperity. 


R:43      NAOMI  METHODIST 
EPISCOPAL  CHURCH 

East  Naomi  and  Barker  streets 
Randleman 

The  Naomi  Methodist  Episcopal  congrega- 
tion was  organized  in  1883,  and  for  some  years 
used  the  old  frame  St.  Paul's  Methodist  Epis- 
copal Church  building.  In  1903  this  unusual 
cruciform-plan  sanctuary  was  built,  one  of 
Randolph  County's  only  shingle  style  building. 
Although  the  stubby  entrance  tower  has  since 
been  removed,  the  cross-gable  roof  is  high- 
lighted by  flared  eaves,  pedimented  gables  dis- 
tinguished by  patterned  butt  shingling  and  large 
arched  windows.  In  1944  the  Naomi  and  St. 
Paul's  congregations  merged  to  form  the  First 
Methodist  Church  and  this  building  was  sold  to 
the  Church  of  God.  Later  outgrown,  it  was  sold 
and  attached  to  the  1950s- vintage  house  next 
door. 


=10[E 


R:44      HOUSE 

303  East  Naomi  Street 
Randleman 

This  enigmatic  brick  structure  is  said  to  have 
been  home  to  several  of  the  superintendents  for 
Naomi  mill.  The  frame  wing  was  originally  a 
separate  building,  connected  to  the  brick  struc- 
ture within  the  last  50  years.  Despite  the  identifi- 
cation as  a  residence,  both  structures  look  suspi- 
ciously like  office  or  commercial  buildings.  Its 
brick  construction  is  also  odd;  no  other  early 
brick  residences  exist  in  Randleman.  The  struc- 
toe  is  in  a  side-hall  plan,  entered  through  off- 
eenter  double  doors  on  the  south  side.  It  de- 
serves further  study. 

R:4S      NAOMI  MILL 

SUPERINTENDENT'S  HOUSE 

310  East  Naomi  Street 
Randleman 

The  detailing  of  this  house  is  different  from 
'he  usual  two-story  three-bay  center-hall  plan 
homes  of  the  Worthville  and  Naomi  villages 
because  this  was  the  local  superintendent's  resi- 
lience. Instead  of  a  chimney  to  the  rear,  the 
chimney  is  placed  on  the  south  end,  adjoining  a 
Small  wing.  Four-over-four  sash  are  used  through- 
out, although  those  on  the  first  floor  facade  are 
oversized,  extending  from  floor  to  ceiling.  The 
'ow  hip  porch  is  carried  by  chamfered  posts  with 
'amb's  tongue  motifs. 

^•'^6      A.  R.  RUSSELL  HOUSE 

316  East  Naomi  Street 
Randleman 

This  two-story  three-bay  house  is  typical  of 
Jhose  in  both  the  Naomi  and  Worthville  villages. 
J^he  chimney  is  placed  to  the  rear  of  the  center- 
"*"  plan  house,  between  the  house  and  a  one- 
s'ofy  gable  wing.  The  wing  usually  includes  a 
^Tiall  brick  stove  chimney  and  was  probably 
built  for  use  as  a  kitchen.  This  wing  and  the 
chimney  can  be  placed  on  either  side  of  the  rear 
'3cade  of  the  house.  Four-over- four  sash  are  used 
throughout.  A.  R.  Russell  was  one  of  the  pur- 
chasers of  the  mill  properties  after  bankruptcy 
"'t  them  during  the  Depression. 


R:47      NAOMI  FALLS  MANUFACTUR- 
ING COMPANY 

East  Naomi  Street 
Randleman 

In  1878  John  B.  Randleman  suggested  to  his 
partner  John  H.  Ferree  that  they  ought  to  build  a 
cotton  mill  at  the  Naomi  Falls  just  downstream 
from  their  original  Union  Manufacturing  Com- 
pany mill.  The  falls  were  named  after  the  un- 
lucky folk  heroine  Naomi  Wise,  who  had  been 
murdered  by  her  lover  near  the  spot  in  1808. 
Randleman  died  in  1879  but  the  incorporation  of 
the  factory  went  ahead  as  planned.  J.  H.  Ferree 
became  president,  with  James  E.  Walker  secre- 
tary-treasurer; Randleman  residents  J.  O.  Pickard, 
Logan  Weaver  and  Amos  Gregson  were  stock- 
holders. A  three-story  building  was  built,  307 
feet  in  length  by  54  feet  wide,  in  1:5  common 
bonded  brick  on  a  rubble  stone  foundation. 

The  mill  was  dedicated  in  February,  1880,  in 
an  unusual  ceremony  presided  over  by  Dr.  Brax- 
ton Craven,  president  of  Trinity  College.  In  his 
words,  "...  we  are  for  the  first  time  to  dedicate 
houses  and  machinery  to  the  service  of  God.  We 
are  to  ask,  and  I  hope  obtain,  the  Divine  blessing 
upon  capital  and  product,  upon  the  owners  and 
all  who  shall  hereon  do  faithful  work."  By  1884 
those  faithful  workers  were  producing  per  day 
5,000  yards  of  plaid  cloth,  600  seamless  bags 
and  1,000  pounds  of  warp  yam.  The  machinery 
included  5,500  spindles,  150  plaid  looms  and  12 
bag  looms. 

On  June  11,  1 9 1 1 ,  the  Naomi  Falls  mill  was 
combined  with  the  other  Randleman  factories  in 
a  new  company,  the  Deep  River  Mills,  Inc.  This 
firm  was  in  1929  a  victim  of  the  Depression;  in 
1933  R.  L.  Huffine  of  Fayetteville  bought  the 
property.  The  Randtex  Corporation,  with  Huffine 
as  president,  was  organized  to  manufacture  fancy 
colored  cotton  fabric.  In  1941,Randtex  became  a 
subsidiary  of  the  Susquehanna  Silk  Mills  of 
Sunbury,  Pa.  The  company  houses  were  then 
sold  and  the  mill  closed  during  World  War  II.  In 
1948,  Herman  Cone  of  Greensboro  bought  the 
mills  to  house  a  personal  venture  manufacturing 
synthetic  yam.  At  Cones  death  the  property  was 
sold  to  the  J.  P  Stevens  Corporation,  which 
operates  it  today. 


R:44 


R:45 


R:46 


R:47 


3t3t= 


EIEIE 


127 


'ill 


ii 


!►; 


Ill  ■ 

nil       ^  .^  I    I., 


R:48      WORTHVILLE  MILL  VILLAGE 

Russell  Walker  Ave. , 
Village  Ave.,  Riverpark  Dr., 
Meadowview  Rd. 
Randleman 

The  Worthville  Mill  village  consists  of  approxi- 
mately fifty  houses  of  two  basic  types.  Ten  are 
two-story  houses  virtually  identical  to  those  in 
the  Naomi  mill  village  in  Randleman.  These 
three-bay  center-hall  plan  houses  have  wide  roof 
overhangs,  diamond-shaped  gable  vents,  6/6  sash 
and  single-story  hip-roofed  porches.  A  single 
chimney  on  the  rear  facade  is  shared  by  a  small 
one-story  kitchen  wing.  Whether  the  houses  were 
meant  for  use  as  single-family  dwellings  or  as 
multi-family  boarding  houses  is  not  clear.  These 
houses  are  grouped  together  in  a  row  along  SR 
2128  (Russell  Walker  Avenue)  beginning  at  the 
intersection  with  Village  Avenue,  and  running 
east  downhill  towards  the  factory. 

The  majority  of  the  village's  housing  stock  is 
made  up  of  one-story  three-bay  houses  which  are 
essentially  smaller  versions  of  the  two-story  type. 
All  originally  featured  4/4  sash,  wide  roof 
overhangs,  square  gable  vents  and  shed  porches, 
although  they  varied  in  details  such  as  cornice 
returns,  brackets,  porch  posts  and  railings.  It 
may  be  that  the  original  1880  village  at  Hopper's 
Ford  consisted  of  the  two-story  houses  on  the 
hill  above  the  mill;  the  smaller  houses  with 
larger  window  panes  would  date  to  the  period  of 
mill  expansion  in  the  later  1880s  and  1890s. 

Worthville  was  hit  very  hard  by  the  closing  of 
its  mill;  the  housing  stock  of  the  village  became 
delapidated  and  some  deteriorated  houses  were 
demolished.  In  1983  the  village  was  annexed  by 
Randleman  and  has  begun  a  revival,  gaining 
improvements  in  streets,  water  and  sewage  sys- 
tems, but  losing  its  historic  identity. 


R:49      JOHN    M.    WORTH    MANUFAC- 
TURING COMPANY 

Russell  Walker  Avenue 
Randleman 

The  original  Worth  Manufacturing  Company 
building  was  a  very  long,  narrow,  three-story 
brick  structure  built  into  a  sloping  site.  The  west 
facade,  exhibiting  just  two  stories,  was  punctu- 
ated by  a  three-story  stair  tower.  Star-end  tie  rods 
brand  the  floors,  while  the  12/12  window  sash 
were  framed  by  elaborate  corbeled  brick  mold- 
ings. Interestingly,  these  hood  moldings  are 
painted  a  uniform  "brick  red"  color,  with  the 
keystones  and  terminals  picked  out  in  contrasting 
white.  A  row  of  brick  dentils  at  the  eaves  are  also 
accented  with  white  paint.  This  unusual  decora- 
tive treatment  is  seen  in  the  earliest  photographs 
of  the  mill  and,  to  a  great  extent,  survives  today- 

The  stair  tower  was  later  enlarged  and  became 
an  entrance  wing  three  bays  wide  and  ten  bays 
long.  The  early  mill  has  also  been  expanded 
through  the  years,  but  an  original  stepped-gable 
survives  on  the  north  river  facade,  concealing  a 
shallow-pitched  roof.  On  the  northwest,  at  the 
present  bridge,  is  what  was  probably  the  original 
detached  picker  house.  The  one-story  brick  build- 
ing is  built  on  a  stone  foundation,  repeats  the 
hood  molding  treatment  of  the  main  mill,  and 
features  a  corbeled  parapet. 


£  S  S 


R:49 


128 


Back  Creek  Ibwnship 


BCT:1  HEARTHSTONE  FARM 

Back  Creek  Township 
This  complex  includes  one  log  cabin  original 
to  the  site  and  several  other  structures  built  or 
moved  here  by  local  antiquaries  Frances  and  Lee 
Stone.  The  original  cabin  is  a  saddle-notched  log 
structure  now  part  of  a  larger  dwelling.  A  small 
log  cabin  with  half  dovetail  notching  was  half  of 
a  saddle-bag  cabin  which  once  stood  in  south- 
western Randolph.  The  largest  house  of  the 
complex  is  a  log  cabin  of  unknown  notching  now 
surrounded  by  frame  additions;  the  second  floor 
is  entered  by  an  enclosed  stair  which  rises  from 
an  exterior  doorway  on  the  engaged  porch.  A 
small  half-timbered  house  with  brick  nogging 
was  built  in  1978,  based  on  Old  Salem  examples. 

BCT:2  JOHN  WESLEY'S  STAND 

Back  Creek  Township 
John  Wesley's  Stand  is  Randolph  County's  last 
remaining  example  of  a  once  familiar  sight:  the 
open-air  tabernacle  or  brush  arbor.  Despite  local 
tradition,  the  church  was  not  founded  by  Meth- 
odist clergyman  John  Wesley  but  by  Rev  J.  R 
(Frank)  Burkhead  of  Asheboro  in  1903.  A  small 
frame  church  was  erected  in  1906,  and  the  taber- 
nacle in  1921.  Surrounding  both  was  a  camp- 
ground with  a  complex  of  outbuildings  including 
a  kitchen,  dining  room  and  dormitories  to  house 
preachers  and  workers  during  the  annual  camp 
meeting  period.  The  quartz  rock  pillars  of  the 
tabernacle  are  an  echo  of  the  popular  Bungalow 
style  of  that  time.  Wooden  lattice- work  origi- 
nally filled  the  space  between  the  pillars.  Such  a 
recent  example  of  an  antique  religious  form  is 
unusual. 

BCT:3  BACK  CREEK  FRIENDS  MEETING 

Back  Creek  Township 
A  Preparative  Meeting  was  organized  at  Back 
Creek  in  1785  and  the  first  meeting  house  was 
built  about  four  years  later.  The  church  still 
possesses  benches  and  fumimre  from  that  orig- 
inal structure.  In  1792  Back  Creek  was  estab- 
lished as  a  monthly  Meeting,  the  oldest  such 
meeting  in  the  Southern  Quarter.  One  of  the  first 
Sunday  Schools  in  the  area  was  begun  here  in 
1835.  The  age  of  the  present  building  is  difficult 
to  determine,  due  to  extensive  aherations  and 
brick  veneering.  Some  elements,  such  as  the 
central  gable,  would  suggest  a  ca.  1890  or  1900 
date,  while  features  such  as  the  oversized  9/9 
sash  seem  earlier. 


BCT:2 


BCT:3 


!lHl==ini==int==^=lH[^^=lE][^^=iaiz==iE]E 


3BI IBIS 


129 


liil 


BCT:4  CHARLOTTE  METHODIST 
PROTESTANT  CHURCH 

Back  Creek  Township 

A  lovely  rural  chapel,  probably  built  ca.  1890. 
The  pointed  transom  over  the  entrance  doors 
echos  the  pointed  sash  on  the  sides.  Chamfered 
comer  boards  tie  the  elaborately  shingled  gable 
to  the  ground. 

BCT:5  CARAWAY  BAPTIST  CHURCH 

Back  Creek  Township 

This  congregation  was  organized  in  1932  and 
its  sanctuary  built  soon  thereafter.  The  building 
is  very  similar  to  late  19th  century  churches  with 
4/4  double-hung  sash,  exposed  rafters,  entrance 
vestibule  and  belfry. 

BCT:6  MAPLE  GROVE  DAIRY 

Back  Creek  Township 

Maple  Grove  Diary  supplied  milk  to  Asheboro 
and  the  surrounding  community  in  the  early  20th 
century.  The  Queen  Anne  style  house  with  a 
projecting  polygonal  end  pavilion  was  probably 
built  ca.  1895.  The  bay  has  a  bracketed  cantile- 
vered  gable  with  pendants  and  feathered  shin- 
gling. The  complex  includes  many  outbuildings, 
such  as  a  brick  flower  house  and  a  board-and- 
batten  garden  shed.  The  huge  board-and-batten 
dairy  bam  was  probably  also  built  ca.  1895.  The 
pitch  of  the  barn's  roof  is  very  steep,  creating  an 
enormous  open  space  as  a  hayloft.  Associated 
with  the  bam  is  a  wooden  water  tank,  well 
house  and  spring  house.  The  dairy  was  mn  by 
Mr.  Earl  Bulla.  Operations  ceased  when  the  City 
of  Asheboro  built  Lake  Lucas  in  1943. 


BCT:7  TROY  REDDING  HOUSE 

Back  Creek  Township 

At  the  top  of  this  house's  south  end  chimney 
is  painted  "WC.  1881  WO.O.  (?)  1882."  The 
house  is  identified  with  a  later  owner;  the  names 
that  match  these  initials  are  unknown.  This  is 
a  well-preserved  gem  of  a  house,  with  molded 
pediments  over  the  windows,  coupled  brackets 
with  drops  below  the  comice  and  Eastlake-style 
porch  posts  with  applied  panels.  The  chimneys 
have  painted  mortar  joints.  The  house  is  about 
one-quarter  mile  from  the  site  of  Sawyer's  Gold 
Mine,  and  may  have  had  some  connection  with 
that  operation. 

BCT:8  HOUSE 

Back  Creek  Township 

This  attractive  house  was  probably  built  in  the 
1880s.  It  has  4/4  sash  in  plain  rectangular  frames 
save  for  the  central  second-story  front  window 
which  has  a  pedimented  architrave.  The  steep 
gable  roof  has  a  boxed  comice  with  coupled 
sawnwork  brackets  on  the  frieze  board.  The 
hip-roofed  porch  has  tumed  posts  with  brackets. 
The  mortar  joints  of  the  stepped-shoulder  end 
chimneys  are  penciled. 


BCT:9  DR.  A.  C.  BULLA  HOUSE 

Back  Creek  Township 

In  1844  the  local  physician  Dr.  Archie  Castelray 
Bulla  built  this  house  and  adjoining  doctor's 
office.  The  Quaker-plan  house  has  a  sheathed 
facade  and  unusual  two-story  veranda.  This  treat- 
ment is  well  known  in  coastal  areas,  but  is 
uncommon  in  the  Piedmont.  The  single  shoulder 
chimney  is  laid  in  1:5  common  bond.  The  office, 
probably  also  built  in  1844,  is  a  small  structure 
with  matching  trim,  raised  about  four  feet  off  the 
ground.  It  is  said  that  this  was  to  keep  visitors 
from  peeping  in  at  the  patients.  Beside  the  office 
's  a  small  house  built  as  a  residence  for  Dr. 
Bulla's  son.  A  small  board-and-batten  building 
nearby  is  said  to  have  been  a  "worker's"  house 
moved  from  elsewhere  on  the  plantation.  This 
may  mean  that  it  was  once  used  as  a  slave  cabin; 
'f  so,  it  would  be  the  only  one  surviving  in 
Randolph  County. 

BCT:10  LAKE  LUCAS  DAM 

Back  Creek  Township 

Asheboro's  primary  raw  water  reservoir  is 
impounded  by  this  dam,  built  from  1943  to  1947. 
Piatt  and  Davis  of  Durham  were  the  designing 
engineers;  the  firm  of  Wannamaker  and  Welles  of 
Orangeburg,  S.C,  was  the  contractor. 

BCT:11  MOODY  DOUGAN  HOUSE 

Back  Creek  Township 

The  interior  of  this  small  antebellum  house  is 
a  surprising  example  of  exuberant  vernacular 
craftsmanship.  Every  door  and  window  origi- 
nally had  elaborate  pedimented  cornices.  The 
'ioors  and  mantel  have  matching  narrow  pilasters. 
At  one  time  there  were  octagonal  porch  posts 
*hich  also  matched  these  pilasters.  The  house 


has,  in  overall  form,  been  greatly  altered.  At  one 
time  it  had  a  usable  second  floor,  now  removed. 
Ca.  1938  that  second  story,  original  roof  and 
porch  were  removed,  a  kitchen  wing  built  and 
asbestos  siding  added.  The  chimney,  now  hidden, 
is  of  local  soapstone. 

The  identity  of  the  owner/builder  is  un- 
known, though  the  house  was  probably  built  ca. 
1830.  In  the  middle  of  the  19th  century  this  was 
the  home  of  Newton  and  then  Ramsom  Pierce; 
it  is  now  the  home  of  Moody  Dougan.  The  house 
is  located  near  an  historic  spot,  the  "Forks  of 
the  Caraway,"  where  a  tavern  and  trading  out- 
post was  located  before  1750. 

BCT:12  HOUSE 

Back  Creek  Township 

The  most  prominent  feature  of  this  Colonial 
Revival  house  is  the  Palladian  window  in  the 
central  gabled  dormer.  The  hip  roof  is  elaborated 
by  twin  gables  flanking  the  facade  and  a  side 
pavilion.  The  porch  is  carried  on  short  Tuscan 
columns  elevated  on  brick  piers. 

BCT:13  MOUNTAIN  CREEK  STEEL 
BRIDGE 

Back  Creek  Township 

An  exceptional  example  of  a  three  element 
Pratt  through  truss,  the  Mountain  Creek  Steel 
Bridge  contains  bottom  and  top  lateral  bracing  in 
addition  to  portal  bracing.  A  feature  character- 
istic of  most  small  rural  truss  bridges  is  the  inner 
wooden  guard  rails  which  flank  the  plank  floor. 


=1HC 


am  iHF 


ilk" 


Tabernacle  Tbwnship 


TT:1 


<!t*%- 


m^- 


rr:2 


17:3 


ElBE 


=)QE 


SGE 


EJGE 


ElBE 


EJGE 


EIDE 


EIBE 


=]GE 


3tgi  =1RI  imp 


TT:1  ROBBINS  HOUSE 

Tabernacle  Township 
This  attractive  Queen  Anne  style  dwelling  is 
still  the  home  of  descendants  of  its  builder.  H 
features  a  projecting  polygonal  bay  with  cantile- 
vered  gable  braced  by  brackets  decorated  with  a 
sawtooth  design  and  turned  pendants.  The  two 
gables  of  the  primary  facade  are  embellished  by 
feathered  shingling,  sawnwork  peak  ornaments 
and  colored  glass  windows.  The  hip  porch  is 
carried  on  turned  posts  and  sawn  brackets  with 
turned  pendants.  Sawnwork  fascia  decoration 
fills  the  space  between  each  post. 

TT:2  HUGHES  HOUSE 

Tabernacle  Township 

This  isolated  early  20th  century  hip-roofc'' 
house  illustrates  the  transitional  period  between 
the  Queen  Anne  and  Colonial  Revival  styles^ 
Queen  Anne  survivals  include  polygonal  win- 
dow bays  with  projecting  gables  supported  by 
comer  brackets.  Feathered  shingling  and  sawn- 
work gable  decoration  also  decorate  the  exterior- 
The  Colonial  Revival  details  include  dentil  cor- 
nices, Tuscan  porch  columns  on  brick  piers  and 
elliptical  sidelights  framing  the  entrance  door- 

TT:3  HOUSES  (destroyed) 

Tabernacle  Township 

The  two  dwellings  which  once  stood  on  this 
site  beside  the  Tabernacle  church  cemetery  of- 
fered an  interesting  contract  between  early  an 
late  19th  century  house  design.  The  earlier  house 
had  been  converted  into  a  bam.  but  was  one  o 
the  county's  few  examples  of  the  "Continental 
or  "Quaker"  plan  house;  one  large  room  w"^ 
fireplace;  two  small  unheated  rooms  walled  oi 
the  opposite  end  by  a  partition  of  hand-plan* 
tongue-and-groove  paneling.  Two-panel  Gtee 
Revival  doors  w  ere  used,  and  the  roof  had  a  wio 
overhang  with  exposed  rafter  ends.  The  hous' 
may  have  been  built  in  the  1 890s. 

The  adjoining  two-story  dwelling  was  pf'',^' 
bly  built  ca.  1890  and  retained  traces  of  '• 
original  polychromatic  exterior  paint— tan  w' 
red  and  green  trim.  A  projecting  polygonal  baj 
was  covered  by  a  cantilevered  overhang  brace^ 
by  sawn  brackets  with  turned  pendant  drops.  J  ^ 
gable  ends  wx:re  decorated  with  "fish  scale'  ° 
"feathered"  shingling  and  sawnwork  peak  orn  ^ 
ments.  The  WTaparound  porch  was  carried  o 
turned  posts;  sawnwx)rk  fascia  decoration  ^ 


used  between  the  posts  instead  of  brackets, 
houses  burned  in  1980. 


Both 


132 


TT:4  TABERNACLE  METHODIST 
CHURCH  CEMETERY 

Tabernacle  Township 

Sited  near  the  center  of  Randolph  County's 
"lajor  18th  century  German  community,  this 
<^emetery  features  examples  of  folk-art  tomb- 
stones. "Pierced"  tombstones  such  as  these  have 
''een  discovered  primarily  in  Davidson  and  Rowan 
counties  and  are  attributed  to  Germanic  folk 
^raditions.  These  are  the  only  examples  yet  found 
">  Randolph  and  date  to  the  first  quarter  of  the 
19th  century. 

TT:S  BRILES  PLACE 

Tabernacle  Township 

This  small  Quaker  plan  house  of  ca.  1870  is 
PW  of  a  large  farm  complex  with  a  number  of 
outbuildings  and  bams.  The  largest  bam,  built 
''a.  1890,  has  been  remodeled  as  a  kennel.  Some 
outbuildings  retain  early  fittings  such  as  strap 
"">ges  and  wooden  latches. 

TT:6  WILLIAM  KEARNS  PLACE 

Tabernacle  Township 

The  oldest  section  of  this  house  was  built  ca. 
'845  by  William  Reams.  It  was  a  small  hall-and- 
Parlor  house  with  an  end  chimney  and  a  boxed 
stair.  The  interior  has  been  remodeled,  but  origi- 
nal two-panel  doors  remain.  A  large  "triple-A" 
^oduion  was  built  ca.  1890,  which  faced  the  old 
"■oad  now  replaced  by  US  64. 


TT:7  JESS  ROBBINS  HOUSE 

Tabemacle  Township 
ThisT-plan  "triple-A"  house  of  ca.  1900  occu- 
pies a  prominent  site  on  US  64.  It  is  located  m  a 
pasmre  bordered  by  a  stream,  with  Shepherd 
Mountain  rising  dramatically  in  the  background. 

TT:8  MX.  ZION  METHODIST  CHURCH 

Tabemacle  Township 
The  original  Methodist  Episcopal  congrega- 
tion was  organized  here  ca.  1881.  The  current 
sanctuary  was  built  in  1887.  Four  bays  long,  with 
oversized  4/4  sash,  it  features  a  boxed  comice 
with  returns  and  a  square,  open  cupola  housing 
the  church  bell.  Double  entrance  doors  are  cen- 
tered on  the  south  gable  end.  A  Sunday  school 
wing  was  added  and  other  alterations  made  in 
1929. 


TT:4 


TT:5 


TT:9 


rr-.io 


TT.II 


TT:9  POPLAR  RIDGE  FRIENDS  MEETING 

Tabernacle  Township 

Poplar  Ridge  Friends  Meeting  was  organized 
in  1906  and  now  occupies  a  modern  brick 
sanctuary.  Two  earlier  buildings  remain  at  the 
site.  The  southern  structure  is  the  third  meeting 
house,  built  in  1937.  It  is  a  frame  structure  with 
6/6  sash,  entrance  vestibule,  belfry  and  Sunday 
school  wings.  The  northern  structure  is  the  1904 
Poplar  Ridge  School.  A  school  was  first  held 
here  in  1881;  it  closed  due  to  consolidation  in 
1951.  The  school  is  four  bays  long,  with  9/9 
sash,  exposed  rafters  and  a  belfry.  The  earliest 
burial  in  the  Poplar  Ridge  cemetery  is  that  of 
Hannah  Farlow  in  1872. 

XT:  10  MT.  GILEAD  METHODIST  CHURCH 

Tabernacle  Township 

According  to  a  local  historian,  the  original 
Ml.  Gilead  Church  was  built  of  logs  and  had  an 
elaborately  carved  pine  pulpit,  eight  feet  tall  and 
"round  like  a  barrell."  The  church  was  a  Method- 
ist Episcopal  congregation.  In  1892  a  second 
church  was  built;  this  sanctuary  still  exists,  sur- 
rounded by  later  additions  and  covered  with 
aluminum  siding. 

TT:11  HOUSE 

Tabernacle  Township 

This  sadly  delapidated  house  is  located  on  a 
magnificent  site,  a  bluff  high  above  the  Little 
Uwharric  River  The  original  house  was  one- 
story  high  and  two  bays  wide,  in  a  side-hall  or 
hall-and-parlor  plan.  A  stone  and  brick  exterior 
end  chimney  served  a  fireplace  which  retains  an 


interesting  mantel.  A  simple  mitred  molding 
frames  the  firebox,  while  the  mantel  shelf  is 
supported  on  three  raised  panels  or  cushion-like 
boxes  resembling  a  cnide  pulvinated  frieze.  The 
mantel  seems  to  represent  the  transitional  period 
bridging  Georgiaa'Federal/Greek  Revival  ele- 
ments in  the  1830s.  In  the  later  19th  century  the 
house  was  widened  and  expanded  to  two  stories. 

TT:12  CHARLES  PHILLIPS  HOUSE 

Tabernacle  Township 

Dr.  Charles  Phillips  built  this  house  near 
Fuller's  Mill,  probably  ca.  1890.  The  T-plan 
house  with  bracketed  polygonal  end  pavilion  has 
porch  and  cornice  brackets,  as  well  as  elaborate 
gable  ornaments. 

TT:13  WADE  SMITH  HOUSE 

Tabernacle  Township 

This  is  a  ca.  1845  five-bay  Greek  Revival 
house  with  front  and  rear  shed  porches.  The 
exterior  end  chimneys  are  of  stepped-shoulder 
design  in  running  bond.  The  double  entrance 
doors  are  set  in  a  symmetrically-molded  frame 
with  car\ed  comer  blocks.  Other  doors  and 
windows  have  comer  blocks  as  well.  The  shal- 
low pitched  gable  roof  has  a  molded  cornice 
with  returns. 


3BU 


TT:14  KINDLEY  HOUSE 

Tabernacle  Township 

A  brick  in  the  chimney  of  this  house  is  painted 
"N— 1873."  A  two-panel  Greek  Revival  en- 
trance door  is  framed  by  sidelights.  The  interior 
has  an  open-string  stair  with  turned  newel  and  a 
paneled  post-and-lentil  mantel.  The  orange  mor- 
tar joints  of  the  house  were  originally  stenciled 
with  white  paint.  This  house  was  probably  built 
in  connection  with  the  Hoover  Hill  Gold  Mine, 
which  was  located  about  one-quarter  mile  north. 

TT:1S  BOBBY  KEARNS  PLACE 

Tabernacle  Township 

This  log  house  with  upstairs  accessible  only 
from  an  exterior  door,  has  a  matching  frame 
addition  to  the  east.  It  is  part  of  a  farm  complex 
*hich  includes  a  large  mortise-and-tenon  bam, 
smokehouse  and  well  cover,  all  probably  built 
before  1860. 

TT:16  MARTIN  TROTTER  HOUSE 

Tabernacle  Township 

A  carved  stone  in  the  slate  and  brick  chimney 
of  this  log  house  is  inscribed  "MT-1831."  The 
area's  only  "M.T."  was  Martin  Trotter,  aged  54 
i"  the  census  of  1850.  The  interior  of  the  dwell- 
ing was  remodeled  in  the  1890s. 

TT:17  LITTLE  UWHARRIE  RIVER 
STEEL  BRIDGE 

Tabernacle  Township 

Representative  of  perhaps  the  most  common 
type  of  early  20th  century  truss  bridge  in  North 
Carolina  the  Little  Uwharrie  Bridge,  demolished 
in  1979,  featured  a  Pratt  truss  spanning  125  feet. 
Top  and  bottom  lateral  bracing  further  strength- 
ened this  simple  truss  system.  Measuring  12  feet 
■n  width,  the  road  maintained  a  characteristic 
Wooden  floor.  Located  only  two  miles  from  the 
^keen's  Mill  Covered  Bridge  which  is  the  state's 
only  example  of  a  Town  lattice  truss,  the  Little 
'Jwharrie  Bridge  offered  an  important  educa- 
tional opportunity  focusing  on  the  evolution  of 
^arly  bridge  design.  The  bridge  was  destroyed 
in  1980 


TT:18  SKEEN'S  MILL  COVERED         NR 
BRIDGE 

Tabernacle  Township 

Of  the  scores  of  covered  bridges  built  in 
Randolph  County,  only  two  survive.  One  of 
these  is  Skeen's  Mill  Bridge  which  crosses  the 
Uwharrie  River  northwest  of  Asheboro.  A  map 
of  Randolph  County  made  by  J.  W  Bean  about 
1873  shows  a  Skeen's  Mill.  Although  this  map 
indicates  various  bridges  throughout  the  county, 
no  bridge  is  shown  at  or  near  Skeen's  Mill.  The 
minutes  of  the  June.  1885,  session  of  the  county 
commissioners  record  a  petition  for  a  public  road 
"from  Isham  Finch's  by  Widow  Thayers,  Skeens 
Mill,  John  Ganx)ns,  and  to  the  Stage  Public 
Road  ..."  with  John  Skeen  appointed  overseer. 
It  is  likely  that  such  a  road  would  antedate  a 
bridge  in  the  area  but  at  the  same  time  create  a 
future  need  for  a  bridge  across  the  Uwhanie  in 
this  vicinity.  County  commissioners'  minutes  of 
March  5, 1900,  show  that  C.  T  Hughes  was  paid 
eleven  dollars  for  "repairing  bridge  at  N.  R. 
Skeens,"  indicating  the  bridge  was  constnicted 
sometime  before  1900. 

Ithiel  Town,  noted  architect  and  early  bodge 
engineer,  built  a  bridge  across  the  Yadkin  River 
as  early  as  1818  and  patented  his  "Town  lattice 
mode"  of  tnissing  in  1820.  Skeen's  Mill  Bndge 
incorporates  the  use  of  his  lattice  tniss,  and  is 
called  "the  last  of  the  Town  lattice  bridges  in  the 
state  in  which  they  were  first  built." 

Skeen's  Mill  Covered  Bridge,  one  hundred 
feet  long,  spans  a  branch  of  the  Little  Uwhame 
River  twenty-two  feet  above  the  river  bed.  Built 
on  dry  wall  stone  ramps  and  an  auxiliary  support, 
the  wooden  bridge  is  a  one-span  combination  of 
the  Ithiel  Town  lattice-truss  and  queenpost  tniss 
consmiction  systems.  The  joints  of  the  stnictural 
members  have  been  fastened  with  tninnels. 
Skeen's  Mill  Bridge,  once  toppled  dunng  a  flood, 
was  set  back  up  and  stabilized  with  steel  cables. 
The  sides  of  the  bridge  are  covered  with 
vertical  board-and-batten  sheathing  and  the  ga- 
ble roof  with  standing  seam  tin.  Plank  tracks  or 
treads  nin  the  length  of  the  wooden  floor. 


TT:14 


TT:I5 


TT.IH 
BEE 


jai  laE 


£]E1[^^^=1EII^^^=IE1I IB( 1131 IBE 


135 


Concord  Tbwnship 


r 

311 


•511 


CT.I 


CT:3 


CT:1  THOMAS  RICE  FARM 

Concord  Township 

Ca.  1860  carpenter-builder  Thomas  Rice  left 
his  home  in  Franklinville  and  moved  to  this  farm 
near  Farmer.  The  nature  of  Rice's  house  at  this 
site  is  not  known,  as  it  has  not  survived.  Several 
outbuildings  remain,  however,  and  one  is  out- 
standing. The  only  example  of  a  diamond-notched 
log  building  is  the  small  com  crib  here.  An 
unusual  feature  of  the  crib  is  that  not  only  the 
joints  but  the  whole  logs  are  hewn  perfectly 
square. 

CT:2  JUBE  HORNEY  HOUSE 

Concord  Township 

The  original  part  of  this  house  is  now  a  rear 
wing,  said  to  have  been  built  of  log  construction 
about  1838  by  Jared  Homey,  father  of  Julius 
("Jube")  Homey.  Ca.  1890  "Jube"  built  the 
two-story  frame  end-chimney  house  and  estab- 
lished a  Farmer's  Alliance  Store  in  the  rear  wing- 
The  Fanner's  Alliance  was  founded  in  North 
Carolina  in  1887  as  part  of  the  Populist  move- 
ment. A  chain  of  cooperative  stores  were  estab- 
lished where  members  of  the  Alliance  could 
purchase  groceries,  seeds,  hardware  and  fertil- 
izer at  wholesale  prices.  The  movement  waned, 
and  Homey  closed  his  store  ca.  1900. 

CT:3  FARGO  WOOD  HOUSE 

Concord  Township 

This  house  is  thought  to  have  been  built  ca. 
1800,  and  may  indeed  have  been.  Extensive 
alterations  and  aluminum  siding  have  made  this 
difficult  to  ascertain.  The  flush  gables  and  boxed 
cornice  indicate  an  early  date,  as  does  the  smal' 
boxed  staircase.  The  bulky  rock  chimney  and 
brick  stack  have  been  stuccoed.  An  early  de- 
tached kitchen  wing  is  now  attached  to  the  rear- 
Known  locally  as  the  Fargo  Wood  House. 


136 


CT:4  CHARLIE  LEWIS  HOUSE 

Concord  Township 

This  is  Randolph  County's  only  early  double- 
pile  house — a  house  two  rooms  wide  and  two 
rooms  deep  and  two  stories  tall.  The  large  ca. 
1840  house  is  an  odd  combination  of  monumen- 
tality  and  simplicity.  The  surviving  interior  trim 
is  rather  plain.  T\vo-panel  doors  with  plain  trim 
or  plain  batten  doors  and  horizontal  board  panel- 
ing without  moldings  are  used  throughout.  One 
mantel  is  decorated  with  molded  flat  panels  and 
has  a  bracketed  shelf.  Another  mantel  has  a 
symmetrical  molded  surround  with  rectangular 
comer  blocks.  A  simple  boxed  stair  provides 
access  to  the  second  floor.  The  house  was  aban- 
doned and  deteriorated  badly  in  the  1930s.  It  was 
extensively  renovated  in  1942,  but  it  has  been 
unused  again  since  1964.  The  surviving  exterior 
trim  is  minimal.  Both  front  doors  are  surmounted 
by  three-pane  transoms.  Large  6/6  sash  are  used 
on  the  first  floor,  smaller  6/6  sash  on  the  second. 
The  exterior  is  now  covered  with  asbestos  siding; 
one  chimney  and  the  roof  have  been  completely 
rebuilt.  An  enormous  bam  nearby  is  of  mortise- 
and-tenon  constmction  and  is  probably  contem- 
porary with  the  house. 

CT:5  HOUSE 

Concord  Township 

This  odd  center-hall  plan  house  is  difficult  to 
date;  it  includes  antebellum  features  such  as  6/6 
sash  and  a  two-panel  entrance  door  framed  by 
sidelights  and  transom,  as  well  as  later  trim  such 
as  arched  millwork  windows  with  pedimented 
'intels.  The  shed  porch  carried  on  turned  posts 
*nd  brackets  may  be  a  tum-of-the-century  replace- 
"lent  of  a  smaller  central  porch  which  sheltered 
only  the  entrance.  Asbestos  siding  obscures  much 
?f  the  trim  details.  The  isolated  farm  complex 
includes  a  small  log  outbuilding  with  half-dovetail 
notching. 

CT:6  "SEVEN  HEARTHS"  LODGE 

Concord  Township 

This  large  dwelling  is  said  to  have  been  built 
<^a.  1900  as  a  winter  residence  for  a  New  York 
fan.  Though  covered  now  with  asbestos  siding, 
a  documentary  photograph  reveals  that  the  house 
*as  originally  covered  completely  with  shingles. 


It  is,  therefore,  one  of  the  very  few  "shingle 
style"  structures  in  the  county.  The  large  two- 
story  house  has  a  smaller  two-story  servants' 
wing.  Double-hung  6/6  sash  are  used  througout. 
The  original  porch  extended  from  the  entrance 
hall  to  cover  the  carriage  drive;  it  has  been 
dismantled.  The  lodge  was  subsequently  known 
as  the  "Vuncannon  House,"  and  later  became 
the  summer  home  of  Asheboro  industrialist  C.  C. 
Cranford  and  his  family 

CT:7  BUNCH  POST  OFFICE 

Concord  Township 

The  "Bunch"  post  office  was  located  in  this 
large  two-story  house  from  1888  to  1901,  but  the 
house  seems  to  be  much  older.  Parts  of  it  may 
predate  the  Civil  War.  The  asymmetrical  place- 
ment of  the  two  front  doors  and  6/6  sash  is 
unusual  for  Randolph,  as  is  the  central  chimney. 
The  shed  porch  is  a  replacement,  carried  on 
bungaloid  pylons  and  piers.  John  Thompson  was 
appointed  postmaster  when  the  Bunch  office  was 
created  on  February  27,  1888. 

CT:8  PARKER'S  MILL  BRIDGE 

Concord  Township 
A  double  span  concrete  spandrel  arch  bridge 
over  the  Uwharrie,  built  in  1924.  The  one-lane 
bridge  was  designed  by  engineer  Grady  L.  Bash, 
and  built  by  the  firm  of  Steel  and  Lebby  of 
Knoxville.  Tennessee.  Vic  Parker's  grist  mill 
once  stood  at  the  east  end  of  the  bridge;  it  is  now 
being  replaced  by  a  huge  dam  designed  to  im- 
pound a  new  raw  water  reservoir  for  Asheboro. 


'Il 


I 


sir 

i'i 

n 


'31' 


CT.-9 


CT.IO 


CT:9  ARNOLD  HOUSE 

Concord  Township 

Probably  built  ca.  1830,  this  house  features 
locally-made  two-and  six-panel  doors,  a  boxed 
stair  and  a  molded  cornice  with  cornice  returns. 
The  hall-and-parlor  plan  house  once  had  two  end 
chimneys  of  brick  set  on  stone  foundations.  The 
original  front  facade  is  now  the  rear;  it  exhibits 
9/6  sash  and  sheathed  siding.  Thought  to  be  an 
old  Arnold  family  home. 

CT:10  MOLLIE  FULLER  SKEEN  HOUSE 

Concord  Township 

Built  by  Mollie  Fuller  Skeen  and  renovated 
recently  by  Asheboro  architect  Hyatt  Hammond. 
Probably  built  ca.  1900,  the  house  is  covered  by 
a  deck-on-hip  roof.  The  decorative  sunken  pan- 
els in  the  brick  chimney  are  distinctive  features. 

CT:11  MAVIN  YATES  HOUSE 

Concord  Township 

Perhaps  built  ca.  1820,  the  house  features 
flush  gable  and  a  boxed  cornice.  The  end  chim- 
ney has  been  destroyed.  Two-panel  Greek  Re- 
vival doors  and  6/6  sash  are  used.  A  detached 
kitchen  has  become  attached  as  a  rear  wing. 


CT:I3 


CT:12  IVEY  BURKHEAD  HOUSE 

Concord  Township 

This  abandoned  and  delapidated  dwelling  was 
probably  built  in  the  1870s  or  early  1880s.  The 
two-story  center-hall  plan  house  has  an  open- 
string  stair  with  square  balusters  and  a  cham- 
fered newel  post.  Its  twin  end  chimneys  w''^ 
stone  fireboxes  ser\ed  four  fireplaces  with  post- 
and-lintel  mantels.  A  one-story  gabled  wing  'S 
attached  to  the  south  facade. 

CT:13  MT.  TABOR  METHODIST  CHURCH 

Concord  Township 

Though  the  church  was  established  in  1840- 
this  building  seems  to  have  been  built  ca.  I860' 
The  cornice  is  molded  with  cornice  returns.  Tn* 
church's  most  prominent  and  unusual  feature  is 
the  coupled  window  in  the  gable.  The  arched  4/^ 
sash  are  tied  together  by  an  elaborate  molde^ 
pedimented  end  frame.  The  building  is  used 
today  only  for  occasional  reunions  and  spec'^ 
events. 


CT:14  THORNBURG-MACON  HOUSE 

Concord  Township 

Thought  to  have  been  built  by  a  member  of  •"* 
Thomburg  family,  the  house  was  owned  by  'n' 
Macons  from  1885  to  1940.  A  beautifully-P"*' 
served  example  of  a  one-story  house  built  on 
raised  foundation,  the  house  has  both  Greek  R'^ 
vival  and  Italianate  elements.  The  pediments 
porch  is  outstanding.  The  double  entrance  door* 
are  flanked  by  sidelights  and  transom.  Tn« 
exposed.  decoraIi%-ely-sawn  rafter  ends  suppof* 
deep  overhang  of  the  hip  roof.  The  house  ha* 
two  rooms  on  each  side  of  a  central  hallway, 
sers-ed  by  interior  chimneys.  The  interior  was 
remodeled  ca.  1955;  simple  four-panel  doors  an 
post-and-lintel  mantels  survive. 


Ik  ..       .JU^    .. 
CT:14 
I ini  iFii inr  inf= inr= ]f;if=nni= 

138 


ElEJE 


E]GC= 


■ila^ii^  .. . 


EJHE 


CT:15  C.  C.  HUBBARD  HOUSE 

Concord  Township 

Marvin  Reams  built  this  house  in  1905;  it  was 
bought  in  1907  by  Dr.  Charles  Hubbard,  who 
iioved  here  from  Worthville.  Prominent  features 
"f  the  house  are  the  three-sided  bays  which  are 
Used  for  windows  on  the  east  and  for  the  entrance 
door  on  the  north  facade.  A  bam  on  the  property 
's  of  mortise-and-tenon  construction.  The  "Pami- 
rs" post  office  was  located  on  this  site  ca.  1875. 

CT:I6  KEARNEY  PLUMMER  HOUSE 

Concord  Township 

,  An  elaborate  Queen  Anne  style  house,  very 
^'wilar  to  several  towered  houses  once  standing 
'"  ''^sheboro.  The  octagonal  tower  is  covered  with 
fathered  shingles  and  engaged  into  the  deck-on- 
'P  roof.  A  polygonal  bay  on  the  south  facade  is 
covered  by  a  cantilevered  gable. 

^T:17  FARMER  METHODIST  CHURCH 

Concord  Township 

The  church  was  built  ca.  1933  after  a  fire 
destroyed  the  old  Concord  Methodist  Church  in 

I    cemetery.  Local  residents  say  the  idea  of  a 

tone  church  was  derived  from  the  Eden  Method- 
^st  Church  in  Rockingham  County.  The  five-bay 

eldstone  sanctuary  is  very  attractively  sited  in 

's  sloping  rural  setting. 

^T:18  FARMER  CEMETERY 

Concord  Township 

Th 

Co  t  K  '^'^'"ctery  was  established  around  the  Con- 
,.     ^^cthodist  Church  (not  to  be  confused  with 

e  C„n(,„rj  Methodist  Church  in  Coleridge) 
^^"  in  1856  and  destroyed  by  fire  in  1933  and 

°^cd  several  hundred  yards  to  the  northeast. 


The  first  burial  was  in  June.  1848.  The  cemetery 
holds  a  great  deal  of  interesting  Victorian  funeral 
art.  including  an  elaborate  iron  fence  surround- 
ing a  single  grave  plot. 

CT:19  J.  O.  KEARNS  HOUSE 

Concord  Township 
This  two-story  farmhouse  was  the  residence  of 
John  Orpheus  Keams  (1867-1937).  a  local  mer- 
chant who  built  a  general  store  and  roller  mill  in 
Farmer  in  1908.  Keams  acquired  this  property  in 
1896  and  probably  built  this  dwelling  the  follow- 
ing year.  The  house  once  fronted  on  the  west, 
where  double-leaf  doors  opened  into  a  central 
hallway.  The  interior  of  the  house  is  sheathed 
throughout  with  beaded  tongue-and-groove  pan- 
eling Below  a  chair  rail  the  paneling  runs 
vertically:  above  the  chair  rail  it  runs  horizontally. 
An  exception  to  this  treatment  is  a  room  at  the 
northwest  first  floor  comer,  which  boasts  a  pan- 
eled wainscoting  below  the  chair  rail.  An  open- 
string  stair  ascends  from  the  central  hall,  with 
tumed  newel  post  and  balusters.  The  extenor  of 
the  house  is  sheathed  with  unusual  double- 
rabbeted  tongue-and-groove  siding  which  resem- 
bles miniature  German  siding.  This  was  once 
painted  green  with  white  trim,  while  the  exterior 
doors  were  grained  in  red  and  yellow  to  resemble 
mahogany. 


^^ 


'H 


sir 

ii 


CT;20 


Cr;25 


CT:20  HOUSE 

Concord  Township 

The  enclosed  stairs  of  this  two-story  hall-and- 
parlor  house  are  entered  through  an  exterior 
door,  producing  the  unusual  window-door-door- 
window  layout  of  the  ground  floor  facade.  The 
house  has  a  one-story  side  wing,  brick  chimneys, 
6/6  sash  and  two-panel  Greek  Revival  doors.  The 
metal  roof  with  exposed  rafter  ends  may  be  a 
20th  century  replacement,  as  is  the  asphalt  sid- 
ing of  the  house. 

CT:21  HOUSE 

Concord  Township 

The  most  unusual  features  of  this  house  are  its 
twin  chimneys  with  fireboxes  built  of  slate.  The 
two-story  house  may  be  a  mid-19th  century  struc- 
ture heavily  remodeled  in  the  1920s.  It  now  has 
2/2  sash  and  deep  roof  overhang  with  exposed 
rafter  ends  braced  by  bungaloid  brackets.  The 
hip  porches  are  panially  enclosed  and  are  carried 
by  turned  posts.  The  complex  includes  a  number 
of  bams  and  outbuildings,  most  of  which  seem 
to  date  from  the  early  20th  century. 

CT:22  SALEM  METHODIST  EPISCOPAL 
CHURCH 

Concord  Township 

Originating  in  1818  at  a  nearby  site  called 
"Russell's  School  house,"  this  was  the  first 
Methodist  congregation  in  southwest  Randolph 
A  church  was  built  at  the  present  site  in  1822 
and  camp  meetings  were  held  yearly  before  the 
Civil  War.  In  1883  a  church  member  wrote  that 
"we  distmctly  remember  the  time  when  the 
whole  hill  and  hills  on  each  side  were  covered 
with  tents  and  a  vast  number  of  people  assem- 
bled from  day  to  day  to  worship."  The  existing 
sanctuary  was  built  in  the  winter  of  1881  and 
dedicated  July  I,  1883.  It  is  three  bays  long  with 
4/4  sash  with  arched  muntins  added  to  create  a 
pointed  lancet  window  effect.  The  roof  has  ex- 
posed rafter  ends  and  the  church  is  covered  with 
asbestos  siding.  An  enclosed  belfry  with  dia- 
mond vents  is  placed  above  the  entrance  vestibule 
The  earliest  tombstone  in  the  adjoining  cemetery 
IS  marked  "Priscilla  Johnson  Elliott- 1843  " 


CT:23  SALEM  CONGREGATIONAL 
CHRISTIAN  CHURCH 

Concord  Township 

This  frame  sanctuary  was  erected  in  1885. 
Three  bays  long,  it  has  4/4  double-hung  sash 
which  use  extra  diagonal  muntins  to  create  pointed 
pseudo-lancet  windows.  The  roof  terminates  in  a 
boxed  cornice  with  returns.  An  enclosed  belfC 
with  square  vents  is  positioned  above  the  double- 
door  entrance. 

CT:24  DUNBAR'S  BRIDGE  (destroyed) 

Concord  Township 

Spanning  the  Uwhanie  River,  Dunbar's  Bridge 
was  previously  the  site  of  a  covered  bridge  bui" 
by  John  Dunbar:  however,  until  recently  an  un- 
usual combination  steel  through  truss  bridge 
built  in  1904  occupied  the  site.  It  was  distin- 
guished by  two  Warren  lattice  trusses:  the  smallef 
one  had  a  single  central  crossing  with  no  top 
lateral  bracing  and  the  taller  one  had  three  cen- 
tral crossings  with  top  lateral  bracing.  Both  were 
reinforced  later  by  a  drop  brace  connecting  '''^ 
top  chord  with  each  web  crossing.  These  truss 
frames  rested  on  rubble  stone  piers  origina")' 
constructed  to  support  the  former  covered  bridge- 

CT:25  ST.  MARK'S  METHODIST  CHURCH 

Concord  Township 

Organized  in  1893,  St.  Mark's  is  one  of  ih^ 
oldest  black  congregations  in  southwest  R''"' 
dolph.  Its  first  pastor  was  Cicero  Laughlin.  Tn'-' 
frame  sanctuary  may  date  from  1893,  and  '* 
certainly  no  later  than  the  First  World  War.  Thre^ 
ba>-s  long,  it  has  lancet  windows  and  exposs" 
rafter  ends.  The  enclosed  belfry  has  diamon''' 
shaped  wnts.  St.  Mark's  is  also  known  as  ih' 


■Red  House"  Church,  after  the  nearby 


p.ci 


House  School"   which  also  served  the  1"*^^ 
black  community. 


EI  IDE 


=]□[= 


=ini nni  nni  mi  inp: 


140 


Cedar  Grove  Tbwnship 


CGT:1  W.  W.  LASSITER  HOUSE 

Cedar  Grove  Township 

The  north  end  of  this  house  was  originally  a 
two-story  hall-and-parlor  plan  dwelling  built  in 
1884  by  A.  A.  Hammond.  It  passed  into  the 
hands  of  W  W  Lassiter  in  1892,  and  he  added 
the  matching  south  half  to  create  the  present 
center-hall  plan.  A  second  decorative  gable  was 
also  added  then,  unifying  the  two  sections  and 
producing  the  unusual  "quadruple-A"  facade. 
The  northern  chimney  retains  part  of  a  plaque 
containing  the  builder's  initials  and  date  of 
construction. 


■'■'  ■^'^■'■'>- 


3GE 


EIGE 


3QE 


3BC 


3DE 


3Qt; 


DQE 


SBC 


CGT.I 


IBtB 


3mt= 


ElBE 


=]E](= 


3QE 


EIGE 


ElEE 


3QE 


EIGE 


3B 


141 


m 


*li 


"I* 


ik 

i; 
I:; 

% 

1'" 


CGT:2 


CGT:3 


CGT:4 


CGT:2  VARNER  PLACE 

Cedar  Grove  Township 

This  two-story  hall-and-parlor  plan  house  was 
built  using  mortise-and-tenon  construction  tech- 
niques, and  seems  to  have  been  built  before  the 
Civil  War.  Nine-over-six  sash  are  used  on  the 
first  floor,  while  6/6  sash  are  found  on  the 
second.  Two-panel  doors  are  used  throughout. 
The  second  floor  is  reached  via  an  enclosed 
"dog-leg"  stairway.  The  fireboxes  of  both  chim- 
neys are  built  of  stone,  with  brick  stacks.  The 
overhanging  roof  with  exposed  rafter  ends  is 
probably  a  replacement  for  the  original. 

CGT:3  THE  "WHITE  HOUSE" 

Cedar  Grove  Township 

Tradition  has  it  that  this  center-hall  dwelling 
was  the  first  painted  house  in  the  area,  hence  the 
name  "White  House."  The  house  was  originally 
the  home  of  Benjamin  Brookshire  who  ran  a 
tavern  here.  Brookshire  came  from  the  Guilford 
County  area  ca.  1815  and  is  thought  to  have 
moved  part  of  the  house  from  that  county. 

The  first  floor  windows  are  9/6,  but  may  once 
have  been  9/9.  Four-over-four  sash  are  used  on 
the  second  story.  Paneled  mantels  with  arched 
openings  appear  throughout.  The  house  was 
bought  in  1910  by  James  Jason  Hill,  a  local 
basket  maker. 


CGT:4  SCIENCE  HILL  FRIENDS  MEETING 

Cedar  Grove  Township 

This  meeting  was  organized  in  1892  at  the  site 
of  Science  Hill  Academy  as  a  result  of  mission- 
ary efforts  of  Mary  Moon,  a  Friends  minister 
from  Indiana.  The  building  was  begun  in  1893 
and  completed  in  1894.  The  6/6  sash  are  set  in 
symmetrically  molded  frames. 

CGT:5  HOPEWELL  FRIENDS  MEETING 

Cedar  Grove  Township 

Hopewell  Friends  Meeting  was  built  between 
February  and  May,  1 885  at  the  site  of  an  antebel- 
lum cemetery.  Local  residents  John  Hammond 
and  Lewis  Branson  were  contractors.  The  first 
meeting  in  the  building  was  held  May  6,  1885. 
The  five-bay  sanctuary  has  been  well  kept,  and  is 
now  covered  with  asbestos  siding. 


142 


cars 

^nr  inr= 


301= 


=iri]  inr: 


=]QE 


=ini  ini  im  inr 


3BI ^][3E 


3B[^^^[31=r^=3BE 


=1P1I 'rnr= 


CGT:6  RUPERT  FREEMAN  HOUSE 

Cedar  Grove  Township 

Local  merchant  Rupert  Freeman  moved  this 
'ate  19th  century  house  to  this  location  ca.  1914. 
The  two-story  center-hall  plan  structure  features 
a  hip-roofed  porch  with  central  balcony.  The 
porch  is  carried  on  turned  posts  with  sawn 
brackets.  The  central  gable  has  feathered  shingle 
decoration. 

CGT:7  FREEMAN'S  STORE 

Cedar  Grove  Township 

This  frame  commercial  building  appears  to 
have  been  built  in  the  late  19th  century.  The 
original  store  is  a  gable-roofed  structure  which 
has  a  molded  cornice  with  returns.  Shed  wings 
were  added  on  each  side  and  tied  to  the  main 
portion  by  a  false  "boom-town"  facade  which 
Covers  all  three  sections.  For  35  years  Rupert 
freeman,  who  bought  the  store  in  1914,  ran  the 
Ulah  post  office  from  the  west  wing. 

CGT:8  ENOCH  WHATLEY  HOUSE 

Cedar  Grove  Township 

This  center-hall  plan  house  is  divided  into  ten 
rooms  and  includes  a  one-and-a-half-story  rear 
*'ng  and  two-story  end  pavilion.  Its  wraparound 
porch  is  carried  on  turned  posts  with  sawn 
brackets.  The  interior  trim  features  molded  door 
faci  ^' 


••ngs  with  cross-hatched  comer  blocks 
house 


The 
— ov  was  built  in  1907  by  Enoch  Whatley 
(1868-1946),  a  South  Carolina  native  who  ar- 
rived in  Randolph  in  1888  as  a  section  foreman 


for  railroad  construction  crews.  A  sawmill  opera- 
tor and  builder,  Whatley  settled  here  to  run  a 
now-destroyed  general  store  across  the  street. 

CGT:9  ULAH  MOTOR  COMPANY 

Cedar  Grove  Township 

The  original  building  of  this  complex  is  a 
small  steel-frame  gas  station  with  a  corrugated 
metal  skin  and  oversized  industrial  sash.  A  drive- 
through  shed  sheltered  hand-cranked  gasoline 
pumps,  one  of  which  remains.  The  building  is 
one  of  the  county's  earliest  automobile  service 
structures,  having  been  built  in  Randleman  ca. 
1915  and  moved  to  this  site  in  1925.  Ulah  Motor 
Company  was  founded  in  1925  by  Ralph  Whatley 
(1897-1964),  Enoch  Whatley's  son. 

CGT:10  BACK  CREEK  STEEL  BRIDGE 

Cedar  Grove  Township 

The  least  complex  of  Randolph  County's  truss 
bridges,  the  Back  Creek  Steel  Bridge  is  com- 
prised of  a  four  element  Warren  pony  truss  with 
bottom  lateral  bracing.  Inside  the  protection  of 
the  outer  truss  system  is  located  a  wooden  guard 
rail  which  flanks  the  bridge's  thickly  planked 
wooden  floor.  This  short  span  is  supported  by 
fieldstone  abutments. 


\,;V-«>>rfT»;:',^ 


S?^-   ' 


CGT:6 


CGr:7 


CGT:8 


Grant  Ibwnship 


i 


■jil 


— c 

- 
-J 

^ 

} 

3 

GT:1  OUTBUILDING 

Grant  Township 
(destroyed) 

A  strong  local  tradition  says  that  this  sadly 
delapidated  outbuilding  was  part  of  the  farm 
where  Jonathan  Lewis,  the  killer  of  Naomi  Wise, 
was  captured  in  1807.  It  is  not  possible  to  verify 
this  assertion  but  this  outbuilding  could  date  to 
that  period.  The  long,  narrow  one-story  building 
was  divided  into  two  rooms  by  a  central  chimney; 
the  eastern  half  of  the  structure  has  been  de- 
stroyed. It  is  almost  identical  to  a  kitchen/laundry 
dependency  restored  by  the  Greensboro  Historical 
Museum  as  part  of  its  McNairy  House  exhibit. 
The  massive  chimney,  of  fieldstone  laid  in  mud 
mortar,  is  of  special  interest.  Few  dry-laid  stone 
chimneys  and  very  few  antebellum  outbuild- 
ings have  survived  in  Randolph  County. 


Bl  ini im ini— ini "^"^ 


GT:2  HOUSE 

Grant  Township 

This  one-story  central-gable  center-hall  plan 
house  is  typical  of  many  small  homes  built  in 
Randolph  County  from  the  1880s  to  the  early 
1900s.  Four-over-four  sash  light  the  facade  and 
the  porch  features  chamfered  posts  with  brackets 
and  sawnwork  frieze.  Instead  of  end  chimneys,  a 
single  chimney  is  placed  between  the  house  and 
the  rear  wing.  Few  rural  houses  from  the  period 
retain  much  of  the  kind  of  architectural  millwork 
which  decorates  the  porch  of  this  dwelling. 

GT:3  HOUSE 

Grant  Township 

This  small  antebellum  house  perches  on  a 
hillside  overlooking  a  low-water  bridge  across 
Richland  Creek.  The  three-bay  one-and-a-half- 
story  house  has  6/6  sash,  boxed  cornice  and  a 
•nassive  stone  exterior-end  chimney  with  brick 
stack.  Brick-patterned  asphalt  siding  now  covers 
the  original  weatherboarding. 

GT:4  BROWN-KING  HOUSE 

Grant  Township 

The  nucleus  of  this  home  is  a  two-story  log 
house  with  two  rooms,  one  above  the  other.  The 
ground  floor  cabin  is  now  the  living  room  of  the 
expanded  frame  house,  which  has  mortise-and- 
tenon  jointing.  The  present  form  of  the  house  is 
that  of  an  off-center-hall  plan  end-chimney 
Vernacular  design  with  6/6  sash  and  wide  ov- 
erhanging eaves.  A  closed-string  staircase  with 
turned  newel  rises  in  the  center  hallway.  The 
earlier  log  house  retains  its  batten  doors, 
drought-iron  hardware  and  corner,  dog-leg 
hoxed  stair.  The  Federal  style  entrance  with 
fanlight  and  sidelights  frames  the  original  two- 
Panel  Greek  Revival  door,  although  the  sur- 
round was  added  by  Ervin  and  Evelyn  Cox,  lo- 
eal  antiquarians  and  residents  of  the  house.  Their 
research  indicates  that  the  house  belonged  to  the 
•Daniel  Brown  family  in  1851.  Mrs.  Cox's 
grandfather  was  William  King,  a  Quaker  min- 
'ster  who  acquired  the  property  in  1902;  it  has 
remained  in  the  family  ever  since. 


GT:5  THE  NORTH  CAROLINA 
ZOOLOGICAL  PARK 

Grant  Township 

Planning  for  a  state  zoo  began  in  1969,  but  the 
facility  was  attracted  to  Randolph  County  in 
1971  by  the  gift  of  1,371  acres  of  property 
surrounding  Purgatory  Mountain.  A  40  acre 
interim  zoo  was  opened  to  visitors  in  1974, 
pending  construction  of  what  was  billed  as  the 
"world's  largest  natural  habitat  zoo."  The  Zebra- 
Ostrich-  and  Giraffe  habitat  ("ZOG")  of  the  Afri- 
can section  was  the  first  such  exhibit  to  open,  in 
1979.  The  African  Plains  and  African  Pavilion 
opened  in  October,  1984,  completing  the  park's 
first  geographical  area.  At  least  two  of  the  zoo's 
structures  are  fuWre  landmarks  of  Randolph 
County  architecture.  The  R.  J.  Reynolds  Forest 
Aviary,  designed  by  O'Brien/Atkins  Associates 
of  Chapel  Hill  (opened  1982),  features  a  55-foot 
tall  plexiglass  geodesic  dome.  The  African 
Pavilion  (also  called  the  CES,  or  Controlled 
Environment  Structure)  is  the  product  of  Hayes- 
Howell,  Inc.,  of  Southern  Pines,  with  structural 
engineering  by  Geiger-Berger  of  New  York.  The 
permanent  roof  of  the  Pavilion  is  a  free-form 
tension  canopy  made  of  Teflon-coated  fiberglass 
fabric.  The  unique  "tent"  structure  is  one  of  the 
first  uses  of  architectural  fabric  in  a  textile- 
dominated  state  and  county. 


Gr.-2 


GT:3 


GT:4 


GT:5        African  Pavilion 


GT:5 


R.  J.  Reynolds  Forest  Aviary 
nas 


3BB 


3GCE 


E]BI= 


3BB 


=]0E 


3H 


145 


Coleridge  Tbwnship 


'tii- 

! 


I 

V 
I  » 


I 


5ii 


c/JT/; 


CRr:2 


CRT:1  WILLARD  BROWN  HOUSE 

Coleridge  Township 

This  two-story  ca.  1860  house  has  4/4  sash  set 
in  pedimented  frames.  The  entrance  door  has 
five-pane  sidelights.  A  ca.  1880  rear  wing  has  a 
bay  window,  carved  bargeboards  and  lattice- 
work porch  supports. 

CRT:2  HOUSE 

Coleridge  Township 

A  cruciform  plan  Queen  Anne  style  house 
probably  built  ca.  1885.  Asbestos  siding  was 
added  in  the  early  20th  century,  and  a  brick 
facade  and  "Mount  \femon"  type  porch  added 
ca.  1960. 

CRT:3  HOUSE 

Coleridge  Township 

This  is  a  very  deteriorated,  ca.  1860,  two- 
story  three-bay  house  with  a  one-story  wing. 
The  6/6  sash  are  original.  The  chimney  has  a 
single  shoulder  with  "tumbled"  brickwork. 


CFT:3 


3t3E 


3BE 


=IGI= 


=]GE 


ElEIE 


=]BE 


=irii iR] IF1f= 


3I3I^^^[D[^^^HI^^^n 


146 


I  'HI  iRf  inr 


CRT:4  MOFFITT  HOUSE 

Coleridge  Township 

The  brick  chimney  of  this  late  Greek  Revival 
house  (ca.  1860)  displays  the  "tumbled"  shoul- 
der brickwork  characteristic  of  several  houses  in 
the  area.  The  interior  has  two-panel  Greek  Re- 
vival doors,  a  molded  baseboard  and  molded 
post-and-lintel  mantels.  Four-panel  doors  are  used 
on  the  exterior.  The  engaged  rear  porch  was  once 
framed  between  two  small  rooms.  A  very  inter- 
esting survival  is  the  original  detached  kitchen, 
^hich  matches  the  house  in  details  such  as  the 
two-panel  doors,  flush  sheathing  and  diamond- 
shaped  attic  windows.  The  kitchen  chimney,  now 
destroyed,  was  at  one  time  protected  from  the 
Weather  by  an  open  extension  of  the  roof. 

CRT:S  HOLLY  SPRING  FRIENDS 
MEETING 

Coleridge  Township 

In  1760  the  Quaker  community  in  this  area 
asked  or  applied  to  the  Western  Quarterly  Meet- 
ing for  permission  to  have  a  meeting  for  worship. 
The  first  use  of  the  name  Holly  Spring  occurred 
in  1769.  The  early  location  was  near  the  river.  In 
1787  the  present  site  was  bought  "for  the  use  of 
the  Society  of  people  called  the  Quakers,"  and  a 
building  was  constructed.  A  preparative  meeting 
*as  set  up  in  1790  and  an  independent  Monthly 
Meeting  in  1818.  The  buildings  here  are  all 
niodem,  although  the  cemetery  contains  many 
early  stones.  Joseph  Bookout  (d.  1806)  is  suppos- 
edly the  first  person  buried  here. 

CRT:6  PARK'S  CROSS  ROADS  CHRISTIAN 
CHURCH 

Coleridge  Township 

Dedicated  in  1840,  this  is  one  of  the  five 
Christian  churches  organized  by  the  Rev  T.  C. 
Coffin.  The  church  building  seems  to  date  to  the 
1890  era,  although  aluminum  siding  and  brick 
Veneer  have  recently  obscured  most  of  its  origi- 
nal character.  The  original  building,  of  frame 
eonstruction  with  "Gothic"  lancet  windows,  was 
entered  through  the  offset  three-tiered  tower. 


CRT:7  SHILOH  CHRISTIAN  CHURCH 

Coleridge  Township 

Shiloh  Christian  Church  was  organized  on 
December  11,  1843;  established  by  the  mission- 
ary activities  of  the  Rev  Thomas  C.  Moffitt.  The 
cornerstone  says  that  the  present  brick  church, 
five  bays  long,  with  classroom  wings,  was  built 
in  1949.  Disagreements  with  the  merger  of  the 
Christian  church  with  the  Congregationalists  re- 
cently led  Shiloh  to  affiliate  with  the  Baptist 
denomination.  The  original  site  of  Shiloh  Acad- 
emy is  just  west  of  the  church.  Rev  Moffitt 
(1806-1854)  is  buried  in  the  adjoining  cemetery. 

CRT:8  ELI  BRAY  HOUSE 

Coleridge  Township 

The  two-story  log  house  on  this  property, 
usually  identified  as  the  "original  cabin  built  in 
1768,"  in  fact  has  nothing  to  do  with  Randolph 
County.  It  was  built  near  Siler  City  in  1840,  and 
was  the  home  of  a  Chatham  County  sheriff.  It 
was  moved  to  its  present  location  ca.  1955  by 
local  antiquarian  Thad  Ellis,  who  lived  here. 

The  original  section  of  the  large  frame  house 
is  a  two-story  hall-and-parlor  plan  structure  built 
in  1824  by  Eli  Bray.  The  rear  wing  was  added  ca. 
1890.  The  massive  double-shoulder/paved  shoul- 
der English  bond  chimney  with  glazed  headers  in 
a  random  pattern  is  an  outstanding  feature.  The 
interior  trim  is  also  impressive.  The  exposed 
second  floor  joists  have  a  double  bead.  The 
arched  fireplaces  have  chimney  breasts  decorated 
with  both  raised  and  sunken  panels.  Two  rooms 
are  paneled  in  unpainted  pine,  with  a  molded 
chair  rail.  An  original  board-and-batten  door 
retains  its  strap  hinges.  The  exterior  was  un- 
painted until  the  1950s,  when  the  siding  was 
replaced  and  the  "Mount  Vernon"  porch  was 
added. 


IrtTiV-    'jSl-; 


!ii 


H 


•  » 


n 


CRr:9 


>■■ 

■                   «    «    !•     ■        AMI 

CRr:IO 


CKI'.IJ 


CRT:9  COX'S  MILL 

Coleridge  Township 

One  of  the  last  operating  grist  mills  in  the 
state,  Raymond  Cox's  mill  custom-grinds  and 
mixes  animal  feed.  Still  in  place,  although  full  of 
silt  and  unused  since  September  1945,  is  an 
overshot  Fitch  water  wheel  made  in  Hanover,  Pa. 
The  dam  used  until  that  time  was  an  oak  plank 
dam,  now  destroyed.  A  covered  bridge  over  the 
river  was  demolished  in  June,  1953.  The  present 
mill  was  built  in  the  early  20th  century  by 
Allison  Beane,  and  is  also  known  as  "Beane's 
Mill."  The  site  of  an  earlier  mill  can  be  seen 
nearby  However,  this  does  not  seem  to  be  the 
site  of  the  Revolutionary  War  era  Cox's  mill 
which  was  the  headquarters  of  the  notorious  Tory 
leader  David  Fanning.  In  official  documents  that 
mill  was  referred  to  as  "Hammond  Coxe's  Mill"; 
possibly  the  reference  is  to  Herman  Cox,  a 
Quaker  and  former  Regulator.  Fanning  referred 
to  his  headquarters  as  "the  Fort  of  Deep  River  at 
Coxe's  Mill."  This  was  probably  an  earthenwork, 
not  a  palisaded,  "fort"  constructed  by  Fanning 
after  his  arrival  in  May  1781.  The  American 
general  DeKalb  headquartered  his  army  at  Cox's 
Mill  in  July  1780,  while  awaiting  the  arrival  of 
the  North  Carolina  Militia  under  Gov  Richard 
Caswell.  The  place  was  obviously  a  strategic 
colonial  source  of  supply. 

CRT:  10  SHILOH  ACADEMY 

Coleridge  Township 

The  academy  movement  succeeded  the  era  of 
subscription  schools  in  North  Carolina's  educa- 
tional history.  Public  academies  were  usually 
chartered  by  the  legislature  and  were  run  by 
individual  boards  of  trustees.  In  the  Coleridge 
area,  the  three  academies  at  Park's  Cross  Roads, 
Erect  and  Shiloh  predominated.  Shiloh  Acad- 
emy was  organized  in  1865  by  residents  of  the 
Moftitt's  Mill  community.  In  the  1880s  and 
1890s,  Moffitt's  Mill  was  a  prosperous  and  pro- 
gressive section  of  the  county.  A  post  office  had 
been  established  there  as  eariy  as  1827.  Boarding 
facilities  for  visiting  students  were  later  built. 
The  two-story  school  house  originally  contained 
one  large  room  on  each  floor.  A  raised  platform 
served  as  a  stage  at  one  end  of  the  room;  a 
blackboard  was  painted  at  the  other  end,  with  a 
recitation  bench  in  front.  Several  grades  were 
taught  in  one  classroom,  with  the  teacher  listen- 
ing to  each  grade  in  turn  as  the  students  filed  up 
to  the  recitation  bench. 


The  first  floor  of  the  building  is  a  structure  of 
mortise-and-tenon  construction  and  was  proba- 
bly built  in  the  1850s.  The  doors  and  6/6  sash  are 
crowned  with  decorative  molded  pediments.  Lou- 
vered  shutters  protect  each  window.  The  second 
story  was  added  ca.  1885.  It  is  of  balloon-frame 
construction,  as  were  the  demolished  bell  tower 
and  center  gable.  The  porch  on  Doric-style  col- 
umns was  also  added  at  that  time.  Since  the 
building  seems  to  have  existed  even  before  1860, 
it  may  be  that  the  building  was  originally  the 
second  home  of  the  Shiloh  Christian  Church, 
organized  in  1843  in  a  log  building. 

In  1976  the  school  was  moved  to  its  present 
site  to  avoid  demolition.  It  is  being  remodeled 
for  use  as  a  dwelling.  The  end  chimneys  are  part 
of  those  alterations  and  do  not  reflect  any  as- 
pect of  the  original  building,  which  seems  to 
have  been  unheated. 

CRT:  11  EVERGREEN  ACADEMY 

Coleridge  Township 

After  the  Civil  War,  the  Baltimore  Association 
of  Friends  began  to  funnel  money  and  assistance 
into  the  war-ravaged  south.  The  first  year's  relief 
included  food  and  clothing;  the  project  of  the 
second  year  was  to  rebuild  the  local  monthly 
meeting  schools.  At  one  time  Holly  Spring  Meet- 
ing had  five  local  schools  under  its  supervision, 
all  within  walking  distance  for  children  in  the 
area.  Several  other  Quaker  academies  remain  in 
North  Carolina,  but  Evergreen  is  the  only  one  to 
stand  unchanged.  According  to  its  present  owner, 
the  first  reference  to  the  academy  in  Holly  Spring 
records  occurs  in  1866,  when  a  site  one-and-a- 
half-miles  east  of  the  meeting  house  was  donated 
by  Thomas  Hinshaw.  In  1867,  a  reference  is 
made  in  the  Levi  Cox  records  to  "lumber  for  the 
school  house."  The  school  subsequently  oper- 
ated for  some  forty  years,  with  summer  schools 
being  conducted  there  even  after  the  opening  of 
public  schools. 

The  academy  is  a  small  structure,  six  bays 
long  with  6/6  sash.  The  school's  two  classrooms 
were  once  partitioned  by  wooden  accordian  doors, 
which  could  be  folded  back  to  create  one  large 
interior  space.  The  academy  is  now  part  of  the 
adjoining  Hinshaw  farm. 


I ini ini  irir inf= 

148 


="^1  inf= 


sia 


CRT:  12  HOUSE 

Coleridge  Township 

This  one-story  center-hall  plan  central-gable 
house  is  in  an  attractive  rural  setting.  It  is  raised 
three  to  four  feet  above  ground  level  on  brick 
piers  without  underpinning,  as  were  almost  all 
houses  of  the  late  19th  century.  The  side  porch 
retains  its  sawnwork  decoration  with  turned  posts, 
sawn  brackets  with  turned  pendants  and  sawnwork 
fascia  decoration. 

CRT:  13  FRIENDSVILLE  FRIENDS 
MEETING  HOUSE 

Coleridge  Township 

Something  of  the  history  of  this  structure  can 
be  understood  from  its  rarely-used  legal  name: 
"Holly  Spring  Friends  Meeting  (Conservative)." 
•t  was  the  result  of  a  split  in  the  nearby  Holly 
Spring  Friends  Meeting  in  1910  when  some 
thirty-five  members  withdrew  to  form  a  separate 
meeting.  This  portion  of  the  Holly  Spring  congre- 
gation objected  to  the  tum-of-the-century  evan- 
gelical movement  which  ended  the  "quietistic" 
period  of  Quaker  history.  Meetings  across  the 
state  began  to  adopt  Sunday  schools,  singing, 
foreign  missionary  work  and,  the  subject  of  most 
Controversy,  a  paid  pastoral  ministry.  The  "North 
Carolina  Yearly  Meeting  of  Friends,  Conserva- 
tive" was  founded  in  1904  by  those  congrega- 
tions opposed  to  these  changes.  Interestingly,  a 
similar  division  between  "Gumeyites"  and  "Wil- 
hurites"  (conservatives)  had  occurred  among 
northern  Friends  in  1845. 

The  two  Holly  Spring  factions  continued  to 
share  the  same  meeting  house  for  sixteen  years, 
*ith  the  Conservative  Friends  meeting  on  Sun- 
day afternoons.  After  the  First  World  War  land 
*as  secured  less  than  a  mile  north  of  the  Holly 


Spring  location,  and  in  1926  this  meeting  house 
was  built.  It  is  said  by  Quaker  historians  to  be 
the  last  meeting  house  built  in  the  state  which 
included  a  partition  to  separate  the  men's  and 
women's  business  meetings.  The  very  plain  struc- 
ture is  extremely  well-preserved,  down  to  the 
original  benches  and  wood  stove. 

In  the  early  1920s  an  influx  of  families  from 
Ohio,  Alabama  and  eastern  North  Carolina  ar- 
rived in  the  area.  These  people,  members  of 
other  conservative  congregations,  settled  near 
one  another,  built  the  meeting  house  and  estab- 
lished a  school  there  in  an  effort  to  preserve  the 
"ancient  manner  of  worship"  of  the  Friends. 
The  Friendsville  community  and  congregation 
remained  active  up  into  the  1950s  but  as  younger 
members  moved  away  and  older  members  died, 
membership  dwindled.  In  1982  only  one  local 
member  remained. 

CRT:14  HOUSE 

Coleridge  Township 

This  house  at  Coleridge  airfield  was  probably 
built  in  the  late  1880s.  It  is  a  common  type  of 
two-story  center-hall  central-gable  house  with 
fine  sawnwork  trim.  Coupled  brackets  brace  the 
overhanging  cornice  and  central  gable.  Pedi- 
ments cap  the  doors  and  2/2  sash.  The  original 
porch  posts  have  been  replaced  by  bungaloid 
pylons,  although  the  brackets  and  sawnwork  fas- 
cia decoration  remain.  The  house  is  now  covered 
with  brick-patterned  asphalt  siding. 


CKr:I2 


CKT-.IS 


3QE 


=113 

149 


'•ill 

_  k 

I. 

411 


liii 

m 


■^■^i 


CRT.IS 


CRr:16 


CRT:15  WOODROW  ATKINS  HOUSE 

Coleridge  Township 

This  single-pile  hall-and-parlor  house  seems 
to  have  been  built  ca.  1860.  Part  of  the  center- 
chimney  rear  wing  was  built  ca.  1853  as  "Foust's 
School,"  thought  to  be  taught  by  a  Mr  George 
A.  Foust,  who  was  from  Alamance  County.  He 
may  also  have  been  related  to  the  Fousts  of 
Fousts  Mill,  near  Coleridge.  The  hip-roofed  main 
section  of  the  house  has  oversized  6/6  sash  and  a 
running  bond  brick  chimney  built  on  a  rubble 
stone  base.  The  south  facade  was  remodeled 
about  forty  years  ago.  The  shed  bungalow  porch 
with  marble  steps  and  tapered  posts  set  on  brick 
bases  was  built  at  that  time;  the  windows  were 
replaced  with  coupled  4/4  sash  and  the  area 
recovered  with  German  siding.  The  house  was 
later  owned  by  Gilbert  Cox  and  John  Roe  Steele. 
Calah  Presbyterian  Church  was  just  across  the 
road  from  this  house.  Calah,  an  outpost  of  the 
Asheboro  Presbyterian  congregation,  was  oper- 
ated at  this  Buffalo  Ford  site  from  1881  to  1900. 
It  later  became  a  Holiness  Church  and  is  no 
longer  at  the  site. 

CRT:  16  MOFFITT-STOUT  HOUSE 

Coleridge  Township 

This  two-story  frame  hip-roofed  house  dis- 
plays elements  of  the  Italianate  style  popular  in 
the  1850s.  It  features  a  center-hall  plan,  end 
chimneys  and  6/6  sash.  The  entrance  door  is 
framed  by  sidelights.  The  house  crowns  a  hill 
above  the  site  of  Moffitt's  Mill  on  Richland 
Creek,  though  a  screen  of  pine  trees  hides  it 
from  casual  view. 


CRT:  17  AMOS  HINSHAW  FARM 

Coleridge  Township 

The  Hinshaw  farm  which  adjoins  Evergreen 
Academy  is  a  well-preserved  example  of  a  pros- 
perous late  19th  century  rural  farmstead.  The 
house,  probably  built  ca.  1885,  has  two  rooms  of 
equal  size  entered  by  twin  doors  off  the  hip 
porch.  The  porch  is  carried  on  sawnwork  posts 
and  brackets  and  the  roof  features  a  molded 
cornice  with  returns  and  bracketed  frieze  board. 
The  house  uses  6/6  double-hung  sash  except  for 
the  central  front  windows,  which  are  coupled  4/4 
sash.  The  second  floor  window  is  capped  by  a 
semicircular  hood  with  applied  sawnwork  decor- 
ation. The  interior  features  molded  post-and- 
lintel  mantels  with  applied  sawnwork  decoration; 
the  front  rooms  feature  diagonally-paneled  wains- 
coting. Behind  the  house  is  a  small  antebellum 
house  of  mortise-and-tenon  construction  which 
was  a  residence  of  the  Stout  family.  Across  the 
road  from  the  house  and  academy  is  the  most 
unusual  element  of  the  complex,  a  huge  monitor- 
roofed  bam  without  parallel  in  the  county.  It  is 
said  that  Thomas  Hinshaw  brought  the  concept 
of  this  structure  from  Indiana  where  he  lived  as  a 
refugee  Quaker  during  the  Civil  War.  The  most 
unusual  feature  of  the  bam  is  an  earthwork-and- 
stone  wagon  ramp  leading  to  the  second  floor, 
one  of  two  originally.  The  ramp  allowed  wagons 
to  drive  their  loads  into  the  loft,  unload  and  drive 
out  the  other  side.  This  bam  is  one  of  Randolph 
County's  largest  surviving  examples  of  "heavy 
frame"  construction. 


CRT:  17 


150 


Coleridge 
NRHD 


Copyright 
superior    Map    Co. 


nnr  ini  IHE 


=IEIt^^^=]l3I^^^=H3L=3l3E 


Scale 


1/4   Milt  l/B 


E]H[^^^Q[^^^[3I^^^'3E==J[DE 


1/4  Milt 

=1fT1l  rinr: 


l/ZMilt 
151 


il! 


list 


■}i 


C:l       CONCORD  METHODIST 
EPISCOPAL  CHURCH 

SR  2652 
Coleridge 

The  history  of  the  Coleridge  community  did 
not  start  with  the  establishment  of  the  Enterprise 
Manufacturing  Company  in  the  early  1880s.  The 
ccmmunity  originally  centered  around  Foust's 
Mill,  at  or  near  the  present  location  of  Coleridge, 
and  was  one  of  Randolph  County's  most  promi- 
nent rural  areas.  Deep  River  Masonic  Lxsdge,  the 
county's  second  masonic  group,  was  organized 
at  Foust's  Mill  in  1855,  a  year  before  the  Balfour 
Lodge  was  opened  in  Asheboro.  Concord  Meth- 
odist Episcopal  Church  was  another  antebellum 
creation  in  the  Foust's  Mill  community,  being 
established  there  in  1825. 

The  early  20th  century  sanctuary  complex  of 
Concord  Methodist  Church  is  one  of  Randolph 
County's  most  attractive  frame  buildings.  The 
square  hip-roofed  sanctuary  block  is  entered 
through  two  towers  on  the  south  facade.  The 
southwest  tower  is  the  taller  and  contains  the 
bell.  Stained  glass  lancet  windows  light  the  south 
and  west  facades.  To  the  east  is  a  large  Sunday 
school  wing,  with  small  rooms  grouped  around  a 
larger  assembly  room  following  the  "Akron" 


plan.  The  Franklinville  Methodist  Church  is  the 
county's  only  other  example  of  this  once-popular 
design. 

C:2      FLORENCE  HALL 

SR  2652 
Coleridge 

This  fellowship  hall  or  community  building 
for  the  adjacent  Concord  Methodist  Church  is 
an  excellent  example  of  how  a  modern  building 
can  be  related  to  a  neighboring  historic  struc- 
ture. Asheboro  architect  John  J.  Croft,  Jr.  de- 
signed this  structure  in  the  1950's  using  elements 
such  as  a  spindled  frieze  on  the  porch,  the  den- 
tiled  cornice  and  the  flush  sheathing  in  the  ga- 
bles to  relate  Florence  Hall  to  the  church,  as  well 
as  to  the  nearby  R.  L.  Caveness  House  and  the 
now-vanished  Coleridge  Academy  which  stood 
across  SR  2652  on  the  west  side  of  the  church- 

C:3      HOUSE 

SR  2652 
Coleridge 

This  one-and-a-half  story  hip-roofed  house  is 
an  appealing  Colonial  Revival  design.  Twin  ga" 
bles  flank  a  tiny  pedimented  window  dormer.  A 


=3Bt= 


3I3B 


EIDG 


=irni  mi inr 


152 


small  gable  accents  the  porch  above  the  entrance 
door. 

C:4      MILL  HOUSES 

SR  2652 

Coleridge 
A  small  neighborhood  of  tum-of-the-century 
niiU  houses  clusters  around  Concord  Methodist 
Church.  Four  are  nearly  identical  one-story 
center-hall  plan  central-gable  houses  with  dorsal 
chimneys  and  rear  wings.  Each  has  4/4  sash,  a 
shed  porch  and  a  diamond  vent  in  the  central 
sable.  Those  which  have  not  been  remodeled 
have  plain  square  posts  supporting  the  porch. 
This  type  of  utilitarian  mill  housing  was  (and 
's)  extremely  common  in  North  Carolina. 

C:S      BARBER  SHOP 

SR  2652 
Coleridge 

This  tiny  one-room  building  was  used  as  a 
barber  shop.  It  has  been  moved  from  its  original 
Jocation  near  the  Enterprise  Store.  The  tall 
'boom-town"  front  conceals  a  gable  roof. 


C:6 


HOUSE 

NC42 
Coleridge 


NR 


Several  one-story  center-hall  plan  center-gable 
houses  still  stand  across  the  river  from  the  main 
village  of  Coleridge;  this  one  is  the  most  elabo- 
rate. The  basically  plain  house  has  been  trimmed 
with  millwork  identical  to  that  of  the  R.  L. 
Caveness  House,  the  hotel  and  others  of  the  most 
visually  Baroque  Coleridge  dwellings.  Turned 
posts  with  sawn  brackets  carry  the  shed  porch; 
toothed  fascia  boards  decorate  the  porch  and 
gable  eaves. 

C:7      HOUSE 

NC42 
Coleridge 

The  plans  for  this  house  may  have  been  taken 
out  of  a  book  or  magazine  in  the  early  20th 
century;  it  is  very  similar  in  several  characteris- 
tics to  many  houses  of  the  period.  Interesting 
details  include  the  polygonal  end  of  the  project- 
ing bay,  with  scalloped  sawnwork  decoration  in 
the  cantilevered  overhang,  elaborate  feathered 
shingling  and  six-pointed  star  vents  in  the  gables. 
The  original  porch  posts  have  been  replaced  by 
peeled  cedar  logs. 


0:8      THE  ENTERPRISE  COTTON 
MILL 

NC42 
Coleridge 

This  one-story,  L-shaped  brick  structure  was 
built  in  the  1920s.  It  is  laid  in  1:5  common  bond, 
with  a  segmental  arched  metal  casement  window 
in  each  bay  and  a  brick  pilaster  every  three  bays. 
The  heavy  wooden  rafters  of  the  low  gable  roof, 
which  is  covered  with  gravel,  are  exposed  at  the 
eaves.  In  the  center  of  the  southwest  and  south- 
east street  elevations  is  a  two-story  entrance 
tower  with  crenelated  roofline.  In  the  front, 
lower  face  of  each  tower  is  a  glazed  and  paneled 
double  door.  At  the  second  level  in  each  face  is  a 
wooden  15/10  sash  window.  Each  entrance  tower 
contains  a  two-flight  stair;  the  first  flight  open 
with  a  late  Victorian  style  railing,  the  second 
flight  enclosed  with  narrow  beaded  sheathing 
with  a  batten  door.  The  interior  space  of  the  mill 
is  divided  by  several  brick  partition  walls.  A 
single  row  of  heavy  chamfered  wooden  posts, 
bolted  to  the  rafters,  support  the  roof  at  the 
ridgeline.  The  brick  walls  are  bare,  the  rafters 
are  exposed  and  narrow  sheathing  covers  the 
underside  of  the  roof.  The  west  end  of  the  mill 
has  several  one-story  frame  additions.  North  of 
the  mill  are  several  small  brick  pump  houses  and 
a  metal  water  storage  tower. 


3Eir ini iRi iSE 


3QE 


•J 


ill 

411 


J' 


:)ii 


C:9 


WAREHOUSE 

NC42 
Coleridge 


C:9 


CIO        C:ll 


On  the  west  side  of  NC  42,  across  the  street 
from  the  mill,  is  a  one-story  brick  warehouse 
which  faces  the  riverside  site  of  the  original, 
frame  1882  Enterprise  Mill.  The  warehouse  was 
probably  built  ca.  1910  as  a  storage  facility  for 
that  first  mill.  The  1:6  common  bond  parapet 
walls  extend  above  the  shed  roof  and  a  brick 
cornice  decorates  the  eaves.  Brick  pilaster  strips 
define  the  three  bays  of  the  main  (west)  facade, 
and  a  metal  door,  set  in  an  arched  opening 
outlined  by  a  simple  brick  cap,  opens  into  each 
section.  The  rear  evalation  contains  several  win- 
dow openings. 

C:IO      MILL  OFFICE 

NC  42 
Coleridge 

The  1920s  mill  office  southwest  of  the  mill  is 
a  one-story  brick  building  containing  two  offices, 
each  two  bays  wide  and  three  deep,  with  a 
smaller  mid-20th  century  rear  addition.  The  walls, 
laid  in  random  common  bond,  extend  as  para- 
pets with  tile  coping  above  the  shed  roof.  The 
storefronts  have  comer  pilasters  and  corbel 
cornices,  and  each  contains  a  paneled  glazed 
door  with  a  fanlight  set  within  a  simple  molded 
surround  in  a  round-headed  opening,  and  a  6/6 
sash  within  a  segmental-arched  opening.  Brick 
labels  surmount  the  openings.  The  side  eleva- 
tions are  treated  identically,  but  lack  doors. 

C:ll      THE  BANK  OF  COLERIDGE 

NC42 
Coleridge 

The  Bank  of  Coleridge,  located  between  the 
company  store  and  the  mill  office,  is  a  small 
rectangular  one-story  brick  building  contempo- 
rary with  the  office.  It  has  identical  storefront 
treatment  with  the  exception  of  the  openings. 


The  flanking  windows  are  larger  and  are  sur- 
mounted by  fanlights.  Three  courses  of  header 
bricks  outline  each  opening.  The  bank  vault,  in 
the  northwest  comer  of  the  building,  has  a  cast- 
iron  door  with  a  classically  ornamented  surround. 
The  Bank  of  Coleridge  was  founded  in  1919. 
opened  a  branch  in  Ramseur  in  1934  and  moved 
completely  to  Ramseur  in  1939. 

C:12      ENTERPRISE  COMPANY  STORE 

NC42 
Coleridge 

The  company  store,  located  across  NC  42 
from  the  mill,  is  a  one-story  tripartite  brick 
building  built  ca.  1910  and  composed  of  a  center 
block  with  lower  flanking  wings.  The  brick  build- 
ing is  laid  in  1:7  common  bond  and  has  a 
parapeted  main  facade  with  pilastered  comers 
and  a  prominent  corbel  cornice.  The  center 
section,  the  store,  contains  its  original  storefront 
consisting  of  a  cast-iron  lintel  with  a  wooden 
bracketed  cornice  supported  by  a  pair  of  cast- 
iron  fluted  Corinthian  columns.  Between  the 
columns  is  a  recessed  double  door,  paneled  and 
glazed,  and  a  four-pane  display  window  with  a 
plain  wooden  dado  occupies  each  flanking  bay- 
A  wide  toothed  brick  frieze  extends  across  the 
upper  center  facade.  Each  of  the  wings  contains 
a  similar  door  with  a  transom  in  the  inside  bay 
and  a  6/6  sash  in  the  outside  bay  These  seg- 
mental-arched openings  have  simple  molded  sur- 
rounds and  dentil-arched  labels.  The  east  wing. 
which  contained  the  Coleridge  post  office  fof 
over  seventy  years,  was  probably  built  for  this 
purpose.  The  west  wing  is  used  for  storage. 


C:12 


C:13      BENDING  MILL  AND  POWER 
HOUSE 

NC  42 
Coleridge 

Although  a  555-foot  dam  built  in  1912  across 
Deep  River  still  impounds  water,  the  headrace  of 
'he  mill,  which  flows  parallel  to  the  river  from 
the  dam  through  Coleridge,  ceased  to  be  the 
source  of  power  when  the  steam-powered  1920s 
mill  was  built.  Three  buildings  are  strung  along 
fte  north  bank  of  the  race.  Just  west  of  the 
warehouse  is  the  1910  bending  mill,  which  was 
probably  water-powered.  This  one-story  rectan- 
gular brick  building  is  laid  in  1:7  common  bond. 
The  walls  extend  above  the  shed  roof  as  parapets, 
with  a  brick  cornice  resembling  that  at  the  store 
and  warehouse.  The  segmental-arched  openings 
have  brick  labels.  At  the  northwest  end  of  the  mill 
's  a  one-story  frame  addition  covered  with  metal 
sheeting.  The  building  was  the  home  of  the 
Coleridge  Manufacturing  Company  with  Dr.  R.  L. 
Caveness  serving  as  president  and  J.  A.  Brower 
as  secretary,  treasurer  and  manager.  The  com- 
pany manufactured  "bentwood  chair  stock  which 
's  sold  to  furniture  manufactures  in  all  parts  of 
'he  United  States." 

On  the  millrace  south  of  the  bending  mill  is  a 
'wo-story,  gabled,  frame  structure  with  a  metal 
smokestack  on  the  north  side.  Southeast  of  this 
huilding  is  the  steam  plant  constructed  for  the 
"ew  cotton  mill  in  the  1920s.  This  one-story 
hrick  structure  has  a  hipped  roof  coverd  with  tin, 
round-arched  doors,  8/8  sash  windows  within 
segmental-arched  openings  and  decorative  brick- 
work identical  to  the  mill  office.  A  large  brick 
smokestack  abuts  the  north  elevation.  On  the 
West  side  of  the  plant  is  a  brick  addition  with 
metal  casement  windows,  probably  constructed 
m  the  1940s  to  house  hydroelectric  generators. 
East  of  the  buildings  which  line  the  race  are 
'hree  small  brick  structures  which  probably  served 
^s  pumphouses  for  the  original  1882  mill. 


0:14      R.  L.  CAVENESS  HOUSE 

NC  22 
Coleridge 

From  this  unobtrusive  house  tucked  away  on  a 
hillside  behind  his  brother's  home.  Dr.  Robert  L. 
Caveness  ruled  his  little  mill  village.  In  1917 
the  local  newspaper  observed  that  "Dr.  R.  L. 
Caveness  is  at  the  head  of  practically  everything 
in  Coleridge.  For  10  years  he  most  successfully 
practiced  medicine  and  his  friends  assert  that  he 
is  equally  as  good  as  a  doctor  as  he  is  as  a 
manufacturer.  For  the  past  ten  years  he  has  been 
devoting  a  majority  of  his  time  to  the  duties  of 
the  position  as  secretary,  treasurer  and  general 
manager  of  the  Enterprise  Manufacturing  Com- 
pany." Caveness  was  the  son-in-law  of  James 
Cole,  the  founder  of  the  town,  from  whom 
Caveness  purchased  majority  interest  in  the  cor- 
poration in  1904.  He  was  directly  involved  in  the 
operation  of  the  mill  until  1922  and  served  as 
president  of  the  company  until  his  death  in  1951. 

The  Caveness  home  is  a  lovely  example  of  late 
19th  century  domestic  architecture.  The  two- 
story  center-hall  plan  house  has  a  projecting 
entrance  bay  which  is  echoed  by  a  projection  of 
the  wraparound  porch.  The  raised  porch  is  car- 
ried on  coupled  short  turned  posts  set  on  brick 
pillars;  a  spindle  frieze  and  sawnwork  decoration 
is  used  between  the  posts.  The  cornice  overhang 
of  the  roof  is  bracketed  and  the  central  and  end 
gables  have  sawnwork  eave  decorations.  It  is 
now  the  home  of  the  Lynn  Albright  family. 


,  ■i..3»^t')Wt( 


C:13        Bending  Mill 


C:13         Power  House 


CM 


=]BE 


3[3E 


=]QI= 


3tDt= 


=1G(= 


EIQE 


155 


!?'» 


!1 


I;; 

I*    ^ 

mi 


»u 

^^\ 

f 

.^Hk^. 

\,     ..-,r 

-  ^ 

(^^  \  ( 

vQ  d^i^ 

1       t>^ 

^ 

T% 

•  *■# 

/^ 

mK 

L»    >^ 

^g^^^"^ 

fe^ 

■■■■iiife'. 

/J 

IF 

^P*^ 

Ki  ^^ 

M. 

iffrfniiiinr 


HV 


'^^ 


C./5 


C.76 


C.77 


C:15      JOHN  M.  CAVENESS  HOUSE 

NC  22 
Coleridge 

On  the  east  side  of  NC  22  just  east  of  the  mill 
store  is  the  John  Caveness  House,  a  large,  two- 
story  frame  Queen  Anne  style  residence  built  ca. 
1895,  which  is  practically  unaltered  and  in  excel- 
lent condition.  John,  brother  of  R.  L.  Caveness, 
was  vice  president  of  the  Enterprise  Company 
and  helped  his  brother  manage  the  mill.  The 
house,  with  a  two-story  rear  wing,  is  set  on  a 
high  lattice-work  brick  foundation,  has  steep 
gable  roofs  with  interior  brick  chimneys  with 
decorative  stacks  and  a  one-story  porch  with 
ornate  wooden  bracketed  posts.  An  arcaded  drip- 
course  accents  the  porch  frieze  and  gable  ends. 
The  porch  wraps  around  the  north  side  and  con- 
tinues the  length  of  the  rear  wing.  Behind  the 
house  is  a  frame  well  house  consisting  of  a  small 
clapboarded  storage  area  with  a  bracketed  porch 
sheltering  the  stone  well. 


C:17 


3E1IE 


0:16 


HOTEL 

SR  lOO.'i 
Coleridge 


Called  "The  Hotel"  by  local  residents,  this 
dwelling  exhibits  some  of  the  county's  most 
eye-catching  examples  of  Victorian  millwork. 
The  house  is  an  enlarged  version  of  the  typical 
two-story  center-hall  plan  central-gable  house 
with  extra  rooms  added  in  the  two-story  rear 
wing.  The  overhanging  cornice  is  braced  by 
brackets  with  turned  pendants  and  the  chimneys 
are  elaborately  corbeled.  The  gables  are  sheathed 
in  feathered  shingling,  with  toothed  fascia  decor- 
ation. The  peak  of  the  central  gable  includes  a 
spindled  frieze  with  half  a  spindled  "wagon 
wheel"  ornament.  The  rounded  porch,  which 
wraps  all  around  the  building,  is  the  primary 
feature  of  the  exterior.  Small  gables  accent  the 
roof  above  each  window  and  door;  the  porch  is 
carried  on  coupled  turned  posts  with  sawnwork 
brackets  and  fascia  boards.  The  house  is  now  a 
private  dwelling. 


HOUSE 

SR  1005 
Coleridge 


Little  is  known  about  the  type  of  housing 
originally  provided  for  workers  at  the  Enterprise 
mill.  Unlike  other  Deep  River  villages,  Cole- 
ridge has  no  rows  of  identical  worker  houses. 
Whether  no  such  dwellings  were  ever  built  or 
whether  they  have  since  been  destroyed  is  unclear. 
This  particular  mill  house,  however,  could  cer- 
tainly have  been  built  in  the  early  1880s;  some 
aspects  of  it  are  unlike  any  other  mill  house  if 
the  county.  The  hip-roofed  house  has  6/6  sash 
and  a  raised  shed  porch  with  turned  posts  and 
sawn  brackets.  The  off-center  entrance  door  is 
set  in  a  molded  surround  with  comer  blocks. 
Oddly,  the  single  leaf  door  is  flanked  by  two 
additional  "blind"  doorways  filled  with  sheathed 
siding  and  framed  by  molded  surrounds  and 
comer  blocks.  This  treatment  is  a  strange  combi- 
nation of  the  Greek  Revival  style  with  Victorian 
millwork. 


C:18 


HOUSE 

SR  1005 
Coleridge 


This  well-preserved  house  is  a  typical  two- 
story  center-hall  plan  central-gable  house  with 
better-than-average  millwork.  The  overhanging 
comice  is  braced  by  coupled  brackets.  The  shed 
porch  is  carried  on  turned  posts  with  elaborate 
sawnwork  brackets,  toothed  fascia  decoration 
and  turned  pendants. 


Pleasant  Grove  Tbwnship 


PGT:1  FLAT  CREEK  FORD 

Pleasant  Grove  Township 

The  only  state-maintained  ford  in  Randolph 
County,  this  now  unique  crossing  is  typical  of  the 
hundreds  of  fords  which  were  the  only  places 
where  rivers  and  creeks  could  be  crossed  through- 
out the  18th  and  much  of  the  19th  centuries. 


par.  I 


3E1I :]EH^==]E]L=^=1E1E 


=ipi  IP1T= 


157 


Brower  Ibwnship 


Ml 


.'• 

■•'II 

• 

ij) 

— 

''S 

1  ^* 

■  1 

«>> 

iii« 

1 

II 

(I'M 
l\ 

III 

'Si! 


BT:I 


BT:1  RIVERSIDE  BAPTIST  CHURCH 

Brower  Township 

This  Baptist  congregation  was  organized  in 
1905,  and  the  frame  sanctuary  was  probably 
built  at  that  time.  It  was  brick- veneered  in  the 
1960s.  The  building  has  double-hung  6/6  sash 
filled  with  colored  panes.  It  is  entered  through  a 
three-tiered  vestibule  which  is  capped  by  an 
enclosed  belfry  with  lancet-head  vents. 

BT:2  LOG  CABIN 

Brower  Township 

Displaying  both  half-dovetail  and  V-notching. 
this  one-story  single-pen  log  dwelling  with  gable 
roof  is  distinguished  by  a  single-shoulder  exterior- 
end  fieldstone  chimney.  Mud  chinking  in-fi" 
weatherizes  the  exposed  roughly  hewn  log  walls- 
The  house  was  enlarged  by  a  single  room  frame 
addition  during  the  late  19th  century. 


[iT:: 


158 


BT:3  HOUSE 

Brower  Township 

A  typical  example  of  a  vernacular  interpreta- 
tion of  the  Italianate  style  popular  during  the 
third  quarter  of  the  19th  century  in  rural  North 
Carolina,  this  one-story  dwelling  with  low  pitched 
hip-roof  characteristically  follows  a  double-pile 
center-hall  plan.  The  roof  was  originally  punctu- 
ated by  two  interior  chimneys  and  the  deep  eave 
overhang  is  accented  by  decorative  brackets. 
Although  in  deteriorated  condition,  the  shed- 
roof  front  porch  once  protected  the  three-bay 
facade.  Other  distinctive  features  are  the  over- 
sized 6/6  sash  windows  and  comer  pilasters. 

BT:4  MX.  OLIVET  METHODIST  CHURCH 

Brower  Township 

Mt.  Olivet  church  was  founded  in  1813  by  the 
Rev,  Enoch  Spinks,  Jr.  The  first  building  was 
erected  about  one  mile  northwest  of  the  present 
site,  where  the  eariy  graveyard  is  still  maintained. 
This  hip-roofed  church  building  was  constructed 
when  the  congregation  moved  in  1874.  The  class- 
room wing  and  stained  glass  windows  were  added 
'n  a  1926  renovation. 

BT:5  SUGG  HOUSE 

Brower  Township 

Although  one  of  the  earliest  surviving  houses 
in  southeastern  Randolph  County,  this  ca.  1840 
dwelling  has  been  substantially  modified  by  re- 
'^ent  alterations.  Maintaining  its  basic  two-story 
three-bay  form  with  low-pitched  gable  roof  and 
exterior  end  chimneys,  the  house  illustrates  the 
most  prevalent  vernacular  house  form  found  in 
•Randolph  County  throughout  the  19th  century. 
Significant  original  fabric  includes  the  6/6  sash 
and  the  two-panel  Greek  Revival  doors. 


BT:6  HERBERT  TYSOR  HOUSE 

Brower  Township 

This  one-story  T-plan  house  was  probably 
built  ca.  1900.  Its  details  such  as  porch  posts, 
brackets  and  window  sash  are  identical  to  the 
neighboring  two-story  center-hall  plan  house, 
but  this  dwelling  retains  more  of  the  flavor  of  the 
Queen  Anne  style  by  turning  its  polygonal  bay 
and  rounded  porch  toward  the  road,  its  most 
prominent  facade. 

BT:7  THOMAS  B.  TYSOR  HOUSE 

Brower  Township 

This  is  a  tum-of-the-century  rural  home  of 
typical  design,  a  two-story  gable-roof  house  with 
central  interruption.  Distinguished  by  a  center- 
hall  plan,  the  house  is  three  bays  wide  with  4/4 
sash  and  twin  single-shouldered  chimneys.  The 
wraparound  porch  has  turned  posts  and  sawn 
brackets.  This  particular  house  has  a  two-story 
rear  wing  with  projecting  polygonal  end  pavilion. 


nni  imr  inr lig[= 


=lB{^^^3Bt^^^3B\ iBC 


BT:7 


3131 IBE 


=JB 

159 


Richland  Ibwnship 


f 

•ll  0 


'11 


(111 

I'  '<l^ 


Ti 


RT:1  PLEASANT  HILL  METHODIST 
CHURCH 

Richland  Township 

Brick  veneer  conceals  most  of  the  architec- 
tural character  of  this  church  but  it  retains  an 
attractive  cupola  with  dentiled  cornice  and  late 
Greek  Revival-style  pilasters.  Pleasant  Hill  Meth- 
odist Protestant  Church  was  organized  in  1858 
and  a  frame  structure  was  built  in  1859.  Plans  for 
the  present  sanctuary  were  drawn  in  December. 
1885.  The  church  was  completed  in  August, 
1886  and  dedicated  on  November  7,  1886.  It  was 
remodeled  and  brick-veneered  in  1966.  The  tomb- 
stone of  William  Bird,  who  died  March  19. 
1858,  is  marked  "First  to  be  buried  in  this 
cemetery."  Some  "Lautermilch"  (Lowdermilk) 
family  burials  from  the  early  19th  century  have 
been  moved  here,  however. 


RT.I 

3B\ IDE 


160 


RT:2  YOW'S  MILL 

Richland  Township 

This  grist  mill  on  Fork  Creek  no  longer  oper- 
ates but  it  is  the  county's  best  maintained  and 
most  attractively  sited  rural  mill.  It  retains  an 
iron  overshot  water  wheel  and  some  milling 
equipment  in  addition  to  its  stone  dam.  The 
two-and-a-half-story  frame  mill  seems  to  date 
from  the  turn  of  the  century  but  Yow's  Mill  was 
established  in  1820.  A  sawmill  was  added  in 
1870  and  a  turbine  water  wheel  was  installed  ca. 
'890;  both  have  been  removed.  Since  1936  it  has 
been  in  the  possession  of  Harwood  Graves. 

RT:3  OUTBUILDINGS 

Richland  Township 

Four  unusual  outbuildings  are  left  at  the  site  of 
the  destroyed  Richardson  House.  All  four — bam, 
stable,  wellhouse  and  springhouse — have  steep 
pyramidal  roofs  which  were  popular  at  the  turn 
of  the  century.  The  springhouse  is  built  of  stuc- 
coed fieldstone,  and  it  and  the  stable  also  feature 
shed  dormer  windows. 

RT:4  FAIR  GROVE  METHODIST  CHURCH 

Richland  Township 

^hen  this  Methodist  Protestant  congregation 
*as  organized  ca.  1859  the  church  was  called 
"Auman's  Chapel"  because  Martin  Auman  fur- 
nished its  logs.  It  was  renamed  "Mt.  Moriah" 
before  it  burned  during  the  Civil  War.  A  new 
church,  built  in  1870,  was  named  Fair  Grove. 


The  present  sanctuary  was  built  in  1900.  It  is  a 
one-room  building,  five  bays  long  with  lancet 
windows  and  a  polygonal  apse  behind  the  altar. 
Services  here  were  discontinued  in  1935  after 
Seagrove  Methodist  Church  was  built  one-and-a- 
half-miles  north.  A  well-known  local  school,  the 
Why  Not  Academy  and  Business  Institute,  was 
located  on  the  church  grounds.  It  was  a  coed 
boarding  school  with  an  enrollment  of  132  stu- 
dents in  1910. 

RT:5  HOUSE 

Richland  Township 

The  nucleus  of  this  dwelling  is  a  one-story 
heavy  frame  hall-and-parlor  plan  house  with  6/6 
sash.  Ca.  1890  this  antebellum  house  was  ex- 
panded; a  second  story  and  kitchen  wing  were 
added,  as  well  as  a  polygonal  bay  with  overhang- 
ing bracketed  eaves.  A  central  gable  was  added 
on  the  east  facade  and  the  house  was  transformed 
into  a  center-hall  plan.  The  wraparound  hipped- 
roof  porch  is  carried  on  classical  columns  which 
seem  to  have  been  added  in  the  early  20th 
century. 


Kr:4 


FT:5 


=IBI= 


=)□[= 


161 


!lil| 

'i.  ■ 

'''l 

> 

1 

ills 

» 

!> 

;' 

» 1 

«ii 

« 1 « 

( 

1 

m 


'ii 


Rr:6 


FT:7 


RT.-S 


RT:6  GEORGE  GARNER  HOUSE 

Richland  Township 

The  chief  feature  of  this  two-story  center-hall 
plan  is  its  hip-roofed  porch  with  gabled  central 
balcony.  It  features  turned  posts  with  sawn 
brackets.  This  type  of  two-tiered  porch  was 
popular  in  parts  of  Randolph  County  during  the 
1880s  and  1890s.  Professor  George  Gamer  of 
the  Why  Not  Academy  lived  in  this  house  until 
his  death  in  1913.  The  house  was  built  by  the 
community  and  is  located  on  the  Why  Not  Acad- 
emy grounds.  (The  academy  held  its  first  com- 
mencement exercise  in  1897.) 

RT:7  JAMES  E.  HARPER  HOUSE 

Richland  Township 

This  was  the  home  of  James  Edward  and 
Caroline  Dean  Harper.  A  later  section  of  the 
house  was  built  in  1897-1898  by  a  "live-in" 
carpenter,  Mr.  Jerdan  (Jordan?).  The  later  addi- 
tion was  constructed  using  the  stud  and  joist 
method  (clapboard  exterior-horizbntal  planking 
interior)  as  opposed  to  log  construction  covered 
by  clapboards  exterior  which  was  employed  in 
the  older  section  of  the  house.  The  two  sections 
were  joined  together  with  the  aid  of  wooden 
rollers.  The  kitchen  was  housed  in  a  separate 
building  which  was  floored  with  handmade 
brick.  Brick  used  for  flooring  and  chimneys  were 
made  on  the  site  by  family  members. 

A  1910  documentary  photograph  only  faintly 
reveals  the  original  section  of  the  house;  the 
section  constructed  in  1897-1898  is  all  that  re- 
mains today.  This  two-story  center-hall  plan 
features  a  two-tier  porch,  feathered  shingle  decora- 
tion in  the  pedimented  gable  with  boxed  cornice, 
4/4  sash  and  turned  porch  posts  with  sawn 
brackets. 

RT:8  DEMPSEY  BEANE  HOUSE 

Richland  Township 

This  two-story  T-plan  house  was  recently 
moved  to  this  location  from  a  site  on  Richland 
Creek.  It  featured  end  chimneys  and  a  two-story 
central  porch  and  balcony  carried  on  chamfered 
posts.  The  bases  of  the  surviving  posts  are 
paneled. 


RT:9  CALVIN  CASSADY  BARN 

Richland  Township 

Built  in  1 844,  this  structure  was  a  fine  example 
of  19th  century  vernacular  craftsmanship  and  its 
use  in  the  construction  of  rural  service  buildings. 
Unfortunately  the  bam  has  been  moved  from  its 
original  site  and  substantially  altered  for  use  as  a 
dwelling.  Cassady  utilized  pegged  construction 
techniques  and  heart  of  pine  lumber  (sawn  with  a 
small,  sash  saw).  The  main  portion  of  the  bam  is 
two  stories  high  resting  on  a  stone  foundation. 
The  lower  floor  was  divided  into  two  sections; 
one  with  flooring  and  used  for  storage,  etc.  and 
one  with  dirt  floors  for  use  as  stables.  One  stall 
contained  a  trough  hollowed  out  from  a  pine  log. 
A  trap  door  located  at  the  top  of  the  interior 
stairs  contained  metal  strap  hinges  wrought  by 
Cassady,  as  were  the  lift  latch  on  an  exterior  door 
and  the  lightning  rods.  The  west  elevation 
exhibited  a  shed  with  stalls  where  another  pine 
log  trough  measuring  20"  x  20"  x  26'/;'  'S 
located.  Another  interesting  feature  of  this 
stmcture  are  the  Roman  numerals  indicating  date 
of  constmction  still  visibly  carved  in  the  overhead 
beams. 

Calvin  Cassady  was  the  last  of  eight  children 
bom  to  John  and  Elizabeth  Cassady  who  came  to 
Randolph  County  from  Ireland  in  the  1790's- 
According  to  local  tradition  Cassady  built  the 
bam  on  his  father's  468  acre  farm  with  the 
assistance  of  two  slaves,  John  and  Enoch- 
Cassady's  intentions  were  to  construct  a  "sub- 
stantial home"  for  he  and  his  bride-to-be,  Fannie 
Moffet,  after  the  completion  of  the  bam.  Cassady 
died  in  1847  of  a  fever,  at  the  age  of  28,  prior  to 
the  marriage.  A  portion  of  John  and  Elizabeth  s 
original  tract,  that  which  contains  the  bam,  '* 
now  owned  by  Mrs.  Susan  Lowdermilk  Burroughs' 

Adapted  from  July  1980  National  Register 
nomination  written  by  Jo  Ann  Williford  and  Jiii 
Sumner. 


m 


Kr:9 


162 


ElBCE 


=i™ ^irif= 


Seagrove 


POTTERS 
MUSEUM 


Copyright 
Superior     Mop    Co. 


T^i inr= 


3BB 


=1B\  SHE 


DEE 


EinF=="^'^ 


3BI IHE 


Scole 


1/4  Mile 


nmi ini^^^=lBl=^3[3E 


1/4  Mil* 


1/2  MM* 


163 


\h 


\h 


r 

k  1 


11' i 


I' 


S:l      FRANK  AUMAN  HOUSE 

Main  Street 
Seagrove 

This  is  an  attractive  Queen  Anne  style  dwell- 
ing probably  built  ca.  1900.  Its  wraparound 
porch  was  at  one  time  carried  by  turned  posts 
with  sawn  brackets.  TWo  polygonal  bays  are 
capped  by  cantilevered  roof  overhangs  braced  by 
sawn  brackets  with  rows  of  spindles.  John  and 
Clail  Cooper  built  this  house  for  Frank  Auman's 
family  where  they  lived  until  their  move  to 
Asheboro.  Mr.  Auman  owned  and  operated 
Seagrove  Lumber  Company  from  1926  until  his 
death  in  1941.  His  son,  Howard,  continued  to 
operate  the  business  after  his  father's  death  until 
1944  when  it  was  sold.  Frank  Auman  was  also 
affiliated  with  the  Seagrove  Hardware  Company 
and  the  Bank  of  Seagrove. 

S:2      W.H.  (Will)  HUGHES  HOUSE 

Main  Street 
Seagrove 

Chief  features  characterizing  this  structure  are 
the  pyramidal  roof  with  accenting  gables.  The 
hip-roofed  porch  is  carried  on  tuscan  style  posts. 
Built  by  W.  H.  Hughes,  this  house  was  later 
occupied  by  Dr.  Helms,  partner  of  Dr.  Johnston. 
(No  medical  doctors  have  resided  and  practiced 
in  Seagrove  since  Drs.  Johnston  and  Helms.) 
A.  C.  Harris,  manager  of  the  Bank  of  Seagrove 
from  1920  until  1935,  purchased  the  house  ca. 
1921-22.  A.  C.  Harris'  son  Wade  is  now  the 
present  owner. 

S:3      ELI  LEACH  HOUSE 

Main  Street 
Seagrove 

Built  by  Charlie  T^sor,  a  prominent  builder  in 
the  region  around  the  turn  of  the  century,  this 
two-story  hipped-roof  dwelling  has  offset  gables 
on  the  south  and  east  facades  and  a  projecting 
pavilion  on  the  west.  The  wraparound  porch  is 
carried  on  turned  posts  with  brackets.  The  pres- 
ent owner  of  the  house,  Bobby  Voncannon,  was 
mayor  of  Seagrove  from  1963  to  1971. 


S:4      DAVE  CORNELISON  HOUSE 

Southeast  comer  of  Main  Street 

and  South  Street 

Seagrove 
This  early  20th-century  house  is  similar  to 
many  other  examples  in  the  county;  plain,  al- 
most utilitarian.  A  one-story  kitchen  wing  has 
been  added  to  the  rear  and  the  original  porch 
supports  have  been  replaced  by  1940-ish  bunga- 
loid  pylons  on  brick  piers.  One  remarkable  fea- 
ture of  the  house  is  the  solitary  hipped  gable 
which  contrasts  with  the  other  standard  A-gables 
with  cornice  returns. 

S:5      SEAGROVE  HARDWARE 
COMPANY 

Southwest  comer  of  Main  Street  and 

South  Street 

Seagrove 

The  Seagrove  Hardware  Company  was  organ- 
ized by  Frank  Auman,  Charlie  lysor  and  Artemas 
(A.  R.)  Auman  ca.  1915.  The  building  was 
begun  the  same  year  and  was  open  for  business 
by  1916.  Brick  was  hauled  from  the  Elmer  Rich 
brickyard  in  Grant  Township;  the  masons  were 
Willard  Brown  and  John  Wright.  The  Seagrove 
Post  Office  was  housed  in  the  building  from 
1920  to  1923.  Shortly  after  the  store  was  built  a 
railroad  siding  was  built  between  the  depot  and 
hardware  store  so  that  crossties  could  be  loaded 
here.  For  a  time  Seagrove  was  called  the  unoffi- 
cial "Crosstie  Capital  of  the  Worid."  The  long 
shed-roofed  building  uses  a  stepped  parapet  to 
conceal  its  change  in  height  from  one  story  in  the 
rear  to  two  full  stories  at  the  street.  That  facade  is 
simple  and  utilitarian,  with  brick  pilasters  fram- 
ing the  relatively  unaltered,  original  cast-iron 
and  glass  storefront.  The  hardware  store  is  owned 
and  operated  today  by  the  late  Artemas  Auman's 
sons  A.  R.,  Jr.  and  Hubert. 


]□[= 


S:6      THE  BANK  OF  SEAGROVE 

Northwest  comer  of  Main  Street  and 

North  Street 

Seagrove 

The  Bank  of  Seagrove  was  organized  by  a 
group  of  local  citizens  on  March  10,  1920,  with 
$10,000  capital  stock.  The  bank  was  closed  by 
the  directors  on  December  29,  1933,  in  volun- 
tary liquidation.  No  depositors  lost  money.  The 
bank  building  was  constructed  ca.  1921.  Two 
entrance  facade  doors  flank  a  central  tripartite 
window;  all  three  segmental-arched  openings  are 
lit  by  transoms.  A  corbeled  parapet  conceals  the 
shed  roof.  The  street  facade  is  composed  of 
'ight  orange-colored  brick;  the  secondary  walls 
*re  of  standard  red  brick  in  1:7  common  bond. 

S:7      NANCY  HOLMES  HOUSE 

US  220 
Seagrove 

Built  by  Henry  Stutts,  this  center-hall  plan 
end-chimney  house  features  a  hipped-roof  porch 
with  central-gable  balcony.  The  porch  was  origi- 
nally carried  on  turned  posts  with  sawn  brackets; 
feathered  shingles  decorated  the  gable.  It  has  4/4 
sash.  Henry  Yow  had  this  house  constructed  for 
his  cousin  Nancy  Holmes.  Miss  Holmes  fur- 
nished room  and  board  for  passengers  from  the 
A  &  A  railroad.  Henry  and  Francis  Yow's  home 
Was  several  yards  south  of  the  Holmes  House  but 
on  the  same  property.  Upon  the  death  of  Miss 
Holmes,  the  house  went  to  the  Yow  estate  where  it 
t^mained  until  it  was  purchased  by  Henry  Yow's 
grandson,  Henry.  Boyd  King,  mayor  of  Seagrove 
from  1945-1947,  rented  the  house  a  number  of 
years  between  the  time  of  Nancy  Holmes'  death 
*nd  the  time  of  purchase  by  Henry  Yow's  grand- 
son. 

^=8      JASPER  AUMAN  STORE 

Main  Street 
Seagrove 

This  small  commercial  building  is  typical  of 
™any  across  the  county  in  the  early  20th  century, 
"s  gabled  roof  is  disguised  by  a  false  "boom- 
*own"  facade  with  sawn  brackets  supporting  the 
^ornice.  The  entrance  is  recessed  between  two 
display  windows.  Built  by  Jasper  Auman,  this 
^tfucture  was  moved  from  downtown  Seagrove 


(Highway  705)  to  its  present  site.  This  site  was 
once  the  location  of  Henry  Yow's  store  which 
was  disassembled  and  used  to  consUiict  a  resi- 
dence for  the  Seagrove  School  principal  on  the 
Old  Plank  Road.  The  Jasper  Auman  building 
was  used  as  a  barber  shop  operated  by  Manley 
("Crip")  Jerdan  (Jordan?)  and  later  as  a  store. 

S:9      HENRY  YOW  HOUSE 

Northeast  comer  US  220  and 

Main  Street 

Seagrove 

This  substantial  dwelling  illustrates  a  vemacu- 
lar  house  form  which  was  common  in  eariy 
20th-century  Randolph  County.  The  tall,  narrow 
main  block  of  the  structure  has  a  matching 
two-story  rear  wing.  The  steeply-pitched  gables 
are  decorated  by  feathered  shingling.  The  first- 
floor  entrance  into  the  central  hallway  dividing 
the  main  block  is  crowned  by  a  doubled  window 
on  the  second  story.  The  ground-level  doors  and 
windows  are  completely  shaded  by  a  rambling 
veranda  carried  on  turned  posts.  Henry  Yow 
owned  and  operated  the  general  store  on  Main 
Street  (Lucas  Street)  until  his  death  in  1918. 

S:10      A.R.  (Artemas)  AUMAN  HOUSE 

Lucas  Road 
Seagrove 

Built  ca.  1913,  this  two-story  dwelling  fea- 
tures a  center  hall  plan  with  central  gable  and 
two-story  rear  wing.  The  three  corbeled  brick 
chimneys  have  single  stepped  shoulders.  Other 
features  include  4/4  sash,  gables  with  boxed 
cornice  and  retums  and  pointed  gable  decoration. 
The  hip-roofed  porch  is  carried  on  Tuscan-order 
columns  with  capitals  although  surviving  tumed 
posts  are  probably  the  original.  Evidence  sug- 
gests that  John  and  Clail  Cooper  may  have  been 
the  builders.  A.  R.  Auman  leased  the  house  to 
Frank  Auman  and  J.  M.  Green,  respectively 
before  leaving  his  farm  and  moving  into  the 
house  with  his  family.  His  new  business  venture 
in  the  Seagrove  Hardware  instigated  the  move  to 
the  town  of  Seagrove.  A.  R.  was  the  son-in-law 
of  Henry  Yow  whose  house  was  several  hundred 
yards  east  of  the  Auman  house. 


!||« 


r\i 

t 

iSi 

»'<i 

111* 

I»« 

I 

«ii « 

Sll* 

I* ' 

m 

III 

•!f 


S:ll 


5.72 


niM^ltmtstm^-z 


i  ■■■.:f 


4  A  ^ 


s 


WELCH  HOUSE 

Parks  Street 
Seagrove 


This  elongated  central  gable  house  features  a 
hip  porch  with  second-floor  balcony.  The  porch 
exhibits  turned  posts  with  sawn  brackets.  The 
house  may  have  been  built  ca.  1914  by  Dick 
Boiling.  Jeff  and  Delia  Welch  purchased  this 
home  in  1919.  Delia  Welch's  neice,  Tonnie 
Richardson  Auman  and  husband  Lynn  are  the 
present  owners. 


S:12 


HOUSE 

Parks  Street 
Seagrove 


This  one-story  center-hall  plan  house  features 
an  oversized  central  gable  with  a  smaller  gable 
interruption  in  the  hip  porch  to  accent  the 
entrance;  both  gables  have  boxed  cornices  and 
returns.  Built  ca.  1905,  the  bungaloid  style  porch 
supports  on  brick  piers  are  probably  replace- 
ments. S.  G.  ("Guyard")  Richardson,  who  in 
1925  bought  the  Seagrove  Roller  Mills  and  added 
a  cotton  gin,  once  lived  in  this  dwelling.  He  later 
served  as  chairman  of  the  Randolph  County 
Board  of  Commissioners. 


S:13      CURTIS  BROWER  HOUSE 

Southwest  comer  of  Parks  Street  and 

Green  Street 

Seagrove 

This  delapidated  two-story  house  was  proba- 
bly built  ca.  1910  by  Jason  Freeman.  It  has  lost 
its  original  porch  but  retains  feathered  shingle 
decorations  in  the  central  gable.  German  siding 
has  partially  replaced  the  original. 

S:14      CARL  KING  HOUSE 

King  Avenue 
Seagrove 

This  pyramidal-roofed  house  is  two  rooms 
deep  arranged  around  a  central  hallway.  Shed 
dormers  light  the  small  second  floor.  The  present 
bungaloid  porch  pylons  on  brick  piers  may  be 
replacements  of  earlier  porch  posts.  Pyramidal 
roofs  were  in  vogue  in  the  late  1890s  and  early 
1900s.  In  eastern  North  Carolina  it  was  thought 
that  they  made  houses  cooler  by  pulling  the  heat 
to  the  peak.  The  house  was  built  by  W  J.  Moore, 
one  of  the  original  town  commissioners  of 
Seagrove,  in  1913.  It  was  later  bought  by  Carl 
King,  sheriff  of  Randolph  County  from  1930  to 
1942. 


ini  =10 


S:15      CLIFFORD  HAMMOND  HOUSE 

US  220 
Seagrove 

This  hip-roofed  side-hall  plan  house  is  identi- 
cal to  a  house  two  doors  north  which  was  re- 
cently destroyed.  It  has  a  rear  wing  and  a  project- 
ing two-story  side  pavilion.  It  is  now  covered 
with  asbestos  siding,  which  also  hides  the  feath- 
ered shingle  decoration  in  the  gables.  The  porch 
posts  are  replacements.  Mr.  Hammond  was  both 
the  builder  and  owner  of  the  house  and  in  fact 
constructed  several  houses  during  this  era  in 
Seagrove.  He  and  Madison  Farlow  both  owned 
saw  mills  and  furnished  much  of  the  lumber  for 
both  residential  and  commercial  buildings  in  the 
Seagrove  area  between  ca.  1895-1930.  This 
house  was  later  occupied  by  Madison  Farlow's 
brother-in-law  Jethro  Harper  and  still  later  by 
Noah  and  Jewel  Williams.  Mrs.  Williams  was 
postmistress  of  the  Seagrove  Post  Office  from 
January,  1928  until  November,  1945. 

S:16      "DUCK"  SMITH  HOUSE 

US  220 
Seagrove 

This  two-story  center-hall  plan  house  has 
feathered  shingle  decoration  in  the  center  and 
side  gables,  1/1  sash  and  a  wraparound  porch 
^ith  a  small  gable  over  the  entrance.  The  porch 
's  carried  on  turned  posts  with  brackets.  The 
south  end  of  the  house  is  clipped  to  form  a 
polygonal  bay  capped  by  cantilevered  roof  over- 
''^ngs.  These  are  braced  by  spindled  brackets 
*ith  turned  pendant  drops. 


8:17      HOUSE 

Borough  Avenue 
Seagrove 

Once  sited  on  Waymon  Street,  this  house  has 
been  recently  moved  to  its  present  location  and  is 
undergoing  renovation.  The  central  portion  of 
this  house  is  a  two-story  hip-roofed  structure 
with  three  projecting  wings  or  pavilions.  The 
wraparound  porch  is  carried  on  Tuscan-order 
columns.  The  dwelling  was  probably  built  ca. 
1915.  Eli  Leach's  son,  Garrett,  once  lived  here. 

S:18      DEPOT 

US  220 
Seagrove 

The  original  Seagrove  depot  of  the  Asheboro 
and  Aberdeen  Railway  burned  in  1905  and  was 
immediately  replaced  by  this  structure.  Lumber 
for  the  new  depot  was  furnished  by  Jefferson 
Auman,  who  also  built  the  station  for  $35.  The 
two-story  gabled  building  was  the  center  of  the 
corporate  limits  of  the  new  town  when  Seagrove 
was  incorporated  in  1913.  A  one-story  hip-roofed 
wing  housing  a  waiting  room  and  office  was 
later  added  to  the  original  section.  For  many 
years  this  was  the  closest  station  for  wealthy 
Pinehurst  vacationers  who  wanted  to  visit  the 
nearby  potteries.  After  the  railroad  line  was 
abandoned,  the  station  was  moved  to  the 
grounds  of  the  Seagrove  Pottery  in  1969,  where 
it  functions  as  the  Potter's  Museum. 


S:I5 


S:I6 


15) 

:!i 

J' 

J'ii," 
I 


■9 


Union  Tbwnship 


UT:1  DENNIS  COX  GRIST  MILL 

Union  Township 

The  earliest  grist  mil!  and  largest  frame  struc- 
ture remaining  in  Randolph  County,  the  Cox 
Mill  on  Little  River,  may  have  been  built  ca. 
1835  when  Thomas  Cox  (a  Quaker  of  English 
ancestry)  acquired  the  property.  The  mill  is  known 
today  after  Dennis  Cox,  long  time  miller  and  son 
of  Thomas.  The  fabric  of  the  structure  is  virtu- 
ally unaltered,  with  the  most  important  survival 
being  the  small  unglazed  windows.  The  guillo- 
tine shutters  with  original  wrought  iron  latches 
are  unique  in  the  county.  Early  features  of  the 
structure  also  include  strap  hinges,  two-part 
"Dutch"  door,  pent  roof  over  the  east  entrance, 
chamfered  interior  support  posts  terminating  in 
lamb's  tongue  motifs  and  asymmetrical  placing 
of  the  window  and  door  openings.  Much  of  the 


original  wooden  gearing  used  with  an  overshot 
water  wheel  has  survived  later  replacement  with 
leather  belting  run  off  a  turbine  water  wheel. 
The  location  of  the  mill,  far  off  the  present 
thoroughfares,  has  contributed  to  its  survival  in 
near-to-original  form.  Local  tradition  also  cites 
another  factor:  the  miller  during  the  Civil  War  is 
said  to  have  bargained  with  Sherman's  advance 
troops  to  spare  the  mill. 

Note:  What  Sherman's  troops  failed  to  do  in 
1865,  lighming  and  neglect  accomplished  on  29 
July  1981.  Randolph  County's  architectural  and 
cultural  heritage  is  immeasurably  poorer  for  the 
destruction  of  this  superb  building. 


EJGtE 


=]BI= 


=][3(= 


aiiiE 


3BB 


EIIZIIE 


=]G(= 


ElEJE 


168 


UT:2  LABON  SLACK  HOUSE 

Union  Township 

Labon  Slack  is  said  to  have  built  this  one-and- 
a-half-story  house  in  the  1850s  with  money  he 
earned  working  on  the  construction  of  the  plank 
road.  A  log  house,  the  dual  front  doors  suggest 
that  it  may  have  been  built  in  two  stages.  The 
off-center  primary  entrance  is  set  in  a  frame  with 
sidelights.  The  engaged  porch  is  carried  on  plain 
posts.  The  end  chimneys  have  stone  fireboxes 
and  brick  stacks.  The  house  is  now  covered  with 
asbestos  siding  and  a  metal  roof. 

UT:3  PISGAH  COMMUNITY  COVERED 
BRIDGE  NR 

Union  Township 

The  Pisgah  Community  Covered  Bridge  was 
built  around  1910  by  J.  J.  Welch,  who  con- 
structed a  number  of  covered  bridges  in  the  area. 
Normally  the  building  of  these  bridges  was  au- 
thorized by  the  county  commissioners.  Upon  the 
satisfactory  completion  of  a  bridge,  the  commis- 
sioners paid  for  materials  and  labor.  Available 
records,  however,  do  not  show  county  participa- 
tion in  the  building  of  Pisgah  Bridge.  The  bridge 
IS  forty  feet  long  and  is  said  to  have  cost  $40  to 
build.  Its  modest  proportions  indicate  it  may 
have  been  built  privately. 


Pisgah  Bridge  is  one  of  two  such  bridges 
remaining  in  a  county  where  the  number  of 
covered  bridges  once  exceeded  that  of  any  other 
county  in  the  state.  It  is  a  fine  example  of  this 
particular  type  of  construction  and  an  object  of 
much  interest  to  historians,  engineers,  architects 
and  artists.  Ownership  of  the  bridge  appears  to 
be  vested  in  landowners  on  either  side  of  the 
bridge,  Lacey  Strider  and  Gerald  Parker. 

A  low  range  of  mountains  extends  through 
Randolph  County,  creating  many  small  streams 
and  rivers  to  be  forded  or  bridged.  The  Pisgah 
Community  Covered  Bridge  spans  one  of  these 
streams,  a  shallow  branch  of  Little  River,  about 
fourteen  miles  south  of  Asheboro.  It  is  a  small 
forty-foot  wooden  structrure  with  a  gable  roof 
and  vertically  sheathed  sides  resting  on  a  dry 
wall  stone  pier  foundation.  On  either  side  of  the 
bridge  above  the  four  piers  the  floor  joists  extend 
beyond  the  wall  and  support  braces  that  are 
sheathed  to  created  small  buttresses.  Openings 
for  light  and  ventilation  are  located  directly  be- 
low the  eaves  of  the  roof,  which  is  covered  by 
standing  seam  tin.  On  the  inside  the  modified 
queenpost  truss  system  is  exposed,  and  plank 
tracks  or  treads  run  the  length  of  the  floor. 


UT:3 


•I 

h 

III' 
J' 

;i 

n 


'!f 


New  Hope  Ibwnship 


Construction  of  the  Lion  habitat  at  the  N.  C. 
Zoological  Park,  1981.  Perhaps  the  most  perva- 
sive design  motif  at  the  state  zoo  is  also  one  of 
its  most  innovative  and  surprising  architectural 
achievements;  the  massive  rocks  which  sur- 
round many  exhibits  like  the  Lion  habitat  are  ac- 
tually false  facades  disguising  concrete  animal 
shelters.  The  technique  was  one  of  the  first  in- 
ventions of  zoo  Design  Curator  Dwight  Holland 
and  his  staff.  The  "rocks"  are  formed  around  an 
armature  of  wire  mesh  and  steel  reinforcing  rods, 
with  a  carefully-shaped  and  painted  concrete  skin 
sculpted  by  the  design  crew.  The  Lion  habitat. 
Aviary  and  African  Pavilion  exhibit  the  most  im- 
pressive examples  of  this  unique  art  form.  The 
monkey  exhibit  in  the  African  Pavilion  even 
boasts  a  40-foot  tall  artificial  tree  built  using  the 
same  technique. 


EIGE 


EJQE 


=imt= 


=]□(= 


3Bt= 


EIGE 


=]□(= 


EIQE 


170 


NHT:1  OAK  GROVE  METHODIST 
EPISCOPAL  CHURCH 

New  Hope  Township 

This  frame  sanctuary  building,  five  bays  long, 
's  among  the  oldest  religious  structures  in  the 
county.  Decorative  details  suggest  it  was  built  at 
'east  by  1850  and  show  that  the  area  was  once 
prosperous  and  of  sophisticated  tastes.  The  trim 
of  both  doors  and  windows  consists  of  eight- 
piece  segmental  arches  which  spring  from  plain 
corner  blocks.  The  doors  have  round  arches, 
*hile  the  windows  are  pointed.  The  cornice  has 
a  deep  overhang  with  cornice  returns.  There  is 
no  steeple;  instead,  the  bell  is  attached  to  a 
corner  of  the  building.  A  Sunday  school  class- 
room wing  at  the  rear  of  the  sanctuary  is  covered 
*'th  asbestos  siding  and  seems  to  have  been 
built  ca.  1940.  In  the  graveyard  are  many  stones 
*hich  were  elaborately  carved  in  the  1850s  by 
'he  Lauder  firm  of  Fayettevile.  In  1864  the  church 
*as  used  as  a  headquarters  by  Lt.  Col.  Hargrave, 
^  commander  of  the  North  Carolina  Home  Guard, 
*ho  camped  there  while  trying  to  round  up  and 
^Test  the  many  deserters  and  "outliers"  hiding 
in  the  area. 


NHT:2  HOUSE 

New  Hope  Township 

Part  of  this  dwelling  is  very  obviously  an  early 
19th  century  two-story  house  with  boxed  cor- 
nices and  flush  gables.  However,  the  structure 
was  extensively  altered  and  added  to  ca.  1960 
and  very  little  of  the  early  fabric  remains.  The 
2/2  sash,  "picture"  window,  metal  carport  and 
aluminum  siding  all  date  from  this  period.  Some- 
where underneath  remains  one  of  the  oldest 
houses  in  the  area. 


NHT-.l 


NHT:2 


3131 1131= 


3GE 


EIQE 


171 


'Ill 

!Ji. 


*  I 

I 


k 


>i 


)( 


PART  II.  ASHEBORO 


Pugh  Funeral  Home  ca.  1930atits 
location  on  the  southeast  corner  of 
Sunset  Avenue  and  Church  Street, 
Asheboro.  Originally  built  ca.  1900 
by  C.  C.  Cranford  as  a  residence,  it 
served  as  a  funeral  home  until  ca. 
1934. 


•'"•■•'^#^A'^' 


173 


ASHEBORO:  HISTORY  AND  ARCHITECTURE 


III, 

I'll 

f 

•IP 

'■•'i 


Founding  and  Growth  to  1830 

Asheboro  can  be  thought  of  as  Randolph  County's  original  Christmas  present; 
the  city  received  its  first  corporate  charter  from  the  state  legislature  on  December  25, 
1796.  But  while  the  holiday  is  a  convenient  milestone  to  perpetuate  as  the  city's 
founding  date,  the  events  that  led  up  to  the  creation  of  Asheboro  began  as  early  as 
the  formation  of  the  county  in  1779. 

Although  what  was  to  become  Asheboro  was  originally  established  by  local 
settlers  as  their  principal  village,  it  was  not  Randolph  County's  first  seat  of 
government.  Between  1779  and  1785  the  county  court  met  first  in  the  home  of 
Abraham  Reese  and  then  in  the  home  of  William  Bell.  For  the  next  three  years,  the 
court  met  at  different  sites  while  the  first  courthouse  was  being  built.  In  November, 
1788,  the  legislature  formally  created  the  town  of  Johnstonville  around  the  newly 
completed  courthouse  at  the  crossroads  in  northwestern  Randolph  where  the  Channel 
Eight  television  tower  now  stands  (NC  311).  This  was  not  convenient  for  the 
majority  of  county  residents,  however,  and  agitation  for  a  new  location  began  almost 


T.'zrzz. 


-'ff-'^ 


y-~y'i,-  ,L,':i-:.  ^y^. 


Survey  of  lots  in  Johnstonville  by  Samuel  Millikan  and  William  Lowe,  Surveyors  (showing  property  of 
William  Bell.  Alexander  Gray  and  others^  Randolph  County:  no  date  (courtesy  N.  C.  Stale  Archives). 


immediately.  Less  than  two  years  later  state  senator  John  Arnold,  a  resident  of  the 
Jackson's  Creek  area,  introduced  a  bill  "for  altering  the  place  for  holding  the  courts 
in  the  County  of  Randolph.  ..."  This  was  passed  in  December,  1792,  and  the 
legislature  ordered  that  a  new  courthouse,  prison  and  stocks  were  to  be  built  "in  the 
most  central  part  of  Randolph  County."  Even  this  explicit  order  did  not  persuade 
everyone;  a  die-hard  effort  to  prevent  the  change  occurred  the  day  before  the 
scheduled  move.  Six  of  the  seventeen  justices  of  the  county  court  voted  against 
adjourning  to  the  new  courthouse.  Nevertheless,  the  first  court  met  at  9:00  on 
Wednesday  June  12,  1793,  in  new  facilities  at  a  site  in  the  center  of  Randolph 
County  known  only  as  "Randolph  Court  House."  Not  until  that  Christmas  day  three 
years  later  was  the  settlement  coalescing  around  the  courthouse  officially  incorporated 
and  named  "Asheborough,"  after  Samuel  Ashe  (governor  from  1795  to  1798).' 

Placement  of  the  courthouse  in  the  center  of  an  almost  perfectly  square  county 
impartially  allowed  geography  to  determine  who  would  benefit  and  who  would  be 
disadvantaged.  However,  one  man  did  benefit  more  than  anyone  else  by  the  town's 
creation,  Jesse  Henley,  the  original  owner  of  the  land.  On  April  14,  1786,  Henley 

.     ,  ,         ...    :  *"-'V,  ;T-'-t^ 


'>«V^y/f 


'^y'.Z<^/*^^>i-f  ly^f-t^fyl^^Tf^ 


r:^^^ 


'*r^^4^^^r/,A'y^/f,,!C^^/ 


'^ j^ A  ,^/i/:^/i^;^^ 


.^Ar:^^^^::^  :    _ 


On  July  10.  1786  Samuel  Millikan.  the  County  Sunewr.  platted  out  a  200  acre  tract  of  land  ■'on  deep 
river  waters  Including  the  Center  ofSd  County! '  The  tract  was  granted  to  Jesse  Henlev.  The  plat  isfoW"! 
today  in  the  Land  Grant  Office  of  the  North  Carolina  Secretan.  of  State. 


174 


entered  his  application  for  a  grant  of  200  acres  of  land  "on  Deep  River  waters 
including  the  Center  of  Sd.  County."  The  land  had  been  part  of  the  vast  estate  of  the 
Earl  of  Granville,  the  ungranted  part  of  which  was  confiscated  by  the  state  of  North 
Carolina  during  the  Revolution.  It  was  some  distance  to  Henley's  home  near  the 
present  Lake  Lucas,  now  Asheboro's  raw  water  reservoir  on  Back  Creek;  therefore, 
his  specific  concern  to  include  the  center  of  the  county  indicates  that  his  intentions 
Were  shrewdly  speculative.  His  agreement  in  1796  to  subdivide  fifty  acres  of  the 
tract  into  one-acre  lots  substantially  increased  the  value  of  all  his  adjoining 
property.^  Asheboro,  then,  was  bom  in  the  midst  of  political  maneuverings  and  land 
speculations  in  1792,  the  final  year  of  President  George  Washington's  first  term  in 
office.  The  event  of  its  creation  doomed  another  town,  Johnstonville,  to  eventual 
extinction. 

A  combination  of  factors  determined  the  site  of  the  town  on  Henley's  tract  of 
land:  the  desire  to  put  the  courthouse  in  the  center;  the  presence  of  high  and  level 
ground;  and  the  need  for  water.  The  last  was  filled  by  the  nearby  spring  and  branch 
today  called  the  "Penn  Wood  Branch"  but  originally  known  as  'Allen  Woodell's 
Spring"  and  '  Abram's  Creek,"  tributaries  of  Haskett's  Creek  and  Deep  River.  The 
street  plan  laid  out  by  Henley  and  the  five  commissioners  appointed  by  the 
legislature  to  "regulate"  the  town  is  Asheboro's  only  surviving  reminder  of  the 
eighteenth  century.  Yet  even  this  has  been  altered  in  the  intervening  years.  The 
original  town  plan  was  probably  a  standard  "Lancaster  Square"  plan  (so  called  after 
the  Pennsylvania  county  seat  where  it  was  first  used).  The  plan  was  a  variation  of  the 
grid  street  pattern  which  notched  out  the  comers  of  adjacent  blocks  to  form  a 
courthouse  square  in  the  intersection  of  the  two  main  streets.  It  was  traditionally 
identified  with  county  government  and  reflected  the  pride  of  the  community  in  its 
administrative  and  legal  center,  symbolically  the  heart  of  the  county.  This  was 
doubly  emphasized  in  Asheboro,  for  the  courthouse  square  at  the  junction  of 
niodem-day  Main  and  Salisbury  streets  was  determined  to  be  the  exact  center  of  Ran- 
dolph County  as  well  as  the  center  of  town. 

Only  a  vague  image  of  the  first  years  of  "Asheborough"  can  be  calculated 
today.  It  was  not  then  a  commercial  hub  nor  a  traveler's  way-stop.  Those  functions 
^ere  filled  in  the  eighteenth  and  early  nineteenth  centuries  by  natural  crossroads 
communities  such  as  Johnstonville,  Gladesborough  and  New  Salem.  New  roads 
*ere  built  and  old  ones  realigned  to  connect  Asheborough  with  the  rest  of  Randolph 
County.  Main  Street  is  the  only  present-day  street  for  which  an  eighteenth-century 
"ame  is  known:  deeds  refer  to  it  as  "McCulloh  Street,"  after  George  McCulloh, 
^hose  home  and  law  office  fronted  its  westem  side.  McCulloh  was  the  son  of 
colonial  land  baron  Henry  Eustace  McCulloh,  and  one  of  the  ongmal  residents  of 
tl'e  infant  town. 

No  physical  evidence  whatsoever  has  survived  to  give  us  an  idea  ot  the 
appearance  of  Asheboro  during  this  period.  Records  mention  the  small  frame 
'Courthouse,  a  log  jail,  stocks  and  pillories  and  a  whipping  post.  A  handful  of  stores 
^nd  law  offices  clustered  around  the  courthouse.  Houses  would  have  been  a  few  in 
""niber,  small  and  not  necessarily  of  log  constniction.  Homes  resembling  the 
Williams-Bryant  log  cabin  at  1430  Sunset  Avenue  may  have  been  built  in  the  new 


The  original  Eighteenth-Century  Street  Pattern  as  sited  on  the  200-acre  Henley  tract.  The  courthouse 
square  has  been  placed  in  the  center  of  the  tract.  The  streets  do  not  run  due  North,  South,  East  or  West, 
probably  because  of  the  steep  slopes  on  the  North  and  East,  and  a  creek  to  the  North.  Other  tracts  of  land 
were  added  to  this  as  the  town  expanded. 


town,  but  other  examples  in  Randolph  County  suggest  that  elaborate  frame 
constmction  in  the  Georgian  and  Federal  styles  may  also  have  been  known  in  early 
Asheboro. 

The  courthouse  was  the  focal  point  of  most  activity  for  the  first  ninety-five  years 
of  the  town's  existence.  Asheboro  in  that  period  resembled  one  of  the  present-day 
coastal  or  mountain  resort  towns,  which  flower  each  summer  or  winter  just  long 
enough  to  reap  all  the  benefits  of  the  tourist  season,  then  lapse  into  dormancy.  In  the 
case  of  a  county  seat,  the  tempo  of  life  and  the  economy  of  the  town  were  geared  to 
the  periodic  "court  week"  when  law,  politics  and  hucksterism  convened  at  the 
courthouse.  The  swell  of  population  during  the  first  week  of  each  quarter  was  a  lure 
which  attracted  a  growing  number  of  craftsmen  and  artisans.  One  early  resident 
wrote  "I  wish  I  could  bring  to  my  readers  the  atmosphere  of  the  little  town  a  few 
days  before  court  week;  on  Saturday,  Sunday  and  Monday,  the  gathering  of  the 
lawyers  from  other  places  and  witnesses  and  those  who  had  business;  then  Tuesday 
when  everybody,  especially  the  men,  came  to  court,  sell  anything  they  had  for  sale, 
swap  horses,  and  lots  of  them  just  to  get  dmnk.  .  .  ."^  Another  resident  recalled  that 
the  courthouse  square 

.  .  .  was  often  a  noisy  and  riotous  place.  ...  the  judge  often  had  to  call  a  halt  in  the 
proceedings  of  a  trial  and  order  the  sheriff  to  go  down  and  restore  order  and  quiet  around 
the  building.  The  noises  arose  from  horse-traders,  venders  of  patent-medicines,  shilabers 


175 


\x 


I. 


The  Randolph  Courtly  court  records  of  1816  contain  the  following  annotated  drawing  for  stocks  and  a 
pillory  to  be  built  for  the  use  of  the  sheriff. 


176 


for  peep-shows  and  the  like,  and  lastly  from  quarrellers  and  battlers  likely  stimulated  by 
country  brands  of  raw  John  Barley  com.  Many  of  the  hawkers  moved  from  one  court  to 
another,  and  in  Asheboro  at  least,  Tuesday  was  sure  to  be  a  big  day.  They  camped  often 
times  by  open  fires  alongside  their  wagon-tongues,  and  slept  in  their  wagons.  ...  In 
July  particularly  with  windows  open,  it  often  sounded  like  Bedlam  out  there.'* 

A  two-story  frame  courthouse  was  built  in  1805  in  preparation  for  the  first  term 
of  superior  court  held  in  Asheboro  in  1807.  Expansion  of  the  court  activities 
guaranteed  increased  business  opportunities.  This  set  the  pattern  for  the  growth  of 
Asheboro  and  the  formation  of  its  character— a  rural  settlement  populated  by 
artisans  and  professional  men,  almost  totally  dependent  upon  the  seasonal  meetings 
of  the  court.  The  town  was  first  designated  a  post  office  in  1814,  and  members  of  the 
Elliott  family  dominated  as  postmasters  for  its  first  quarter-century.  In  1806  Benja- 
min Elliott  bought  lots  on  the  south  side  of  the  courthouse  square,  on  which  he  built 
one  of  the  town's  first  substantial  homes— a  two-story  frame  house,  with  a  "long 
porch,  square  white  columns,  with  door  opening  into  a  hallway."^  Elliott  and  his 
family  later  moved  back  and  forth  between  Asheboro  and  their  textile  manufacturing 
interests  in  Cedar  Falls  and  this  early  house  was  converted  into  a  hotel  and  tavern.  It 
burned  about  1890. 

The  earliest  known  representation  of  a  structure  built  in  Asheboro  is  the 
contractor's  drawing  of  the  new  stocks  and  pillory  constructed  in  the  summer  of 
1816.  These  were  popular  devices  for  punishment  until  the  Civil  War.  They  seemed 
to  deteriorate  despite  regular  maintenance  and  on  the  average  were  replaced  about 
every  ten  years.  Stocks  and  pillories  were  normally  situated  in  the  yard  of  the  jail, 
which  was  moved  during  the  nineteenth  century  from  a  site  on  the  creek  behind 
present  303  East  Salisbury  Street  to  a  site  on  the  southeast  comer  of  Salisbury  and 
Cox  streets. 

In  November,  1824,  a  twenty-two  year  old  lawyer.  Jonathan  Worth,  bought  a  lot 
m  Asheboro.  Worth,  governor  from  1865  to  1868.  became  one  of  the  town's  most 
prominent  citizens.  He  served  six  terms  in  the  General  Assembly,  two  terms  as  state 
treasurer  and  two  terms  as  governor.'  Perhaps  as  early  as  1830.  Worth  bought  or  built 
the  house  which  became  his  home  until  1864.  Its  site  lies  just  behind  present  232 
Worth  Street.  A  photograph  of  the  house  shows  a  simple  L-plan  vernacular  structure, 
with  6-over-6  sash  and  flat  cornice  returns  hinting  at  the  Greek  Revival  style.  What 
appears  to  be  a  pyramidal  ice  house  occupies  the  left  foreground  of  the  picture.  No 
photograph  of  the  front  of  the  house  is  known.  The  house  passed  out  of  the  Worth 
family  and  burned  about  1890. 

Antebellum  Years 

Civic  awareness  was  low  in  Asheboro  during  the  early  nineteenth  century,  and 
no  new  town  commissioners  were  elected  or  appointed.  The  eighteenth-century 
town  plan  had  provided  for  42  one-acre  lots  surrounded  by  a  grid  of  32-foot-wide 
streets  or  alleys.  Forty  years  later  the  narrowness  of  those  alleys  which  had  becom^ 
main  thoroughfares  was  felt  to  be  burdensome,  but  a  remedy  was  not  readily 
available.  Since  the  town  had  no  functioning  government,  the  state  legislature  had  to 


M./^-^  /  "^-^ 


JX/l-''t  ^-^-A 


^  ca.  1885  view  of  the  home  of  Gov.  Jonathan  Worth,  from  the  southeast  or  Mam  Street  point  oj  view.  No 
photograph  of  the  front  or  Worth  Street  facade  is  known.  Worth  moved  to  Asheboro  in  1825  but  the  date  of 
'"w  acquisition  of  this  house  is  unclear.  Worth  died  in  1869:  the  house  remained  in  his  family  until  it 
burned,  ca.  1890. 


be  petitioned  to  reincorporate  the  town  and  appoint  new  commissioners  before 
improvements  could  be  made.  This  was  accomplished  in  1829  when  Benjamin 
Elliott,  George  Hoover,  Joshua  Craven,  Hugh  McCain  and  Jonathan  Worth  were 
authorized  to  resurvey  the  town.  The  number  of  lots  remained  the  same,  but  were 
consolidated  in  six  blocks  bordered  by  five  principal  streets.  The  new  streets  were 
«louble  the  width  of  the  old  ones.*  In  1843,  Worth,  McCain  and  Craven  ("the 
"■emaining  commissioners  of  the  town  of  Asheborough")  were  ordered  to  assist  the 
county  surveyor  in  making  a  map  of  the  town  and  in  marking  the  comers  of  the 
courthouse  square  with  soapstone  landmarks.  The  plat  map  which  was  drawn  up  still 
exists  in  the  court  records  of  November,  1843.^ 

Since  only  Worth,  McCain  and  Craven  remained  out  of  the  five  1829 
commissioners,  it  was  obvious  that  the  townspeople  had  not  been  electmg  replace- 
"lents  for  those  commissioners  who  died  or  moved  away  which  reflected  a 
widespread  political  apathy  among  the  local  populace.  The  citizens  of  Asheboro 
simply  did  not  seem  too  interested  in  maintaining  a  municipal  government. 
'Commissioners  were  once  again  appointed  and  the  town  reincorporated  by  the 
legislatures  of  1845,  1849,  1855,  1861  and  1883.  The  1855  act  directed  the 
townspeople  to  elect  five  commissioners  who  were  to  appoint  a  "magistrate  of 
police"  as  the  presiding  officer  of  the  board  of  commissioners  and  a  constable  to 


i      / 


M 


^ 

3 

A 

\ 

\ 

/ 

\     // 

// 

A 

cT 

/ 

/ 

/£. 

/J 

^ 
^ 

Sf^. 


jx/^-^  /-^  ^*^ 


yf 

z^ 

.V 

j'^ 

£/ 

S^g- 

-2/. 


U 


1 

i/ 

J£ 

'I 

i 
1 

Js- 

J/ 

^ 

■JJ 


^^ 


J^ 


-4/ 


J^ 


-^^ 


jf/^  f  ii^ 


7^/i^*u  ,^  d^^ 


To   the  County  Court  of  Bald  County 


In  Obediance   to  the  Orde; 
It   term  appointing  the  undersigned  to 
survey   the   streets 
Cause   the  corners  ■ 


of  this  Court  at   the 
iploy  the  county  surveyor 
f  Asheboro   inciudin«   the  Public  Square  and 
.  be   durably  and  permanently  Marked,  Me  Report 

That  WB  employed  Col.    Isaac  Lamb,    the  County  Surveyor,    to 
make  said  survey,   and   the  plat  above,'  made   out  by  him  on  a  Scale 
of  Ten  poles   to   the   Inch,    is   a  Correct  Representation  of  the  Town 
with  the  Streets  and  the  Public  Square. 

We    further  report  that  at  Each  of  the  Twelve  ansles  or  Corners 
of  the  Public  Square  we  Caused  a  Soapstone  Rock   to  be  planted 
extending  one   foot  into  the  ground  and  Two   inches  above   the  surface 
and   that  portion  of   these   rocKs  above   the  Surface,    la  hewed  Square 
and  not  leas  than  ^  Inches  Square,    and  we  have  had  25  other  rocks, 
of  "Suitable  Site    for  a  land  Mark  planted,    one  at  Each  of  the  Corners 
of  the   blocks  Containing  6   lote  fnakin«  22,   Exclusive  of  the  Corners 
on  the  Public  Squaret   and   one  at  the  South  East  Corner  of  Lot  No.    I, 
all  at  least  Extend  at  Least  one   foot   Into  the  Ground  and  Six  inches 
above   the  Surface.      The  Charge  of  the  Surveyor  for  hie  services    is 
$4  75  and  we  Let  out  the  Contract   for  Procuring  and  planting  the 
Rock  to  the  lowest  bidder  and  Joseph  A.   Worth  became   the  Undert«ker 
■t  $9.75  and  has  performed  his  Underteklnfi  according  to  his  Contract, 

Jonathan  Worth 
Hugh  McCain 
Joshua  Craven 


This  map  of  the  town  of  Asheboro  was  made  by  the  county  surveyor  and  submitted  to  the  county  Court  of 
Pleas  and  Quarter  Sessions  at  their  November,  1843  term. 


177 


1^1 


I 
I 

•ill' 


•lit 


collect  taxes,  which  were  to  be  used  for  upkeep  of  the  roads.  This  1855  act,  with 
amendments  in  1861,  provided  the  framework  of  municipal  government  until  1883. '° 
Although  official  records  are  lost.  Col.  Thomas  Moore  seems  to  have  been  the  first 
unofficial  "mayor"  of  Asheboro,  serving  perhaps  from  1855  to  1876.  Lawyer  J.  T. 
Crocker  was  then  mayor  from  1877  at  least  until  1890." 

The  latter  1830s  heralded  the  first  boom  period  in  the  history  of  Asheboro.  It 
originated  late  in  1836  with  the  arrival  of  lawyer  and  editor  Benjamin  Swaim.  Swaim 
had  decided  to  move  his  newspaper,  the  Southern  Citizen,  from  the  town  of  New 
Salem  to  Asheboro,  and  the  first  Asheboro  issue  was  dated  December  31,  1836.  For 
the  next  eight  years  Swaim  showed  himself  to  be  a  tireless  promoter  of  "internal 
improvement."  The  Southern  Citizen  of  August  19,  1937,  has  preserved  Swaim's 
description  of  his  new  hometown: 

We  have  been  waiting  a  good  while  for  room  to  tell  folks  at  a  distance  whereabouts, 
and  what  sort  of  place  this  Asheboro  is.  .  .  . 

The  situation  of  this  place  is  uncommonly  healthy  and  pleasant,  being  on  a  ridge 
dividing  the  waters  of  Deep  River  and  Uwharrie,  and  within  a  few  miles  of  Carraway  and 
several  other  beautiful  mountains.  Our  village,  though  yet  small,  has  been  on  the 
advancing  hand  for  the  last  two  or  three  years.  We  number  about  one  hundred 
inhabitants;  very  few  blacks.  We  have  a  pretty  good  Court  House,  jail  and  Methodist 
E[piscopal]  Church.  In  point  of  Morality  and  good  neighborhood  our  community  is  an 
exception,  and  besides  very  industrious.  Nearly  all  the  public  offices  are  kept  here.  .  .  . 

The  two  main  roads  leading  from  Virginia  to  South  Carolina,  and  from  the  Eastern  to 
the  Western  parts  of  this  state,  intersect  here,  and  within  a  few  miles  of  this  place,  they 
respectively  branch  off  in  every  direction,  affording  all  the  necessary  facilities  of 
intercourse.  We  have  two  arrivals  of  the  mail  (in  stage)  every  week  from  the  East,  and  as 
many  from  the  West;  besides  a  mail  from  the  North  once  a  week,  that  ought  and  we  hope 
will  shortly  be  extended  to  the  South,  and  carried  by  stage. 

We  stand  in  a  great  need  of  more  Mechanics,  especially  carriage  and  wagon  makers. 
Blacksmith,  Hatter,  Tanner,  Cabinet  workmen,  Tinner,  Saddle  and  Harness  maker — any 
or  all  of  these  occupations,  well  followed,  would  find  ample  encouragement  among  us. 
Provisions  are  plenty  and  cheap,  and  likely  to  be  more  so.  We  have  never  seen  a  more 
promising  prospect  for  heavy  crops  of  com.  .  .  . 

Come  some  of  you  thorough-going  sons  of  Carolina!  give  up  your  hankering  notions 
of  the  West.  Come  and  settle  among  US,  on  the  route  of  the  projected  Fayetteville  and 
Western  Rail  Road.  Bring  capital  if  you  can,  if  not,  bring  what  is  infinitely  better 
— enterprise,  industry  and  economy. 

The  Fayetteville  and  Western  Railroad  of  which  Swaim  spoke  caused  great 
excitement  in  Asheboro  from  the  late  1830s  to  about  1845.  Despite  the  central 
geographical  locations  of  both  Asheboro  and  Randolph  County,  it  was  difficult  for 
residents  to  market  their  agricultural  or  industrial  products.  Local  Whigs  hoped  that 
attracting  the  railroad  through  the  county  would  stimulate  the  economic  develop- 
ment of  the  area.  Though  the  railroad  would  not  come  for  another  fifty  years,  the 
efforts  did  culminate  in  the  Fayetteville  and  Western  Plank  Road  Company  some  ten 
years  later. 

In  November,  1839,  The  New  York  Circus  and  Arena  Company  came  to  town. 


exhibiting  strange  animals  and  promising  "a  variety  of  new  and  interesting  feats  of 
Horsemanship  and  other  varied  scenes  of  amusements  and  Equestrian  excercises, 
which  will  constitute  the  most  delightful  and  genteel  entertainment  ever  offered  in 
this  place." '^ 

The  circus  may  have  heralded  the  completion  of  the  new  county  courthouse,  a 
tangible  result  of  this  era  of  civic  improvement.  Construction  of  a  new  brick  courthouse 
had  been  authorized  by  the  county  justices  in  February,  1839.  In  May,  however,  some  of 


,.^- 


This  photograph  of  the  Randolph  County  Courthouse  was  probably  made  ca.  1890.  The  original 
two-story  1839  courthouse  is  visible  behind  the  entrance  pmilion  added  in  1876.  This  is  the  south  facade 
of  me  building  {courtesy  Randolph  Book  1779-1979  photograph  collection  in  the  Randolph  Public 


178 


^^******        *'        ^'              .'            ,,   .          ....    t,^,„!„„  ,u^  were  shiDDed  to  Wilmington  in  the  1840s,  were  barged  up  the  Cape  Fear  River  to 
TL-             ,         .    „        .         ■     ,        1,.  ,„„r^  „^pH  to  erind  gold  at  the  Gray  mine  near  Asheboro.  Made  in  Belgium,  they  were  snippea  lu  r,nm   « 
This  pair  of  iron  balls  and  granite  '^"^f/^ ^f^'^ J^ f„"  p,fL„t  ideated  on  Marmaduke  Circle,  behind  the  home  ofJ.D.  Ross,  Jr. 
Payetteville  and  were  brought  to  Randolph  County  by  wagon,  presently  locmea ^ ^ 


the  justices  seem  to  have  had  second  thoughts  and  voted  instead  to  bu'W  yet  anc^he 
woodenstructure.Theadvocatesofabrickbuilding,nottobeoutdonedevsedaclever 

ploytorevivetheoriginalplan.Theoldwoodencourthousewasprec.p.tatelya^^^^^^^^^ 
offtoinnkeeperGeorgeHoover.whoannouncedthatheintendedtoaddthestructureto 

his  nearby  tavern  complex.  The  commissioners  responsible  -  --^'"g '^^^ -- 
courthouse  then  claimed  that  no  "proper  matenals''  could  be  ^""d  to^" Id  a  new 
wooden  courthouse.  The  county  justices,  faced  ^'^^Jhe  Prospect  of  homeles^^^^^^^^ 
asked  Hoover  if  the  county  could  rent  or  buy  back  the  old  ^.«""house_  Hoover 
"appeared  in  open  Court  and  agreed  that  the  Sale  might  be  ff  ^i'f  .f  °"  ^"^"f/.^  J^ 
that  the  Court  would  order  the  erection  of  a  Brick  building.  The  die  was  cast^  the 
resulting  structure  was  a  rectangular  brick  courthouse  divided  'nto^^  Yn«^^ 
first  floor  with  two  jury  rooms  and  the  courtroom  on  the  second  floor 

The  town's  first  religious  and  educational  institutions  were  also  Products  of  th 
period.  The  first,  and  for  sixteen  years  the  only  church  in  Ashebom.  ^/^^..^'^S 
Episcopal  sanctuary  built  in  1834  adjoining  what  is  now  the  ciy  cemetery.  Oh 
denominations  also  used  the  building  for  many  years.  South  of  the  church  ™ 
Salisbury  Street  was  the  original  site  of  the  Asheboro  Female  Academy  now  the  oWes 
building  in  the  city.  The  exterior  door  surrounds  and  ""^-^^    h     rris  uSwn 
element  of  the  architectural  trim.  The  identity  o   the  builder  remains  unknown 
although  he  must  have  been  a  craftsman  of  some  skill.  A  male  academy  was  built 
in  1842  near  the  local  muster  field;  the  building  burned  in  \^w. 


Census  records  note  a  population  of  154  in  1850  Asheboro,  including  32  house- 
holds 23  wives  21  single  adults,  67  children  under  21  and  1 1  free  blacks.  A  Pres- 
byterian congregation  had  been  organized  that  year,  and  in  1852  they  dedicated  their 
own  church  building  on  Worth  Street.  Dr.  Simeon  Colton,  Yale  graduate  and  min- 
ister, was  lured  from  Payetteville  to  serve  as  pastor  and  school  teacher  m  1854.  In 
1855  he  noted  in  his  diary  that  although 


there  is  more  prosperity  here  than  in  any  place  I  have  lived  ...  I  have  by  no  means 
found  the  place  what  I  expected.  I  was  encouraged  to  expect  a  good  school,  but  the 
prospect  is  by  no  means  flattering.  There  is  nothing  but  the  mere  fact  of  being  a  county 

town  that  gives  to  Asheboro  any  claim  to  notice  above  any  comer  in  the  country Much 

of  this  state  of  things  among  the  population  arises  from  the  mining  operators.  .  .  . 


Other  sources  also  attribute  the  nuisance  of  drunken  gold  miners  to  the  presence  of 
the  Asheboro  saloons. 

Construction  of  the  129-mile-long  Payetteville  and  Western  Plank  Road  began 
in  Payetteville  in  1849  and  was  completed  to  Salem  in  1854.  The  work  through 
Randolph  County  spanned  1851  and  1852.  The  toll  house  for  Asheboro's  section  of 

179 


'y   r 


1 


During  World  War  II  this  small  building  was  used  as  the  office  of  the  newly  formed  Stedman 
Manufacturing  Company.  It  stood  on  or  near  the  present  municipal  parking  lot  between  Sunset  Avenue 
atul  Academy  Street.  Local  tradition  holds  that  the  tiny  building  was  originally  built  in  the  1850s  as  the 
Asheboro  toll  house  for  the  Fayetteville  and  Western  Plank  Road. 


The  Henry  B.  Elliott  mansion,  later  known  as  the  Central  Hotel,  is  one  of  several  historic  homes  in 
Asheboro  whose  destruction  is  recorded  in  a  remarkable  series  of  photographs .  The  "Finer  Carolina" 
promotional  program  administered  by  Carolina  Power  and  Light  during  the  1950s  awarded  grants  and 
prizes  to  towns  and  cities  for  community  development  and  beaulification  projects.  The  destruction  of 
"unsightly"  old  dwellings  and  the  preparation  of  sites  for  commercial  development  was  a  top  priority 
and  the  vast  majority  of  Asheboro' s  historic  homes  were  le\'eled  due  to  these  yearly  competitions .  At  least 
the  end  of  these  historic  properties  is  well  documented,  for  a  number  of  photographs  made  at  stages 
during  the  demolition  process  were  compiled  in  the  contest  scrapbooks  submitted  to  the  "Finer 
Carolind'  Committee.  These  are  now  located  in  the  Randolph  Room  at  the  Asheboro  Public  Library. 


the  road  stood  behind  present  226  South  Fayetteville  Street.  Although  maintenance 
of  the  road  bed  was  abandoned  by  1864,  the  highway  was  still  called  "The  Plank 
Road"  until  the  early  twentieth  century.'^ 

One  major  architectural  addition  to  Asheboro's  1850  streetscape  was  imported. 
In  1837  Henry  B.  Elliott  had  built  his  home  in  Cedar  Falls  where  he  was 
supenntendent  of  the  textile  mill.  About  1850 


for  convenience  of  business  he  decided  to  move  his  place  of  residence  from  Cedar  Falls 

to  the  county  seat [He]  had  his  home  taken  down  and  rebuilt  in  Asheboro,  the  work 

bemg  done  by  slaves,  superintended  by  "Old  Wash"  who  was  skilled  in  carpentry  and 
industry.  The  house  was  erected  on  what  was  then  described  as  "the  most  choice  lot  in 
Asheborough  on  Fayetteville  Road.'' 


Photographs  show  the  house,  known  as  "Elliott's  Mansion,"  to  have  been  a  Greek 
Revival  structure,  five  bays  long,  with  a  porch  supported  by  Tuscan  columns  running 
the  length  of  the  facade.  A  photograph  of  the  interior  of  a  first  floor  room  reveals  an 
elaborate  arcaded  screen,  paneled  wainscoting  and  a  very  simple  Greek  Revival 
mantel.'^  ■'        ^ 


(A>The  Elliott  mansion  ca.  1880.  showing  Greek  Revi^nl  style  exterior  trim  and  porch  details. 


y 


180 


(B)  The  Central  Hotel  as  it  stood  at  the  time  of  its  sale  and  demolition  in  the  summer  of  1958.  The 
original  Elliott  mansion  has  become  the  central  portion  of  the  hotel,  with  a  two-story  veranda  linking 
^'"gs  added  on  each  side. 


(C)  View  from  the  southwest  as  demolition  begins. 


fO)  Th 


^  northwest  wing  under  demolition. 


(E)  Going  .  .  . 


181 


-^■' 


I  "I 


i3j5 


9\ 


(F)  Going  . 


About  1853  Dr.  John  Milton  Worth,  brother  of  Jonathan  Worth,  moved  to 
Asheboro  and  built  an  unusual  house  on  the  northeast  corner  of  Cox  and  Worth 
streets.  The  exterior  of  the  two-story  house  was  austerely  simple;  elements  such  as 
the  door  surround  suggested  the  Greek  Revival  style,  and  the  small  coupled 
windows  were  a  faint  reference  to  the  Italianate  style  so  popular  in  the  1850s.  The 
interior  of  the  house,  on  the  other  hand,  was  surprisingly  elaborate.  The  rooms  were 
wainscoted  in  walnut  and  the  ceilings  were  painted  with  flowers.  The  house  must 
have  truly  been  looked  upon  as  a  "mansion"  in  antebellum  Asheboro.  Residents 
today  mostly  remembered  the  elaborate  Eastlake  style  porch  which  was  added  in  the 
1880s  by  Worth's  son-in-law,  A.  C.  McAlister. 

The  one  building  which  still  exists  from  the  1850s  is  the  Marmaduke  Robins 
law  office  at  124  North  Main  Street.  It  is  the  second-oldest  building  extant  in 
Asheboro.  The  two-room  frame  structure,  now  being  used  as  a  storage  shed,  was 
purchased  by  Robins  in  1874.  Robins  did  not  build  the  office  since  structural 
indications  suggest  an  antebellum  date.  According  to  Marmaduke  Robins's  son 
Sidney,  the  office  was  originally  set  on  stilt-like  piers  raising  it  some  six  feet  off  the 
ground.'^  Other  buildings  in  Asheboro  are  known  to  have  been  similarly  elevated, 
but  the  reason  for  it  is  not  clear;  perhaps  the  additional  height  aided  ventilation. 
Offices  such  as  this  were  common  structures  in  nineteenth-century  Asheboro  and 
throughout  the  county  towns  of  North  Carolina;  few  have  survived. 


(G)  Gone.  The  hilly  lot  is  being  leveled;  the  Randolph  Savings  and  Loan  building,  Asheboro' s  first 
modern  multi-story  building,  would  soon  rise  on  the  site. 


^^S^^^ 


WTheWorth-McAlisterHouseca.l950.TheoriginalGreekRevivalstyledwellingwasbuittbyDrJohr' 
Milton  Worth  ca  1853 .  His  son-in-law.  Col.  Alexander  McAlister.  later  added  wings  and  the  elaborate 
Eastlake  style  porch . 


182 


^ORT 


E 

W\  '^U 

1^^^ 

M 

-t''"'ctShJ™ 

rj^.mtk 


(^)  Demolition  begins  in  the  summer  . 


(C)  Continues  into  the  fall 


t 
« 

^ 

f^j:- 

'^)  Exposes  the  massive  structural  timbers  of  the  antebellum  dwelling 


(E)  Reduces  the  once-glorious  home  to  a  heap  of  rubble 


183 


f 

'•ii 
•"I 

I 

m 


i 


'^•*-  .ifc^^^  .   - 


r'^fT^* 


'mr^ 


-l^X-^A 


ff )  /Im/,  as  spring  returns,  Asheboro  possesses  another  vacant  lot  ready  for  redevelopment.  This 
scrapbook  sequence  was  brightly  captioned,  "An  unsightly  old  building,  no  longer  beautiful  or  useful, 
makes  way  for  progress!'  In  1964  the  Asheboro  Public  Library  opened  on  the  site. 


Civil  War,  Stagnation  and  a  New  Beginning 

The  Civil  War  was  a  difficult  time  for  Asheboro  and  Randolph  County  but  not 
for  military  reasons.  There  were  no  Federal  occupations,  battles  or  burnings.  The 
troubles  in  Randolph  County  came  as  internal  struggles,  first  over  the  issue  of 
secession  and  then  dissatisfaction  with  wartime  politics.  Political  sentiments  were 
strongly  pro-union  as  early  as  the  nullification  crisis  in  1830,  when  an  Independence 
Day  toast  in  Asheboro  declared  that  "he  who  wantonly  engenders  a  feeling  of 
hostility  between  the  states  instead  of  soothing  it  to  harmony  is  a  traitor  to  his 
country.  Let  no  such  man  be  trusted."'^" 

Randolph's  state  senator,  Jonathan  Worth,  tried  desperately  during  the  "secession 
winter"  of  1860  to  keep  North  Carolina  in  the  Union.  On  December  28,  a  public 
meeting  in  Asheboro  to  discuss  the  crisis  drew  a  crowd  of  1,000  people.  The  sense 
of  the  meeting  was  reported  in  a  final  resolution  which  declared  that  "all  men  who 
love  their  country  .  .  .  should  .  .  .  unite  for  the  salvation  of  the  Union  and  the 
Constitution."'^'  On  February  28,  1861,  a  referendum  was  held  to  determine  whether 
North  Carolina  should  call  a  secession  convention.  The  vote,  sponsored  by  the 
secessionists  in  the  legislature,  was  barely  defeated  statewide,  while  in  Randolph 
the  population  voted  against  calling  a  convention  by  a  fifty  to  one  margin. -^^ 
However,  President  Lincoln's  "April  Policy"  turned  the  tide  and  forced  North 
Carolina  out  of  the  Union  on  May  20,  1861. 

184 


I  D 


.y^  '/s~ 


J. 


!!>rl  f  »  t""*""  '^^^-'^^^  period  dray^n  by  Frances  Porter  Hubbard.  The  ■'Public  Square' 
,Zi  c/""-""^  located  courthouse  is  clearly  visible.  When  compared  to  the  1843  surxey  map.  H  '^ 
obvious  that  some  streets  were  neser  opened,  or  became  disused. 


Promment  Asheboro  citizens  such  as  Jonathan  and  John  Milton  Worth  became 
supporters  of  the  war  effort.  Jonathan  Worth  moved  to  Raleigh  in  1862  when  he  was 
elected  state  treasurer.  John  Milton  Worth  spent  much  of  the  war  in  Wilmington  as 
airec  orot  the  state  salt  works.  Under  influences  such  as  theirs,  opinion  in  Asheboro 
ran  strongly  m  favor  of  the  Confederacy.  The  surtounding  county,  however,  was  a 
center  ot  dissent.  Peace  meetings  were  held  around  the  county  throughout  the  war. 
uratt  evaders,  or  "Outliers,"  and  local  deserters  from  the  amiy  hid  from  authorities 
n  the  woods  and  mountains.  In  1864,  Randolph  was  one  of  only  three  counties  in 
he  state  which  voted  for  W.  W.  Holden  (the  Peace  Party  candidate)  over  Zeb  Vance 
<n  the  gubernatorial  election.  In  addition,  Peace  candidates  swept  all  local  offices, 
Worth  "^  ^'°     ""^^'^^'^''^  '^^''^''  ^""^^  ^^  Marmaduke  Robins  and  John  Milton 

w.r  '^'['f  °™'.'  g^w'h,  slowly  building  since  the  1830s  was  halted  by  the  Civil 

inlcr  r^'^T''  '^°"^'™c''0"  took  place  for  the  next  twenty-five  years,  and  the 

Mhehl  '''TJ^P"^^"'  °f  'he  town  was  miniscule.  The  only  industries  listed  in 

ZXZ        u    i^,f'^  ^  '^"y^'''^  "P^^^'^'*  ^'y  Samuel  Walker  and  a  wool-carding 
machine  run  by  William  Gluyas.^-* 

reveak'^'lTiT"""''  ""'tl^^  '^"^^  P'"''  ^  '"^P  "^  '^e  village  during  this  period 

urJ  led  inTsi/'hT''  '''^?''  '"^"  '^^"  ^'^  ^'^  planned   Some  of  the  streets 

surveyed  in  1843  had  never  been  opened.  Others,  such  as  Gluyas's  Pond  Road  (latef 


known  as  Depot  Street  and  Sunset  Avenue)  had  developed  in  disregard  for  the  survey 
and  ultimately  in  the  middle  of  a  planned  block.  The  growth  of  Asheboro  became 
increasingly  haphazard. 

The  addition  of  a  monumental  entrance  portico  on  the  south  side  of  the  old 
courthouse  was  the  only  architectural  achievement  of  note  in  the  1870s.  An  unusual 
"time  capsule"  built  into  that  courthouse  addition  provided  a  glimpse  into  Asheboro 
of  the  Reconstruction  period.  In  1876  the  mayor  of  Asheboro  jotted  down  a  senes  of 
notes  on  the  current  aspects  of  his  town,  inserted  the  papers  into  four  bottles  and 
deposited  the  bottles  in  the  wall  of  the  unfinished  courthouse  addition.  These  were 
found  in  1914  when  the  structure  was  demolished. 

Asheboro  at  this  writing  contains  a  population  of  about  200.  It  has  two  churches, 
Presbyterian  and  Methodist,  South.  The  Rev.  Mr.  Dalton  occupies  the  pulpit  in  the 
Presbyterian  Church  and  the  Rev.  Mr.  Craven  in  the  Methodist  Church.  Both  churches 
unite  in  a  Sabbath  School  and  it  is  held  in  the  Presbyterian  Church;  it  number  about  75 
students  from  the  town  and  surrounding  neighborhood.  The  cemetary  is  at  the  Methodist 
Church. 

Asheboro  has  two  academies  of  learning,  male  and  female.  The  colored  people  have 

also  a  church  in  this  town.  ,     , 

Asheboro  is  incorporated  and  no  intoxicating  drinks  of  any  kind  of  character  is  aloua 

to  be  sold  in  two  miles  of  the  court  house.  ...  ,    .        j    , 

There  is  a  Masonic  Lodge  in  Asheboro,  Balfour  Lodge  No.  188.  The  Independent 

order  of  Good  Templers  have  a  lodge  in  this  town.  Good  Shepherd  lodge  No.  4. 

The  Randolph  County  Agricultural  Society  hold  their  annual  fairs  in  this  town;  they 
have  a  fair  ground,  enclosed,  of  four  acres.  .     .    j~  .. 

The  Court  House  was  covered  with  tin  this  year  and  painted  by  Benjamin  H  Moore. 
.   The  ladies  of  this  town  is,  and  always  have  been  remarkable  for  their  beauty,  industry, 
intelligence  and  virtue.  ... 
The  grain  crop  is  quite  abundant  this  year  and  of  good  quality. 
There's  much  complaint  among  the  people  on  account  of  the  scarcity  of  money  to  pay 
their  taxes  owning  to  the  county  administration  of  government.  _,  ,  .  _      ,  ,„, 

There  is  published  in  this  town  a  weekly  newspaper  called  the  Randolph  Regulator 
Democratic  in  principles  and  unflinching  advocate  of  retrenchment  and  reform  in  me 
administration  of  the  government;  Hon.  Marmaduke  S.  Robins,  editor. 
The  Hon.  John  Kerr  is  judge  of  the  Superior  Court.  October  16th,  A.  U.  l»/o. 
Thomas  McGhee  Moore,  Justice  of  the  Peace" 
^      TWo  other  bottles  were  filled  with  seed  com  and  seed  wheat,  and  the  last 
'^"tained  some  notes  on  the  inhabitants  of  Asheboro,  their  occupations  and 
P^t'mes.  Moore  seems  to  have  been  very  proud  of  the  revival  of  the  Randolph 
^ounty  Agricultural  Society,  which  had  lapsed  during  the  war.  The  Society  had  been 
'f^^rganized  on  November  10,  1874,  with  A.  S.  Homey,  chairman  of  the  County 
^^mmissioners,  elected  president.  The  first  postwar  fair  was  held  October  21  and 
S  i^^^'  ^«h  exhibits  of  all  kinds  of  livestock  and  agricultural  Products  .Moore 
jo^ed  that  the  Fair  Ground  included  shelters  for  stock  and  produce  exhibitions  as 
^f !  as  a  "Floral  Hall."  He  also  proudly  announced  that  500  bales  of  cotton  were 
"^  jn  the  Asheboro  market  in  1876.'*'  .^  ^„,.r<" 

In  reference  to  the  construction  trade,  Moore  stated  that  three    house  carpenters 


lived  in  Asheboro — Winningham,  Porter  and  Bums.  This  is  the  only  known 
reference  to  those  three  men,  who  were  well-known  buggy  and  carriage  builders,  as 
house  carpenters.  Examples  of  their  work  would  be  difficult  to  identify,  as  only  one 
structure  exists  in  Asheboro  dating  from  the  1860-1885  period.  That  is  the  tiny 
Bunting  House  at  601  South  Main  Street. 

The  end  of  Asheboro's  postwar  slump  seems  to  have  been  signaled  by  a 
"wave"  of  immigration.  The  arrival  of  three  young  foreigners  between  July  and 
November,  1886,  produced  a  cultural  impact  on  the  town  second  only  to  the 
impending  arrival  of  the  railroad.  The  population  of  Asheboro  had  remained  static 
for  nearly  a  century  and  most  families  were  related  in  some  way.  Basil  John  Fisher, 
C.  Slingsby  Wainman  and  Charles  St.  George  Winn  were  the  vanguard  of  outside 
residents  the  railroad  was  destined  to  introduce.  Their  nationality,  strange  ways  and 
free  spending  immediately  set  them  apart  from  the  townspeople,  who  accorded  all 
three  the  deferential  title  of  "Captain."  One  tradition  says  that  the  three  were  British 
army  officers  retired  from  service  in  India,  who  had  been  recraited  to  manage  one  of 
the  county's  gold  mines.  This  might  have  a  basis  in  fact,  for  the  Hoover  Hill  mine 
was  then  owned  by  a  syndicate  based  in  London.  Taking  up  temporary  residence  in 
the  Central  Hotel,  all  three  seem  to  have  completed  homes  within  the  next  two 

years. 

Wainman,  a  Scot,  was  a  small,  tweedy  man  with  a  wife  and  daughter.  His 
home,  still  standing  at  the  comer  of  Church  Street  and  Wainman  Avenue,  is  an 
example  of  the  standard  North  Carolina  vernacular  two-story  central-gable  house, 
which  in  this  case,  has  an  ell  attached  to  the  northwest  comer.  The  Wainman  House 


Charles  Slingsby  Wainman  House,  fronting  on  Church  Street,  and  built  ca.  1888.  It  was  occupied  by  the 
Romulus  R.  Ross  family  at  the  time  of  the  photograph. 


185 


i- 

31 

f'! 


iiii 


M  window  frame  of  the  Fisher  Gatekeeper's  House.  The  Wainman,  Winn  and  Fisher  homes  used  iden- 
tical exterior  millwork,  perhaps  obtained  from  the  W.C.  Petty  Company  in  Archdale. 


originally  boasted  elaborate  eave  and  porch  post  brackets,  a  sawn-baluster  porch 
railing  and  arched  window  sashes  set  in  pedimented  frames.  The  Wainman  House, 
the  Fisher  Mansion  and  the  Fisher  Gatekeeper's  House,  built  simultaneously,  shared 
these  elements  of  decorate  trim.  Such  material  was  available  in  ready-made  form 
from  local  "sash  and  blind"  factories  throughout  the  state.  The  W  C.  Petty 
Company  in  Archdale  could  have  provided  the  trim  for  these  houses. 

Fisher,  the  wealthiest  of  the  three,  acquired  a  384-acre  estate.  His  land  centered 

186 


6. 

Capt.  BasilJohn  Fisher,  resident  of  Asheboro  from  ca.  1886  to  ca.  1895.  He  acquired  a  large  estate 
in  Greensboro  where  he  moved  upon  leaving  Asheboro.  His  real  estate  dealings  there  created  the 
elegant  turn-of-the-century  •  'Fisher  Park' '  neighborhood  which  is  now  a  locally  designated  historic 


around  what  is  now  Sunset  Avenue  (then  called  Fisher's  Road)  and  included  almost 
everythmg  west  of  Park  Street  between  Salisbury  Street  and  Wainman  Avenue.  His 
home  was  universally  called  the  "Mansion  House"  and  stood  on  the  vacant  lot  just 
west  of  the  modem  Masonic  Temple.  It  was  a  two-and-one-half  story  structure  at 
least  twice  the  size  of  any  other  house  in  town,  including  Wainman's.  Fisher's  estate 
possessed  the  requisite  number  of  service  structures;  many,  such  as  the  gatekeeper's 
house,  have  survived  the  mansion.  Most  unusual  of  these  is  the  enormous  dovecote 


Plai  of  Fisher's  estate  in  Asheboro.  drawn  from  original  deed  records  by  the  author.  The  estate 
comprised  at  least  eight  separate  tracts  of  land  on  Cedar  Fork  Creek  and  Tanyard  Branch.  Fishers 
mansion  house  stood  on  tract  #1.  Tract  #4  was  later  cut  into  a  multitude  of  tiny  lots,  the  -Hoover 
Subdivision"  This  area  along  Hoover  Street  became  Asheboro' s  first  residential  subdivision. 


'^f'eFish 


ter  mansion,  ca.  1925. 


"ow  in  the  backyard  of  711  Sunset  Avenue.  The  octagonal  structure,  approximately 
twelve  feet  tall,  boasts  tiny  sliding  doors  to  individually  close  each  nesting 
compartment.  Fisher  was  also  very  fond  of  dogs  and  horses.  Although  the  kennels 
^nd  stables  apparently  did  not  survive,  local  tradition  claims  that  the  estates  bam 
^as  finally  cut  in  half  and  remodeled  into  two  houses. 

The  1890s  saw  the  deaths  of  one  of  Fisher's  young  daughters  and  both  ot  his 
^omrades.  It  may  have  been  the  weight  of  all  this  tragedy  which  about  1895  caused 
"'"1  to  sell  his  estate  and  move  to  Greensboro.  The  estate  was  then  subdivided. 


The  Fisher  Gatekeeper's  House.  When  a  shopping  center  was  built  on  the  site  in  the  mid-1960s,  this 
home,  mistakenly  labeled  as  the  town's  oldest  dwelling,  was  moved  and  preserved.  Whether  it  actually 
functioned  as  a  Gatekeeper's  House  for  the  Fisher  estate  is  debatable.  Its  lot  was  originally  owned  by 
Fisher's  batchelor  associate  Charles  St.  George  Winn,  and  the  building  may  have  been  built  as  his 
residence.  


The  only  surviving  structure  from  the  Fisher  estate  is  this  elaborate  octagonal  dovecote. 


opening  up  much  of  west  Asheboro  to  construction.  In  1919  the  mansion  was 
converted  into  Asheboro' s  second  hospital,  which  closed  in  1931.  On  October  21, 
1934,  the  former  mansion  was  completely  destroyed  by  fire. 

The  S.  W.  Kivett  House  at  308  West  Kivett  Street  is  the  largest  remaining  house 
from  the  late  nineteenth  century.  It  combines  several  revival  styles  of  decorative  trim 
to  embellish  what  is  basically  a  standard  center-gable  house.  The  dentiled  cornice 
suggests  the  Colonial  Revival,  which  would  become  one  of  the  most  popular  styles 
in  Asheboro  within  the  succeeding  ten  years. 

187 


-r^ 


5(5 


'5 

5i! 


The  Railroads  and  an  Era  of  Change 

In  1890,  lawyer  and  local  historian  J.  A.  Blair  wrote  the  first  history  of 
Randolph  County,  treating  each  community  to  a  few  descriptive  phrases.  In  doing 
so,  he  painted  the  last  portrait  of  Asheboro  before  it  entered  a  turbulent  period  of 
change. 

Thus  amid  the  circling  hills  of  pine,  where  the  golden  light  of  day  first  breaks  upon  the 
dew-gemmed  hills,  where  the  tremulous  light  of  evening  lingers  on  the  crest  of  the  lonely 
mountain  pine,  without  a  boom,  without  a  puff,  without  ever  assuming  an  air  of 
greatness,  with  more  merit  than  praise,  .  .  .  this  quite  country  village  ...  has  stood  for 
a  hundred  years,  without  assuming  an  air  of  town  life,  unafflicted  with  burglars,  tramps, 
or  insurance  agents.  .  .  . 

In  July,  1889,  the  [High  Point,  Randleman,  Asheboro,  and  Southern]  Railroad  was 
completed  to  this  place.  What  influence  this  medium  of  travel  and  transportation  is  to 
exert  on  the  future  of  a  town  a  century  old,  containing  two  stores  and  twenty-two  houses, 
time  alone  can  tell.^' 

Blair's  question  was  answered  in  1912. 

It  is  amazing  to  note  the  influence  this  medium  of  travel  and  transportation  has  exerted 
on  the  advancement  of  a  town  a  century  old.  .  .  .  Since  the  completion  of  this  road 
tremendous  strides  have  taken  place  despite  an  effort  on  the  part  of  some  of  the  older 
inhabitants  to  prevent  it.  The  town  almost  immediately  began  to  build  about  the  new 
depot,  and  since  that  time  a  prosperous  growth  has  been  continuous.  .  .  .  Thus  while 
the  town  has  a  history  of  a  century  and  a  quarter,  yet  its  true  life  dates  from  the  coming  of 
the  Southern  Railway  in  1889.  Since  then  it  has  grown  from  a  village  into  a  thriving 


town 


28 


A  resident  later  described  welcoming  of  the  railroad's  arrival  in  Asheboro  and 
its  significance: 

July  4,  1889,  had  been  set  aside  as  a  day  of  celebration  for  the  completion  of  the 
railroad.  .  .  .  When  the  day  arrived  throngs  assembled  from  all  parts  of  the  county, 
coming  in  horse-drawn  wagons,  ox  carts,  on  horseback  and  on  foot. 

The  coming  of  the  railroad  to  Asheboro  marked  the  beginning  of  progress  for 
Randolph  County.  The  most  important  natural  resource  of  the  county  was  its  abundance 
of  timber.  Due  to  difficulties  of  transportation  there  had  been  no  market  for  it  but  with 
the  coming  of  the  railroad  the  saw  mills  descended  on  the  county  and  lumber  plants 
began  to  be  built  in  Asheboro.  Whole  train  load  of  lumber  were  shipped  to  High  Point 
and  other  places.  In  late  afternoon  one  could  look  south  on  what  had  been  the  Old  Plank 
Road  and  as  far  as  one  could  see  there  would  be  wagons  loaded  with  lumber  coming  into 
Asheboro.^' 

In  1896,  the  Asheboro  and  Montgomery  Railroad  was  opened  from  Asheboro  to 
Star  in  Montgomery  County.  This  railroad,  built  by  the  Page  family,  merged  in  1897 
with  the  Aberdeen  and  West  End  Railroad,  which  the  family  also  owned.  The 


188 


resulting  corporation,  the  Aberdeen  and  Asheboro  Railroad,  became  part  of  the 
Norfolk  and  Southern  system  on  January  1, 1912  and  was  abandoned  in  1952.^°  With 
the  completion  of  both  railroads,  Asheboro  and  Randolph  County  finally  possessed 
the  transportation  system  that  had  been  dreamed  of  since  the  1830s.  Star  was  two 
hours  to  the  south,  Randleman  about  a  half  hour  to  the  north  and  High  Point  two 
hours  away.  Travel  at  last  could  be  measured  in  hours  instead  of  days.  Rapid 
communications  followed  with  the  opening  of  the  first  telephone  exchange  in 
Asheboro  in  1897. 

The  first  man  to  take  advantage  of  the  boom  was  the  elderly  but  indefatigable 
John  Milton  Worth.  He  immediately  started  a  lumber  and  planing  mill  and  the 
Asheboro  Roller  Mill  near  the  intersection  of  Salisbury  and  Park  streets.  But  the 


This  1910  Sanborn  Insurance  Company  map  sho»s  three  of  Asheboro' s  most  important  early  industriu- 
sites:  the  Asheboro  Roller  Mill,  the  Home  Building  and  Material  Company  milU-ork  factory  and  tht 
town  s  electric  light  plant.  The  generating  station  urn  built  to  po^er  the  roller  mill  and  only  inc'- 
dentally  provided  electrical  service  to  /ohti  residents  (courtesy  of  the  Sanborn  Map  Company). 


The  Clark  Cox  House  was  located  near  the  roller  mill.  The  form  of  the  center-hall  plan  central  gable 
house  is  not  unusual  but  the  porch  and  wooden  fence  are  attractive  exhibitions  of  the  house  carpenter's 
facility  in  combining  millwork  products  for  decorative  effect. 


first  really  new  industry  was  founded  by  W  A.  Grimes,  who  built  a  factory  on  the 
northeast  comer  of  Sunset  Avenue  and  North  Street.  He  bought  dogwood  lumber 
from  which  he  manufactured  shuttle  blocks  for  use  in  the  local  textile  mills.  Not 
long  after  the  arrival  of  the  railroad,  branches  of  the  Guilford  Lumber  Company,  the 
Snow  Lumber  Company  of  High  Point  and  the  W.  C.  Petty  Company  also  opened  in 
Asheboro.^' 

The  brick  store  buildings  of  E.  A.  Moffitt  and  McAlister  and  Morris  were  built 
around  the  old  courthouse  square  after  the  arrival  of  the  railroad  but  before  the 
center  of  activity  in  Asheboro  had  shifted  to  the  railroad  depot  from  the  courthouse. 
The  Moffitt  building  soon  burned,  and  the  McAlister  and  Morris  store  was 
converted  into  the  town's  first  hosiery  mill  in  the  1890s.  The  fire  that  claimed  the 
Moffitt  Store  expedited  the  move  away  from  the  old  courthouse  center  by  destroying 
the  entire  east  side  of  Main  Street.  Burned  were  Boyette  and  Richardson's  drug 
store,  J.  L.  Brittain's  law  office,  the  Bums  Hotel,  W.  E  Moragne's  Jewelry  Store,  E. 
A.  Moffitt's  Store  and  the  Argus  newspaper  office.  Most  of  the  businesses  rebuilt 
nearer  the  railroad. ^^ 

The  R  H.  Morris  general  store  at  102  Sunset  Avenue  (1895)  was  the  first  brick 
structure  built  in  the  new  central  business  district.  A  small  brick  building  built 
across  Fayetteville  Street  in  1897  housed  the  city's  first  bank.  The  Bank  of 
Randolph,  which  had  been  founded  that  year.  The  tiny  stmcture  was  enlarged  or 
replaced  about  1905  by  the  neo-classical  bank  building  tom  down  in  1963.  The  rest 


Ml 


Ca   lonn  ^        L  L  u  ^    .u    .  ..nnrnt,  nhotosrovhs  from  a  spot  in  front  of  the  new  Bank  of  Randolph  building.  Combined,  they  create  a  fascinating  panoramic  view  of  Asheboro  s  most 

^■1900  an  unknown  photographer  made  three  ''P'^l^'/J^l^^^^^^^^^^^  identified  the  man  crossing  the  street  as  Fred  Baldwin.  The  P.  H.  Morris  store  is  the  only  building  still  standing  today 


P'-om. 


'nent  intersection  of  the  turn  of  the  century. 


(<:ourtesy  Randolph  Book  1779-1979  photograph  collection  in  the  Randolph  Public  Library). 


1    i'!l 


189 


_J^ 


::• 

ir 

91 

'<! 

pi 

if' 

lit* 


of  the  infant  business  district  was  a  motley  collection  of  frame  "boom-town" 
storefronts.  Typical  of  these  was  the  bright  yellow  Wood  and  Moring  Store,  erected 
in  1899  on  the  southwest  comer  of  Sunset  Avenue  and  Fayetteville  Street. 

The  late  nineteenth  century  was  a  boom  period  for  domestic  construction  as 
well.  With  the  evolution  of  Depot  Street,  or  Sunset  Avenue,  as  the  centerpiece  of  the 
business  district,  Fayetteville  Street  underwent  a  transformation  into  an  upper-class 
residential  area.  About  1892  an  unknown  draftsman  built  three  identical  houses  in 
Asheboro  for  three  prominent  lawyers  and  businessmen:  W  H.  Moring,  Col.  J.  Ed 
Walker  and  Col.  William  Penn  Wood,  the  state  auditor  from  1910  to  1920."  The 
townspeople  at  the  time  were  awestruck  by  these  impressive  homes,  all  of  which 
have  since  been  destroyed.  About  the  same  time,  roller  mill  executive  W  J.  Scarboro 
built  an  equally  impressive  home  on  Fayetteville  Street.  Its  most  prominent  feature 
was  a  second  empire  style  mansard-roofed  tower.  Falladian  windows  graced  the 
third  floor.  In  the  1930s,  Scarboro  Street  was  opened  between  the  Scarboro  House 
and  the  Central  Hotel  and  the  house  was  soon  moved  down  the  hill,  fronting 
Scarboro,  in  order  to  open  up  the  Fayetteville  Street  site  for  development.  It  was 
finally  torn  down  in  the  1950s. 

Several  equally  ambitious  houses  were  built  in  the  Queen  Anne  style.  The  T  H. 
Redding  House  on  Worth  Street,  the  S.  B.  Stedman  and  Hiatt-Swaim  houses  on 
Fayetteville  Street  and  the  E.  A.  Moffitt  House,  now  on  Academy  Street,  were  all  of 
similar  design.  The  Redding  House  boasted  an  elaborate  veranda  with  spool-like 


(B)The  W.  P.  Wood  home,  on  East  Salisbury  Street  (courtesy  Randolph  Book  1779-1979  photograph 
collection  in  the  Randolph  Public  Library). 


Some  very  substantial  homes  were  built  in  Asheboro  during  the  1890s.  Three  of  the  largest  dwellings 
were  almost  identical. 

(A)TheO.  R.  CoxHouse,  on  the  corner  of  Academy  and  Main  streets  (courtesy  Rundolphhook  1779- 
1 979  photograph  collection  in  the  Randolph  Public  Library) . 


(C)  The  W.  H.  Moring  House,  on  South  Fayetteville  Street  (courtesy  Randolph  Book  1119-1919  pho- 
tograph collection  in  the  Randolph  Public  Library). 


190 


I^oller  mill  executive  W.  J.  Scarboro  built  this  large  house  in  the  late  1890s.  Its  mansard-roofed  tower 
^os  one  of  the  county's  few  examples  of  the  "Second  Empire"  style. 


^^'ghbors  on  North  Fayetteville  Street,  the  W.  J.  Armfield  and  S.  B.  Stedman  houses  were  both  built 
°''°und  the  turn-of-the-century.  The  Stedman  House,  built  by  the  Redding  family,  was  almost  identical 
^^he  Hiatt-Swaim  House  at  the  corner  of  Fayetteville  and  Academy  streets.  Octagonal  corner  turrets 
^'■^  <:ynosures  of  both  the  Queen  Anne  style  homes. 


balusters  and  a  spindled  porch  frieze;  the  Stedman  and  Hiatt-Swaim  houses  sported 
peaked  towers  on  their  hip  roofs.  But  all  of  the  houses  were  essentially  the  basic 
design  which  can  still  be  seen  in  the  Moffitt  House:  a  square,  hip-roofed  main  block, 
a  projecting  polygonal  bay  with  bracketed  eaves  and  a  wraparound  veranda.  An 
earlier,  stylistically  related  house,  was  the  original  Arthur  Ross  home  built  at  444 
Sunset  Avenue  but  moved  east  on  Sunset  in  1905  and  later  destroyed.  This  house  was 
the  most  elaborate  and  decoratively  rich  creation  of  Victorian  Asheboro,  with  all  the 
brackets,  spindles  and  spools  its  unknown  builder  could  add. 

Emergence  of  Modern  Asheboro 

After  the  arrival  of  the  railroads,  the  population  of  Asheboro  nearly  doubled 
every  ten  years:  1890  (510),  1900  (992),  1910  (1,865),  1920  (2,559)  and  1930 
(5,021).^'*  Industrial  expansion  attracted  most  of  these  people  to  Asheboro  and  large 
scale  construction  was  necessary  to  provide  them  with  homes,  stores  and  public 
services.  A  1912  observer  noted: 

At  present  there  are  two  roller  mills,  the  third  one  almost  completed;  two  chair 
factories,  a  lumber  plant,  wheelbarrow  factory;  Home  Building  and  Material  Company; 
a  foundry,  and  a  hosiery  mill.  The  community  affords  two  prosperous  banks,  and  there  is 
also  a  building  and  loan  association.  There  are  already  about  thirty  stores  and  several 
more  being  built. 


The  first  home  built  by  industrialist  Arthur  Ross  on  the  northeast  corner  of  Sunset  Avenue  and  Park  Street 
was  Asheboro' s  finest  example  of  a  decorative  style  which  deserves  to  be  called  "Millwork  Baroque." 
The  end  gable  is  a  virtual  catalog  of  some  unknown  company's  millwork  production.  The  house  was 
subsequently  moved  and  the  present  Colonial  Revival  style  house  was  built  on  the  site  for  Ross  (courtesy 
Randolph  Book  1779-1979  photograph  collection  in  the  Randolph  Public  Library). 


191 


!^l 


F 

!;■ 
I- 

5: 


It 


4.    ^ 

H 

y 

^■■■B  rff*fr  *><w 

^^^^^»     ^H  ^m   rjSjl^^^^                     ^^^B 

•    I    191 

1. 

I    iiiii  ii 

.  t4  a-r.-    ••     It 


'.,.*• 


Two  views  of  the  present  Randolph  County  Courthouse  under  construction  in  1909  (courtesy  Randolph 
Book  1779-1979  photograph  collection  in  the  Randolph  Public  Library). 


192 


Asheboro  has  one  of  the  finest  school  buildings  in  the  State,  and  its  school  is  second  to 
none.  The  school  for  white  children  has  ten  grades  and  nine  teachers.  The  colored 
children  also  receive  a  good  education.  There  are  five  churches  for  the  white  people  and 
four  for  the  colored.  Two  newspapers  are  printed.  The  Courier  and  The  Randolph 
Bulletin.  There  are  a  telephone  system  and  an  electric  light  plant,  and  a  newly-installed 
water  and  sewerage  system.  To  all  the  foregoing  should  be  added  the  fact  that  there  are 
many  handsome  residences  in  our  town  which  serve  to  give  it  a  pleasant  appearance.  .  .  . 

Judging  from  the  past  twenty-five  years  of  progress  ...  we  cannot  but  predict  for 
the  old  county  seat  of  Randolph  a  large  share  in  the  marvelous  prosperity  which  is 
coming  as  a  tidal  wave  upon  the  piedmont  sections  of  North  Carolina.^' 

The  last  vestiges  of  old  "Asheborough"  began  to  fade  in  March,  1908,  when 
the  county  commissioners  voted  to  build  a  new  courthouse.  Dr.  John  Milton  Worth's 
old  cornfield  and  barnyard  were  bought  by  a  citizens  group  for  $1 ,400  and  donated  to 
the  county.  Seven  of  the  town's  lawyers  purchased  adjoining  property  for  $1,300  on 
which  to  build  their  "Lawyer's  Row."  After  many  setbacks  and  changes,  the  new 
government  building  was  completed  in  July,  1909,  at  a  cost  of  $34,000.  In  April, 
1914,  the  old  courthouse  was  dismantled  and  the  bricks  used  to  build  a  new  county 
jail.-  In  1919  the  sites  of  the  former  courthouse  and  jail  were  sold  into  private 
ownership.  The  passing  of  the  historic  courthouse  center  does  not  seem  to  have  been 
mourned  or  regretfully  acknowledged  by  many  citizens. 

The  magnificent  new  courthouse  was  less  symbolic  of  Randolph  County  than 
of  Asheboro's  booming  spirit  of  civic  pride  and  self-awareness.  It  signaled  the  start 
of  ten  years  of  unparalleled  growth  and  unprecedented  change.  From  1910  to  1920 
Asheboro  acquired  all  the  virtues  of  urban  life,  from  public  utilities  and  recreation 
areas  to  improved  educational  and  health  care  facilities  to  municipal  police  and  fire 
protection. 

The  post  office  had  been  the  first  service  to  move  toward  the  railroad  from  the 
old  courthouse  center.  The  office  occupied  several  sites  in  the  Sunset  Avenue  area 
while  serving  the  growing  community.  An  identity  crisis  of  sorts  occurred  on 
January  10,  1923,  when  without  warning  the  Post  Office  Department  officially 
changed  the  town's  name  from  'Asheborough"  to  "Ashboro."  Outraged  at  the 
mistake,  Courier  editor  and  congressman  William  Cicero  Hammer  forced  the  post 
office  to  adopt  a  compromised  spelling,  "Asheboro."  A  government-owned  down- 
town post  office  building  was  built  with  WPA  funds  in  1935,  but  in  1965  the  growing 
operation  moved  to  its  present  quarters  on  the  northeast  comer  of  Sunset  Avenue  and 
Davis  Street. ^^ 

Electricity  had  arrived  in  1900  when  J.  D.  and  Arthur  Ross,  owners  of  the 
Home  Building  and  Material  Company  (a  sash-and-blind  manufacturer),  and  W  I 
Scarboro,  operator  of  the  Asheboro  Roller  Mill,  installed  a  100  horse-power  electric 
generator  between  their  adjoining  plants.  Electric  power  had  been  available  only  i" 
the  two  factories  until  1905  when  Arthur  Ross  and  C.  C.  Cranford  incorporated  the 
Asheboro  Electric  Company.  In  1911  the  town  government  bought  the  company- 
operating  it  as  a  municipal  utility  until  1924  when  a  50-year  franchise  was  granted  ^° 
Carolina  Power  and  Light.  Electricity  was  available  for  residential  use  only  at  nigW' 
the  power  was  needed  during  the  day  to  operate  the  roller  mill  and  other  industries 


Power  even  to  street  lights  was  cut  off  at  1 1:00  FM.  on  Sundays  and  at  midnight  on 
all  other  days.  A  100-kilowatt,  coal-fired  dynamo  was  installed  by  the  city  in  191 1  in 
the  new  "Water  and  Light  Department"  complex  on  the  site  of  the  present  city  hall. 

A  $50,000  water  system  fed  by  wells  had  been  installed  in  the  summer  of  1910. 
Two  circular  concrete  tanks  holding  600,000  gallons  and  one  elevated  steel  tank 
holding  75,000  gallons  were  constructed.  In  1914  the  wells  proved  inadequate  and  a 
filter  plant  and  concrete  reservoir  holding  2  1/2  million  gallons  (called  "Lake 
Number  One")  were  built  on  the  hilltop  between  Wainman  Avenue  and  Hill  Street. 
When  the  reservoir  ran  dry  in  1925,  Lake  Number  Two  was  built  in  the  hills  west  of 
Asheboro.  Another  lake  was  constructed  in  1931,  and  yet  another  in  1946.  The  latter 
Was  the  Back  Creek  reservoir,  now  called  Lake  Lucas,  impounding  one-and-a-half 
billion  gallons  of  water.  ^* 

The  fire  department,  originally  manned  by  volunteers,  was  founded  in  1911  by 
S.  B.  Stedman,  who  became  its  first  chief.  The  only  equipment  at  first  was  a  "hose 
reel,"  a  two-wheeled  hand-drawn  carriage  holding  a  drum  with  a  hose  wrapped 
around  it.  The  first  truck  was  purchased  in  1914.^''  After  1915  the  first  full-time 
municipal  official  was  the  town  constable,  whose  duties  included  provisions 
outlined  in  the  charter  of  1855.  He  was  responsible  for  collecting  property  taxes, 
privilege  taxes,  special  license  taxes,  as  well  as  keeping  order  in  the  community.  In 
1928  the  constable  was  replaced  with  a  chief  of  police  and  a  policeman. 

A  large  brick  public  school,  called  the  "Asheboro  Graded  School,"  was  built 
in  1909  on  the  grounds  of  the  old  county  fair  and  male  academy.  Between  1924  and 
1926  the  building  was  enlarged,  remodeled  and  stuccoed,  and  came  to  be  called 
Payetteville  Street  School.  A  separate  elementary  school.  Park  Street  School,  was 
I'uilt  in  1936.  It  partially  burned  in  April,  1959,  and  was  rebuilt;  a  later  name.  Donna 
Lee  Loflin  School,  honored  its  principal  from  1936  to  1965.  Lindley  Park  School 
*as  the  third  added  to  the  growing  system.  In  the  late  1960s  the  growing  profusion 
of  new  schools  doomed  the  historic  Fayetteville  Street  building,  which  was  demol- 
ished in  1969."° 

Across  the  street  from  what  would  be  the  site  of  Park  Street  School  lay 
Asheboro's  first  public  park  on  land  donated  to  the  city  in  191 1  by  Rufus  W  Frazier 
^nd  named  for  him.  The  site  had  been  a  tanyard  in  the  nineteenth  century  and 
included  a  natural  spring.  Walks  were  laid  off  and  flowers  planted  under  the 
guidance  of  Miss  Julia  Thorns,  a  leader  of  the  Women's  Club. 

Dr.  and  Mrs.  John  Floyd  Miller  operated  the  first  hospital  in  Asheboro  from 
1^14  to  1917  in  a  two-story  frame  house  on  the  southeast  comer  of  Salisbury  and 
North  Fayetteville  streets.  Mrs.  Mary  Scotten  was  hired  as  a  cook,  later  becoming  a 
"urse  for  the  black  patients  while  her  son  Peldon  served  as  orderiy.  Mrs.  Scotten  was 
Je  first  licensed  practical  nurse  trained  in  Dr.  Miller's  nursing  program.  After  the 
"ospital  closed  she  became  a  well-known  midwife  and  died  in  November,  1959  at 
^8e  94.  The  hospital  ceased  operation  in  the  fall  of  1917  when  Dr.  Miller  went  into 
'"e  army.  His  wife  soon  died  in  the  1917  influenza  epidemic.  The  second  hospital 
"^.J  opened  in  1919  by  two  brothers,  Drs.  C.  A.  and  R.  W.  Hayworth  in  the 
°JJ  Pisher  mansion.  The  original  fifteen  bed  facility  was  expanded  to  fifty  beds  in 
'^23.  R.  w.  Hayworth  later  entered  the  navy,  and  when  his  brother  Dr.  C.  A. 


Graded  School  Buildinf.  Atheboro,  N.  C 


The  brick  Asheboro  Graded  School,  built  in  1909,  at  325  South  Fayetteville  Street. 


The  school  was  expanded,  remodeled  and  stuccoed  in  the  1920s. 


193 


->-*' 


f 

J. 

5!' 


This  architectural  rendering  of  the  proposed  Randolph  Hospital  was  exhibited  in  1931 .  It  was  produced 
in  the  office  of  Asheville  architect  Eric  G.  Flannagan  (courtesy  Randolph  Public  Library). 


Hayworth  fell  ill  in  June,  1930,  the  hospital  closed  temporarily.  He  reopened  the 
hospital  in  the  fall,  but  closed  it  permanently  in  May,  1931,  after  Randolph  Hospital, 
Inc.,  was  chartered  by  special  legislative  act.'*' 

This  burst  of  civic  improvement  and  municipal  responsibility  reached  a 
pinnacle  in  July,  1919,  when  the  first  seven  miles  of  Asheboro's  streets  were  paved. 
To  a  population  accustomed  to  muddy  quagmires  instead  of  streets  and  sidewalks, 
this  was  the  most  obvious  sign  of  Asheboro's  entry  into  genteel  society.  "That  was 
the  year  Asheboro  really  started  gettin  on  the  map.  .  .  ."  recalled  one  resident.'*^ 

Industrial  development  had  of  course  been  the  impetus  behind  this  boom  in 
public  services.  In  1920,  more  than  five  trains  a  day  left  Asheboro  with  the  products 
of  its  industries.  About  132,000  chairs  were  shipped  out  of  local  factories  that  year. 
In  1920,  each  week  saw  690,000  board  feet  of  lumber  shipped;  4,320  wheelbarrows 
and  300  caskets  were  built;  168,000  pairs  of  stockings  were  made;  480  barrels  of 
flour  (at  196  lbs.  to  the  barrel)  were  bought  and  sold."*^ 

The  1920s  and  1930s  saw  even  more  changes  in  Asheboro  as  the  local  economy 
entered  a  transition  from  agriculturally-related  businesses  to  fully-industrialized 
manufacturing.  Early  wood-products  firms  were  increasingly  replaced  with  textile 
operations.  Before  1905  Asheboro's  chief  industries  had  been  blacksmith  shops, 
lumber  mills  and  chair  factories.  The  Asheboro  Chair  Factory  opened  under  J.  0. 
Redding  and  others  in  1904,  with  wages  from  350  to  750  per  ten-hour  day. 


RECAP ITULATI01I--SUiaiARY  BY  BUILDIKGS. 


A 


1: 

J      CHUirCH  ST 


Bunding  #1-  -  - 
Building  #2-  .  . 
Building  #3-  -  - 
Building  #4-  .   . 

Building  #5 

Building  J6-  -  - 
Building  17-  .  . 
Building  l€-  -  - 
gliding  19-  -  - 
Utlot  Building- 
Itneral  plant-  - 


*otalB,  Plant  Valuation-   - 
•ohinery  Away  jrom  plant- 


ASHCBORO    HOS/eny   MILLS, 
aiHKB  ono .   N  c 


Szand  Totals- 


COST  OF 
R  CPRODUCTION 


»274,367.25 

40,064.94 
6,106.32 

5,977.00 

32.760.87 

207,765.94 

10,075.69 

12,339.25 

11,839.66 

7.879.23 

5.266.93 


4616,483.28 
1.726.00 


$618,209.28 


SOUND 
VALUATION 


$246,865.03 
36,305.79 

6,866.14 
2,381.26 

28.953.16 

176.618.92 

8,942.14 

11,460.51 

9,824.30 

7,046.81 
4.694.39 


J53v,8v8.45 
1,294.50 


$541,192.95 


INSURABLE 
VALUATION 


$242,028.04 

35,652.62 

6,120.28 

2.010.34 

26,817.26 

174.604.71 

7.775.93 

10,678.99 

9. 297. 69 

7.046.81 

592.15 


S522,b24.62 

1.294.50 


$524,119,32 


1929  site  plan  and  appraisal  report  of  Asheboro  Hosiery  Milts  (courtesy  of  Samuel  D.  Cranford,  Jr.). 


194 


National  Chair  Company  was  opened  in  1914  by  C.  C.  Cranford  and  reorganized  in 
1933  by  Cranford  and  W.  Clyde  Lucas.  Their  cane-bottomed  chairs  wholesaled  for 
$7.50  per  dozen.  Wagons  and  trucks  carried  the  unfinished  chairs  out  into  the  county 
where  women  at  home  could  weave  the  seat  bottoms.'*^  Descendants  of  many  of  the 
original  wood  products  industries  still  survive.  The  Home  Building  and  Material 
Company,  operated  for  many  years  by  the  Ross  family  survives  today  in  Hedgecock 
Builders,  Inc.,  despite  its  almost  complete  destruction  by  fire  on  August  17,  1929. 
The  present-day  Dixie  Furniture  Company  is  a  descendant  of  the  National  Chair 
Company  organized  in  1914.  The  one  representative  which  has  survived  completely 
unchanged  is  the  P  and  P  Chair  Company,  organized  in  1926  by  W.  C.  Page  and 
Arthur  Presnell. 

The  shift  from  wood  products  to  textiles  is  well  illustrated  by  the  career  of  C.  C. 
Cranford,  a  Randolph  County  native  who  came  to  Asheboro  in  1895.  Cranford 
expanded  upon  the  knowledge  gained  in  his  first  job,  driving  a  delivery  wagon  for 
the  Asheboro  Roller  Mill,  when  he  organized  his  own  Crown  Milhng  Company.  In 
1913  it  merged  with  the  Southern  Milling  Company  to  form  the  Southern  Crown 
Milling  Company,  owned  and  operated  by  the  W.  E  Redding  family  until  1958.  In 
1908,  Cranford  purchased  the  Randolph  Chair  Company.  He  was  also  mvolved  m 
organizing  the  Cranford  Furniture  Company,  the  Asheboro  Veneer  Company,  the 
National  Chair  Company  and  the  Piedmont  Chair  Company. 

In  1917  Cranford  switched  his  manufacturing  interests  to  the  production  of 
men's  socks  in  his  Asheboro  Hosiery  Mills.  The  company  later  expanded  to  make 
ladies'  hose  as  well  and  in  1937  began  the  manufacture  of  "full-fashioned- 
hosiery '♦^  The  "full-fashion"  process  was  an  improved  method  of  knitting  ladies 
stockings  which  had  been  introduced  to  Asheboro  by  the  brothers  Joseph  C.  and 
Charles  G.  Bossong.  Their  company  had  been  organized  in  New  York  in  1927  and 
brought  to  Asheboro  by  Charles  Bossong  in  1928.^^  The  textile  business  also  drew 
the  Stedman  family  away  from  their  wholesale  grocery  operation.  Sulon  B.  Stedman 
and  his  father,  W.  D.  Stedman,  organized  the  Stedman  Manufacturing  Company  in 
1930.  The  company  originally  made  handkerchiefs  but  in  1945  began  making 
T-shirts  for  the  U.S.  Navy.  The  company  has  since  expanded  enormously. 

The  pioneer  of  the  twentieth-century  era  of  textiles  was  the  Acme  Hosiery  Co. , 
chartered  on  December  19,  1908  with  a  capitalization  of  526,000.  1  here  were 
seventeen  original  incorporators,  including  prominent  local  businessmen  U.  ti 
'^eCrary,  T.  H.  Redding  and  W.  J.  Armfield.  McCrary  was  the  first  president  of 
the  corporation.  O.  R.  Cox,  former  superintendent  of  the  Cedar  Falls  textile  mill 
"loved  to  Asheboro  to  act  as  secretary-treasurer  of  the  corporation  and  manager  ot 
*e  mill.  The  venture  was  not  immediately  successful  and  McCrary  and  Redding 
soon  left  the  hardware  business  to  take  over  personal  direction  of  the  mill.  Ihe 
original  product  of  the  firm  was  cotton  stockings;  production  later  shifted  to  rayon, 
silk  and  currently  nylon  hosiery.^^  The  Acme  Hosiery  plant  was  buih  just  northwest 
of  the  new  courthouse  on  a  site  which  adjoined  the  railroad;  the  southwest  corner  ot 
Salisbury  and  North  streets.  (Mr.  Armfield  was  its  neighbor  to  the  east.)  All  ot  the 
^^fly  industries  were  located  for  similar  reasons  in  what  has  become  Asheboro  s 
central  business  district.  The  West  Salisbury  Street  area  periodically  has  been  rebuilt 


Asheboro' s  central  business  district  blanketed  under  the  "Great  Snow  of  1927 r 


as  fires  swept  through  the  rambling  frame  factories  of  the  woodworking  businesses 
located  there.  Later  furniture  plants  and  all  textile  mills  built  brick  factories  which 
now  make  up  most  of  the  noncommercial  floorspace  in  the  downtown  area.  Shared 
wall  construction  is  a  dominant  feature  of  the  area's  inter-related  and  tightly-packed 
commercial/industrial  buildings. 

The  development  of  the  Church/Sunset/Fayetteville/Worth  streets  corridor  of 
brick  commercial  structures  began  with  the  R  H.  Morris  Store  in  1895  and  continued 
until  about  1950.  These  streets  comprise  Asheboro's  only  areas  of  real  urban  spatial 
consolidation.  The  structures  are  all  related  in  height,  building  material  and 
second-story  fenestration.  Though  most  of  the  inter-related  downtown  residences 
have  vanished,  and  some  major  original  structures  have  been  replaced,  Asheboro's 
central  business  district  retains  today  a  cohesive  collection  of  pre-World  War  II 
commercial  buildings.  Some  structures  in  the  area  are  more  attractive  architecturally 
than  others,  but  lesser  buildings  and  factories  also  play  an  important  part  in  defining 
the  character  of  the  era. 

The  ever-expanding  population  of  Asheboro  necessitated  the  creation  of  a  great 
deal  of  domestic  residential  construction.  Three-bay  central-gable  houses,  either 
single-story  as  at  339  Worth  Street  or  two-story  as  at  525  South  Fayetteville  Street, 
were  popular  and  common  into  the  1920s.  Thereafter,  houses  in  the  "Bungalow" 

195 


Pi 


•I 


S 


-'^^««js&^s-afeL:? 


The  original  Asheboro  Baptist  Church,  a  Gothic  Revival  structure  complete  with  batttemented  entrance 
tower,  was  built  in  1911 .  It  stood  beside  city  hall  on  the  east  side  of  Church  Street.  The  building  burned 
Nov.  19,  1933  and  the  congregation  rebuilt  on  the  opposite  side  of  the  street. 


Style  became  standard— low,  spreading  structures,  with  deeply-overhung  roofs 
supported  on  brackets  and  porches  set  on  squat  brick  posts  or  stone  bases.  The  1917 
J.  D.  Ross  House  is  an  example  of  this  style  and  was  probably  the  city's  first  brick 
dwelling  as  well.  Architectural  eclecticism  in  a  variety  of  revival  styles  was  the 
fashion  among  the  homes  of  wealthier  residents.  The  homes  of  the  two  McCrary 
brothers  on  Worth  Street  are  prominent  examples. 

The  Home  Building  and  Material  Company  served  a  large  segment  of  the 
housing  market.  With  production  ranging  from  raw  lumber  to  finished  millwork,  the 
company  could  and  did  provide  every  wooden  element  for  a  home.  After  World  War 
I,  the  company  advertised  that  it  produced  a  complete  house  everyday.  In  the  1920s 
the  company  manufactured  houses  according  to  the  specifications  of  T  E.  Lassiter,  a 
local  contractor  who  shipped  the  packaged  components  by  rail  and  assembled 
bungalows  all  over  the  South. 

The  explosion  of  domestic  construction  shaped  the  development  of  new 
neighborhoods.  The  "B.  E  Hoover"  subdivision  of  1890  was  one  of  Asheboro's 
first  efforts  at  suburban  development.  Development  of  the  sixty  one-acre  lots  was 
retarded,  however,  when  most  were  bought  and  kept  in  a  block  by  B.  J.  Fisher.  The 
1908  "Randolph  Heights"  subdivision  was  the  first  project  which  resembled 
modem  development  practices;  Asheboro  High  School  is  in  the  area  today.  "Dog- 
wood Acres"  was  opened  in  1928  by  Henry  P.  Corwith  on  property  which  he  ac- 
quired in  1914.  t-    1^     .7 

In  1923,  the  Makenworth  Company,  a  real  estate  development  corporation, 
established  "Greystone  Ten-ace."  This  originally  comprised  the  Worth  Street/Elm 
Street/Randolph  Avenue/Cliff  Road  areas.  In  1924  the  company  opened  the  "Old 
Muster  Field"  tracts  on  Cox  Street.  (The  Old  Muster  Field  had  been  the  nineteenth- 
century  assembly  point  and  campground  for  the  county  militia.)  In  1925,  "Rosemont 
Park"  began  in  North  Asheboro,  followed  in  1926  by  nearby  "Balfourton."  The 
name  of  "Rosemont  Park"  was  almost  immediately  changed  to  "King  Tut,"  in  honor 
of  the  discovery  of  the  tomb  of  that  Egyptian  pharaoh.  In  1929,  Millhaven  was  opened 


i 


This  panoramic  view  of  the  Sunset  Avenue-Fayetteville  Street  intersection  was  taken  ca 
First  National  Bank  are  the  landmarks  of  this  important  corner:  all  have  been 


nca    1925  from  the  opposite  corner  of  the  ca.-l900  panorama.  The  Bank  of  Randolph.  Capitol  Theatre  and 
destroyed  (courtesy  Randolph  Book  1779-1979  photograph  collection  in  the  Randolph  Public  Library,. 


196 


in  the  area  of  Peachtree  and  City  View  streets,  and  a  year  later  the  McAlister  estate 
initiated  the  "Eastover"  section.  In  1931 ,  came  "Worth  Terrace,"  comprising  Elm, 
Randolph  and  High  streets,  followed  in  succession  by  "OoGalista  Heights," 
"Country  Club  Estates,"  "Hollywood"  and  "Beechwood"  (1936),  "Forest  Hills" 
near  Millhaven  (1937)  and  "Eastside"  and  "Homeland  Heights"  (1939).  "West- 
side,"  in  1947,  was  one  of  the  last  in  this  flurry  of  subdivisions."" 

Industrial  development  continued  at  an  increasing  pace  during  the  1940s  and 
1950s,  with  a  resulting  civic  pride  that  approached  euphoria.  Just  as  residential 
development  spread  out  from  the  downtown  area,  so  did  industrial  and  commercial 
development.  Automobiles  propelled  residents  farther  from  the  city  center,  and  the 
siting  and  construction  of  stores  and  factories  reflected  new  concerns  for  parking  and 
an  orientation  toward  motorists  rather  than  pedestrians.  Asheboro  has  a  very 
interesting  collection  of  streamlined  "Art  Modeme"  commercial  and  industrial 
structures  that  illustrate  this  period.  A  milestone  in  this  trend  occurred  in  1960  with 
the  opening  of  Hillside,  Asheboro's  first  shopping  center. 

The  period  was  not  without  a  measure  of  conflict  among  goals  and  sensibilities. 
Asheboro's  concern  for  industrial  development  and  civic  improvement  peaked  when 
the  city  won  Carolina  Power  and  Light's  "Finer  Carolina"  contests  in  1954,  1955, 


1956  and  1958.  Yet  the  scrapbooks  prepared  for  these  contests  and  meant  to  boost  the 
city's  growth  and  progressive  spirit,  inadvertently  provide  an  eloquent  chronicle  of 
the  nearly  total  destruction  of  the  city's  nineteenth-century  heritage.  Those  buildings 
which  survived  were  left  much-altered  due  to  changing  tastes,  technology  and 
maintenance  costs.  Modem  storefronts  were  applied  to  old  buildings.  Aluminum  or 
composition  siding  materials  were  substituted  for  wooden  clapboarding.  Porches, 
fences,  cornices  and  ornamental  trim  were  removed  to  reduce  repair  costs.  Such 
practices  as  the  replacement  of  multipane  window  sash  with  modem  jalousie 
windows  and  the  addition  of  fake  shutters  and  "colonial"  trim  almost  invariably 
diminished  the  historical  quality  of  the  buildings'  architecture. 

Today  Asheboro  retains  only  nine  structures  which  seem  to  have  been  built 
before  1900.  Almost  the  entire  first  century-and-a-quarter  of  the  city's  architectural 
history  has  vanished,  resulting  in  an  irretrievable  loss  for  historic  preservation. 
While  the  physical  evidences  of  its  earlier  years  no  longer  exist,  much  of  the  city's 
later  cultural  legacy  still  stands  and  could  be  revived.  If  the  remaining  extant 
heritage  of  Asheboro  is  to  be  preserved  for  posterity,  a  new  awareness  and 
understanding  of  potential  contributions  of  the  architectural  environment  to  the 
"liveability"  of  the  city  must  become  ingrained  in  its  growth  philosophy. 


One  of  th.  I  r.uu      .    ,,      „    ■„   <:,r.,,r,,iAfntial  neiehborhood  is  destroyed  in  1973.  Attempts  to  convert  the  W.J.  Armfield  house  into  a  county  museum  wer^ 

'^-^gSi::^ r:^t:^;:^r^:f ^r:^^^  corJlot  .as  the  sue  of  the  Ashe^orou^h  remaie  Academy  in  ,839. 


197 


I'll 


51' 
91 

-I 


Notes 

'For  more  complete  discussion  of  this  subject,  see  L.  McKay 
Whatley,  "Courthouse  Petitions,  1785  and  1788,"  The  Genealogical 
Journal  of  the  Randolph  County  Genealogical  Society,  3,  no.  1  (Fall, 
1978).  See  also  David  Leroy  Corbitt,  The  Formation  of  the  North 
Carolina  Counties  1663-1943  (Raleigh:  Department  of  Archives  and 
History,  1950),  179-180. 

^See  "An  Act  to  Establish  a  town  on  Lands  of  Jesse  Henley,  in 
the  County  of  Randolph,  at  the  Court  House  of  said  County,"  25 
December  1796  Act  of  incorporation  for  the  town  of  "Asheborough," 
in  Mrs.  W  C.  Hammer  and  Miss  Massa  E.  Lambert,  "Historical 
Sketch  of  Asheboro,"  Asheboro  (N.C.)  Courier-Tribune,  1938; 
reprinted,  Asheboro,  N.C:  Randolph  County  Historical  Society, 
1968,  p.  13. 

'Mrs.  J.  L.  Winningham,  "Memories  of  Old  Asheboro,"  manu- 
script in  the  Randolph  Room,  Asheboro  Public  Library. 

"Sidney  Swaim  Robins,  Sketches  of  My  Asheboro:  Asheboro. 
North  Carolina  1880- 1910  (Asheboro:  Randolph  County  Historical 
Society,  1972),  9. 

'Mrs.  Laura  Worth,  "Manuscript  Notebook  #1,"  in  the  files  of 
the  Randolph  Room,  Asheboro  Public  Library. 

'Randolph  County  Miscellaneous  Records,  State  Archives, 
Raleigh,  N.C. 

'For  a  complete  discussion  of  Worth's  Asheboro  residency  see 
Richard  L.  Zuber,  Jonathan  Worth,  A  Biography  of  a  Southern 
Unionist  (Chapel  Hill:  The  University  of  North  Carolina  Press, 
1965). 

'Petition  to  General  Assembly  to  "appoint  commissioners  to 
alter  the  plan  of  the  town  of  Asheboro,  ..."  Randolph  County 
Papers,  CRX  Box  242,  State  Archives,  Raleigh:  "An  Act  to  appoint 
commissioners  to  alter  the  plan  of  Asheborough,  and  to  incorporate 
the  same,  .  .  ."  North  Carolina,  Session  Record  of  the  North  Caro- 
lina Legislature  (Private  Acts),  1828-1829. 

'^Minutes  of  the  Court  of  Pleas  and  Quarter  Sessions,  Randolph 
County,  North  Carolina,  Book  #1,  pp.  18-19  (located  in  the  North 
Carolina  State  Archives,  Raleigh,  N.C). 

'"North  Carolina,  Session  Record  of  the  North  Carolina  Legisla- 
ture (Private  Acts),  1829-1830  c.  88;  1854-1855  c.  262;  1860-1861 
c.  160;  and  acts  dated  January  7,  1845  and  January  27,  1849  (located 
in  the  North  Carolina  State  Archives,  Raleigh,  N.C). 

"Hammer  and  Lambert,  "Historical  Sketch  of  Asheboro,"  II; 
Rev.  Levi  Branson  (ed.),  The  North  Carolina  Business  Directory 


(Raleigh:  L.  Branson,  Publisher,  1877-  1878);  North  Carolina  Ses- 
sion Record  of  the  North  Carolina  Legislature  (Private  Acts).  1883 
c.  79. 

'^Southern  Citizen,  16  November  1839. 

"Randolph  County,  Minutes  of  Court  of  Pleas  and  Quarter 
Sessions,  February,  May  and  August  terms,  1839  (located  in  the 
North  Carolina  State  Archives,  Raleigh,  N.C). 

"Nancy  W.  Simpson,  comp.,  (ed.),  1850  Census  of  Randolph 
County,  North  Carolina  (Wilkesboro,  N.C:  Nancy  W.  Simpson 
n.d.). 

"Simeon  Colton,  Diary,  1855,  Southern  Historical  Collection, 
University  of  North  Carolina  at  Chapel  Hill. 

'^Dorothy  Auman  and  Walter  Auman,  Seagrove  Area  (Asheboro- 
Village  Printing  Co.,  1976),  103-104. 

"Asheboro  (N.C.)  Courier-Tribune,  13  November  1940. 
'^Randolph  (N.C.)  Guide  clipping,   1954;  Greensboro  Daily 
News  clipping,  1  August  1954,  in  the  files  of  the  Randolph  Room, 
Asheboro  Public  Library.  The  Elliotts  moved  to  Missouri  in  1863. 
About  1895,  after  a  succession  of  owners,  the  enlarged  house  was 
transformed  into  the  "Central  Hotel."  In  the  early  1950s  the  hotel 
became  the  subject  of  indignant  newspaper  editorials  decrying  fire 
hazards  and  ramshackle  buildings;  after  a  fire  on  July  4,  1954,  the 
building  was  condemned  and  demolished. 
"Robins,  Sketches  of  My  Asheboro,  II. 
^"Zuber,  Jonathan  Worth,  16-17. 
^'Ibid.,  116-117. 
"/iW.,  120. 
"Ibid.,  182-184. 

"Rev.  Levi  Branson,  ed. ,  The  North  Carolina  Business  Direc- 
tory {Raleigh:  i .  A.  Jones,  for  the  author,  1872). 

"The  Bulletin  and  The  Randleman  News,  29  April  1914 
^^Ibid.,  6  May  I9I4. 

"J.  A.  Blair,  Reminiscences  of  Randolph  County  (Greensboro: 
Reece  and  Elam,  1890;  reprinted  Asheboro,  N.C:  Randolph  County 
Historical  Society,  1978),  12-13,  47. 

^'Unidentified  newspaper  clipping,  dated  1912,  Randolph  Room, 
Asheboro  Public  Library. 

^'Unidentified,  undated  newspaper  transcription  of  speech  by 
Dr.  J.  E.  Pritchard,  2  July  1949  at  the  "Sixty  Years  of  Progress" 
celebration  in  Asheboro,  N.C 

'"Auman  and  Auman,  Seagrove  Area,  107-112. 
""Bicentennial  Report,"  Randolph  Guide,  21  July    1976  d 
CIO. 


^^The  Greensboro  Patriot.  1  January  1896. 

"Robins,  Sketches  of  My  Asheboro.  32. 

'"Asheboro  Chamber  of  Commerce  Pamphlet,  1955,  Randolph 
Room,  Asheboro  Public  Library. 

"Unidentified  newspaper  clipping,  dated  1912,  Randolph  Room, 
Asheboro  Public  Library. 

^The  Bulletin  and  The  Randleman  News,  22  April  1914. 

^''Asheboro  (N.C.)  Courier  Tribune,  14  February  1979. 
Information  on  the  construction  of  the  public  utilities  was 
gathered  from  Asheboro  Chamber  of  Commerce  typed  brochures, 
ca.   1923,   1930,   1933,   1941,  Randolph  Room,  Asheboro  Public 
Library. 

^'Asheboro  (N.C.)  Courier  Tribune.  14  February  1980. 

"°"Fayetteville  Street  School,"  unsigned,  undated  typescript  in 
Randolph  Room,  Asheboro  Public  Library. 

■""Bicentennial  Report,"  F9. 
L.  B.  Lambert,  Retrospect:  Reminiscences  of  Printers  and 
Printing  in  Asheboro,  N.C.  1907-1957  (Asheboro:  Hunsucker  Print- 
ing Co.,  1957),  7. 

"'"Bicentennial  Report,"  CIO. 

""Lambert,  Retrospect,  7. 

"Randolph  Guide,  28  March  1979,  Maxi  Page. 

""Asheboro  (N.C.)  Courier  Tribune,  28  October  1979. 

^'Ibid. 

"'Sulon  B.  Stedman,  "Historical  Summary,"  19  December  1960. 
Typescript  in  the  possession  of  Mrs.  Marion  Stedman  Covington. 

"'Acme-McCrary  Corporation  50th  Anniversary  brochure,  1959, 
Randolph  Room,  Asheboro  Public  Library. 

Information  on  Asheboro  real  estate  development  was  taken 
from  the  plat  books  in  the  Randolph  County  Register  of  Deeds  office, 
in  which  the  subdivision  maps  were  recorded.  Randolph  Heights  can 
be  found  in  Deed  Book  128,  page  548.  All  others  can  be  found  in  Plat 
Book  #1.  Dogwood  Acres  (pp.  179,  195,  205,  227,  308);  Greystone 
Terrace  (pp.  23,  312,  313,  320);  Old  Muster  Field  (p.  49);  Rosemont 
Park  (p.  127);  Balfourton  (pp.  131,  137,  139);  Eastover  (p.  199); 
Millhaven  (pp.  217,  221);  Worth  Terrace  (pp.  215,  294,  314,  339. 
340,  341);  OoGalista  Heights  (p.  177);  Country  Club  Estates  (pp- 
290,  292,  329,  350);  Hollywood  (Plat  Book  3,  p.  2);  Beechwood 
(Book  1,  pp.  289,  325);  Forest  Hills  (pp.  295,  337,  342);  Eastside 
(pp.  343, 347, 348);  Homeland  Heights  (p.  349);  and  Westside  (pp- 
332,333). 


lil 


foil 


198 


Asheboro  Inventory 

Section  A— The  Courthouse  Center 


ST. 


M4/W 


23 


ST. 


North 


3131r IBE 


Ell-l[^^=]lilI^^=lEl[  IBE 


Scale 


500 


3  EH^^^=1 131^^^=113  ■^^^=113'=^^'="^ 


250  0 

irni 


500 


E1G[= 


1000 

199 


i 


hi 
'•i 


r 

1= 


A:]    McAlister  and  Morris  Store  ca.  1920. 


A:l 


A:2     Ross  and  Rush  Livery  Stable  ca.  1890. 


A:3 


A:3    Randolph  County  Courthouse  #6  ca.  1880. 
200 


A:l      McALISTTER  AND  MORRIS  STORE 

303  East  Salisbury  Street 
1890,  1947 

Built  for  use  as  a  general  store  by  Col.  A.  C. 
McAlister  and  R  H.Morris,  this  is  the  oldest 
commercial  structure  presently  existing  in  Ashe- 
boro.  It  was  built  to  front  the  northeast  comer  of 
the  old  public  square,  a  remnant  of  which  is  the 
small  grassy  area  between  the  sidewalk  and  en- 
trance. The  east  wing,  yellow-brick  facade  with 
Art  Deco  details  and  stair  tower  were  1947  addi- 
tions. A  ca.  1920  documentary  photograph  of  the 
original  facade  agrees  with  local  tradition  in  relat- 
ing this  structure  to  the  now  destroyed  E.  A. 
Moffitt  general  store  on  the  southeast  comer  of  the 
courthouse  square.  The  Italianate  corbeling  of  the 
cornice  and  hood  moldings  over  each  window  of 
the  now  white- washed  west  and  north  facades 
indicate  that  the  two  commercial  structures,  con- 
structed in  the  same  year  and  probably  by  the 
same  builder,  were  nearly  identical  twins. 

By  1895  Morris  had  sole  ownership  of  the 
business  and  built  his  new  General  Merchandise 
building  at  102  Sunset  Ave.,  moving  to  the  new 
commercial  area  growing  near  the  railroad.  For  a 
few  years  around  the  turn  of  the  century  the 
original  building  housed  Asheboro's  first  hosiery 
mill,  afterwards  hosting  the  Carson  Winningham 
Grocery  Store  and  an  auto  repair  shop.  WGWR, 
the  first  local  radio  station,  began  operation  May 
24,  1947,  moved  here  in  the  fall  of  that  year  and 
has  remained  on  the  second  floor  to  the  present. 

A:2      ROSS  AND  RUSH  LIVERY  STABLE 

243  East  Salisbury  Street 
ca.  1885;  destroyed  ca.  1915 

In  addition  to  the  livery  stable,  this  building 
featured  several  law  offices  on  the  far  right,  includ- 
ing that  of  Congressman  W  C.  Hammer.  Fronting 
on  N.  Mam  Street,  these  were  later  known  as  "Old 
Lawyer's  Row"  Previous  to  this  structure,  the  site 
was  that  of  the  Hoover  Long  House,  a  hotel  and 
bar. 


A:3      RANDOLPH  COUNTY 
COURTHOUSE  #6 

Salisbury  and  Main  Street  Intersection 
1839,  1876;  destroyed  1914 

This  was  the  fourth  courthouse  in  Asheboro.  It 
was  authorized  to  be  built  in  February,  1839.  The 
previous  wooden  courthouse  was  sold  to  George 
Hoover,  who  moved  it  to  the  northwest  comer  of 
the  public  square  for  use  as  part  of  his  "Long 
House"  tavem.  Jonathan  Worth  was  appointed  to 
supervise  construction  of  the  new  building,  a  35 
X  54  foot,  two-and-one-half  story  rectangle  in  1:3 
common  bond.  Six  rooms  of  equal  size  housed 
the  county  offices  on  the  ground  floor.  Stairs  at 
each  side  of  a  central  passage  led  up  to  the 
courtroom  and  two  jury  rooms  on  the  second.  A 
cupola  with  a  bell  and  a  clock  surmounted  the 
roof.  In  March,  1876,  the  south  wing  was  author- 
ized to  house  a  stair  tower  and  enlarged  courtroom. 
As  built,  this  was  an  impressive  temple-form, 
arcaded-front  entrance  facaded  in  1:4  common 
bond,  with  brick  quoins  emphasizing  the  comers. 
It  is  strangely  similar  to  the  Roman  Revival  style 
popularized  by  Thomas  Jefferson,  and  may  have 
used  one  of  the  many  small  Virginia  courthouses 
built  according  to  Jeffersonian  Classicism  as  a 
prototype. 

In  1909  the  courthouse  followed  the  rest  of  the 
town  in  moving  nearer  the  raihoad,  and  for  a  few 
months  this  building  was  used  as  the  jail.  Finally 
in  1914  the  stmcture  was  demolished  and  die  bricks 
re-used  in  the  foundation  of  the  new  jail  built 
behind  the  present  courthouse.  In  1918  the  county 
sold  the  land,  ending  126  years  of  public  owner- 
ship of  the  "Courthouse  Square."  Salisbury  and 
Main  streets  were  straightened,  widened  and 
paved,  and  the  former  courthouse  site  was  amal- 
gamated into  the  block.  Today  a  ca.  1940  brick 
apartment  building  at  143  North  Main  Street  oc- 
cupies the  site  of  Randolph  County's  eighteenth 
and  nineteenth  century  courthouses. 


A:4      E.  A.  MOFFITT  STORE 

Southeast  corner  Main  Street  and  East 

Salisbury  Street 

ca.  1890;  destroyed  1896 

This  store,  identical  to  the  McAlister-Morris 
Store,  was  built  by  E.  A.  Moffitt.  The  general 
store  displayed  some  very  elaborate  brickwork 
such  as  an  intricate  corbeled  cornice,  and  crossetted 
hood  moldings  over  the  windows  set  in  recessed 
arched  panels.  A  dentiled  metal  cornice  with 
arched  bonnet  capped  the  entrance  door  and  show 
windows.  An  unusual  balcony  with  turned  railing 
overlooked  the  public  square  from  the  second 
floor  of  the  north  facade.  On  Monday  December 
30,  1896,  a  fire  originating  in  a  drug  store  in  the 
middle  of  the  block  destroyed  every  building  on 
this  side  of  Main  Street,  including  a  law  office, 
hotel,  jewelry  store,  the  Argus  newspaper  office 
and  this  store.  The  Johnson  Service  Station  occu- 
pied this  site  in  the  1930s  and  40s. 

A:5      HOUSE 

139  North  Main  Street 
ca.  1910 

The  high,  hip-roofed  form  with  cross  gables  on 
two  major  facades  and  the  veranda  with  coupled 
square  columns  that  wraps  around  two  sides  of 
this  house  relate  it  to  many  vernacular  houses 
designed  to  make  the  best  of  a  southern  climate.  A 
strong,  simple  design  similar  to  the  more  elabo- 
tate  example  at  915  Sunset  Avenue.  (The  house 
burned  and  was  dismantled  during  the  course  of 
the  survey.) 

A:6      ROBINS  LAW  OFFICE 

124  North  Main  Street 
ca.  1860 

This  two-room  frame  structure  is  the  last  survi- 
vor of  the  small  office  buildings  and  commercial 
structures  which  clustered  around  Asheboro's 
"•neteenth-centuiry  courthouse  square.  Sash  saw 
markings  on  the  mortisc-and-tenon  structural  mem- 
bers indicate  a  construction  date  prior  to  the  Civil 
^ar;  extensive  ca.  1910  alterations  which  gutted 
the  building  to  produce  a  woodshed  and  garage 
make  more  exact  dating  difficult.  The  office  origi- 
nally fronted  the  street  at  its  present  location, 
Parched  about  six  feet  above  the  street.  Paired 
Come-and-go  steps  led  upto  a  small  porch  shclter- 
'"g  the  entrance  into  the  office  itself.  A  partition 
separated  this  room  from  the  combination  law 
ibrary/consulting  room  where  bookcases  and 
"hng  shelves  were  built  around  the  walls, 
^larmaduke  Swaim  Robins  purchased  the  office 


lot  on  August  21, 1874.  He  had  been  seeking  new 
quarters  since  dissolving  his  fourteen-year  partner- 
ship with  Samuel  S.  Jackson  on  August  1.  Jackson's 
father-in-law,  Jonathan  Worth,  gave  the  partners 
his  clients  and  caseload  upon  leaving  Asheboro  in 
1862  to  serve  in  state  government.  That  same  year 
Robins  was  elected  to  the  House  of  Commons 
from  Randolph  County  and  served  for  a  short 
period  during  the  term  as  Speaker  of  the  House. 
He  subsequently  served  four  more  terms  in  the 
state  legislamre.  Robins  was  quite  active  during 
the  war  years,  as  private  secretary  to  Gov  Vance, 
as  treasurer  of  the  State  Literary  Fund  (roughly 
comparable  to  Commissioner  of  Education),  as  a 
captain  in  the  Home  Guards  and  as  Editor  of  a 
newspaper.  The  Raleigh  Conservative.  This  last 
position  provided  experience  he  put  to  good  use 
when  he  founded  and  edited  The  Randolph  Regula- 
tor in  Asheboro  in  1876;  the  name  was  later 
changed  to  The  Courier  and  is  still  published 
today  as  The  Courier  Tribune.  After  the  death  of 
Marmaduke  Robins  in  1905,  the  office  housed  the 
law  practice  of  his  son,  Henry  Moring  Robins 
until  the  completion  of  the  new  courthouse  and  the 
adjacent  Lawyer's  Row  offices  in  1909.  From  1907 
to  May,  1909,  Henry  Robins  served  as  mayor  of 
Asheboro,  and  the  office  was  the  site  of  the  town 
commissioner's  meetings,  the  Mayor's  Court  and 
the  transaction  of  municipal  business. 

Happily,  though  the  structure  has  been  leading  a 
precarious  existence  for  some  time,  plans  are 
being  made  for  its  restoration  and  re-use. 

A:7      W.  R.  UNDERWOOD  HOUSE 

100  North  Main  Street 

ca.  1910 
The  deck-on-hip  roof,  squarish  mass  and  Tuscan- 
columned  veranda  wrapped  around  this  house  are 
familiar  Colonial  Revival  elements.  The  upper  side- 
lighted  door  and  balcony  over  the  entrance,  how- 
ever, are  novel  variations  on  the  theme.  The  twin 
pedimented  dormers  housing  rounded-headed,  Ital- 
ianate  windows  are  tied  into  the  lower  facade  by 
brackets  flanking  the  balcony  door.  The  division 
of  the  upper  lights  into  four  pointed  pseudo- 
Gothic  windows  is  evidence  of  a  whimsical  eclec- 
ticism. The  glass  vestibule  is  the  only  survivor  of 
a  feature  once  frequent  in  Asheboro.  The  house 
display  an  almost  modem  concern  for  the  value 
of  large  interior  spaces.  Sliding  doors  can  be 
thrown  open  to  combine  the  entrance  hall,  two 
parlors  and  dining  room.  The  massive  staircase  is 
a  fine  feamre  of  the  house;  an  unusual  element  is 
the  bench  built  at  the  foot  of  the  steps.  The  house 
is  presently  owned  by  Mrs.  John  D.  Hager. 


=]□( 


i 


I'll 


Si 


IMI!' 


ill 


HOUSE 

339  Worth  Street 
ca.  1915 

The  Colonial  Revival  detailing  suggests  a  rather 
late  date  for  this  small  three-bay,  cross  gable 
vernacular  house. 

DR.  J.  V.  HUNTER  HOUSE 

103  South  Main  Street 
ca.  1920 

The  house  is  fundamentally  Colonial  Revival  in 
form,  with  its  rectangular,  hip-roofed  mass  and 
Tliscan-columned  porch.  Obvious  bungalow  fea- 
tures include  the  exposed  rafter-ends  under  the 
overhanging  eaves  (now  obscured  by  gutters),  the 
narrow  vertical  divisions  of  the  transom  and  side- 
lights sun^ounding  the  entrance,  the  later  arbor 
attached  to  the  south  facade  and  the  non-functional 
strip  shutters— here  a  purely  decorative  element 
accenting  the  fenestration. 

WALTER  A.  BUNCH  HOUSE 

111  South  Main  Street 
ca.  1915 

This  is  a  classic  of  the  Colonial  Revival  style 
with  its  boxy  mass,  hip  roof  with  squat,  hip- 
roofed  dormer  and  wraparound  veranda  solidly 
supported  on  square  columns  with  plain  balustrade. 
The  builder  was  mayor  of  Asheboro  during  the 
late  1930s. 


A:  11      HENRY  MORING  ROBINS  HOUSE 

117  South  Main  Street 
ca.  1925 

This  pleasant,  substantial  Colonial  Revival  house 
with  distinctive  triple-casement  windows  lighting 
the  lower  floor  was  built  by  the  lawyer  son  of 
Marmaduke  Robins  on  the  foundation  of  the  latter's 
antebellum  house.  The  Robins  farm  included  all 
the  land  now  bounded  by  Wbrth,  Main  and  Elm 
streets. 

A:  12      MARVIN  G.  LOVETT  HOUSE 

126  South  Main  Street 
ca.  1900 

This  three-bay,  one  story  vernacular  house  has 
an  unusually  prominent  cross  gable.  The  brack- 
eted posts  supporting  the  veranda  are  similar  to 
those  in  photographs  of  the  C .  S .  Wainman  House . 
The  cobblestone  retaining  wall  and  steps  are  attrac- 
tive features.  It  was  reported  to  have  been  built  by 
T.  E.  Lassiter,  a  local  contractor. 


]D[= 


HiliiWiiiiaiii 


^Jii^<iMX*^'*rf^MTlrf 


A:13      HOUSE 

144  South  Main  Street 
ca.  1905 

This  looks  to  be  a  typical  three-bay,  central 
cross  gable  vernacular  house  with  a  high  hip  roof, 
but  it  is  unusual  in  that  it  possesses  a  usable 
second  floor.  TXvo  windows  in  the  gable  light  the 
Upper  floor,  and  an  interesting  detail  is  the  decora- 
tive shingling  carried  out  of  the  gable  to  meet  the 
porch  roof.  The  porte  cochere  is  a  nice  feature, 
although  the  entire  porch  may  be  a  replacement, 
built  when  the  house  was  moved  south  from  its 
original  site  beside  126  South  Main  Street.  It  was 
once  the  house  of  the  George  Ferree  family. 

A:14      E.  G.  MORRIS  HOUSE 

202  South  Main  Street 
ca.  1910 

This  elegant  and  well-proportioned  Colonial 
Revival  house  has  a  vernacular-type  high  hip  roof 
accented  by  twin  gable  ends  flanking  a  tall,  central 
dormer  with  a  leaded-glass  Palladian  window.  The 
broad,  flattened  porch  pediment  defining  the  en- 
trance completes  a  novel  collection  of  gables  and 
8'ves  the  house  an  active  and  pleasing  vertical 
accent.  This  house  originally  stood  on  the  present 
site  of  240  Worth  Street,  and  was  moved  south 
''own  the  hill  on  Main  Street  and  converted  to 
apartments  ca.  1930. 

'^=15      E.  A.  MOFFITT  HOUSE 

229  East  Academy  Street 
ca.  1900 

This  is  the  best-preserved  survivor  of  the  many 
Jandsome,  picturesque  Queen  Anne  homes  once 
found  in  Asheboro.  It  originally  occupied  the  site 
°f  232  Worth  Street  and  was  moved  through  the 
Renter  of  the  block  about  1930  and  mmed  to  front 
^eademy  Street.  The  main  block  of  the  dwelling 
's  a  two-story  hip-roofed  block  with  projecting 
gabled  pavilions.  A  polygonal  bay  accents  one 
eorner  of  the  entrance  facade;  its  cantilevered 
gable  is  braced  by  sawnwork  brackets  with  turned 
Pendant  drops.  The  TUscan-columned  veranda — a 
Classical  Revival  style  feature — may  have  replaced 

"  earlier  porch  when  the  house  was  moved. 


A:16      REV  J.  FRANK  BURKHEAD 
HOUSE 

339  South  Cox  Street 
ca.  1890 

This  house  is  said  to  have  been  built  for 
Burkhead,  a  Methodist  curcuit-rider,  by  a  contrac- 
tor from  outside  Asheboro.  It  was  supposed  to 
have  been  built  in  1883,  but  there  are  several 
indications  that  point  to  a  later  date.  One,  a 
newspaper  article  by  Rev  Burkhead,  states  that  the 
chimneys  were  built  of  brick  and  the  fireplaces 
lined  with  soapstone  slabs  taken  from  the  ruins  of 
the  Governor  Worth  House.  That  house  burned 
sometime  between  1885  and  1890.  Moreover,  there 
are  close  similarities  between  this  home  and  the  C.S. 
Wainman  House,  which  could  not  have  been 
built  before  1885.  Although  the  Burkhead  House  is 
only  three  bays  wide  compared  to  the  four  bays  of 
the  Wainman  home,  the  bracketed  eaves  and  cen- 
tral gables  of  both  houses  were  originally  almost 
identical.  Even  more  striking  are  the  close  like- 
nesses of  the  window  frame  treatments.  The  win- 
dows of  this  house  all  possess  triangular  pediment- 
like additions  to  the  usual  rectangular  sash.  The 
homes  of  the  three  Englishmen — Fisher,  Wainman 
and  Winn — are  the  only  other  local  structures 
known  to  have  used  pedimented  window  frames, 
although  those  were  products  of  some  sash-and- 
blind  factory,  while  these  are  home-made.  The 
evidence  suggests  that  the  Burkhead  House  may 
have  been  built  in  imitation  of  those  dwellings 
across  town.  An  attractive,  comfortable  home  to  a 
family  of  twelve,  it  was  remodeled  and  converted 
to  apartments  in  1940.  It  is  still  the  residence  of 
Rev  Burkhead's  daughter. 

A:  17      ARTHUR  BURKHEAD  HOUSE 

357  South  Cox  Street 

ca.  1930 
Built  next  door  to  J.  E  Burkhead  by  one  of  his 
sons,  this  house  is  one  of  the  finer  examples  of  the 
Bungalow  style  in  the  city.  The  smaller,  offset 
gable  sheltering  the  steps  to  the  porch  is  silhouet- 
ted against  the  main  mass  of  the  house  and  carried 
on  stubby  pylons.  The  exposed  framing  of  the 
porch  and  the  curved  buttresses  of  the  pylon  bases 
are  unusual  and  well-executed. 


A:  13 


A:14 


A:  15 


203 


.->" 


!?!! 


r 

■ 

91 

:! 


•  « 


A:18      HOUSE 

513  South  Cox  Street 
1923 

This  attractive  and  unaltered  bungalow  turns  its 
gable  end  to  the  street  and  uses  an  offset  gable 
carried  on  quartz  pylons  to  form  a  porch.  The  roof 
overhang  is  carried  on  craftsman-style  brackets, 
and  1/1  sash  are  used  throughout.  The  use  of  quartz 
for  foundations,  pylons,  chimney  and  retaining 
wall  is  a  good  example  of  the  widespread  use  of 
native  rock  during  the  Bungalow  period.  The  date 
of  construction  is  inscribed  in  the  chimney  cap. 

A:I9      D.  B.  ("DOC")  McCRARY  HOUSE 

212  Worth  Street 
1905 

This  beautiful  house  is  a  well-preserved  exam- 
ple of  the  Colonial  Revival  style  at  its  most 
impressive.  An  exquisitely-detailed  gable  dormer 
surmounts  the  hip  roof  and  acts  visually  as  a 
pediment  to  the  coupled  Ionic  columns  (which 
actually  support  nothing  more  than  an  entablature 
and  railing).  These  giant-order  columns  are  mas- 
terfully combined  with  a  "Ibscan  order  veranda 
shading  three  sides  of  the  house,  and  an  elegant, 
semi-circular  portico  which  both  re-defines  the 
ground-floor  entrance  and  creates  a  balcony  en- 
tered through  the  second-floor  Palladian  window. 
The  house  is  situated  in  park-like  grounds  encom- 
passing the  entire  interior  of  the  large  block. 
These  are  shared  with  the  J.  Frank  McCrary  home 
next  door.  The  house  was  built  by  D.B.  (Doctor 
Bulla)  McCrary,  one  of  the  most  influential  citi- 
zens of  early  twentieth  century  Asheboro.  McCraiy 
was  an  owner  of  the  hardware  store  at  103  Worth 
Street,  a  founder  of  the  Acme-McCrary  hosiery 
mill  and  first  president  of  the  Bank  of  Randolph 
among  many  other  activities. 

A:20      J.  FRANK  McCRARY  HOUSE 

232  Worth  Street 

ca.  1933;  W  C.  Holleman,  Architect 

W  C.  Holleman,  a  Greensboro  architect,  de- 
signed what  many  consider  to  be  the  most  beauti- 
ful home  in  the  city.  The  rambling  TUdor  Revival 


manor  house  combines  native  slate  with  such 
decorative  details  of  Elizabethan  England  as  the 
Tlidor-arched  entrance  with  embattled  hood  mold- 
ing, oriel  window  and  casement  windows  with 
leaded  glass  quarrels.  Some  of  the  most  attractive 
elements  of  the  design  are  the  huge  trees  and 
well-kept  grounds  which  it  shares  with  the  adjoin- 
ing dwellings  of  the  McCrary  femily.  The  trees 
can  be  seen  in  photographs  of  the  Governor  Jona- 
than Worth  house  which  occupied  this  location,  at 
a  site  behind  the  present  house.  J.  E  McCrary  was 
a  son  of  local  industrialist  D.  B.  McCrary. 

A:21      CHARLES  W.  McCRARY  HOUSE 

240  Wbrth  Street 

ca.  1930;  Harry  Barton,  Architect 

Harry  Barton  of  Greensboro,  the  architect  of 
the  1925  First  Methodist  Church,  also  provided 
plans  for  this  imposing  Classical  Revival  style 
house.  In  feamres  such  as  the  entrance  bay  and 
Palladian  window  framed  by  Ionic  pilasters,  the 
stuccoed  walls  and  green  tile  roof.  Barton's  design 
drew  on  the  academic  style  of  the  Italian  Renais- 
sance. Yet  the  rectangular  mass  of  the  dwelling 
with  its  end  chimneys  and  central  gable  articulat- 
ing the  entrance  is  typical  of  the  vernacular  house 
type  dominant  throughout  the  nineteenth-century 
South.  This  architectural  style  was  popular  among 
the  well-to-do  during  the  1920s  and  1930s,  and 
some  elements  of  the  McCrary  House — stucco, 
green  tile  and  sun  rooms  for  instance — relate  it  to 
dwellings  such  as  Reynolda  House  in  Wmston- 
Salem.  The  house  was  built  by  the  oldest  son  of 
industrialist  D.  B.  McCrary  on  the  comer  lot  east 
of  the  father's  home. 


204 


... ,  ■ — 


A:22 


HOUSE 

225  Worth  Street 
ca.  1915 


This  is  the  city's  only  example  of  the  use  of  the 
Bungalow  style  for  a  large  home.  The  massive 
central  gable  and  wraparound  porch  de-emphasize 
the  true  size  of  the  structure,  for  it  conceals  a  great 
deal  of  interior  space.  The  stair  hall  and  parlor 
boast  attractive  dark  paneling  and  high  ceilings. 
The  shingled  gable  end,  bracketed  roof  overhangs 
Md  the  subtle  ogee  curves  found  in  the  porch 
eaves  are  typical  Bungaloid  details.  The  entrance 
door,  off-center  on  the  main  block,  is  defined  by  a 
pediment  centered  on  the  porch.  This  creates  a 
nice  feeling  of  asymmetrical  balance  which  is  not 
3  small  part  of  the  charm  of  this  handsome, 
unaltered  house.  Built  possibly  by  an  Auman, 
later  owners  were  E.  H.  Morris  and  Jack  Hasty. 
Now  empty,  its  preservation  from  encroaching 
development  should  be  given  serious  consideration. 

A:23      ASHEBORO  PUBLIC  LIBRARY 

201  Worth  Street 

1963;  J.  Hyatt  Hammond  Assoc., 
Architects 

Alvis  O.  George,  Jr., 
Design  Chief 

The  library,  a  low,  massive  structure  shaded  by 
*deep  roof  overhang,  received  aStateAIA  award 
m  1964.  While  it  is  one  of  the  city's  most  sensitive 
and  visually  attractive  structures,  from  no  angle 
^an  it  be  seen  to  its  best  advantage.  It  would  have 
benefitted  from  a  less  restrictive  site. 

A-23      WORTHMcALISTER  HOUSE 

formerly  201  Worth  Street 
ca.  1855;  destroyed  1958 

TVvice  a  representative  to  the  State  Legislamre 

'fom  Montgomery  County,  Dr.  John  Milton  Worth 

"loved  to  Asheboro  to  join  his  brother  Jonathan  in 

^ous  commercial  ventures.  During  the  Civil 

Var,  Dr.  Worth  was  North  Carolina's  salt  commis- 

^'°ner,  appointed  to  obtain  and  ration  that  vital 

*n<l  scarce  commodity.  After  his  brother's  term  as 

Sovernor,  Worth  served  several  terms  as  a  represen- 

^''ve  from  Randolph  County,  and  was  elected 

iRs*  ''^asurer  in  1876,  remaining  in  office  until 

?°5.  A  successful  businessman  as  well  as  politi- 

'an.  Dr.  Worth  was  one  of  the  original  contractors 

or  the  Plank  Road  and  built  the  section  which  ran 

"^ough  Asheboro.  Later,  he  founded  the  Warth 


Manufacturing  Company  with  its  own  mill  village 
(Worthville),  and  subsequently  owned  or  con- 
trolled many  of  the  Deep  River  textile  operations. 
Dr.  Worth  built  the  main  block  of  this  unusual 
Greek  Revival  dwelling  about  1855.  A  one-story 
western  wing  was  added  ca.  1870  to  the  original 
cruciform  plan;  ca.  1890  the  handsome  Eastlake- 
style  porch  and  a  polygonal-bay  dining  room  was 
added  by  Col.  Alexander  C.  McAlister,  Dr.  Wjrth's 
son-in-law  and  business  partner.  The  projecting 
entrance  bay  was  articulated  by  a  trabeated  door 
surround  with  transom  and  side  lights.  Small 
4/4-paned  windows  were  coupled  to  form  wider- 
than-usual  openings,  each  crowned  with  a  simple 
cornice.  The  chunky  exterior  proportions,  exposed 
rafter-ends  and  shallow  roof  pitch  suggest  that  the 
design  was  provided  by  some  vernacular  craftsman 
or  builder;  the  lack  of  any  related  designs  might 
imply  that  he  was  brought  in  from  outside  the 
county. 

The  interior  of  the  house  was  equally  unique. 
The  large  entrance  hall,  parlor  and  music  room 
boasted  wainscoting,  perhaps  of  walnut  to  match 
the  railing,  and  newel  posts  of  the  straight  sweep 
of  stairs  which  have  been  preserved.  In  a  decora- 
tive technique  sometimes  found  in  stylish  antebel- 
lum homes,  garlands  of  flowers  were  painted  on 
the  ceiling  of  the  entrance  hall,  surtounding  a 
plaster  rosette  which  anchored  a  brass  chandelier 
and  chain.  The  ceiling  was  bordered  by  an  elabo- 
rate gilded  plaster  cornice.  A  most  unusual  feature 
was  the  secret  staircase  which  was  entered  through 
a  sliding  panel  in  a  built-in  wardrobe  in  the  west 
bedroom  on  the  second  floor.  A  steep,  narrow 
flight  of  steps  descended  behind  the  paneled 
fireplace  wall  of  the  parlor  and  exited  outside. 
Local  tradition  has  it  that  Col.  McAlister  scram- 
bled down  these  steps  and  onto  a  waiting  horse  to 
escape  from  the  Yankees  during  the  War.  This 
appealing  tale  is  a  fining  compliment  to  this 
history-laden  home,  a  show-place  for  more  than  a 
hundred  years.  Its  regrettable  destruction,  elo- 
quently chronicled  in  a  series  of  photographs  in 
the  1958  "Finer  Carolina"  contest  scrapbook,  left 
a  gap  in  the  cultural  heritage  of  Asheboro  which 
can  never  be  filled.  The  pictures  are  captioned 
"An  Old  House,  Neither  Safe  nor  Sightly,  Comes 
Down  to  Make  Way  for  Modem  Development." 
Modem  development  finally  occuned  six  years 
later. 


A:23 


A:23    Worth-McAUster  House  ca.  1952. 


Section  B — The  Central  Business  District 


','•1 


:! 


m  ! 


ill 


Scale 


206 


500  250 

E)Elt=]B[ iPii  ni nnp 


500 

3131 =1F1I nini= 


EIGIE 


(000 
^0 


B:l 


J.  D.  ROSS,  SR. 

170  Worth  Street 
1917 


HOUSE 


A  Greensboro  architect  was  responsible  for 
this  very  professional  and  urban  use  of  the  Bun- 
galow style.  Its  most  prominent  aspect  is  the 
jerkin-headed  shed  roof;  combined  with  the  con- 
tinuous shed  dormer,  enough  additional  head 
toom  is  provided  for  a  complete  second  floor. 
The  three-bay  facade  of  buff  brick  boasts  many 
fine  bungaloid  details.  Particularly  nice  are  the 
rafter-ends  sawn  in  graceful  curves  and  notched 
to  support  gutters.  Stubby  coupled  square  col- 
umn support  the  porch,  where  a  central  gable 
calls  attention  to  the  entrance  flanked  by  tripar- 
tite windows.  A  porte  cochere  and  carved  eave 
brackets  reinforce  the  obvious;  this  is  a  home  of 
great  architectural  interest  and  charm. 

8:2      FIRST  AMERICAN  SAVINGS 
AND  LOAN 

(Formerly  First  People's  Savings 

&  Loan) 

158  Worth  Street 

1974;  J.  Hyatt  Hammond  Assoc, 

Architects 

Alvis  O.  George,  Design  Chief 

One  of  the  city's  best  contemporary  public 
"tiildings,  this  design  won  a  state  AIA  award  in 
}^75.  Located  immediately  across  Worth  Street 
from  the  1909  Randolph  County  Courthouse,  the 
Savings  and  Loan  responds  to  the  historic  build- 
">g  by  using  brick  and  cast  stone  detailing  which 
f''^  similar  in  color  and  texture.  Rather  than 
oull-dozing  trees  and  existing  landscape  elements, 
"6  design  was  adapted  to  its  hilly  site  in  a 
ormer  residential  area.  The  oversized  hipped 
.°of  is  used  to  provide  a  large,  open,  expansive 
'nterior  banking  space.  The  building  occupies 
'ne  site  of  the  T.  H.  Redding  House,  a  large 
VUeen  Anne  style  dwelling  which  boasted  a  fine 

*stlake  porch  with  spindled  frieze. 


B:3      ASHEBORO  PRESBYTERIAN 
CHURCH 

formerly  120  Worth  Street 

1850,  remodeled  1919;  destroyed  1957 

Vernacular  architecture  is  usually  the  product 
of  a  carpenter-builder,  not  an  architect.  A  good 
example  of  this  lies  in  the  records  of  the  Ashe- 
boro  Presbyterian  Church,  organized  in  1850. 
Meeting  temporarily  in  the  courthouse,  the 
congregation  purchased  a  lot  and  gathered  ma- 
terials. Lumber  valued  at  $500  was  donated  by 
Hugh  McCain  and  Jonathan  Worth.  The  total 
cost  was  $1,339.13,  including  painting 
($593 . 1 3) ,  a  fence  ($70)  and  the  services  of  un- 
known carpenters  ($600)  who  were  probably 
solely  responsible  for  the  architectural  merit  of 
the  result.  Furnishings  were  secured  by  the 
Women's  Missionary  Society  and  the  building 
was  dedicated  February  29,  1852.  The  product 
of  this  effort  was  a  frame  structure  of  simple 
Greek  Revival  design,  painted  white  with  green 
trim.  Entrance  was  into  a  vestibule  with  access 
to  the  sanctuary  and  a  stairway  to  a  gallery  ex- 
tending across  the  rear  "for  the  use  of  colored 
worshippers."  Seating  capacity  was  225,  al- 
though even  by  1883  the  number  of  communi- 
cants totaled  only  38.  In  1919  Sunday  school 
rooms  were  added  and  the  structure  was  brick 
veneered;  a  large  columned  portico  was  added 
to  the  entrance.  In  1957  this  historic  structure 
was  demolished  after  construction  of  the  First 
Presbyterian  Church  (Walker  Ave.).  People's 
Savings  and  Loan  (now  the  architectural  office 
of  J.  Hyatt  Hammond  Associates)  was  subse- 
quently built  on  the  site. 


B:l 


-.^ 


B:2     T.  H.  Redding  House  ca.  1950. 


Asheboro  Presbyterian  Church  ca.  1900 
nmi ini inr 


]Q[= 


B:3   Asheboro  Presbyterian  Church  ca.  1940. 
=]G[= 


3t3E 


3QE 


207 


^^ 


till 


r 

1^ 


> 


r'l 


m 


B:4   RANDOLPH  COUNTY 

COURTHOUSE  #7         NR 

145  Worth  Street 
1909 

In  July,  1907,  the  Randolph  County  commis- 
sioners began  to  consider  building  a  larger,  more 
conveniently  located  home  for  the  county  offices. 
On  November  4,  1907,  they  paid  the  Charlotte 
firm  of  Wheeler,  Runge  and  Dickery  $300  for 
plans  and  specifications  of  a  new  courthouse. 
Local  tradition  says  that  the  Iredell  County  Court- 
house in  Statesville  was  so  admired  that  the 
architects  were  asked  for  duplicate  plans.  Wheeler 
and  his  various  partners  ultimately  built  eight 
courthouses  similar  or  identical  to  this  one  of 
which  six  remain  in  existence  today.  The  Iredell 
Courthouse  (1899)  was  the  first  of  these,  followed 
by  Scotland  County  (1901),  Ashe,  Stokes,  Wilkes 
and  Watauga  counties  (all  1904),  Randolph  (1909) 
and  Avery  (1912).  Citing  the  need  for  fireproof 
vaults  for  record  storage,  the  Randolph  commis- 
sioners voted  to  build  anew  in  June,  1908.  A  group 
of  local  businessmen  had  purchased  Dr.  J.  M. 
Worth's  old  cornfield  and  barnyard,  midway  be- 
tween the  old  courthouses  and  Asheboro's  new 
commercial  nucleus  growing  up  around  the 
railroad;  to  encourage  the  commissioners'  deci- 
sion they  donated  the  land  to  the  county.  On  July 
6,  1908,  Joseph  R.  Owen  of  Randleman  was 
hired  to  supervise  construction.  In  November  of 
that  year  W  J.  Armfield,  Jr.,  was  elected  chair- 
man of  the  county  commissioners  and  immedi- 
ately stepped  in  to  cut  costs.  Owen  was  fired, 
with  the  walls  waist  high.  M.  M.  Allred  of 
Randleman  was  hired  as  carpenter  foreman;  Ed 
Frazier  as  bricklayer  foreman.  A  luxury  such  as 
an  inlaid  tile  floor  was  replaced  with  linoleum 
and  concrete,  and  $15,000  was  borrowed  from 
pnvate  citizens  and  from  Armfield's  bank  (at  6% 
interest)  to  complete  construction.  The  total  cost 
of  about  $34,000  compares  favorably  with  the 
pnce  range  of  the  seven  similar  courthouses 
which  ranged  from  $20,000  (Ashe  County)  to 
$74,000  (Stokes  County).  Work  was  completed 
and  offices  moved  in  by  July  12,  in  time  for  the 
next  term  of  court.  700,000  "hydrolic-pressed" 
yellow-face  brick  from  Washington,  D.C.  were 
used  along  with  1,000,000  common  brick  from 
the  Glenola  Brick  Works  in  the  interior.  The 
county  jail  was  built  in  the  rear  of  the  building  in 
1914;  a  sizeable  addition  for  the  register  of  deeds 
and  clerk  of  court  was  built  in  1950  and  re- 
modeled in  1975.  A  new  county  office  building 


is  presently  under  construction  at  considerably 
greater  expense  than  the  original  structure. 

The  courthouse  design  combines  the  complex, 
flamboyant  masses  of  nineteenth-century  Victor- 
ianism  with  the  motifs  of  American  Beaux-Arts 
classicism.  The  original  building  consists  of  a 
3-story  hipped-roofed  square  cove  with  2-story 
flat-roofed  -wings.  Corithian  columns  supporting 
an  elaborate  pediment  point  to  the  powerful 
Second  Empire  dome  clad  in  ribbed  copper  and 
set  on  a  rectangular  base.  In  the  pressed-tin 
pediment  a  bearded  male  face  of  indeterminate 
mythological  significance  broods  at  the  local 
Confederate  Monument,  which  in  contrast  to  the 
grand  traditions  of  Bronze  Rebels — faces  quietly 
south  rather  than  defiantly  northward.  The  por- 
tico shelters  the  entrance  into  a  rectangular  vesti- 
bule flanked  by  stairs.  Much  of  the  original 
interior  finish  has  survived  the  extensive  altera- 
tions; original  staircases,  vertical  panel  wainscot, 
flat  panel  doors  and  spittoons  can  be  seen  in  the 
first  floor  cross  hall.  The  courtroom  above  has 
been  completely  remodeled. 

The  brick  facades  of  the  building  rise  from  a 
roughly-hewn  granite  base.  Round  arched  win- 
dows define  the  courtroom  on  the  second  floor; 
all  other  windows — a  variety  of  shapes  and 
sizes — are  linteled.  The  complex  textures  of 
materials  such  as  tile,  rough  granite,  sandstone, 
brick,  wood  and  metal  are  combined  with  bold 
ornamental  shapes  to  create  the  active,  highly 
plastic  surface  of  the  building.  The  result  '* 
one  of  Asheboro's  most  important  architectural 
possessions. 

The  earliest  surviving  artifact  from  Asheboro's 
past  is  installed  in  the  belfry  of  this  courthouse- 
In  August,  1838,  Jonathan  Worth,  Hugh  McCain 
and  John  Balfour  Troy  were  ordered  by  th^ 
county  justices  to  buy  and  hang  a  bell  in  th^ 
courthouse.  The  bell  was  preserved  and  moved 
from  building  to  building  as  county  govemmen' 
expanded.  It  still  exists,  although  unseen  and 
unheard. 


B:S      RANDOLPH  COUNTY  JAIL 

149  Worth  Street 
1914 

Now  hidden  by  the  1950  courthouse  annex, 
"le  jail  was  originally  visible  from  Worth  Street. 
It  is  a  good  example  of  the  use  of  historic 
Wchitectural  forms  to  carry  a  public  message;  in 
'his  case  relating  the  solid  forms  of  a  medieval 
fortress  to  the  penal  functions  of  a  modem  jail. 
The  battlemented  entrance  porches  and  castel- 
lated tower  are  all  references  to  this  idea,  seen  in 
full-blown  use  in  Raleigh's  Central  Prison.  The 
foundation,  now  visible  only  on  the  northeast 
comer,  is  of  common  red  brick  reused  from  the 
sixth  county  courthouse.  The  previous  jails  had 
''een  located  on  a  3-acre  site  at  the  southeast 
t^orner  of  Salisbury  and  Cox  streets. 


B:6 


LAWYER'S  ROW 

125  Worth  Street 
1909 


Built  from  October  to  December,  1909,  the 
seven  original  offices  were  jointly  funded  by  the 
'own's  lawyers  in  an  arrangement  similar  to  mod- 
^■^  condominium  ownership.  Straws  were  drawn 
'0  assign  offices.  William  Cicero  Hammer,  law- 
yer, editor  and  U.  S.  Congressman,  built  two 
offices— one  for  his  legal  practice  and  one  for 
"'s  newspaper.  The  Courier.  Five  more  offices 
^one  on  the  north  end  and  four  as  a  second 
story— yvere  subsequently  added,  for  the  struc- 
""■«  Was  designed  with  expansion  in  mind.  The 
found-headed  windows  with  elaborate  brick  hood 
|iioldings  are  the  dominant  visual  element  of  this 
""cresting  building.  Along  with  the  triple-arched 
entrance  of  the  County  Agricultural  Building 
cy  echo  the  arched  courtroom  windows  of  the 
J°'"ing  courthouse.  Moreover,  Lawyer's  Row 
^d  the  Agricultural  Building  form  the  western 
crminus  of  the  present  Courthouse  "Square."' 
"eluding  the  now-vacant  lot  directly  across  from 
*  Courthouse  and  extending  down  Worth  Street 
the  Public  Library,  this  is  a  nebulous  environ- 
cntal  space  which  is  still  evolving.  By  extend- 
offi  °"'  .'°  "'^  sidewalk,  the  proposed  county 
ce  building  could  strengthen  this  visual  space, 
etching  Lawyer's  Row  and  finishing  the  eastern 
"1e  of  the  "square." 


B:7      COMMERCIAL  BUILDING 

113-119  Worth  Street 
ca.  1920 

This  building  first  appears  on  the  1922  San- 
bom  insurance  map,  labeled  "Dry  Cleaning" 
and  "5  &  10  cent  Store",  respectively.  It  was 
built  within  three  feet  of  the  Lawyer's  Row 
building,  which  until  that  time  had  had  rear  steps 
and  exits.  The  offices  of  The  Courier  were 
moved  to  119  from  a  small  Lawyer's  Row  office. 
That  side  of  the  structure  has  recently  been 
attractively  renovated.  The  adjoining  grocery  store 
boasts  the  only  unaltered  store  front  in  Asheboro. 
An  arched  opening  separating  the  two  halves 
leads  to  a  stairway. 

B:8      COMMERCIAL  BUILDING 

111  Worth  Street 
ca.  1915 

The  brick  hood  moldings  over  the  upper  win- 
dows suggest  that  this  building  is  earlier  than  its 
neighbors.  The  1922  Sanborn  insurance  map 
labels  this  business  as  "fumiture,  undertaking, 
and  millinery."  The  undertaking  business  was 
Pugh's  Funeral  Home,  which  later  moved  to  a 
house  at  the  southeast  comer  of  Sunset  Avenue 
and  Church  Street,  and  still  later  to  its  present 
site  at  B-32. 


TTTT 

B:8 


209 


fll 


r 

h 


iSiiiii 


Luysyaa 


fl.-9    Fayetteville  Street-Worth  Street  intersection,  including  the  McCrary-Redding  Hardware  i  a    l'>27.  B:9 


B.IO 


B:9      McCRARY-REDDING 

HARDWARE  COMPANY 

103-105  Worth  Street 
1902,  1907,  ca.  1935 

The  original  section  of  this  structure,  on  the 
comer  of  Worth  and  Fayetteville  streets,  was  one 
of  the  first  brick  buildings  in  the  new  central 
business  district.  The  original  facade  can  be  seen 
in  a  photograph  of  the  "Great  Snow  of  1927."  A 
35-foot  addition  was  made  to  the  rear  in  1907; 
about  1935  new  construction  filled  the  space 
between  this  and  1 1 1  Worth.  An  Art  Deco  facade 
tied  the  new  structrure  to  the  1902  building  and  a 
separate  Fayetteville  Street  entrance  facade  was 
given  the  1907  addition.  This  was  one  of  the  first 
business  ventures  by  D.  B.  McCrary  and  T  H. 
Redding.  The  original  store  was  housed  in  a 
frame  structure  on  Sunset  Avenue.  In  recent 
years  this  buildling  has  housed  both  Wachovia 
(1963-64)  and  Planter's  (1969-71)  Banks  while 
the  new  quarters  of  each  were  under  construction. 

B:10      ASHEBORO  MOTOR  CAR 
COMPANY 

136  North  Fayetteville  Street 
ca.  1912 

The  Asheboro  Motor  Car  Company,  a  Maxwell 
and  Ford  dealership,  was  established  in  1912  by 
former  Sheriff  S.  L.  Hayworth.  The  accom- 
panying documentary  photograph  was  taken  in 
1916  and  shows  the  Fayetteville  Street  facade 
of  the  building.  The  only  decorative  feature  was 
the  corbeled  brick  cornice.  The  wooden  storefront 
is  now  entirely  covered  by  aluminum  siding  and 
the  brickwork  has  been  painted  red.  The  build- 
ing is  now  used  as  warehouse  space  for  The 
Courier-Tribune. 


B:IO    Asheboro  Motor  Car  Co.  ca.  1916. 


=ini ='nF 


JJHi 


^af  gf  t  fa  "j^''  t: 


B:ll      ASHLYN  HOTEL 

1 15  North  Fayetteville  Street 

1910-1911 
The  first  forty  rooms  of  this  hotel  opened 
September  1,  1911.  Its  construction  was  a  proj- 
ect of  local  banker  and  nearby  resident  W  J. 
Armfield,  Jr.  The  brick  building  exhibits  differ- 
ent window  treatments  at  each  level  of  its  three- 
story  facade.  The  ground  floor  window  bays  and 
entrance  portico  are  capped  by  a  metal  cornice 
with  applied  wooden  dentils.  The  flat-arched 
second  floor  windows  are  crowned  by  individual 
molded  wooden  cornices,  while  a  central  arched 
opening  shelters  a  recessed  exit  onto  the  portico 
balcony.  The  third  floor  exhibits  round-headed 
Italianate  sash  with  arched  brick  hood  moldings 
creating  an  arcaded  effect.  A  paneled  cornice 
^ops  the  third  level.  The  side  elevations  hold 
"1  double-hung  sash  in  arched  openings.  The 
South  ground  facade  includes  several  individual 
shops  with  outside  access.  The  rear  three  bays  of 
'he  building  were  added  at  some  time  after  the 
original  construction.  The  hotel  had  been  closed 
for  several  years  before  the  ground  floor  was  re- 
"lodeled  to  house  law  offices  in  1967.  The  upper 
floors  are  unused  and  deteriorating.  The  porch 
became  structurally  unsound  and  was  demolished 
in  1983. 

B:12      ACME-McCRARY  RECREATION 
BUILDING 

148  North  Street 

1948;  Eric  G.  Flannagan,  Architect 

J'  is  curious  that  this  gymnasium  building  by 
Flannagan,  actually  designed  in  1943  has  a  more 
'modem"  and  less-powerful  Art  Deco  character 
'han  the  Ashcboro  High  School  gym,  designed 
'^a.  1949.  Buff  brick  with  white  accent  relates  it 
Jo  Flannagan's  other  work  in  the  city;  the  only 
hint  of  his  usual  sculptural  or  geometrical  forms 
's  weakly  present  in  the  stainless-steel  transom 
Stills  above  the  entrance  doors.  An  unusual 
effort  by  a  mill  to  provide  recreational  facilties 
'°f  its  employees,  the  building  offers  a  large 
Symnasium,  a  cafeteria,  a  25-by-75-foot  indoor 
swimming  pool  and  four  bowling  alleys.  Origi- 
"''"y  open  to  the  general  public,  the  facilities 
^fe  now  available  only  to  employees  and  their 
families. 


B:13      ACME-McCRARY  HOSIERY 
MILLS 

SW  comer  of  Salisbury  Street  and 
North  Street 
ca.  1909 

The  original  knitting  mill  of  this  company  is 
a  two-story  brick  building  60  x  100  feet  with 
a  one-story  dye  house  40  feet  square.  In  the  be- 
ginning a  steam  engine  operated  80  Mayo  seam- 
less knitting  machines.  The  building,  known  as 
Acme  Mill,  was  built  in  1909.  The  Italianate 
hood  moldings  over  the  windows  of  this  structure 
are  particularly  fine.  In  1915  a  two-story  addition 
60  X  100  feet  was  built  south  of  the  original 
plant.  This  building  was  also  of  brick  and  fea- 
tured a  clerestory.  Major  additions  were  con- 
structed in  1917  and  1924,  the  latter  being  a 
three-story  mill.  A  full-fashioned  silk  stocking 
mill  was  built  in  1928. 

The  company  was  founded  in  1908  by  D.  B. 
McCrary  and  his  brother-in-law,  T.  H.  Redding, 
partners  in  a  local  hardware  and  farm  machinery 
store.  This  was  probably  the  first  such  mill  in 
Randolph  County  itself  an  historic  center  of 
textile  manufacturing  in  the  state.  In  1916  the 
company  purchased  an  additional  mill  in  Cedar 
Falls  and  in  1932,  the  Parks  Mill  in  Asheboro 
was  added  to  the  company's  manufacturing  plant. 
The  company  now  produces  full-fashioned  seam- 
less hosiery  and  operates  sales  offices  in  New 
York,  Chicago,  Dallas,  San  Francisco  and  Ashe- 
boro. The  descendents  of  the  founders  continue 
to  preside  over  the  operations  of  the  company. 

B:14      COMMERCIAL  BUILDING 

105  North  Fayetteville  Street 
ca.  1915 
This  store  first  appears  on  the  1922  Sanbom 
map  as  "Grocery  Store  &  Butcher."  This  may  have 
been  either  a  grocery  business  called  "Covington 
and  Prevo's"  or  an  operation  run  by  J.  M. 
Caviness.  It  is  presently  the  home  of  "Jed's 
Sandwich  Shop." 


B:I2 


t 


B:I5     Bank  of  Randolph  ca.  1925. 


3:15 


m 

B:15      THE  BANK  OF  RANDOLPH 

17  South  Fayetteville  Street 
ca.  1900;  destroyed  1963 

Formed  November  4,  1897,  the  first  bank  in 
Asheboro  unpretentiously  began  operations  in  a 
tiny  frame  building.  W  J.  Armfield,  Jr.,  was 
hired  from  a  position  in  High  Point  to  become 
manager  This  brick  and  granite  Neo-Classic 
Revival  structure  was  undoubtedly  the  first  struc- 
ture in  Asheboro  to  speak  so  self-consciously  of 
"Architecture."  The  rusticated  granite  base,  the 
deeply-relieved  brick  quoins,  stone  string  courses 
and  drip  moldings,  window  openings  bridged  by 
flat  brick  arches  and  carved  cap-stones  and  the 
elaborate  metal  cornice  fairiy  screamed  classi- 
cism. Be-ribboned  gariands  and  hero's  laurels 
(both  probably  of  painted  terra  cotta)  were  ap- 
plied as  a  kind  of  frieze  just  below  the  cornice. 
Odd  though  it  may  seem,  this  frenetic  structure 
had  closely-related  cousins  all  over  the  United 
States:  all  direct  descendents  of  the  Columbian 
Exposition  in  1893,  when  the  grand  traditions  of 
Greek  and  Rome  took  center  stage  in  the  country's 
imagination.  In  1963  the  Bank  of  Randolph 
merged  with  Wachovia  Bank  and  Trust  Company 
and  this  building  was  demolished  to  make  way 
for  the  present  structure  by  J.  Hyatt  Hammond, 
Associates.  The  only  part  of  the  building  to 
survive  today  is  the  fountain,  now  in  Cedar  Falls. 
Designed  as  a  horse- watering  trough,  there  was 
also  a  small  outlet  at  sidewalk  level  for  the  use  of 
dogs.  The  globe  on  top  of  the  central  column 
was  the  city's  first  streetlight. 


B:16      COMMERCIAL  BLOCK 

19  South  Fayetteville  Street 
ca.  1920 

The  Stedman  family  built  these  two  common- 
wall  store  buildings.  They  were  originally  brick 
with  granite  trim  on  the  facades.  Although  much 
altered,  they  still  serve  an  important  function  as 
the  visual  termination  of  Sunset  Avenue.  They 
were  once  flanked  by  the  Bank  of  Randolph  and 
the  Capitol  Theatre,  both  of  which  are  now 
demolished.  The  Capitol  was  the  first  building 
built  as  a  theater  in  Asheboro.  It  opened  Decem- 
ber 19,  1922  as  a  moving  picture  and  vaudeville 
theater,  seating  359  and  featuring  a  functional 
stage  house  and  dressing  rooms.  It  closed  in 
1958. 

B:17      FIRST  SOUTHERN  SAVINGS 
AND  LOAN 

(Formeriy  Randolph  Savings  &  Loan) 
115  South  Fayetteville  Street 
1962;  J.  Hyatt  Hammond  Associates, 
Architects 

Alvis  O.  George,  Jr, 
Kemp  Mooney,  Design  Team 

Located  on  the  site  of  the  old  Central  Hotel, 
this  was  Asheboro's  first  contemporary  high-rise 
structure.  Perched  on  huge  concrete  pillars,  the 
building  was  almost  literally  built  from  the  top 
down.  The  rhythmically-alternating  patterns  of 
windows  and  brick  panels  enlivens  the  poten- 
tially drab  surface  of  the  tower. 


B:I6 


B:17 


DtHF 


=]□[= 


3  IDE 


E]Gt= 


EIQE 


212 


3Q][= 


EIQCE 


=]QE 


EIGE 


=][3E 


ElIDE 


=)G)E 


3GE 


ElIDE 


EIQE 


EIGE 


EIQE 


3B 


ii^stumHSBBtM 


jBiifBiTinTinr 


B:18      P.  H.  MORRIS  GENERAL 
MERCHANDISE 

102  Sunset  Avenue 
ca.  1895,  ca.  1930 

This  was  the  first  brick  building  and  is  the 
oldest  existing  structure  in  the  central  busines 
<listrict.  The  facade  (mostly  hidden  by  the  bill- 
•^ard)  is  a  particularly  good  example  of  the  style 
of  Italianate  brickwork  used  so  often  on  tum-of- 
the-century  commercial  structures.  The  decora- 
'ive  corbeling  can  still  be  seen,  although  part  of 
'he  cornice  has  been  dismantled.  The  second 
floor  has  five  roundheaded  windows  decorated 
*ith  hood  moldings  and  granite  keystones.  The 
center  opening  held  an  oversized,  double  win- 
'low  with  fanlight.  The  original  storefront  was  of 
Wood,  with  two  entrance  doors  flanking  a  central 
display  window.  A  large  display  window,  now 
bricked-up,  opened  on  Fayetteville  Street.  The 
plate  glass  of  all  the  storefront  windows  was 
bordered  with  squares  of  colored  glass.  Ca.  1930 
the  rear  wall  was  extended  ten  feet  to  meet  the 
Trade  Street  sidewalk.  B.  C.  Moore's  Depart- 
"lent  Store  was  a  tenant  of  the  first  floor  and 
hasement  until  1965.  For  many  years  the  Ashe- 
horo  Telephone  Exchange  was  on  the  second 
floor  of  this  building.  The  shaded  light  visible 
high  on  the  comer  of  the  building,  usually  erron- 
eously identified  as  Asheboro's  first  streetlight, 
*as  actually  used  by  telephone  operators  to 
^'gnal  the  town's  policeman.  The  police  kiosk 
*as  across  the  street  on  the  present  site  of 
Wachovia  Bank.  The  painting  on  the  east  facade 
^epicts  scenes  from  Asheboro's  history.  It  was  a 
"'centennial  project  completed  in  1977. 

^=19      COMMERCIAL  BUILDING 

114  Sunset  Avenue 
ca.  1915 

Early  photrographs  of  this  building  show  a 
our-windowed  upper  facade  with  brick  hood 
moldings.  The  building  was  heavily  remodeled 
"1  the  late  1950s  and  nothing  remains  of  the 
°"ginal  facade.  It  now  houses  Foust  Photo  and 
'^"sic  Store. 


B:20      COMMERCIAL  BLOCK 

122-132  Sunset  Avenue 
1908 

These  two-story  Italianate  buildings  were  built 
(reportedly  by  John  Ward)  in  conjunction  with 
the  three-story  building  at  134  Sunset  Avenue. 
Though  built  as  a  unit,  the  buildings  are  all 
different.  Unifying  elements  are  window  height, 
string  course  and  corbeling.  Number  122,  now 
defaced  by  a  1950-ish  facade,  was  originally  a 
furniture  store.  Number  128  boasts  the  most 
elaborate  treatment,  topped  with  a  pedimental 
cornice  and  its  windows  capped  with  grantie 
keystones.  Originally  a  feedstore,  from  1916  to 
1923  it  housed  the  "Joyland  Motion  Picture 
Theatre"  (Asheboro's  first),  seating  175.  The  flat 
cornice  of  Number  132  straddles  two  buildings 
on  the  first  floor.  One  was  originally  a  dry  goods 
store;  the  other  housed  the  Asheboro  Drug  Co., 
a  well-known  pharmacy.  The  1910  Sanborn  Map 
shows  that  the  large  open  room  with  a  stage 
above  these  stores  was  originally  designated  "The 
Opera  House."  It  was  entered  by  way  of  the 
stairs  off  the  street  at  134  Sunset. 


B:18    P.  H.  Morris  General  Store  during  4th  of  July  parade  ca.  1930. 


=]I3I 


1,1 


.>' 


I?!l 


il," 

31; 
Ji' 
91 

Pi 


COMMERCIAL  BUILDING 

132  Sunset  Avenue 
1908 

At  three  full  stories,  this  building  ranks  with 
the  Ashlyn  Hotel  as  the  largest  early  building  in 
the  downtown  area.  Largely  unaltered,  the  fa- 
cade combines  Italianate  hood  moldings,  rustica- 
tion and  a  neo-classical  cornice.  The  now- 
vanished  pedimental  crest  of  the  latter  displayed 
the  date  of  construction.  The  United  States  Post 
Office  was  the  tenant  of  the  ground  floor  from 
1908  until  1925.  Sharing  the  second  floor  were  a 
tailor,  a  photo  gallery  and  for  50  years  (1931- 
1981),  the  office  of  Dr.  R.  P  Sykes.  The  third 
floor  housed  the  Masonic  Temple. 

FIRST  NATIONAL  BANK  #  I 

144  Sunset  Avenue 
ca.  1905 

COX-LEWIS  HARDWARE  CO. 

148  Sunset  Avenue 
ca.  1905 

The  bold  facade  of  this  structure  is  clad  in 
yellow-face  brick  with  granite  trim  in  use  through- 
out. Double  rows  of  decorative  corbeling  accent 
the  cornice.  Several  small  stores  and  an  entrance 
to  the  second  floor  open  off  the  North  Street 
facade.  Acme-McCrary  now  uses  the  loft  space 
for  storage.  North  Street  was  originally  a  street 
of  wholesale  groceries,  butchers  and  livery 
stables.  These  small  businesses  have  all  now 
fallen  to  industrial  expansion.  Cox-Lewis  Hard- 
ware (O.  J.  Cox,  J.  Stanback  Lewis)  occupied 
the  four-bay  storefront  from  1905  to  1954,  From 
1954  to  1978  it  housed  Sherwin-Williams  Paint 
Store.  First  National  Bank  was  organized  Decem- 
ber 4,  1907,  with  J.  S.  Lewis  as  president.  The 
bank's  original  office  was  in  the  comer  store. 
The  beveled  comer  of  that  store  was  matched  by 
the  set-back  entrance  of  Standard  Drug;  the  two 
faced  each  other  across  the  intersection. 


3G(= 


3EIE 


3B[= 


30 


B:23      STEDMAN  BLOCK 

208-224  Sunset  Avenue 
ca.  1905,  ca.  1910,  ca.  1915 

Nothing  evident  today  would  suggest  that  this 
block  of  buildings  is  one  of  the  oldest  in  the 
central  business  district.  The  original  building  is 
that  part  of  the  present  Eagle's  Store  farthest  to 
the  east — a  two  bay  store  of  Italianate  brickwork 
built  to  house  the  grocery  business  of  "W  D. 
Stedman  and  Son."  Soon  another  two  bays  were 
added  as  a  meat  market;  these  two  buildings  plus 
a  modem  structure  house  Eagle's.  The  original 
facades  still  exist  behind  the  aluminum  false- 
front.  A  June  9,  1915,  Randolph  Bulletin  article 
announced  Stedman's  plans  to  "build  a  new 
brick  building  ...  a  modem  garage  55'  x  95' 
to  the  east.  The  Stedman  Motor  Company  opened 
in  August  of  that  year  as  the  dealer  for  Dodge, 
Studebaker  and  Hudson.  The  building,  divided 
'nto  three  bays  by  engaged  pilasters,  was  shorter 
than  the  adjoining  grocery  and  severely  plain. 
This  storefront  was  wholly  remodeled  in  the 
1940s  and  is  now  unrecognizable. 


B:23    W.  D.  Stedman  and  Son  ca.  1912. 


B:23    Stedman  Motor  Company  ca.  1920 

w 


B:23 


I    !| 


B:23 


The  Stedman  Block  looking  east  on  Sunset  Ave.  ca.  1923. 
3SE 


=1131= 


=)B(= 


215 


^" 


■ 

Jl 

i 

Pi 
In 


NEXT     ATTRACTION 
3  7SJ00  AMERICAN    <iR*FPITI 

'H'    i       III 


a;24 


B:25 


B:26    Asheboro  City  Hall  ca.  1920.                              B:26 
I IF" — ' 1™ "^1 'Pii iniJ ifnf= 

216 


B:24      THE  SUNSET  THEATRE 

234  Sunset  Avenue 
1929 

This  was  the  first  building  in  the  city  built 
solely  as  a  theatre  for  motion  pictures.  The 
Sunset  opened  March  6,  1930,  and  closed  in 
1975;  it  has  since  been  re-opened  under  a  new 
name.  It  was  built  by  J.  E  White,  president  of 
the  White  Amusement  Company  and  operator  of 
the  Capitol  Theatre  on  Fayetteville  Street  (now 
destroyed).  The  Capitol  seated  359  and  opened 
December  19,  1922,  as  a  moving  picture  and 
vaudeville  theatre.  It  provided  complete  stage 
and  dressing  room  facilities.  The  Sunset  is  an 
example  of  a  "Moorish  Picture  Palace,"  de- 
signed in  the  Spanish  Colonial  Revival  style 
popular  in  southern  California.  The  tile  roof  and 
long  marquee  now  give  the  facade  a  strong 
horizontal  orientation.  The  marquee  was  added 
ca.  1950.  Originally  the  entrance  was  sheltered 
only  by  a  small  copper  canopy.  Engaged  pilas- 
ters supporting  the  bracketed  cornice  added  verti- 
cal emphasis  to  the  design.  The  stucco  facade 
boasts  well-done  details  such  as  window  sur- 
rounds and  pilaster  capitols.  The  massive  wooden 
brackets  under  the  eaves  are  quite  attractive.  The 
interior  has  undergone  many  changes.  Only  the 
upper  lobby  has  preserved  much  of  the  Spanish 
trim  and  wrought  iron. 


B:2S      HOP'S  BARBEQUE 

240  Sunset  Avenue 
ca.  1928 

The  pyramidal-roofed  original  section  of  this 
structure  was  a  gas  station  built  in  the  pictur- 
esque style  of  the  1920s.  The  "kicked"  roof 
overhang,  bracketed  porch  shelters  and  stone 
trim  are  references  to  English  "Country"  archi- 
tecture. The  round-headed  door  and  casement 
windows  are  original.  An  unusual  feature  is  the 
bird  house  built  into  the  peak  of  the  roof. 

B:26      ASHEBORO  CITY  HALL 

146  North  Church  Street 

1938;  Albert  C.  Woodnjff,  Architect 

Built  as  a  WPA  project  betwen  1938  and  1939, 
the  City  Hall  is  the  city's  foremost  example  of 
the  Art  Deco  style.  The  limestone  facade  is 
symmetrically  massed  around  the  central  en- 
trance pavilion.  That  section  projects  forward 
from  and  is  taller  than  the  body  of  the  building. 
The  words  "Municipal  Building"  carved  in  the 
relief  crown  this  bay,  while  a  podium  of  steps 
with  lamp  pylons  provides  access  to  the  entrance. 
The  facade  recedes  in  stages  from  the  entrance 
bay,  ending  in  what  was  originally  the  fire  depart- 
ment on  the  north  and  the  public  library  on  the 
south.  Stair  tower  windows  are  concealed  behind 
pierced  limestone  panels.  The  building  has  a 
horizontal  emphasis,  with  the  window  and  door 
bays  providing  a  vertical  accent.  Cast  aggregate 
panels  divide  these  bays  at  the  second  floor  level. 
(The  previous  city  hall  on  the  same  site  was  an 
undistinquished  structrure  built  ca.  1910  to  house 
the  city's  Republic  fire  truck  and  the  water 
department.)  The  tax  department,  water  de- 
partment, city  clerk  and  finance  officer  were 
originally  housed  in  offices  accessible  through 
the  main  entrance.  The  public  library  on  the 
south  and  the  fire  department  on  the  north  had 
separate  entrances.  The  city  engineer  and  po- 
lice department  were  found  on  the  second  floor, 
along  with  the  mayor's  courtroom.  The  latter 
was  the  city's  traffic  court,  for  the  mayor  was 
responsible  for  municipal  justice.  Today  it  is 
used  as  city  council  chambers.  The  Art  Deco 
style  woodwork  in  this  room  is  particularly  fine. 
Of  special  note  are  the  door  frames  and  judge's 
bench.  The  public  library  moved  to  new  quar- 
ters in  1964;  the  fire  department  moved  in  1972. 


=IGI= 


=1P1I =1B1I= 


B:27      WATER  TANK 

146  North  Church  Street 
1910,  1938 

This  tank  was  built  as  part  of  the  $50,000 
water  system  installed  in  Asheboro  in  the  sum- 
mer of  1910.  Buih  to  hold  175,000  gallons,  it 
was  later  expanded  to  hold  250,000  gallons.  At 
one  time,  more  than  half  a  milion  gallons  of 
Water  were  stored  in  various  tanks  behind  City 
Hall.  This  is  the  last  survivor  only  because  its 
reinforced-concrete  construction  is  so  solid  that 
it  is  virtually  indestructible.  The  tank  was  no 
longer  needed  after  creation  of  the  municipal 
'akes  in  the  1930s.  During  construction  of  the 
present  City  Hall,  a  garage  door  was  added  and 
the  tank  became  a  storage  area. 

B:28      ACME-McCRARY  HOSIERY 
MILL  #3 

173  North  Church  Street 
1948 

This  rather  sophisticated  Art  Modeme  design 
includes  several  features  unique  to  Asheboro 's 
industrial  buildings.  Even  the  decorative  alumi- 
num railings  at  the  entrance  are  "streamlined." 
Yellow,  terra-cotta  blocks  frame  the  two-story 
entrance  where  blue-tinted  glass  set  in  an  alumi- 
num fram.e  conceals  the  true  second  floor  level. 
Decorative  horizontal  stripes  of  ridged  brick- 
work outlined  with  precast  concrete  copings  wrap 
around  the  rounded  comers  of  the  building, 
terminating  in  square  window  panels.  Glass  block 
fil's  the  side  windows.  An  elevated  walkway  over 
Church  Street  connects  the  structure  to  another 
'^^cme-McCrary  plant. 


B:29      R.  C.  LEWALLEN  HOUSE 

187  North  Church  Street 
ca.  1905,  1961 

The  details  of  the  surviving  ground  floor  indi- 
cate the  quality  of  this  house,  the  top  two  floors 
of  which  were  destroyed  by  fire  in  1961.  The 
original  house  was  a  hip-roofed  Queen  Anne 
mass  with  projecting  gabled  bays.  The  porch 
— possibly  a  replacement — was  in  the  Colonial 
Revival  style.  One  of  the  existing  windows  exhib- 
its attractive  stained  glass  in  an  unusual  fleur-de- 
lis  design. 

B:30      CHARLES  M.  FOX  HOUSE 

412  Sunset  Avenue 
1923 

This  simple,  yet  strong  design  is  a  typical 
example  of  what  has  been  name  the  "American 
Foursquare"  house  style.  A  two-story  dwelling 
with  a  boxlike  shape,  it  has  a  low  hipped  roof 
with  hipped  dormer  above  the  central  entrance. 
The  hipped  porch  is  extended  over  the  driveway 
to  serve  as  a  porte  cochere.  In  many  ways  the 
"American  Foursquare"  house  represented  a  fu- 
sion between  the  "Craftsman"  style  (also  popu- 
lar for  bungalows)  and  the  architectural  achieve- 
ments of  Frank  Lloyd  Wright  and  the  Praire 
School. 

Charles  Michael  Fox,  a  pharmacist,  was  owner 
and  operator  of  the  Asheboro  Drug  Company  from 
1914  to  1954.  His  wife  Elizabeth  Spencer  Fox 
was  a  daughter  of  A.  A.  Spencer,  owner  of  the 
Central  Hotel.  One  of  Asheboro's  first  stenogra- 
phers. Mrs.  Fox  was  a  president  of  the  Asheboro 
Womens  Club.  Their  daughter.  Miss  Charlesanna 
A.  Fox,  the  present  occupant,  was  county  librar- 
ian of  the  Asheboro  and  Randolph  County  Pub- 
lic Library  system  from  1949  to  1977. 


B:28 


B:29      R.  C.  Lewallen  House  ca.  1950. 


B:29 


1! 


3:30 


3Be 


3GE 


3BE 


3BE 


217 


B:31 


l)t: 


W.  L.  LAMBERT  HOUSE 

430  Sunset  Avenue 
1928 


The  Craftsman  styling  of  the  decorative  de- 
tails of  this  house  are  typical  of  large  houses  of 
the  late  1920s,  which  sometimes  resemble  over- 
grown bungalows.  Craftsman  elements  include 
sawn  rafter  ends  notched  to  carry  guttering, 
6/1  bungaloid  sash  and  gable  brackets.  The  porch 
is  carried  on  brick  piers  and  wraps  around  the 
house  to  end  at  a  porte  cochere.  The  interior  trim 
of  the  dwelling  is  in  a  restrained  Colonial  Revival 
style.  Dr.  W  L.  Lambert  was  on  the  staff  of  the 
Memorial  Hospital  located  to  the  west  on  Sunset 
Avenue.  His  wife,  Julia  Ross  Lambert  was  a 
daughter  of  Arthur  Ross,  owner  of  the  neigh- 
boring house  at  444  Sunset. 

ARTHUR  ROSS  HOUSE  #2 

444  Sunset  Avenue 
1905 

This  impressive  Neo-Classical  Revival  man- 
sion was  built  by  a  prominent  local  businessman 
who  was  one  of  the  founders  of  the  privately- 
owned  Asheboro  Electric  Company  in  1900.  Mr. 
Ross  was  a  former  mayor  of  Asheboro  (1923- 
24)  and  served  as  a  state  senator.  (His  father, 
R.  R.  Ross,  was  former  postmaster,  and  at  one 
time  owned  the  C.  Slingsby  Wainman  House  at 
305  West  Wainman. 

The  house  is  dominated  by  the  giant  columns 
of  the  central  portico;  these  Ionic  pillars  are 
repeated  m  miniature  by  the  columns  of  the 
veranda  (now  enclosed).  The  entrance  door  with 
transom  sidelights  under  the  portico  used  the  top 
of  the  vestibule  as  a  balcony.  This  house,  with 
many  additions,  now  serves  as  Pugh  Funeral 
Home.  It  replaced  the  original  Arthur  Ross  home, 
undoubtedly  one  of  Asheboro's  most  bizarre 
Victorian  masterpieces. 


B:33      KEMP  ALEXANDER  HOUSE 

415  Sunset  Avenue 
1919 

This  house  imparts  a  sense  of  dignity,  quiet 
charm  and  grace  which  makes  it  one  of  the  most 
attractive  homes  in  the  neighborhood.  The  cen- 
ter hall-plan,  Colonial  Revival  style  house  is  five 
bays  wide.  Six-over-one  double-hung  sash  are 
used  with  small  sets  paired  over  the  entrance 
and  in  the  pedimented-gable  dormer.  The  en- 
trance is  set  in  a  side-lighted  architrave  sheltered 
by  a  small  hipped  porch.  A  single-shoulder 
extrerior  chimney  serves  fireplaces  at  the  north- 
east comer.  This  wisteria  arbor  on  the  east  side 
of  the  house  is  a  striking  decorative  element, 
balanced  by  a  screened  porch  on  the  west.  In 
1980  the  house  was  moved  to  Cedar  Grove 
Tonwship  and  restored  by  Mr.  and  Mrs.  William 
M.  Neely.  Mrs.  Neely  is  the  granddaughter  of 
the  original  owners,  Kemp  and  Annie  Alexander. 

B:34      C.  A.  HAYWORTH  HOUSE 

349  Sunset  Avenue 
ca.  1920 

This  is  a  sophisticated  design  in  the  Dutch 
Colonial  Revival  style,  vaguely  Federal  in  detail. 
The  gambrel  roof  with  continuous  dormer  is 
unusual  in  Asheboro,  but  was  a  standard  element 
in  this  style  of  domestic  architecture.  This  dwell- 
ing was  built  ca.  1920,  but  the  style  remained 
popular  well  into  the  1950s. 


=1QI= 


Hi 


HHai 


B:35      THE  CRANFORD  BUILDING 

227  Sunset  Avenue 
1936 

A.  J.  Maxwell,  Architect,  from  Goldsboro, 
N.  C.  was  the  designer  of  this  Art  Deco  commer- 
cial building.  (Mr.  Maxwell  may  have  also  been 
involved  with  the  design  of  several  buildings  for 
Asheboro  Hosiery  Mills.)  The  original  facade 
*as  a  handsome  design  clad  in  black  mirror 
glass  and  limestone  veneer.  Two  strange  lozenge- 
shaped  windows  terminating  in  floral  medallions 
flanked  a  central  tripartite  bay  window  with 
ruffled  accent  stripe  and  a  geometrical  motif. 
Five  pavilions  (probably  for  mechanical  equip- 
ment) capped  the  roof.  This  building  was  drasti- 
cally remodeled  after  a  fire  in  the  early  1960s. 

B:36      COMMERCIAL  BUILDING 

219  Sunset  Avenue 
ca.  1905 

The  early  history  of  this  building  is  extremely 
cloudly.  The  1910  Sanborn  map  lists  its  occu- 
pants as  a  printing  office  and  a  wholesale  grocery. 
The  second  floor  was  originally  one  large  room, 
entered  by  way  of  a  staircase  dividing  the  two 
'ower  stores.  During  and  after  World  War  I,  the 
'National  Guard  used  this  building  as  their  armory, 
^hen  they  moved  to  the  present  "Bargain 
Warehouse"  (113  N.  Church  St.)  built  especially 
■or  their  use  ca.  1930,  this  space  was  converted 
'o  a  roller  skating  rink.  The  ground  floor  subse- 
quently housed  "Big  Bear"  Supermarket.  The 
"Pstairs  is  now  divided  into  offices.  The  large 
^'de  windows  with  hood  moldings  are  the  only 
decorative  features  still  visible. 


B:37      WOOD  AND  MORING  STORE 

119  Sunset  Avenue 
ca.  1915 

COFFIN-SCARBORO  COMPANY 

12!  Sunset  Avenue 
ca.  1915 

STANDARD  DRUG  COMPANY 

125  Sunset  Avenue 
ca.  1915 

This  group  of  buildings  was  undoubtedly  built 
in  response  to  the  ca.  1910  erection  of  a  separate 
passenger  train  depot,  on  the  present  site  of 
McCown-Smith  Department  Store.  Decorative 
corbeling  ties  the  three  into  one  unit.  Wood  and 
Moring  had  been  started  ca.  1880  as  W  P  Wood 
and  Company  in  a  building  across  from  the  old 
courthouse.  W  H.  Moring  was  taken  on  in 
partnership  and  ca.  1895  the  business  was  moved 
to  a  frame  structure  on  the  comer  of  Depot 
(Sunset)  and  Fayetteville.  1 19  Sunset  was  its  first 
brick  building.  The  original  storefront  was  di- 
vided in  half  and  had  separate  entrances — one 
side  sold  men's  clothes,  the  other  sold  women's. 
Windows  are  framed  by  simple  granite  lintels. 
The  keystones  above  each  one  are  purely  decor- 
ative. Wood  and  Moring  sold  out  to  the  Belk 
chain  in  1932;  Hudson-Belk  moved  out  of  the 
building  in  1936. 

W  D.  Stedman  built  the  middle  building  for 
the  Coffin-Scarboro  Company.  Founded  in  1915, 
the  store  sold  men's  clothes  and  shoes;  later  it 
converted  solely  to  shoes.  The  firm  closed  in 
1976.  The  recessed  panel  above  the  second-floor 
windows  was  probably  meant  for  a  sign. 

Standard  Drug  Company  was  started  about 
1893  by  W.  A.  Underwood.  Though  the  main 
entrance  of  the  pharmacy— highlighted  by  three 
fan-lighted  windows— was  on  Sunset,  the  prime 
orientation  of  the  building  was  toward  the  rail- 
road tracks  and  passenger  depot.  This  was  origi- 
nally the  last  building  on  the  block,  and  the 
facade  facing  the  tracks  included  a  long  row  of 
windows  and  doors  to  accommodate  rail  pas- 
sengers. A  1918  newspaper  advertisement  ex- 
tolled the  virtures  of  the  pharmacy's  "modem 
soda  fountain";  Standard  Drug  was  one  of  the 
centers  of  small-town  life. 


El  ISC 


B:35       Cranford  Building  ca.  1952. 


B:35 


B:36 


B:37 


=]E]E 


=]QE 


3tDE 


3BB 


SBE 


3mt= 


3HE 


E1HI= 


3HE 


219 


't-    ■ 


:::ssi»m ' 


r 


I 

!)E| 

nil. 


B:38Asheboro  Bank  and  V-ust  Company  ca.  1930.       8:38 


B:39   First  National  Bank  ca.  1930. 


B:38      ASHEBORO  BANK  AND 
TRUST  COMPANY 

111  Sunset  Avenue 
1920 

The  bank  began  operation  in  this  building 
January  20,  1921.  The  building  was  built  in  the 
Roman  Revival  style  of  neoclassicism.  Evidence 
of  this  remains  in  the  shed  roof  resting  on  a 
dentiled  cornice  and  the  four  iron  grills  similar 
to  those  of  the  Senate  in  the  Roman  Forum.  The 
original  facade  was  of  rusticated  granite,  with 
Tuscan  columns  supporting  a  simple  entablature. 
An  unusual  transom  and  door  of  Art  Deco  design 
dates  from  ca.  1940  alterations.  The  first  presi- 
dent of  the  bank  was  H.  T.  Caviness;  the  last  was 
S.  B.  Stedman.  The  bank  was  closed  March  12, 
1934  with  the  consent  of  its  officers;  the  decision 
of  federal  banking  officials  was  that  Asheboro 
could  not  support  three  banks.  Assets  were  di- 
vided between  the  two  remaining  local  banks; 
depositors  received  100%  of  their  funds. 

B:39      COMMERCIAL  BLOCK 

103-107  Sunset  Avenue 
ca.  1920 

These  two  buildings  were  destroyed  in  the 
summer  of  1978,  during  the  course  of  this  survey. 
They  had  been  built  in  conjunction  with  and  in 
an  identical  style  to  the  First  National  Bank's 
second  building.  The  bank  moved  into  that 
building,  of  tan  brick  with  a  limestone  lower 
facade,  in  1921.  The  bank  and  these  two  rental 
buildings  occupied  the  site  of  the  original  frame 
Wood  and  Moring  Store,  which  adjoined  the 
graceful  Moring  home.  In  the  1930s  the  Ameri- 
can Legion  donated  a  clock  to  the  town  in 
memorial  to  the  casualties  of  Worid  War  I.  It  was 
promptly  mounted  in  a  prominent  position  on  the 
comer  of  the  bank.  The  bank  was  torn  down  and 
the  clock  removed  during  construction  of  the 
present  building  in  1967.  These  structures  met  a 
similar  fete  for  a  similar  reason — bank  expansion. 
They  matched  the  bank  building  in  color  and 
decorative  detail.  The  metal  cornice  with  modil- 
lion  blocks  also  matched  that  of  the  bank. 


B:39     Wood  and  Moring  Store  ca.  1900. 
220 


B:39 


B:40      INGRAM-BRINSON  BUILDING 

144  South  Fayetteville  Street 
ca.  1920,  ca.  1955 

This  structure  was  one  of  the  first  gas  stations 
in  Asheboro.  It  was  an  example  of  the  Spanish 
Colonial  Revival  style  popular  in  the  1920s  for 
both  gas  stations  and  movie  theatres.  Red  brick 
trim  was  used  to  accent  the  stark  white  stucco  of 
the  structure.  The  large  pump  shelter  was  par- 
tially cantilevered  from  twin  brick  pillars  with 
corbeled  brackets.  The  structure  was  partially 
demolished  about  1955,  with  shops  and  offices 
built  along  the  street  front.  The  underground 
parking  garage  and  rear  wall  of  the  original 
building  remain,  however,  and  the  gables  of  the 
upper  wall  can  still  be  seen  above  the  modem  flat 
roof. 

B:41      HEDRICK  ARCADE 

152-156  South  Fayetteville  Street 
ca.  1932,  1935,  1947 

This  interesting  building  assumed  its  present 
form  in  stages.  Built  on  the  site  of  the  Hedrick 
family's  bungalow  home  (which  was  moved  to 
South  Cox  Street),  the  original  structure  was  a 
one-story  commercial  block,  three  shop  bays 
^ide.  Asheboro  Printing  Company  occupied  the 
northernmost  storefront,  now  the  site  of  Scott 
Book  Store,  while  the  southern  bays  were  taken 
Up  by  a  bowling  alley.  A  second  story  was  added 
'"  1935;  it  marked  the  symmetrical  center  of  the 
block  with  a  tripartite  window  in  an  arched 
opening  which  features  the  name  and  construc- 
tion date  of  the  building  in  green  mosaic  tiles  set 
"1  the  stuccoed  tympanum.  The  new  second 
floor,  complete  with  skylights  and  maple  flooring, 
provided  space  for  a  roller  skating  rink.  In  1947 
the  building  was  totally  remodeled.  The  second 
floor  was  converted  into  office  space,  a  large 
one-story  wing  was  added  to  the  rear  to  house 
the  relocated  bowling  alley  and  printing  establish- 
ment and  the  southern  shops  assumed  the  charac- 
ter of  a  shopping  arcade.  The  arcade  entrance  is 
"ot  aligned  with  the  central  window  bay,  but  is 
rather  recessed  under  a  stubby  aluminum  cornice 
*hich  links  the  entrance  and  the  two  small  lower 
shops.  The  street  facades  were  also  covered  iden- 
tically with  beige  ceramic  panels,  accented  by 
°'ack  stripes  of  the  same  material.  The  clipped 
"Corners  of  the  shop  fronts,  the  aluminum  hard- 
ware of  the  doors,  as  well  as  the  streamlined 
aluminum  stair  railing  and  coffee  shop  counter,  are 
*"  elements  of  the  Art  Modeme  style  widely  used 
'"  Asheboro  just  after  World  War  II.  The  northern 

t3E 


arcade  shop  originally  housed  Williams-Riddle, 
a  men's  clothing  store,  whose  painted  monogram 
remains  on  the  interior  display  windows. 

B:42      COMMERCIAL  BUILDING 

206  South  Fayetteville  Street 
ca.  1925,  ca.  1937 

This  structure  was  built  in  the  late  1920s  to 
house  the  U  S.  Post  Office,  which  moved  here 
from  132  Sunset  Avenue.  The  original  design 
provided  a  central  entrance  flanked  by  granite- 
trimmed  bay  windows.  Brick  infill  panels  laid  in 
a  herringbone  pattern  were  placed  beneath  these 
windows.  An  arched  window  bay  with  keystone 
accented  the  second  floor  level  above  the  entrance. 
A  metal  cornice  with  dentils  marks  the  roof 
level,  while  the  central  summit  is  crowned  by  a 
round  stucco  panel  set  with  green  mosaic  tile 
inlay — seemingly  a  signature  of  the  buildings 
built  by  the  C.  H.  Wood  Construction  Company 
for  the  Hedrick  family  on  this  block.  In  1935  the 
post  office  moved  to  241  Sunset  Avenue,  and  the 
building  was  remodeled  by  the  Carolina  theatre 
chain  into  Asheboro's  largest  theatre,  the  Caro- 
lina, seating  498.  The  new  recessed  entrance 
was  an  interesting  quarter-round  passageway 
with  streamlined  moldings;  this  may  have  been 
the  town's  introduction  to  the  new  Art  Modeme 
style.  The  original  entrance  became  the  thea- 
tre's exit  door  in  the  reconstruction.  The  audi- 
torium was  decorated  with  Art  Deco  style 
lighting  fixtures  and  murals  painted,  it  is  re- 
called, by  a  European  artist.  Portions  of  these 
features  can  still  be  seen  in  what  has  become  a 
storage  area.  The  Carolina  Theatre  closed  in 
1962,  and  the  building  stood  vacant  until  1981 , 
when  it  was  once  again  remodeled  into  com- 
mercial space. 

B:43      WESTERN  AUTO 

218  South  Fayetteville  Street 
ca.  1930  ■ 
The  original  occupant  of  this  building  was  the 
Hedrick  Motor  Company,  a  Buick  dealership. 
The  present  storefront  marks  the  location  of  the 
automobile  showroom;  a  two-story  space  (now 
remodeled)  with  a  balcony  or  mezzanine  level  in 
the  rear.  Clerestory  windows  (now  closed,  but 
visible  as  buff-colored  brick  outlines  in  the  red 
brick  facade)  let  additional  light  into  this  space. 
A  large  door  bay  at  the  south  edge  of  the  facade 
provided  access  to  the  company's  garage. 


B:40       Gas  Station  ca.  1958. 


B:40 


B:41 


8:42 
El  [31 113[ 


111 

!)Ej 
^1 


fl.-*5 


^  air- 


B:46 


B:47    Fayetteville  Street  School  ca.  1960. 


B:  47  The  Asheboro  Summit  housing  complex  located  to  the  east,  directly  behind  the  former  Fayette- 
ville Street  School. 
Eli==3Ell^^==l<^r=^=ini ini iini= 

222 


B:44      GAS  STATION 

226  South  Fayetteville  Street 
ca.  1935 

This  is  one  of  three  similar  examples  of  Art 
Deco  gas  stations  in  Asheboro.  (The  others  are 
at  15!  North  Park  Street  and  1223  North  Fayette- 
ville Street.)  This  is  the  largest  and  most  elabo- 
rate of  the  three.  The  shed  roof  is  tiled,  emphasiz- 
ing the  Spanish  Mission  style  influence  in  this 
stuccoed  design.  The  pylons  separating  the  bays 
terminate  in  a  crest  that  is  pure  Art  Deco.  These 
designs  were  provided  and  built  by  the  oil  compa- 
nies and  reproduced  all  over  the  country. 

B:45      L.  L.  WHITAKER  HOUSE 

211  South  Fayetteville  Street 
ca.  1925 

BARNES-GRIFFIN  CLINIC 

217  South  Fayetteville  Street 
1938,  1941,  1952 

The  nucleus  of  this  complex  of  buildings  is 
the  two-story  hipped-roof  house  built  about  1925 
by  broom  manufacturer  Lonnie  L.  Whitaker.  It  is 
the  only  brick  building  found  in  this  survey 
which  uses  Flemish  bond,  where  brick  stretchers 
alternate  with  darker  glazed  headers  in  an  ex- 
tremely attractive  decorative  technique.  The 
square,  boxy  shape  of  the  house  is  characteristic 
of  the  early  twentieth-century  'American  Four- 
square" style,  but  the  wide  overhanging  eaves  of 
the  roof  and  small  one-story  shed  wings  also 
relate  it  to  "Prairie  Style"  architecture.  The  roof 
overhang  is  carried  on  exposed  rafter  ends  sawn 
m  a  decorative  pattern  and  notched  to  carry 
guttenng.  The  house  uses  two  types  of  bungaloid 
double-hung  sash:  tripartite  4/1  and  paired  6/1 
wmdow  units.  This  house  is  the  only  home  to 
survive  in  place  from  the  eariy  twentieth-century 
residential  district  which  once  lined  Fayetteville 
Street. 

The  adjoining  Barnes-Griffin  Clinic  was  started 
in  1938  by  Dr.  Dempsey  Barnes  and  Dr.  H.  L. 
Griffin.  It  offered  beds  for  some  thirty  patients. 
The  clinic  expanded  to  include  the  neighboring 
residence  in  1941  and  built  the  two-story  addition 
to  the  north  in  1952.  It  closed  in  1962  after  the 
death  of  Dr.  Griffin.  The  fluted  limestone  pilas- 
ters with  abstract  capitals  which  frame  the  street 
facade  of  the  1938  building  hint  at  the  Art  Deco 
style.  The  Colonial  Revival  door  with  pedi- 
mented  architrave  dates  from  the  1960s. 


=]E}[= 


EIQE 


B:46      J.  STANBACK  LEWIS  HOUSE  #2 

133  East  Academy  Street 
ca.  1920 

This  imposing  brick  veneer  residence  was  the 
second  home  of  John  Stanback  Lewis,  hardware 
store  owner  and  president  of  the  First  National 
Bank.  It  was  built  on  Fayetteville  Street  at  the 
present  site  of  the  Tobias  Store,  and  was  moved 
to  this  site  about  1960.  Still  facing  Fayetteville 
Street,  the  original  facade  displays  a  hip-roofed 
block  framed  by  projecting  gabled  bays.  Semi- 
circular fanlights  are  set  in  each  gable.  The 
buff-colored  brick  walls  are  accented  by  lime- 
stone trim,  including  window  sills  and  pedi- 
ments with  prominent  voussoirs  and  keystones 
and  a  limestone  belt  course.  Double-hung  12/1 
bungaloid  sash  are  used  throughout  the  house. 
The  molded  cornice  features  a  prominent  dentiled 
frieze.  Original  elements  lost  in  the  move  were  a 
Tuscan-columned  porte  cochere  and  veranda 
which  skirted  the  dwelling,  and  a  granite  retain- 
ing wall  fronting  the  Fayetteville  Street  sidewalk. 
The  house  has  been  divided  into  six  apartments. 

B:47      FAYETTEVILLE  STTREET 
SCHOOL 

325  South  Fayetteville  Street 
1908,  1923;  destroyed  1969 

The  four  acres  of  the  Fayetteville  Street  School 
property  were  for  many  years  known  as  the  "Fair 
Grounds,"  since  the  yearly  agricultural  fairs  and 
expositions  were  always  held  here.  The  Asheboro 
Male  Academy  was  chartered  January  25,  1843; 
a  school  was  located  on  the  property  for  the  next 
126  years.  Superseded  by  the  later  school  house, 
the  small  frame  Male  Academy  building  was 
moved  and  incorporated  in  a  house  on  Cox  Street 
that  bunied  in  1967. 

The  first  brick  building  was  built  for  the 
Asheboro  public  schools  in  1908.  That  structure, 
two  stories  built  on  a  raised  basement,  was  a 
hip-roofed  central  block  with  gabled  wings  ar- 
ranged in  an  H-plan.  It  included  round-headed 
Italianate  windows  as  decorative  accents,  with 
the  classrooms  lighted  by  large  tripartite  sash. 
The  building  was  crowned  by  a  domed  cupola 
holding  a  bell  and  flagstaff.  In  1923  flanking 
wings  were  added  to  the  building,  which  re- 
ceived a  flat  roof  and  coat  of  stucco  in  the 
remodeling.  A.  C.  Woodruff,  the  architect  of  the 
City  Hall,  designed  the  separate  gymnasium  in 
1936.  It  was  a  Neo-Classical  building  of  red  brick 
with  a  pilastered  and  pedimental  facade. 


mm 


■H 


rn  rj  i TiItt: '— "~"Tr "  -" 


With  the  creation  of  individual  neighborhood 
elementary  schools  and  the  building  of  the  high 
school  in  1950,  the  student  population  of  Fayette- 
ville  Street  began  to  dwindle.  In  its  last  years,  it 
Was  the  private  domain  of  the  seventh  grade.  The 
opening  of  North  Asheboro  Junior  High  was  the 
death  knell;  the  school  saw  its  last  classes  in  the 
spring  of  1968. 

B:48      DR.  L.  M.  FOX  HOUSE 

406  South  Fayetteville  Street 
ca.  1905;  destroyed  1980 

This  is  a  difficult  house  to  date,  as  it  has 
Undergone  extensive  alterations.  The  bracketed 
eaves  and  unusual  sawn  cornices  over  the;  upper 
windows  suggest  a  date  around  the  turn  of  the 
century.  Dr.  Fox  bought  the  property  in  1906. 
The  "Colonial"  door  frame  was  added  in  con- 
junction with  the  aluminum  siding. 

B:49      WHITE  HOUSE 

525  South  Fayetteville  Street 
ca.  1900 

This  three-bay,  central  gable  house  was  very 
similar  to  a  typical  turn-of-the-century  farm- 
house— appropriate  to  the  rural  nature  of  this 
location  at  that  time.  It  is  relatively  intact  al- 
though in  a  bad  state  of  preservation.  This  was 
'he  home  of  the  White  family  A  similar  house, 
around  the  comer  on  East  Kivett  Street,  has  been 
™uch  altered  but  may  have  been  built  about  the 
same  time. 

B:50      JESSE  PUGH  HOUSE 

530  South  Cox  Street 
ca.  1925 

Cobblestones  became  a  popular  building  mate- 
"al  during  the  Bungalow  period;  this  powerfully- 
'^esigned  home  uses  them  for  every  visible  bit  of 
masonry.  The  shed  porch  and  recessed  dormer 
are  interesting  details  that  emphasize  the  hori- 
^ontality  of  the  composition. 


B:51       ASHEBORO  HOSIERY  MILLS 

139  South  Church  Street 
ca.  1917 

The  older,  northern  end  of  this  building  may 
date  to  1917,  when  the  company  was  founded  by 
the  C.  C.  Cranford  family.  Nine  bays  wide  by 
fifteen  bays  long,  the  building's  segmental-arched 
window  frames  once  held  wooden  sash,  which 
have  been  replaced  by  blue  tinted  glass  in  metal 
frames.  A  monitor  bay  still  crowns  the  shallow 
gable,  but  the  windows  which  once  lit  the  upper 
floor  are  now  completely  covered. 

3:52      CRANFORD  FURNITURE 
COMPANY 

230  West  Academy  Street 
ca.  1925 

This  early  twentieth-century  factory  is  built  in 
1:5  common  bond,  with  red  brick  headers  creat- 
ing darker  stripes  through  the  orange  stretcher 
courses.  Eleven  window  bays  run  the  length  of 
the  building;  some  retain  early  12/12  wooden 
double-hung  sash  in  the  flat  arched  openings. 
Stepped  ends  hide  the  gable  roof.  Built  about 
1925,  the  building  served  as  finishing  and  spray- 
ing space  for  the  Cranford  Furniture  Company. 

The  main  factory  of  the  corporation  was  built 
about  1918.  Now  destroyed,  it  stood  between  the 
existing  building  and  the  neighboring  Asheboro 
Hosiery  Mills.  The  firm  was  founded  before  1910 
as  the  Asheboro  Furniture  Company  and  was 
reorganized  by  C.  C.  Cranford,  first  as  the 
Cranford  Chair  Company  and  later  as  the  Cranford 
Furniture  Company. 


B:48 


B:49 


B:SO 


3:51 


B:52 


E]QI= 


aHi= 


=][DE 


E][3E 


EIDE 


223 


Section  C— The  Fisher  Estate,  Hollywood 


ID 


XL 


'  AHi '  '■'  '-"^'"''■'''■■™ "  ^iigr'*' 


C:l      S.  W  KIVETT 

308  West  Kivett  Street 

ca.  1890 
This  is  the  largest  house  remaining  from 
nineteenth-century  Asheboro.  Although  exten- 
sively remodeled  in  1950  to  create  four  apart- 
ments, various  details  remain  to  indicate  its 
original  character.  The  small  screened  porch  on 
the  Kivett  Street  facade  retains  part  of  the  trim  of 
the  original  latticed  porch  that  once  wrapped 
around  the  house.  Dentils  under  the  eaves  of  the 
deck-on-hip  roof  hint  at  the  impending  Colonial 
Revival  style.  The  most  outstanding  survival  is 
the  detached  well  shelter,  where  the  unusual 
bellcast  roof  provides  an  oriental  flavor.  Stephen 
^ayland  Kivett  came  to  Asheboro  from  the  New 
Market  area  of  Randolph  County,  where  he  seems 
to  have  been  connected  with  the  iron  foundry 
which  operated  there  during  the  Civil  War.  In 
Asheboro,  Kivett  operated  a  business  building 
*agons  and  coffins. 

C:2      C.  SLINGSBY  WAINMAN  HOUSE 

305  West  Wainman  Avenue 
ca.  1888 

Wainman,  a  Scotsman  and  erstwhile  gold 
finer,  built  this  house  while  in  his  middle 
twenties.  He  died  soon  after.  The  decorative  trim 
must  have  been  purchased  from  a  local  sash-and- 
blind  factory,  perhaps  the  W.  C.  Petty  firm  in 
Archdale.  Acquired  after  Wainman's  death  by 
the  Romulus  R.  Ross  family  it  was  remodeled  as 
apartments  in  1941  and  was  recently  covered 
with  aluminum  siding.  The  pedimented  window 
frames,  identical  to  those  of  the  Fisher  mansion 
and  Gatekeeper's  House,  probably  still  survive 
"nder  the  aluminum  skin.  A  few  of  the  original 
Porch  brackets  were  re-used  on  a  small  entrance 
porch  added  to  the  north  side.  At  least  one 
mantel  survives  inside;  however,  the  stairs  were 
rernoved  when  the  main  entrance  was  closed.  A 
""'que  and  important  survival  is  the  original 
^'tchen  or  cook's  house.  Once  free-standing,  it 
has  been  attached  to  the  south  end  of  the  house 
and  is  now  used  as  rear  entrance  and  dining 
toom,  Beyond  important  historical  associations, 

his  house  is  the  sole  survivor  on  what  was  once 
a  street  of  several  large,  graceful  dwellings.  Its 
preservation  is  an  important  goal. 


0:3      HOUSE 

405  Hill  Street 
ca.  1925 

This  house  is  illustrative  of  the  Spanish  Mis- 
sion style,  another  west  coast  introduction  of  the 
bungalow  period.  The  one-story  house  is  of 
stuccoed  brick  or  block,  with  a  stepped  central 
gable  over  the  entrance,  embattled  comers  and 
an  entrance  portico  complete  with  round  arches. 
The  coupled  windows  of  the  street  facade  are 
sheltered  by  shed  canopies  covered  in  Spanish 
tile. 

C:4      TOM  WINSLOW  HOUSE 

327  South  Park  Street 

ca.  1910 
The  gable  of  this  three-bay  L-plan  house  is  on 
the  north,  shingled  in  a  decorative  pattern  and 
bearing  a  vent  of  classical  design.  The  original 
site  of  the  structure  was  at  the  northeast  comer  of 
Cranford  and  South  Fayetteville  streets.  It  was 
moved  ca.  1920  to  make  way  for  the  granite 
C.  C.  Cranford  home  (now  destroyed).  It  is  an 
odd  quirk  of  fate  that  this  humble  building  was 
moved  and  preserved  early  in  the  century  while 
its  elegant  replacement  was  destroyed  in  the 
1960s.  The  Winslow  House  burned  in  1981  and 
was  finally  demolished  in  1982. 


51' 


C:5      HOUSE 

326  South  Park  Street 
ca.  1905 

This  dwelling  is  almost  a  mirror-image  of  its 
neighbor  across  the  street.  A  three-bay  cottage 
design  with  a  shingle-decorated  northern  gable. 

C:6      BUNGALOW 

235  South  Park  Street 
ca.  1930 

This  is  a  very  attractive,  classic  bungalow.  Its 
gable  roof  has  a  deep  overhang  supported  on 
corbeled  brackets.  The  shed  porch  is  carried  by 
massive  stuccoed  pylons;  corbeled  round  arches 
spring  from  the  house  front,  while  the  street 
facade  is  carried  on  a  wide  elliptical  arch.  A 
brick  band  accents  the  throat  of  the  pylons,  and 
stucco  is  used  as  decorative  trim  on  the  brick 
porch  railing.  A  low  gabled  dormer  is  placed 
athwart  the  gable  above  the  entrance.  A  near 
twin  of  this  dwelling  stands  around  the  comer  on 
Hill  Street. 

C:7      GAS  STATION 

151  North  Park  Street 
ca.  1935 

Almost  identical  to  the  commercial  building  at 
226  South  Fayetteville  Street,  although  somewhat 
smaller,  this  is  another  fine  example  of  the  Art 
Deco  style  of  architecture.  The  structure  is  stuc- 
coed with  accenting  red  brick  trim.  "Crested" 
pylons  accent  the  bays. 


C:8 


HOUSE 

605  Sunset  Avenue 
ca.  1905 


This  well-preserved,  simple  house  features 
sawn  brackets  on  the  turned  porch  posts,  feath- 
ered shingle  decoration  in  the  gable  ends  and  a 
double-leaf  front  entrance. 

C:9      W.  E.  RIDGE  HOUSE 

609  Sunset  Avenue 
ca.  1930 

This  is  an  attractive  and  sophisticated  gable- 
end  bungalow.  The  secondary  gable  shelters  only 
a  screened-in  porch;  its  most  important  function 
is  to  visually  disguise  the  oversized  main  gable. 
A  wisteria  arbor  supported  by  a  sturdy  brick 
pylon  also  ties  the  main  gable  to  the  porch;  the 
sawn  ends  of  the  arbor  match  the  sawn  rafter 
ends  of  the  house. 


C:10 


BEANE  HOUSE 

621  Sunset  Avenue 
ca.  1905 


This  house  illustrates  the  stylistic  transition 
between  the  Queen  Anne  and  Colonial  Revival 
periods.  The  massing  of  the  house  is  Queen 
Anne,  especially  evident  in  the  polygonal  bay, 
deck-on-hip  roof  and  spindled  brackets.  The 
porch,  carried  on  Tuscan-order  columns,  exhib- 
its Colonial  Revival  detailing. 

C:ll      W.  G.  McCASKILL  HOUSE 

625  Sunset  Avenue 
ca.  1930 

This  is  an  odd-looking  yet  very  appealing 
bungalow.  The  gable  roof  completely  covers  the 
second  floor,  with  inset  windows  serving  instead 
of  a  dormer.  The  extra  height  of  the  roof  might 
have  made  the  house  look  top-heavy  had  the 
"Pper  comers  not  been  clipped  off.  This  is 
described  as  a  "jerkin-head"  roof. 

C:12  JOHN  M.  NEELY  HOUSE 

703  Sunset  Avenue 
ca.  1915 

Evidence  suggests  that  the  street  facade  of  this 
house  at  one  time  featured  a  hip-roofed  wrap- 
around porch  carried  on  turn  posts  with  sawn 
brackets  and  off-set  gable  with  boxed  cornice 
feturns.  Feathered  shingles  in  the  eastern  gable 
*re  surviving  decorative  elements  hinting  at  a 
Victorian  style.  John  M.  Neely  came  to  Asheboro 
from  Alabama  to  assist  John  Stanback  Lewis  in 
'he  initial  operations  of  the  First  National  Bank 
*nd  later  became  president.  This  home  is  now 
owned  by  Neely's  grandson  Ryan  Reynolds 
'^^ely,  Jr.,  and  wife  Anne. 


C:13      J.  S.  LEWIS  HOUSE  #1 

711  Sunset  Avenue 
ca.  1905 

John  Stanback  Lewis,  a  Montgomery  County 
native,  came  to  Asheboro  from  Alabama  in  1905 
and  built  this  house  on  a  prominent  hill  directly 
across  the  street  from  the  old  Fisher  mansion, 
then  known  as  Memorial  Hospital .  In  1 907  Lewis 
was  a  founder  of  the  Cox-Lewis  Hardware  Com- 
pany and  the  First  National  Bank,  of  which  he 
was  also  president.  (See  144-148  Sunset  Ave- 
nue.) He  was  also  involved  with  the  Southern 
Crown  Milling  Company  and  the   Asheboro 
Wheelbarrow  Company.  The  site  of  the  house 
was  originally  the  Fisher  barnyard;  the  stables, 
fish  pond  and  dovecote  are  to  the  rear,  and  the 
estate's  huge  bam  was  just  to  the  west.  The 
"Goat  Mountain,"  a  dry-laid  stone  structure 
now  used  as  a  garden  feature,  was  built  as  an 
inclined  ramp  into  the  second  story  of  the  bam, 
much  like  the  Pennsylvania  Dutch  "bank"  bams. 
The  2-1/2  story  house  has  a  Queen  Anne  style 
form  with  Colonial  Revival  style  trim.  A  poly- 
gonal bay  at  the  northeast  comer  is  covered  by  a 
cantilevered  gable.  Smaller  polygonal  window 
bays  were  placed  on  the  west  facade,  where  an 
arched  stained-glass  window  lights  the  stair 
landing.  A  gabled  dormer  with  balcony  railing 
allows  more  light  into  the  third-floor  attic  space. 
The  original  design  was  strongly  vertical  and 
did  not  include  the  verandas  which  now  give  it  a 
more  horizontal  character.  Interestingly,  the  house 
is  identical  to  a  house  illustrated  in  the  book 
High  Point.  N.  C.  1900-1910,  and  identified  as 
the  residence  of  a  Charles  F  Long.  There  has  to 
be  some  connection  between  the  two,  whether 
involvement  of  the  same  architect,  construction 
contractor,  or  sash-and-blind  factory. 

In  1923  Lewis  sold  the  house  to  Hugh  Parks, 
Jr  son  of  the  long-time  owner  of  the  textile 
mills  in  Franklinville.  Parks  had  sold  the  mills 
in  that  year  to  a  corporation  headed  by  John 
Washington  Clark.  In  Asheboro,  Parks  opened  a 
hardware  store  and  founded  the  Parks  Hosiery 
Mill  now  a  part  of  Acme-McCrary.  Parks  died 
in  1931  and  is  buried  in  the  Asheboro  city  ceme- 
tery. The  house  was  subsequently  re-acquired  by 
the  Lewis  family. 


V*^" 


C:IO 


Cll 


HlElC 


i 

91 
\ 

p 


liiii 


C.75 


c.;6 


C:I4      B.  J.  nSHER  "MANSION 
HOUSE"  SITE 

700  Block  Sunset  Avenue 
ca.  1888;  destroyed  1934 

Visible  reminders  of  the  now-vanished  Fisher 
mansion  are  the  terraced  lawn,  rock  steps  and 
goldfish  pond;  the  tree  now  in  the  center  of 
Memorial  Avenue  was  in  the  front  yard. 

C:15      J.  R.  HILL  HOUSE 

722  Sunset  Avenue 
ca.  1920 

This  pyramidal-roofed  house  exhibits  details 
of  the  Colonial  Revival  such  as  Tliscan  columns 
and  gabled  dormer  The  latticed  porch  creates  an 
interesting  decorative  effect. 


C:16 


HOUSE 

830  Sunset  Avenue 
ca.  1925 


The  chunky  boxy  shape  and  hip-roofed  dor- 
mer of  this  house  relate  it  to  the  "American 
Foursquare"  house  type,  which  grew  out  of 
midwestem  frame  school  architecture.  The  ex- 
posed masonry  is  entirely  built  up  of  smooth- 
edge  cobblestones,  illustrative  of  the  interest  in 
natural  materials  which  characterized  the  early 
twentieth  century. 

C:17      HOUSE 

840  Sunset  Avenue 
ca.  1915 

The  main  gabled  facade  of  this  house  actually 
fronts  on  McCrary  Street,  although  the  address 
is  that  of  a  door  facing  Sunset.  That  door  is  set 
off-center,  behind  the  main  block,  in  a  wing 
covered  by  a  deck-on-hip  roof.  Feathered  shin- 
gles and  colored  glass  windows  decorate  the 
gable  ends,  while  the  porch  is  carried  on  stubby 
Doric  columns  set  on  brick  piers. 


CI  7 


B'^==^'^'==<'^'==^^- ■ tni  ini lui ^ 

228 


StDt^^^QE 


C:18 


HOUSE 

915  Sunset  Avenue 
ca.  1910 


A  hip-roofed  porch  wraps  around  two  sides  of 
this  house,  displaying  turned  posts  and  sawn 
brackets.  The  deck-on-hip  roof  is  pierced  by 
several  gables  holding  windows  which  light  the 
second-floor  living  area.  The  original  weather- 
boarding  has  been  replaced  by  asbestos  siding. 

C:19      CHARLES  LOFLIN  HOUSE 

830  Lewis  Street 

ca.  1900 
This  is  one  of  the  best-preserved,  tum-of-the- 
century  houses  in  Asheboro.  The  hip-roofed 
house  with  projecting  polygonal  bay  is  an  exam- 
ple of  the  "Queen  Anne"  style,  while  the 
knobbed  and  chamfered  brackets  under  the  canti- 
'evered  eaves  of  the  bay  are  examples  of  the 
"Eastlake"  style.  Feathered  shingles  decorate 
'he  gable  and  colored  glass  decorates  the  door 
and  several  windows.  Charles  Loflin  was  the 
father  of  Donna  Lee  Loflin,  long-time  principal 
of  the  nearby  elementary  school  which  bears  her 
name, 

C:20      R.  W.  THOMPSON  HOUSE 

703  Dixon  Avenue 
ca.  1905 

Local  residents  say  that  this  house  once  be- 
longed to  "Old  Sheriff  Brady."  The  wraparound 
porch  on  bungaloid  pylons  replaced  an  earlier 
porch;  aluminum  siding  covers  any  remaining 
<letails.  The  house  must  have  been  very  similar 
'0  the  end-pavilion  type  house  of  nearby  627 
Dixon. 

'^:2l      HOUSE 

636  Dixon  Avenue 
ca.  1900 

This  odd  house  resembles  two  center-gable 
houses  joined  at  one  end  like  Siamese  twins. 
Considered  in  this  manner,  each  house  would  be 
'hree  bays  wide,  with  central  chimney,  and  cou- 
pled 4/4  sash  above  the  entrance.  The  entrance 
Qoors,  however,  are  placed  asymmetrically  off- 
Ijenter  on  the  facade.  Local  tradition  suggests 
'hat  the  structure  may  have  been  part  of  the  Fisher 
estate.  The  cloned  construction  of  the  building 
indicates  that  it  was  built  as  duplex  apartments, 
perhaps  Asheboro's  earliest. 


-  !'• 
I," 
Ji 


Ji' 

''I 


fY' 


|u  ]yLiP^ 


C:23 


Z:ll 


HOUSE 

627  Dixon  Avenue 
ca.  1905 


This  is  a  well  preserved  end-pavilion  type 
house  with  a  hip-roofed  porch,  turned  posts  and 
sawn  brackets.  The  end-pavilion  form  was  popu- 
lar in  Randolph  County;  other  nearby  examples 
are  703  Dixon  and  605  Sunset  Avenue. 


C:23 


HOUSE 

617  Dixon  Avenue 
ca.  1900 


C:24 


This  T-pIan  house  bears  an  unusual  orientation 
to  the  street,  with  the  small  end— a  projecting 
polygonal  bay— housing  the  main  entrance  door. 
Two  additional  doors  frame  the  bay  on  each  side 
of  the  rear  wing,  with  a  wraparound  porch  unit- 
mg  all  three  in  a  pleasant  symmetrical  composi- 
tion. The  porch  posts  have  been  replaced  and  the 
house  covered  with  aluminum  siding,  but  the 
Queen  Anne  brackets  with  pendant  drops  remain 
uncovered. 

C:24      M.  J.  BROWN  HOUSE 

136  Dixon  Street 
ca.  1910 


This  is  a  rambling  house  which,  due  to  its 
comer  site,  has  the  aspect  of  a  center-gable 
house  from  the  south  and  the  look  of  an  end- 
pavilion  house  from  the  east.  The  east  is  the 
primary  facade,  however.  The  house  features 
tum-of-the-century  2/2  sash  and  molded  porch 
posts  with  brackets. 

C:25      PRITCHARD  HOUSE 

127  Dixon  Street 

LOVETT  HOUSE 

135  Dixon  Street 
ca.  1915 

The  two  houses  pictured  here  are  nearly  identi- 
cal twins.  The  one  at  127  Dixon  is  approximately 
in  its  original  form.  The  original  porch  posts  at 
135  Dixon  have  been  replaced  by  bungaloid 
pylons  and  the  house  has  been  covered  with 
asbestos  siding.  Aluminum  canopies  also  dis- 
guise its  origins.  The  deck-on-hip  roof  with 
central  gable  prevents  the  houses  from  appearing 
as  large  as  comparable  two-story  structures,  relat- 
ing them  in  size  to  the  neighboring  small  houses 
on  Dixon. 


230 


Section  D— Millhaven 


Scale 


ini  IR[= 


ElIilE 


DGE 


1000  soo 


1000 


gai EiaE 


3E1I ^JEIE 


="^1 in[= 


EIIHE 


=]E1[= 


2000 


231 


I'll 

r 

if 

> 

F! 

P 

il!! 


D.-2     Methodist  Episcopal  Church  ca.  1890  (Original  photograph  byH.M.  Robins) 


D:2     First  Methodist  Church  ca.  1910. 


D:l       THOMAS  AUTO  SALES  OFFICE 

124  West  Salisbury  Street 
ca.  1950 

This  tiny,  flat-roofed  office  is  Asheboro's  only 
example  of  a  frame  structure  built  in  the  stream- 
lined Art  Modeme  style.  The  facade  comers  are 
rounded  by  flush  vertical  sheathing;  the  rest  of 
the  building  features  German  siding.  Rectangular 
metal  window  sashes  provide  a  horizontal  accent. 

D:2   ASHEBORO  CITY  CEMETERY 

Northeast  comer  of  Salisbury  Street 

and  White  Oak  Street 

1827 

The  earliest  burial  in  this  cemetery  was  that  of 
Benjamin  Augustus  Marsh,  b.  1826,  d.  Decem- 
ber, 1827.  Not  until  October  25,  1834,  did 
Benjamin  Elliott,  a  local  merchant,  deed  two 
acres  of  land  to  the  Methodist  Episcopal  Church 
"to  erect,  or  cause  to  be  built,  a  house  of  public 
worship  ...  and  for  a  public  cemetary."  Thus, 
the  property  saw  its  first  use  as  a  family  cemetery. 
(An  Indian  burial  mound  was  said  to  be  located 
just  to  the  east  of  the  original  tract.)  By  the  end 
of  1834,   the  Methodists   had  built  a  plain, 
rectangular  stmcture  painted  light  grey  It  was 
located  inside  the  present  cemetery,  approximately 
on  the  site  of  the  marker  erected  "to  the  memory 
of  our  colored  friends"  (slaves  were  also  buried 
in  the  cemetery).  Two  front  doors  of  this  structure 
opened  into  a  vestibule  where  stairs  rose  at  either 
end  to  the  slave  galleries  which  ran  the  length  of 
both  sides  of  the  building.  A  "graceful  pulpit  of 
red-cherry  wood"  donated  by  the  wife  of  Jonathan 
Wjrth  was  considered  "the  handsomest  furnishing 
in  the  church."  This  structure  was  demolished  in 
1888;  its  replacement  on  the  same  site  satisfied 
no  one.  In  June,  19(X),  it  was  announced  that 
"architect's  plans  have  been  procured  for  a 
modem,  attractive  building"  proposed  for  the 
site  of  the  modem  used-car  lot  adjoining  the 
Armfield  Mausoleum.  The  result  was  a  romantic 
Gothic  Revival  frame  building  entered  under  the 
graceful  bell  tower  and  steeple.  The  leaded, 
stained-glass  windows  were  a  particular  point  of 
pride,  as  was  another  unusual  item;  a  central 
healing  system.  The  building  was  demolished 
ca.  1925. 


mmA 


Mti^yiMymiiii-iirtMi^iM* 


D:3      CAROLINA  WHOLESALE 

224  North  Park  Street 

ca.  1930 
This  frame  warehouse  has  6/6  sash,  and  is 
covered  with  asbestos  siding.  Its  "boom-town" 
facade  disguises  a  clerestory  monitor  roof.  A 
similar  warehouse  stands  nearby  on  Chestnut 
Street,  and  others  were  once  found  in  the  area, 
at  one  time  Asheboro's  major  warehouse  and 
manufacturing  district. 

D:4      P  &  P  CHAIR  COMPANY 

532  West  Salisbury  Street 
1924 
This  complex  of  buildings  encompasses  Ashe- 
boro's only  surviving  examples  of  large,  frame 
industrial  buildings.   All  of  the  town's  early 
manufacturing  operations  were  once  housed  in 
frame  structures,  but  several  disastrous  fires  (such 
as  ones  in  1923  and  1925  which  leveled  the 
Asheboro  Wheelbarrow   and  Home  Building 
Company  plants)  proved  the  danger  of  such 
buildings.  (The  ca.  1910  Randolph  Chair  Com- 
pany and  Acme  Hosiery  Mill  plants  were  among 
the  town's  first  brick  factories.)  P  &  P  Chair 
Company  was  organized  by  Arthur  Presnell  and 
W.  C.  Page  in  1924,  and  was  one  of  the  few 
furniture  operations  which  continued  throughout 
the  Depression.  The  best-known  product  of  the 
company  is  its  "Kennedy  Rocker,"  a  type  of 
wooden  rocking  chair  made  here  and  given  to 
President  John  F.  Kennedy  by  his  orthopedic 
surgeon. 

0:5      CEMETERY 

227  Peachtree  Street 
This  neglected  cemetery  marks  the  former  site 
of  Allen's  Temple  African  Methodist  Episcopal 
Church.  The  ca.  1900-vintage  sanctuary,  which 
once  stood  here,  was  abandoned  and  destroyed 
ca.  1965,  when  the  congregation  merged  into  St. 
Luke's  United  Methodist  Church. 


D:6      WAREHOUSE 

305  Chestnut  Street 

ca.  1930 

This  small,  frame  warehouse  is  covered  with 

Gennan  siding  and  has  6/6  sash.  It  is  lighted  by 

a  clerestory  monitor  roof,  much  like  those  once 

found  on  several  early  factories  along  Deep  River. 

D:7      BOSSONG  HOSIERY  MILL 

840  West  Salisbury  Street 
1928.  1950 
This  company,  organized  in  New  York  in  1927, 
opened  the  original  portion  of  its  Asheboro  plant 
in  1928.  That  building  is  now  the  central  portion 
of  the  present  building,  including  the  entrance.  It 
was  a  small,  brick  building  with  four  window- 
bays  of  square  industrial  metal  sash.  Large  wings 
were  added  in  1950,  with  similar  large  windows 
and  sawtooth  monitor  roofs.  Soon  after,  the 
exterior  of  the  complex  was  remodeled  into  its 
present  monumental  form.  The  windows  were 
filled,  the  facade  was  stuccoed  and  yellow-metal 
stripes  were  added  to  create  a  unified  linear 
facade.  The  words  "BOSSONG/HOSIERY"  in 
Art  Deco  lettering  on  either  side  of  the  central 
portion  add  to  the  decorative  effect. 


D:3 


p  .5    Alleri  s  Temple  African  Methodist 
Episcopal  Church  ca.  I960. 


0:6 


D:7    Bossong  Hosiery  Mill  ca.  1945. 


D:7 


EJBE 


EIQIH 


3t3E 


EIGE 


233 


fll 


i; 

!' 

31 
> 

pi 

D 


Si 


D:8 


D:9     Randolph  Hospital  ca.  1940. 


D:9 


D:W 

E]l==E)B[^^^3a[^^^=]E][^^^=inr==iim==iini= 

234 


D:8      WILLIAM  S.  SKEEN  HOUSE 

291  North  Fayetteville  Street 
ca.  1900 

Unusual  features  of  this  T-plan  vernacular 
structure  are  the  polygonal  window  bay  and  tiny 
trefoil  window  in  the  gable.  These  eclectic 
Victorian  features,  in  addition  to  the  bracketed 
porch  on  turned  posts,  indicate  that  the  house 
was  built  before  neoclassicism  swept  the  nation. 

D:9      RANDOLPH  HOSPITAL 

373  North  Fayetteville  Street 
1932,  1946,  1951, 1964,  1976 
Eric  G.  Flannagan,  Architect 

The  original  Art  Deco  hospital  structure,  now 
almost  totally  obscured  by  later  accretions,  was 
the  first  work  in  Asheboro  by  the  Henderson 
office  of  Eric  Flannagan.  It  was  also  the  most 
architecturally  important.  The  hospital,  funded 
partly  by  the  Duke  Endowment,  was  begun  in 
1931  and  completed  in  July,  1932.  The  rectangular, 
13-bay  structure  featured  buff-face  brick,  cast 
stone  trim  in  pseudo-floral  geometrical  motifs 
and  decorative  brickwork  in  diapered  and  her- 
ringbone patterns.  Entrance  was  made  on  the 
second  floor  level,  accessible  by  a  unique  T-plan 
exterior  staircase.  The  entrance  bay  was  capped 
by  an  oversize  stone  cornice  including  the  name 
of  the  hospital.  Facilities  were  segregated  at  that 
time;  the  total  of  39  beds  included  a  separate 
ward  for  blacks  on  the  ground  floor  near  the 
emergency  room.  The  adjoining  5-bay  nurses 
quarters  was  also  built  at  this  time.  In  general  it 
remains  almost  unaltered;  the  metal  entrance 
door  frame  in  a  geometrical  design  is  interest- 
ing. Several  additions  through  the  years,  all  by 
Flannagan,  increased  the  capacity  of  the  hospital 
to  142  beds.  The  most  extensive  alteration  was 
made  in  1951,  with  the  demolition  of  the  original 
entrance  facade  and  the  creation  of  a  new  entrance 
wing.  The  McCrary  Memorial  Wing,  named  for 
hospital  corporation  president  and  board  chair- 
man, D.  B.  McCrary,  housed  the  switchboard, 
information  desk  and  adminstrator's  offices  as 
well  as  additional  ward  space.  The  facade  repeats 
most  of  the  decorative  techniques  used  on  the 
first  building  and  also  re-used  the  original  cornice. 


Its  most  distinctive  feature  was  the  black  marble 
entrance  incised  with  Art  Deco  patterns.  Stainless 
steel  lanterns  in  the  shape  of  a  caduceus  light  the 
glass  doors  covered  by  geometrical  stainless- 
steel  grills.  The  interior  is  easy  to  keep  clean;  the 
fireplace  and  columns  of  the  public  lounge  are 
carved  Carrena  marble,  the  floors  were  tiled 
with  contrasting  blocks  of  brown  and  cream 
marble  and  corridors  were  paneled  in  marble. 
The  rooftop  solarium  was  said  to  be  the  first  in 
North  Carolina. 

D:10      ED  HYDER  DATSUN 

503  North  Fayetteville  Street 

The  central  entrance  door  of  this  Art  Modeme 
building  is  set  in  a  frame  of  glass  block  recessed 
by  rounded  comers  in  soldier  courses.  Because 
of  its  odd  site,  the  building  is  not  a  rectangle  but 
a  parallelogram,  and  the  angled  comers  are  turned 
with  "knuckle  joints."  The  stepped  front  con- 
ceals a  bowstring  truss  roof. 


=]G(= 


=1GE 


3QE 


aQtE 


ElIEKE 


ElBE 


EIEIE 


=]□[= 


E]I3f= 


EIGE 


3G[= 


=1QG 


3I3E 


Section  E— Eastover,  Spring  Hill,  Homeland  Heights 


PRITCHARD 


Ol 


Scale 


DHE 


3[D[^^^[3G 


DDE 


3Q[^^^BE 


~int  "IP"" 


1000  500 


1000 


=irni ini  inr inr^==1Fir=^=1E]F==^=lB[==z=lEl[5 


2000 

I 

235 


'!!;i 


!;il 


E:l     First  Methodist  Church  ca.  1930 


■<mm 


5^sS?!sRSSSi??Sff^^^5?5'^ 


E:l      FIRST  METHODIST  CHURCH 

224  North  Fayetteville  Street 
1924;  Harry  Barton,  Architect 

The  original  proposal  of  the  Greensboro  archi- 
tect called  for  a  grandiose  domed  structure  in  a 
cruciform  plan.  This  was  scaled  down  to  the 
present  structure  in  the  Italian  Romanesque  style. 
The  Mediterranean  character  of  the  design  can 
be  seen  in  the  tile  roof,  corbeled  brickwork  and 
polychrome  stone  decoration.  The  cornerstone 
was  laid  in  December,  1924,  and  first  services 
were  held  December  18,  1925.  The  compact 
adjoining  parsonage  and  Italianate  campanile 
were  added  ca.  1934.  The  fellowship  hall  wing 
was  built  in  1960.  Barton  also  designed  the  First 
Baptist  Church  in  Siler  City,  which  is  virtually 
identical  to  this  structure  in  plan  and  detail. 

E:2      GUILFORD  DAIRY 

428  North  Fayetteville  Street 
ca.  1950 

This  streamlined  Art  Modeme-style  building 
was  built  to  house  an  ice  cream  bar,  dairy 
warehouse  and  distribution  center.  The  comers 
of  the  facade  are  rounded  by  bricks  laid  in  header 
bond.  Regular  red  brick  is  used  on  the  north 
wall,  while  buff-colored  glazed  terra  cotta  brick 
or  tile  is  used  on  the  west  and  south.  The  glazed 
brick  is  an  unusual  feature  which  may  have  been 
designed  to  give  the  effect  of  a  clean,  antiseptic 
dairy  environment.  Glass  block  is  found  in  three 
large  windows. 

E:3      PIEDMONT  ELECTRIC  MOTOR 
REPAIR 

468  North  Fayetteville  Street 
The  street-front  display  windows  of  this  stream- 
lined. Art  Modeme  commercial  building  wrap 
around  the  rounded  ends  of  the  building.  Thus 
the  brick  facade  seems  to  be  unsupported,  resting 
on  sheets  of  glass.  This  is  a  characteristic  of  the 
European-derived  International  style  which  influ- 
enced Art  Modeme.  The  stepped  front  conceals 
the  warehouse-type  bowstring  truss  roof. 


E:4      TRIAD  PLUMBING  SUPPLY 

520  North  Fayetteville  Street 
ca.  1948 

The  rounded  comers  of  the  recessed  entrance 
are  an  Art  Modeme  feature  of  this  building.  The 
soldier  courses  of  brick,  set  on  end,  recede 
toward  the  double  entrance  door  capped  by  a 
glass  block  transom.  The  stepped  front  conceals 
a  bowstring  truss  roof. 

E:5      CENTRAL  SCHOOL 

414  Watkins  Street 
1926 

One  of  the  first  schools  for  black  students  in 
Randolph  County  was  established  in  Asheboro  in 
the  1880s,  when  a  Quaker  missionary  group  hired 
a  teacher,  William  Emest  Mead  of  Brooklyn, 
N.  Y,  to  open  "William  Penn  High  School." 
Mead  returned  to  New  York  several  years  later 
and  the  school  moved  to  High  Point.  At  the  turn 
of  the  century  Asheboro  Colored  Graded  School 
was  established  in  the  Bums  Street/North  Main 
Street  area;  it  attracted  boarding  students  from 
across  the  county.  The  marble  cornerstone  in  the 
present  building— dated  191 1— was  probably  re- 
used from  the  earlier  wooden  stmcture. 

The  brick  building  that  now  stands  on  Watkins 
Street  was  constructed  in  1926  with  monies  from 
the  Juilius  Rosenwald  Fund  and  with  the  assis- 
tance of  the  Slater  Fund.  When  Professor  C.  A. 
Barrett  opened  the  new  school  as  principal,  its 
name  was  changed  to  the  Randolph  County 
Training  School.  It  was  renamed  Central  High 
School  during  the  term  of  J.  N.  Gill,  its  last 
principal.  High  school  students  were  transferred 
to  the  newly-integrated  Asheboro  High  School 
ca.  1964.  The  school  was  closed  in  1969  when 
the  remaining  students  were  moved  to  Lindley 
Park  and  Charles  W  McCrary  elementary  schools. 
The  building  at  one  time  housed  various  county 
agencies  including  the  Randolph  Sheltered  Work- 
shop. In  December,  1981,  the  East  Side  Improve- 
ment Association,  a  local  neighborhood  organ- 
ization, purchased  the  property  for  community 


E:5 


Section  F— Old  Muster  Field,  Colonial  Heights,  Greystone  Terrace 


i 

Ji 
31 

> 

;i 

Pi 


F:l       HOUSE 

817  South  Fayetteville  Street 
ca.  1905;  destroyed  1982 

A  one-story  version  of  the  three  bay.  central 
gable  house.  It  is  possible  that  this  house  and 
two  others  nearby  may  have  been  built  by  black 
families.  This  was  a  black  neighborhood  at  the  turn 
of  the  century.  At  the  comer  of  Bulla  and  South 
Fayetteville  streets  was  Bulla's  Grove  Methodist 
Church,  which  subsequently  moved  to  Burns 
Street  and  is  now  St.  Luke's  United  Methodist 
Church. 

F:2      VESTAL  MOTOR  COMPANY 

911  South  Fayetteville  Street 

This  is  the  only  Art  Modeme  design  in  Ashe- 
boro  which  used  precast  aggregate  panels  on  the 
facade  instead  of  brick.  Smooth  panels  turn  the 
rounded  comers,  while  corrugated  panels  frame 
the  tinted-glass  horizontal  strip  windows.  A  ves- 
tigial aluminum  canopy  marks  the  division  be- 
tween the  second-door  storage  area  and  the  street- 
front  showroom,  which  is  completely  walled  in 
plate  glass. 


F:3      HOUSE 

962  South  Cox  Street 
ca.  1910 

A  variation  of  the  three-bay  vernacular  house 
with  the  gable  on  an  end  instead  of  the  center.  The 
bungaloid  porch  piers  are  probably  replacements. 

F:4.5      VERNACULAR  HOUSES 

923  and  935  South  Cox  Street 
ca.  1910 

These  neighboring,  nearly  identical  houses 
are  examples  of  the  familiar  three-bay,  central 
gable,  vernacular  type.  The  turned-post  porch  of 
923  still  survives,  but  window  sashes  have  been 
replaced.  The  porch  and  porte  cochere  of  935  are 
bungaloid  features  which  must  have  been  later 
additions. 


F:4       923  South  Cox  Street.       F:5      935  South  Cox  Street.     

131  3131  3BI  Itai  1131  1131  1131  1131  IBI  It^l  iRi  inr  inr imr inr  inf=  mr-  inr= 

238 


=ini  nnp: 


J 


F:6      O.  E.  RICH  HOUSE 

845  South  Cox  Street 
1899,  1921,  1978 
The  foundations  of  this  house  are  reported  to 
have  been  started  in  1898.  The  general  character 
of  the  house  is  of  the  early  twentieth  century;  for 
the  most  part  it  may  be  the  product  of  the 
extensive  1921  alterations.  The  shed  dormers  are 
unusual.  The  turned  spindles  were  added  to  the 
porch  in  1978;  the  bungaloid  porch  was  built  iri 
1921.  An  interesting  survival  is  the  "goat  house" 
in  the  backyard.  It  may  have  begun  existence  as  a 
well  cover.  The  house  has  recently  been  attrac- 
tively renovated.  Rich  and  his  family  operated 
the  local  brickyard  beginning  just  after  the  Civil 
War.  His  descendants  still  sell  brick  in  Asheboro. 

F:7      HOUSE 

707  South  Cox  Street 

ca.  1920 
A  whimsical  example  of  the  "Picturesque" 
style,  this  is  someone's  "bungaloid"  re-affirma- 
t'on  of  a  man's  home  as  a  man's  castle.  The  brick 
dwelling  was  probably  meant  to  resemble  an 
English  country  cottage,  although  the  conical- 
foofed  entrance  tower  is  a  rather  eclectic  adapta- 
tion from  English  castles.  The  extremely  steep 
roofs  and  free-standing  buttresses  add  to  the 
Itiaint  flavor  of  the  house. 


F:8 


HOUSE 

835  Center  Street 
ca.  1905 


A  vernacular  dwelling  with  a  projecting  gabled 
end  pavilion  and  a  recessed  cross  gable  centered 
on  the  southern  half.  The  porch  is  a  Victorian 
survival  with  turned  posts  and  brackets. 


F:9      BUNTING  HOUSE 

601  South  Main  Street 

ca.  1870 
Much  of  the  architectural  character  of  this 
simple  vernacular  house,  owned  for  the  past  60 
years  by  H.  H.  Bunting,  has  been  obscured  by 
modem  aluminum  siding  and  storm  doors.  The 
simple,  interior  moldings  of  the  mantel  on  the 
only  fireplace  are  in  the  style  of  the  late  Greek 
Revival.  This  simple  home  is  shaded  by  porches 
on  the  north  and  west.  There  are  references 
which  indicate  that  originally  this  was  the  home 
of  Bill  Lytle,  a  barber  and  member  of  one  of 
the  most  respected  black  families  in  Randolph 
County.  The  Lytles  traced  their  ancestry  back  to 
Frank  Lytle,  a  slave  freed  and  given  100  acres  of 
land  by  his  master  in  1794.  Thus  the  Lytles  were 
"Free  Persons  of  Color,"  eligible  to  vote  in  all 
elections  until  the  North  Carolina  constitution  of 
1835  denied  them  this  right.  This  house  stands  as 
a  memorial  to  the  Lytle  family  who,  according  to 
Sidney  S.  Robins,  "belonged  to  the  class  of 
superior  people,  black  or  white." 

F:10      HOYLE  RASKINS  LOG  CABIN 

354  Lindley  Avenue 
1935 
This  example  of  the  Adirondack-style  or  "tele- 
phone pole  cabin"  was  popular  in  the  Bungalow 
period.  Built  by  Haskins,  it  was  later  owned  by 
Miss  Laura  Kennedy. 


F:9 


F:10 


Illl 

i 

91 

$1 

h 

V' 

p 

lit! 


F.12 


F:13 


F:ll      ROSE  RICH  LOG  HOUSE 

426  Worth  Street 
19th  Century,  1936 

This  18'  X  28'  single-pen  log  house  was 
originally  located  on  the  Troy  Redding  farm  near 
Flint  Hill.  It  exhibits  half-dovetail  notching  and 
could  well  have  been  built  before  1860.  The 
house  was  disassembled,  moved  to  Asheboro 
and  rebuilt  in  1936.  The  interior  was  greatly 
altered;  modem  windows,  doors  and  bungalow 
detailing  were  added.  The  house  was  the  project 
and  creation  of  Rose  Thomas  Rich  (1889-1951), 
a  professional  nurse  who  was  bom  in  Indiana 
and  moved  here  in  1927.  Mrs.  Rich  envisioned  a 
romantic  recreation  of  mountain  life  and  land- 
scape on  the  90'  x  160'  lot  in  Greystone  Terrace. 
The  house  was  not  only  the  Richs'  dwelling  but  a 
showcase  for  their  collection  of  early  crafts  and 
antiques. 

F:12      CLYDE  DORSETT  HOUSE 

741  Kildare  Road 

1956;  Clyde  Dorsett,  Architect 

This  house  is  one  of  the  most  important 
examples  of  modem  architecture  in  Asheboro, 
strongly  influenced  by  the  domestic  architecture 
of  Walter  Gropius  and  the  Bauhaus.  Set  on  a 
slope  well  back  and  almost  invisible  from  the 
street,  the  house  is  well  integrated  with  a  site  left 
almost  completely  in  its  natural  state.  The  outside 
space  is  a  very  important  element  in  the  design, 
flowing  into  the  bedrooms,  living  room  and 
kitchen  through  a  two-story  rear  facade  that  is 
almost  wholly  thermopane  glass.  A  deep  roof 
overhang  and  fixed  wooden  sun  shades  above  the 
first  floor  level  screen  out  the  heat  of  the  sun. 
The  one-story  street  facade  most  clearly  exhibits 
a  distinctive  feature  of  the  design.  Upper  and 
lower  clerestories — continuous  strips  of  glass 
both  under  the  eaves  and  at  ankle-level — demate- 
rialize  support  for  the  panels  of  the  wall,  which 
are  seemingly  suspended  in  space  between  foun- 
dation and  flat  roof.  Also  unusual  is  the  inter- 
changeable floor  plan,  where  wall  panels  and 
storage  units  can  be  taken  out,  re-arranged  and 
re-installed  at  will.  The  original  owner  and 
architect  worked  for  the  architectural  firm  of 
J.  Hyatt  Hammond,  whose  own  house  is  next 
door. 


F:13      J.  HYATT  HAMMOND  HOUSE 

801  Kildare  Road 

1958;  J.  Hyatt  Hammond,  Architect 

This  outstanding  contemporary  home  is  closely 
related  to  the  "Usonian"  houses  of  Frank  Lloyd 
Wright.  Sited  on  a  steep  slope,  it  is  actually 
below  street  level.  From  that  viewpoint  the 
stracture  seems  quite  elongated  although  the 
entire  house  is  to  the  left  of  the  central  entry 
court;  the  right  half  is  a  double  carport.  Contain- 
ing only  1500  square  feet  of  floor  space,  the 
house  was  originally  designed  for  a  bachelor. 
The  walls  of  native  slate  and  the  horizontal 
character  emphasized  by  the  flat  roof  enable  the 
house  to  "hug  the  ground"  and  blend  harmon- 
iously with  its  surroundings.  Clerestory  windows 
protected  by  the  wide  roof  overhang  can  remain 
open  at  all  times  to  create  a  system  of  cross 
ventilation.  The  flagstone  floors  also  promote  a 
natural  cooling  process.  Rooms  of  the  house  are 
on  several  levels,  following  the  hillside  contours. 
The  open  entrance  court  is  screened  from  the 
carport  by  woven  wooden  slats.  The  combination 
den  and  solarium  is  a  mid-level  room,  from 
which  steps  lead  to  the  long  sunken  living  room. 
The  architect  was  graduated  from  the  School  of 
Design  of  N.  C.  State  University.  The  house  was 
decorated  by  his  wife,  an  interior  decorator  trained 
at  the  Art  Institute  of  Chicago. 


liiil 


240 


="^i  "^f= 


ElBE 


=1Q(= 


3  Ell ][3[S 


=}DE 


3mt= 


ElIUE 


EIGCE 


=!□(= 


3BE 


ilGE 


=JGE 


=)C3(= 


EJGJE 


3BtS 


Section  G— Randolph  Heights,  OoGalista  Heights 


Scale 


1000  500 


im  ini  IHE 


3[3[^^^3l3I^^^=3t31^^^=lt3[= 


1000 

aril =irn= 


ElBE 


ami 1<^|  ■"' "^^ 


2000 
1 

241 


!ll| 

!?!l 

i:;i 


r 


ii 


G.l 


G:l 


¥mi 


242 


3BE 


3BG 


G:l      ASHEBORO  HIGH  SCHOOL 

1221  South  Park  Street 

1949-50,  1952-53 

Eric  G.  Flannagan,  Architect 

The  school  was  built  in  stages,  as  money 
became  available.  The  entrance  bay  and  adjoin- 
ing classrooms  were  opened  for  the  fall  term, 
1950.  The  flanking  gym  and  auditorium  wings 
were  ready  for  the  fall  term  1953.  The  buff  brick 
and  limestone  trim  are  characteristic  of  the  archi- 
tect Eric  Flannagan;  this  was  his  largest  project 
in  Asheboro.  He  was  involved  in  the  school 
design  because  of  Charles  W.  McCrary ,  the  school 
board  chairman  and  industrialist  for  whom  he 
had  worked  before.  The  impressive  size  and 
scope  of  the  design  was  further  enhanced  by  its 
situation,  separated  from  Park  Street  by  a  consid- 
erable expanse  of  lawn.  This  was  completely 
necessary,  for  the  school  cannot  be  appreciated 
as  a  whole  except  when  seen  from  a  distance. 
Such  decorative  details  as  the  panels  of  brick 
set  diagonally  which  flank  the  entrances  to  the 
gym  and  auditorium  are  used  to  break  the  light 
falling  on  the  facade,  creating  vertical  bands  of 
shadow  which  lessen  the  swat  horizontality  of 
the  block  front.  Smaller  details,  such  as  the 
carved  stone  panels  above  the  entrance,  benefit 
from  close  examination.  These  too  were  de- 
signed by  Flannagan.  They  depict,  allegorical 
fashion,  various  pursuits  of  education:  science, 
sports,  the  "lamp  of  knowledge,"  drama  and 
music.  The  main  floor  of  the  school  is  actually 
the  second;  the  central  steps  enter  on  a  landing 
between  floors  and  continue  inside.  The  gym 
and  auditorium  are  entered  by  way  of  impressive 
flights  of  steps.  The  stadium,  built  in  1957, 
boasts  an  unusual  cantilevered  roof  over  the 
press  box,   designed  by  Latvia-native  Walter 
Preimats.  Heretofore  the  extensive  additions  to 
the  school  have  been  made  to  the  south  and  rear, 
preserving  the  building's  monumental  public  face. 
The  new  basketball  arena,  completed  in  1980, 
blocks  the  original  gymnasium  front  and  upsets 
the  harmony  and  balance  of  the  original  facade. 


G:2      FIRST  PRESBYTERIAN 
CHURCH 

420  West  Walker  Avenue 

1957;  Harold  E.  Wagoner,  Architect 

This  "contemporary  colonial"  design  was  the 
Philadelphia  architect's  second  building  in  Ashe- 
boro; Central  Methodist  Church  was  completed 
in  1955.  The  cornerstone  was  laid  May  12,  1957; 
first  services  were  held  December  8  of  that  year. 
As  with  the  Methodist  Church,  the  completed 
portion  was  only  a  small  part  of  a  grand  design 
to  be  completed  as  the  church  grew.  Here,  only 
the  "Educational  Unit"  was  built.  The  Fellow- 
ship Hall  was  to  serve  as  the  sanctuary  until  the 
"Sanctuary  Unit  and  Tower"  were  built.  The 
design  of  the  completed  elements  actually  stand 
alone  very  well.  The  overhanging  entrance  gable 
and  tall  pillars  are  an  effective  entrance.  The 
spire  over  the  hall  is  twice  the  height  of  its 
counterpart  on  the  Methodist  Church.  It  adds  a 
vertical  accent  which  pulls  the  sections  together. 


]□[= 


imm 


G:3      ASHEBORO  FEMALE  ACADEMY 

West  Walker  Avenue,  across  from  the 
Junior  High  School 
1839 
From  1800  to  1860  the  North  Carolina  General 
Assembly  chartered  287  academies,  most  of 
which  were  short-lived.  At  some  time  during  the 
period,  practically  every  county  had  one  or  more 
academies  offering  "a  more  thorough  and  ad- 
vanced type  of  education"  than  the  primitive 
system  of  statewide  public  schools.  The  school 
later  known  as  the  "Asheboro  Female  Academy" 
appears  to  have  been  chartered  on  January  9, 
1839,  as  "Randolph  Female  Academy."  The 
schoolhouse  was  built  on  a  one-acre  plot  located 
on  the  southwest  comer  of  North  Fayetteville  and 
West  Salisbury  streets,  donated  by  Alfred  H. 
Marsh  and  James  M.  A.  Drake,  trustees  of  the 
school. 

Miss  Eliza  Rae  of  Boston  was  employed  by 
the  trustees  to  instruct  the  young  ladies  for  ses- 
sions of  five  months  in  spelling,  reading,  gram- 
mar, geography,  arithmetic,  philosophy,  rhetoric, 
needlework  and  piano  (in  1840,  wax  flowers  and 
wax  fruit  work  were  added).  The  first  exercises 
were  held  on  Monday,  June  17,  1879.  The  acad- 
emy was  described  as  "a  house  large  enough  to 
accommodate  60  scholars  ...  and  furnished  too 
with  necessary  seats,  tables  and  a  fine  piano." 
In  1855  the  Asheboro  Male  and  Female  Acade- 
mies were  incorporated  under  the  supervision  of 
a  single  board  of  trustees. 

By  1892  the  academy  had  ceased  to  function, 
and  the  property  was  sold.  W  J.  Armfield,  Jr., 
built  a  house  on  the  site  and  used  the  building  as 
servants'  quarters.  In  1969  the  academy  was 
Siven  to  the  Randolph  County  Historical  Society 
^y  the  family  of  Mr.  Armfield,  to  be  used  as  a 
museum.  The  building  was  moved  in  1970  and 
restoration  began;  it  was  moved  to  its  present  site 
'n  1972  and  work  was  completed. 

The  building  is  a  one-story  frame  structure 
five  bays  long  and  two  bays  wide,  covered  with 
Weatherboard.  No  attempt  has  been  made  to 
gather  original  siding  in  one  location;  many 
boards  are  replacements.  The  chief  feature  of  the 
facade  is  the  central  entrance  which  is  set  in  a 
simple  molded  frame.  Above  the  entrance  is  a 
four-light  transom  flanked  by  curious  diminutive 
fluted  pilasters.  The  transom  is  surmounted  by  a 
molded  cornice  which  breaks  over  the  pilasters. 


Many  alterations  have  befallen  the  building  and 
the  original  floor  plan  has  been  all  but  obliterated. 
As  restored,  it  is  a  center-hall  plan,  one  room 
deep.  A  considerable  amount  of  original  horizon- 
tal sheathing  survives.  Along  the  north  and  south 
walls  a  chair  rail  runs  beneath  the  windows 
forming  a  sill.  One  of  the  two  mantels  survived, 
a  crudely-rendered  but  interesting  Greek  Revival 
design. 

A  detailed  architectural  study  was  never  con- 
ducted at  the  time  of  restoration  to  insure  authen- 
ticity. Therefore,  it  may  never  be  possible  to 
know  for  certain  if  the  building  actually  ap- 
peared as  it  has  been  portrayed. 

G:4      COMMERCIAL  BUILDING 

520  Albemarle  Road 

ca.  1940 
This  is  a  visually  appealing  design  which 
transforms  a  square  plan  by  clipping  the  comers 
to  accommodate  four  doors,  one  at  each  angle, 
creating  an  octagon.  The  hipped  roof  is  faceted 
to  accommodate  these  extra  angles,  adding  even 
more  visual  interest.  It  is  thought  that  the  struc- 
ture was  built  as  a  road  house  or  "fish  camp" 
restaurant. 

G:5      HOUSE 

850  Uwharrie  Street 

ca.  1920 
This  is  a  late  example  of  the  pyramidal-roofed 
vernacular  house.  It  possesses  an  unusual  recessed 
porch.  The  only  bungaloid  detail  is  the  hip-roofed 
dormer.  It  was  built  by  a  Mr.  Caviness. 


G:3       Asheboro  Female  Academy  ca.  1839. 


G:4 


G.J 


ii 


^1 


G.-(5      802  Uwharrie  Street. 


G:8 


E   « 

J^ 

^   j,^^^    _^^^£S3. 

^^fc^ 

J 

Hill! 

ifi 

-     --ESi* 

oi! 

.imS 

G:6,7      VERNACULAR  HOUSES 

802  and  732  Uwharrie  Street 
ca.  1920 

These  are  two  very  similar  one-story  three- 
bay  cross-gable  dwellings.  802  was  built  by  a 
Richardson.  The  feathered  shingles  in  the  gable 
are  a  good  decorative  touch. 

732  was  the  home  of  Bob  Paisley,  the  original 
owner  of  all  the  land  west  of  this  part  of  Uwharrie 
Street.  The  house  was  situated  in  the  middle  of 
his  farm. 

G:8      DAVIS-FREEMAN  HOUSE 

722  Uwharrie  Street 
1917 

This  two-story  dwelling  is  the  best  preserved 
cross-gable  house  on  the  street.  The  porch  still 
retains  its  original  turned  posts.  The  bam,  flower 
house  and  other  outbuildings  survive.  The  house 
was  built  by  a  Mr  Davis;  both  he  and  his  wife 
died  in  the  1918  influenza  epidemic.  Since  that 
time  the  property  has  belonged  to  Reid  Freeman. 

G:9      CRUTCHFIELD  HOUSE 

725  South  Park  Street 
ca.  1923 

This  house  is  the  city's  best  example  of  an 
"Adirondack-style"  log  cabin.  This  was  a  revival 
style  in  which  logs  were  used  more  as  decorative 
than  structural  features.  Elements  of  the  Bunga- 
low period  are  seen  in  the  house,  which  sets  its 
gable  end  toward  the  street,  and  uses  brown  river 
stones  for  decorative  and  textural  effects  on  all 
exposed  masonry  areas.  The  house  was  built  by 
a  Shafter  Ferree,  and  was  bought  by  Mrs.  Virtle 
Crutchfield  in  1939. 


G:10      nSHER  ESTATE  GATE- 
KEEPER'S HOUSE 

320  Lanier  Street 
ca.  1888 

The  one-story,  hip-roofed  house  was  moved  to 
this  site  from  the  Northwest  comer  of  Sunset 
Avenue  and  Park  Street  in  1962  to  escape  oblitera- 
tion by  a  shopping  center  It  must  have  been 
moved  once  before,  however,  for  one  source 
describes  the  original  structure  as  set  up  off  the 
ground  on  piers  and  approached  by  many  steps. 
This  would  relate  well  to  the  porch,  deeply 
shading  three  sides  of  the  house  and  imparting  a 
very  "coastal"  feeling  to  the  stmcture.  The 
exterior  is  unaltered  and  well-kept;  the  interior 
has  been  modernized  for  use  as  a  meeting  place 
for  local  women's  clubs.  The  pedimented  win- 
dow frames  which  were  used  on  the  Fisher 
mansion  house  and  the  Wainman  House  are  visi- 
ble here.  Little  is  known  about  the  actual  use  of 
this  house  in  guarding  the  approach  to  the  Fisher 
estate.  It  was  probably  more  theatrical  than 
functional. 


G.IO  Fisher  Estate  Gatekeeper's  House  ca.l960.        G.IO 


244 


imm 


G:ll   NANCE  CHEVROLET  COMPANY 

624  South  Fayetteville  Street 
The  street-level  facade  of  this  automobile  show- 
room is  virtually  all  glass,  which  even  wraps 
around  the  rounded  comers  of  the  building.  A 
thin  aluminum  canopy  marks  the  division  be- 
tween the  first-story  glass  and  the  second-story 
brick  on  the  facade.  The  rounded  comers  of  the 
canopy  echo  the  rounded  comers  of  the  building. 
The  stepped-brick,  upper  facade  is  supported  on 
unobtmsive  metal  posts.  The  rounded  comers  of 
the  one-story,  secondary  office  wings  are  decor- 
ated with  msticated  brick  "quoins";  on  the  pri- 
mary facade  these  become  bands  mnning  the 
width  of  the  building  which  frame  the  horizontal 
strip  windows.  These  light  a  mezzanine  storage 
'oft.  The  warehouse/service  area  is  roofed  by 
bowstring  tmsses. 

G:12      HOUSE 

822  South  Fayetteville  Street 

ca.  1905 
A  well-preserved  example  of  the  three-bay, 
central  gable,  vemacular  house  type  which  was 
very  popular  in  early  twentieth-century  Asheboro. 
The  porch  posts  here  are  identical  to  those  at  836 
South  Fayetteville,  although  these  are  bracketed. 


G:13      LOWDERMU.K  HOUSE 

836  South  Fayetteville  Street 
ca.  1905;  destroyed  1980 

Three-bay  vemacular  house  with  turned  post 
supporting  the  porch.  Note  the  odd  off-center 
placement  of  the  entrance.  It  is  now  the  site  of  a 
cable  television  studio. 

G:14      JOHN  McDOWELL  HOUSE 

1010  South  Fayetteville  Street 
ca.  1910 

This  rambling  house  of  many  additions  has 
one  small  porch  displaying  Victorian  posts  and 
brackets,  but  all  other  porches  use  Doric  columns, 
and  classical  details  predominate.  The  only  ac- 
cess to  the  house  today  is  from  Hammer  Avenue. 

G:15      CARRIE  KIVETT  HOUSE 

1326  South  Fayetteville  Street 
ca.  1930;  destroyed  1981 

An  interesting  bungalow  garage  apartment. 
The  bracketed  balcony  is  unusual. 


G:ll 


G:14 


G.I5 


Section  H — Sunset  Heights,  Dogwood  Acres,  Dave's  Mountain 


Illl 


t 

Jl 

i 
8 


North 


Scole 


Q[S 


246 


=1G(= 


3BE 


=1G[= 


=]QE 


3II1E 


E)B(= 


=IE)(= 


3E1E 


=]Q[= 


=]Q[= 


1000  BOO 

3BI )GE 


1000 


EIGE 


=)QCE 


2000 


H:l      WILLIAMS-BRYANT  LOG  HOUSE 

1430  Sunset  Avenue 

1849,  1969 
This  log  dwelling  was  built  by  Solomon  Wil- 
liams on  Panther  Creek,  near  Seagrove.  A  stone 
in  the  chimney  is  inscribed  with  his  name,  the 
date  (December  7,  1 849)  and  the  name  '  'Richard 
Suggs"  (supposedly  a  slave  responsible  for  the 
stone  masonry  work).  The  building  is  of  substan- 
tial squared-log  construction  with  half-dovetail 
jointing.  The  dwellings  of  eighteenth-century 
Asheborough  may  have  been  similar  to  this 
structure.  The  house  was  disassembled,  moved 
to  Asheboro  and  restored  by  Walter  and  Vivian 
Bryant. 

H:2      JORDAN  HOUSE 

1214  Sunset  Drive 
ca.  1935 
The  form  of  this  house  resembles  that  of 
Spanish  Mission  style  houses  such  as  405  Hill 
Street.  The  stepped  center  gable,  the  embattled 
comers  of  the  house  and  portico,  as  well  the 
shed  roofs  sheltering  the  window  bays  are  all 
characteristic  of  this  style.  Its  construction  of 
textured  concrete  blocks  is  unusual,  though  found 
in  several  other  homes  around  Asheboro.  This 
construction  technique  recalls  the  "textile  block" 
houses  of  Los  Angeles  designed  by  Frank  Lloyd 
Wright  in  the  1920s. 

H:3      EPISCOPAL  CHURCH  OF  THE 
GOOD  SHEPHERD 

505  Mountain  Road 

1937,  1951,  1972 

John  J.  Croft,  Jr.,  Architect 

The  chapel  of  this  church  was  built  soon  after 
'he  formation  of  the  congregation  and  used  as 
'he  sanctuary  for  more  than  thirty  years.  It  is  an 
attractive  structure  on  an  intimate  scale,  and  its 
construction  of  native  slate  blends  perfectly  with 
'he  lovely  wooded  setting.  The  new  sanctuary 
dwarfs  the  chapel  in  size  but  not  in  spirit. 


H:4      HENRY  E  CORWITH  HOUSE 

1322  Oakmont  Drive 
ca.  1915 

Corwith  was  the  developer  of  the  entire  "Dog- 
wood Acres"  subdivision.  He  moved  to  the  area 
and  bought  this  land  in  1915;  his  home  was  the 
first  on  Dave's  Mountain.  It  is  unusual  to  find  a 
Bungalow  period  house  built  entirely  of  flint 
rock,  as  this  one  is.  The  small  porch  is  a  refer- 
ence to  the  Federal  style  and  the  Colonial  Revival. 
The  attic  was  originally  lighted  by  an  eyebrow 
dormer  near  the  chimney.  It  was  removed  when 
the  roof  was  replaced. 

H:5      BUNGALOW 

520  Oakmont  Drive 
ca.  1935 

The  "catslide"  roof  of  the  central  gable,  the 
diamond-paned  windows,  the  "nubby"  brick 
and  inset  flagstone  decoration  are  all  elements  of 
the  "Picturesque"  style  used  for  many  bungalows. 


247 


Illl 


if 


H:6 


H:7 


H:6      LOG  HOUSE 

933  Oakmont  Drive 
ca.  1935 

The  squared  logs  with  half-dovetail  joints  are 
unusual;  the  original  logs  may  have  been  reused 
from  an  older  house.  The  rounded  log  porch 
posts  and  railings  are  in  the  Adirondack  style. 
This  is  now  the  home  of  Dr.  and  Mrs.  John 
Davis. 

H:7      JAMES  O.  TROGDON  HOUSE 

1049  Neely  Drive 

1968;  Arthur  Cogswell,  Architect 

The  flat  roof  with  sheltering  overhang,  the 
clerestory  windows  and  the  upper  stories  reach- 
ing the  ground  on  tall  piers  are  all  elements  of 
modem  domestic  architecture  introduced  by 
Frank  Lloyd  Wright.  This  is  the  only  contempo- 
rary house  in  the  Dave's  Mountain  area  and  is  a 
very  well-executed,  attractive  design  by  a  Chapel 
Hill  architect.  Trogdon  was  the  son  of  local 
contractor  S.  E.  Trogdon. 


H:8      S.  B.  STEDMAN  HOUSE 

745  Lexington  Road 

1939;  Joseph  Sawyer,  Architect 

This  particular  style  of  Colonial  Revival  dwell- 
ing was  described  as  "Mount  Vernon  Regional" 
by  its  Greensboro  architect.  George  Washington's 
home  is  of  course  recalled  by  the  monumental 
portico;  here,  however,  the  "regional"  detailing 
seems  to  be  more  Williamsburg  Georgian  than 
Mount  Vernon  Adamesque.  The  Chinese  Chip- 
pendale balcony  railing  is  a  Georgian  feature, 
while  the  entrance  set  in  a  frame  with  elliptical 
fanlight  and  sidelights  is  definitely  in  the  Federal 
style.  The  house  includes  many  features  adapted 
to  a  comfortable  1930s  home,  such  as  screened 
porch,  glassed  sunroom  and  canvas  window 
awnings.  The  tirst  floor  rooms  conveniently  open 
onto  the  stately  veranda  through  jalousied  French 
doors,  emphasizing  the  fact  that  the  imposing 
hillside  site  is  one  of  the  most  impressive  aspects 
of  the  design.  The  restoration  of  Colonial  Wil- 
liamsburg by  John  D.  Rockefeller  had  only  just 
begun  to  have  the  grip  on  popular  tastes  which  it 
has  now  assumed,  but  this  house  illustrates  the 
start  of  the  trend.  It  won  a  state  AIA  award  after 
its  completion  in  the  spring  of  1939.  Sulon  B. 
Stedman,  son  of  local  merchant  W.  D.  Stedman, 
founded  the  Stedman  Corporation,  a  textile  man- 
ufacturing firm  based  in  Asheboro. 


H:8 


248 


=lHt= 


EIQCE 


3BIE 


=)Ii]I= 


ElDIr 


=]Q[= 


=1[H](= 


E1I3E 


■iU\= 


=]I3C= 


EIGIE 


=1DE 


=]I3(= 


=]I3(= 


3E1IE 


=]G(= 


Section  I  —Industrial  Park,  Dixieland  Acres 


__»1 1 fflU_— BJ 

TtliPHONC       AVE 


I    ";      " '  tn»ii-ANTic  .  \\ 


_Ri0  0t_  [rz^^T^-?- 


l«icPO»eLL "OAO 


i.ll 


Scale 


aEK^^^Qt^^^St^^^H' 


249 


Ill 


1tl 

51' 

> 
t;'i 

fii 
Pi 


iilill 


1:1      LUCAS  INDUSTRIES/GENERAL 
ELECTRIC 

1758  South  Fayetteville  Street 
1945  and  subsequent  additions 

In  1941  W  Clyde  Lucas  combined  three  of 
Asheboro's  early  woodworking  companies — 
Piedmont  Chair  Co.,  National  Chair  Co.  and 
the  Cranford  Furniture  Co. — into  one  new  cor- 
poration, Lucas  Industries,  Inc.  Near  the  end  of 
World  War  II  Lucas  began  to  plan  for  a  large  new 
factory  building  designed  to  consolidate  the  opera- 
tions of  the  three  former  plants  under  one  roof. 
The  new  building  was  to  be  built  on  the  former 
Randolph  County  Fairgrounds;  the  Fair  had  closed 
during  the  Depression,  and  Lucas  had  bought  up 
the  stock  of  the  corporation  in  order  to  acquire 
the  site.  Construction  began  in  the  fall  of  1945 
and  the  building  was  ready  for  occupancy  in 
May,  1946.  Mr.  Lucas  himself  designed  the  floor 
plan  of  the  plant  based  on  contemporary  furni- 
ture operations.  The  exterior  of  the  building  was 
almost  entirely  left  up  to  the  tastes  of  the 
contractor,  S.  E.  Trogdon.  Trodgon's  firm  subse- 
quently became  the  county's  largest  building 
contractor;  this  plant  was  one  of  his  first  big 
jobs.  Adequate  supplies  of  brick  for  the  structure 
were  impossible  to  come  by  in  the  post-war 
building  boom,  so  the  old  Elmer  Rich  brickyard 
southwest  of  Asheboro  was  leased  to  make  the 
brick  on  special  order.  The  1 10-foot-high  chim- 
ney serving  the  steam  boiler  was  one  of  the  most 
difficult  tasks — it  alone  cost  more  than  $10,000. 
The  1000-foot  facade  of  the  original  145,000- 
square-foot  plant  was  its  most  striking  visual  fea- 
ture. The  exterior  of  the  building  was  designed 
in  the  streamlined  version  of  the  Art  Modeme 
style  which  became  popular  following  the  1936- 
1939  construction  of  Frank  Lloyd  Wright's  S.  C. 
Johnson  Administration  Building  in  Rachine, 
Wisconsin.  The  rounded,  streamlined  comers, 
horizontal  brick  banding  and  glass  block  of  that 
influential  building  are  hallmarks  of  a  number 
of  late- 1 940s  commercial  structures  in  Ashe- 
boro, beginning  with  the  Lucas  Industries  Plant. 
The  building's  twin  entrances  are  highlighted  by 
rusticated  brick  pilasters  topped  with  stone  caps 
decorated  in  the  earlier  "zig-zag"  Art  Deco 
style.  Stubby  canopies  protecting  the  entrance 
doors  and  glass  block  windows  (now  filled  in 
with  brick)  are  familiar  elements  of  the  build- 
ing vocabulary  of  this  group  of  local  buildings. 
In  1952  the  bedroom  furniture  plant  was  ac- 
quired by  General  Electric  and  converted  to  the 
manufacture  of  electric  blankets.  In  the  late 


1970s  the  complex  was  extensively  expanded 
and  altered,  with  a  modernistic  pavilion  added 
to  the  northern  entrance,  the  glass  block  win- 
dows filled  in  and  the  red  brick  facade  painted 
battleship  gray. 

1:2      SOUTHERN  MOTORS  AND 
EQUIPMENT  CO. 

1759  South  Fayetteville  Street 
1947 

Until  recently  this  was  a  good  example  of  the 
relatively  late  use  of  the  Art  Deco  style  on  a 
commercial  structure.  Unlike  Asheboro's  more 
common  examples  of  rounded,  streamlined  com- 
mercial buildings,  this  structure  uses  the  angular, 
geometricized  version  of  the  style.  A  geometri- 
cally-patterned metal  ceiling  is  the  major  interior 
feature,  while  a  tall  central  pylon  calls  attention 
to  the  off-center  entrance.  A  glass  block  window 
divides  the  pylon  at  eye  level  while  a  metal  fin 
rises  above  the  aluminum  cornice.  In  1978  the 
building  was  refurbished  to  hide  all  these  ele- 
ments under  plywood  and  cedar  shingles. 

1:3      INTERNATIONAL  HARVESTER 
BUILDING 

1635  South  Fayetteville  Street 
1946 
This  equipment  showroom/warehouse  was 
built  soon  after  the  nearby  Lucas  Industries 
plant  and  in  the  same  streamlined  Art  Modeme 
style.  The  building  is  in  fact  Asheboro's  best 
example  of  this  style,  and  illustrates  a  veritable 
catalog  of  its  design  elements.  The  exterior  cor- 
ners of  the  facade  are  rounded  by  bricks  laid  in 
header  bond;  these  comers  are  further  empha- 
sized by  horizontal  msticated  bands.  The  single 
entrance  door  is  housed  in  an  extended  bay 
flanked  by  rusticated  pilasters.  The  interior  cor- 
ners of  the  recessed  entrance  are  rounded  by 
bricks  laid  in  solder  courses;  the  door  is  set  in 
a  glass  block  frame  with  transom;  a  stubby 
canopy  shelters  the  entrance.  The  space  above 
the  entrance  is  enhanced  by  a  panel  of  decorative 
brickwork.  A  number  of  similar  structures  around 
Asheboro  use  one  or  more  of  these  features,  but 
this  is  the  only  building  where  all  are  found  on 
the  same  facade. 


H! 


nni imi inr= 


1:4      GAS  STATION 

1512  South  Fayetteville  Street 
ca.  1930 
Asheboro's  most  significant  early  gas  station 
appears  here.  This  is  an  infrequently-found  re- 
working of  the  familiar  Art  Deco  gas  station 
design  complete  with  rain  shelter.  The  Spanish 
Mission  style  is  evidenced  by  the  tile  roof  and 
earthtoned  stucco;  the  red  brick  base  is  an  accent 
to  balance  the  mass  of  red  tile. 

1:5,6,7      VERNACULAR  HOUSES 

1619,  1626  and  1701  Cox  Road 

ca.  1910 
These  three  houses  are  located  in  a  group. 
1619  is  a  one-story  three-bay  cross-gabled  house 
of  standard  type.  1626  is  an  L-plan  vernacular 
cottage  with  flanking  end  gables.  1701  is  a  small 
central-gable  home  with  a  pair  of  front  doors — an 
unusual  four-bay  arrangement. 

1:8      HOUSE 

538  Cox  Avenue 

ca.  1915;  burned  1982 

A  two-story  three-bay  central  gable  farmhouse. 
This  was  early  twentieth-century  Asheboro's  fa- 
vorite design.  These  homes  were  built  all  over 
the  South  as  standard  mill  housing. 


J^ 


1:4 


f 


"W, 


'^^# 


'^'JS^W' 


1:5    1619  Cox  Road. 


1:6     1626  Cox  Road. 


1:7   1701  Cox  Road. 


m  rn==inr^^=lEl[=:3[-ll"  ISL '-iH\=         II  II  IGI    '  II3r==113[^=B3 

251 


Section  J — Spero,  Balfour,  King  'Hit 


III 

a 


51 


nil 


Scale 


252 


3Bt= 


3BS 


sae 


3QE 


illilE 


3Bt= 


EIQE 


3DE 


2500 


3GE 


3tDe 


3G(= 


=]B(= 


3G(= 


EIGE 


2900 


E1Q(= 


EIGE 


EIDE 


ilCDE 


3Q3 


BOOO 

31: 


J:l      RANDOLPH  DAIRY 

920  North  Fayetteville  Street 

ca.  1950 
This  is  another  streamlined.  Art  Moderne 
style  ice  cream  bar  and  dairy  warehouse.  Cor- 
ners rounded  by  bricks  laid  in  header  bond  frame 
the  central  entrance.  The  building  is  smaller  and 
simpler  than  the  Guilford  Dairy  structure. 

J:2      PIEDMONT  ELECTRIC  MACHINE 
AND  WELDING  CO. 

1 100  North  Fayetteville  Street 
ca.  1948 
Yellow  brick  are  used  on  the  stepped,  square- 
cornered  facade  of  this  Art  Moderne  structure. 
The  comers  of  the  recessed  entrance  are  rounded 
by  bricks  laid  in  soldier  courses.  Panels  of  deco- 
rative brickwork  accent  the  facade;  the  comer 
bricks  of  the  decorative  "frame"  are  mitred. 

J:3      HOUSE 

Spero  Road  just  west  of  railroad  tracks 

ca.  1890 
There  were  many  such  one-story  center-hall- 
Plan  farmhouses  in  Randolph  County  at  the  end 
of  the  nineteenth  century.  This  dwelling  was 
once  in  rural  Back  Creek  Township  but  has  now 
been  drawn  within  the  limits  of  Asheboro.  The 
facade  is  capped  by  a  central  gable  decorated 
*ith  feathered  shingling;  the  cornice  returns  of 
the  end  gables  have  been  extended  to  form 
pediments.  The  hip  porch  is  carried  on  tumed 
posts  with  sawn  brackets.  The  house  is  now 
covered  with  board-and-batten  siding. 


J:4      PRITCHARD  HOUSE 

2455  North  Fayetteville  Street 
ca.  1875 
Once  this  little  house  stood  in  rural  Randolph 
County  several  miles  north  of  Asheboro;  now  the 
town  has  grown  out  to  surround  it.  The  story-and- 
a-half  hall-and-parlor  plan  dwelling  with  single 
exterior  end  chimney  is  typical  of  many  small 
dwellings  built  in  the  county  both  before  and 
after  the  Civil  War.  The  firebox  of  the  chimney  is 
built  of  randomly-coursed  roughly-quarried  stone, 
with  a  brick  flue.  Six-over-six  sash  are  used  on 
the  first  floor  level,  while  smaller  4/4  sash  light 
the  gable  ends  of  the  attic  story.  The  rafter  ends 
of  the  roof  have  been  left  exposed,  as  have  those 
of  the  shed  porch.  The  porch  is  carried  on  cham- 
fered posts  with  simple  brackets.  Other  details  of 
the  exterior  are  hidden  under  asphalt  siding.  The 
post-and-lintel  mantel  uses  symmetrically-molded 
millwork  trim,  and  its  shelf  is  supported  on  sawn 
brackets.  A  boxed  stair  provides  access  to  the 
loft.  Several  original  outbuildings  remain  on  the 
site  including  a  hand-hewn  log  bam  and  a  wooden 
blacksmith  shop.  Stones  which  were  once  part  of 
a  detached  kitchen  can  also  still  be  seen. 

Mr.  Benoni  Pritchard  acquired  this  property  in 
the  1850s.  In  1884  Mr.  Pritchard  sold  the  prop- 
erty to  Thomas  F  Sechrist  who  in  1939  deeded  it 
to  Roland  A.  Briles.  Mr.  Briles  converted  the 
dwelling  into  a  cabin.  The  property  is  now 
owned  by  Mr.  Briles'  daughter,  Wilda  Mae  Briles 
Reams,  and  husband  Fred  M.  Reams,  Jr. 


Section  K— Central  Falls 


im 


K:l      CENTRAL  FALLS  SCHOOL 

Old  Liberty  Road 
ca.  1925 

The  first  school  on  this  site  was  built  about 
1905,  in  the  period  of  expansion  of  North 
Carolina's  public  education  system  under  Gover- 
nor Aycock.  This  structure  was  erected  about 
twenty  years  later,  and  was  used  as  part  of  the 
Randolph  County  school  system  until  1958.  For 
a  time  it  was  used  as  a  meeting  place  and 
community  center  by  the  Central  Falls  Lions 
Club,  but  it  subsequently  fell  into  disuse  and  is 
now  deteriorating.  The  building  has  good  poten- 
tial for  rehabilitation  and  reuse. 


K:2 


HOUSE 

Old  Liberty  Road 
ca.  1905 


This  house  is  very  similar  to  the  Moffitt  House 
at  229  East  Academy  Street.  The  polygonal  bay 
with  pendant  brackets  and  pyramidal  roof  are 
elements  of  the  Queen  Anne  style.  The  tapered 
porch  posts  are  probably  the  result  of  a  ca.  1930 
remodeling. 

K:3      SUPERINTENDENT'S  HOUSE 

Old  Liberty  Road 
1881 

Almost  certainly  one  of  the  original  mill 
structures,  this  house  was  probably  the  home  of 
'he  factory  superintendent  directly  in  charge  of 
'he  150  workers.  Houses  virtually  identical  to 
'his  one  can  be  seen  in  Cedar  Falls,  Franklinville, 
Ramseur  and  Coleridge,  pointing  to  the  great 
popularity  of  the  "porch  and  pedimented  bal- 
cony" type  in  the  county.  The  quartz  trim  is  a 
1930s  addition. 


K:4      ROLLINS  ROCK  STORE 

2227  Old  Liberty  Road 
1934 

Central  Falls  possesses  quite  a  few  structures 
built  out  of  native  milky  quartz  or  "white  flint 
rock."  J.  W  Rollins  had  this  monumental  build- 
ing built  as  a  grocery  store  by  a  Mr.  Cheek,  a 
Franklinville  mason.  The  rough-textured  wall 
surface  is  strikingly  similar  to  the  flint  construc- 
tion of  South  and  East  England.  There,  flint  is 
black  and  the  end  of  each  stone  is  chipped  off  to 
expose  a  white  broken  surface  or  "rind."  Flint- 
laying  is  a  precarious  business  necessitating  the 
plentiful  use  of  mortar  and  patience. 

K:5      GANT  STREET 

View  from  Old  Liberty  Road 

Twenty-five  dwelling  houses  were  built  to  house 
the  mill  workers  in  1881,  but  the  majority  of  the 
present  housing  stock  in  Central  Falls  seems  to 
date  from  the  period  of  mill  expansion  in  the  first 
quarter  of  the  twentieth  century.  Those  earliest 
structures  which  remain  are  probably  located  on 
Pennsylvania  Avenue  and  Gant  Street,  in  the 
vicinity  of  the  mill  buildings.  Today,  a  century  of 
renovations  and  repairs  conceals  the  simple  one- 
and  two-story  single-family  dwellings. 


255 


Ill 


31 

r 

Jl 

1(1 


r 


K:6      CENTRAL  FALLS  UNITED 
METHODIST  CHURCH 

Pennsylvania  Avenue 
1881  and  later  renovations 

This  building  was  evidently  built  by  the  origi- 
nal investors  as  a  community  building,  used  for 
gatherings,  public  speakings  and  shows.  About 
1883  a  Methodist  Episcopal  congregation  was 
organized,  and  the  community  building  was 
bought  for  use  as  a  church.  In  1934  a  fire 
damaged  the  frame  structure;  between  1935  and 
1940  brick  veneer  was  added  and  the  structure 
assumed  its  present  psuedo-colonial  form. 


K:7 


HOUSE 

Old  Liberty  Road 
ca.  1881 


This  house  probably  dates  from  the  creation  of 
the  original  mill  village.  The  metal  roof  with 
ridge  ornaments  and  the  feather-edged  shingle 
gable  treatment  are  typical  details. 

K:8      CENTRAL  FALLS 

MANUFACTURING  COMPANY 

Dumont  Street  and  Old  Liberty  Road 
1881  and  later  additions 

The  eighth  of  the  nine  original  Deep  River 
cotton  mills,  this  factory  was  organized  in  1881 
by  a  group  of  Asheboro  businessmen  and  Randle- 
man  textile  entrepreneurs.  The  original  mill 
building,  of  brick  on  a  fieldstone  foundation,  is  a 
low  gabled  structure  now  almost  hidden  by  subse- 
quent additions.  The  facade  was  graced  with  a 
false  front  surmounted  by  a  stepped  parapet.  The 
arched  window  openings,  now  bricked-up,  have 
Tudor  brick  surrounds.  The  detached  "picker" 
house  is  similar  and  was  built  at  the  same  time. 
In  1889  J.  A.  Blair  (a  Central  Falls  investor  and 
biased  .source)  wrote,  "This  is  confessedly  the 
neatest  village  on  the  river,  and  the  factory 
building  is  unrivaled  in  beauty  and  elegance." 


The  original  investors  were  bought  out  about 
1885  by  Dr  J.  M.  Worth,  who  had  organized  the 
Worth  Manufacturing  Company  in  nearby  Worth- 
ville  in  1881.  As  a  result  of  the  merger.  Central 
Falls  became  known  as  the  "Worth  Manufactur- 
ing Company  Mill  #2,'  with  $100,000  of  capital 
stock  and  150  hands  in  1894.  It  is  still  remem- 
bered that  Dr.  Worth  set  up  a  steamboat  service 
on  Deep  River  between  Central  Falls  and  Worth- 
ville.  Its  primary  purpose  was  to  ferry  raw  materi- 
als and  finished  goods  between  the  two  plants, 
but  it  also  seems  to  have  served  as  a  great  source 
of  entertainment  and  adventure  to  the  local 
citizenry.  In  1894  the  mill  produced  300,000 
pounds  of  warps  (thread  made  from  raw  cotton), 
and  1,800,000  yards  of  plaids  (a  popular  type  of 
woven  cloth). 

The  complex  until  recently  was  occupied  by 
Burlington  Industries  Industrial  Fabrics  Division, 
it  is  now  being  remodeled  by  Prestige  Fabrica- 
tors of  Worthville. 

K:9      COVERED  BRIDGE 

Deep  River  at  Old  Liberty  Road 
destroyed 

This  photograph  records  the  Central  Falls  cov- 
ered bridge  just  before  its  destruction  and  replace- 
ment by  the  present  bridge  in  1926. 


K:9 


Drawings  of  three  pre-Chil  War  Randolph  County  residences 
JZludedin  the  1896  biography  of  the  Rev  Braxton  Craven  by 

?™rc:  'rS.:S4,  erectedL  ,820,  .asdescribed 
''"T  ,  ^"hi„  hnvim  one  room  on  the  ground  floor  and  a  sort  of 
aloft  ^^itt^Z^^indo.  in  the  gable  end  to  admit  light  r 
C^'s  growing  family  later  caused  him  to  build  a  new  "substannal 
Cox  s  growing  J     J  haying  five  rooms  on  the  ground  floor 

t-o-story  frame  buMtn,^^^^^^ 

"f'^'^tZbMothcReviv'alcottageforhisfamilyatTrinity. 
tlS^^S^rlstdences.  no,,  of  whic^f  survive,  were 
made  for  the  book  by  an  unknown  arttst  ca.  1895. 


CaCS  LOG  CABIN 


CaC'S  LATER  RESIDENCE 


RESIDENCE  OF  DR.  CRAVEN  AT  TRINITY  COLLEGE 


257 


GLOSSARY. 


a 
If 


■ 

1^ 


1^ 
1 

fii 
I?' 

it! 


Author's  Note 

This  glossary  has  been  compiled  from  lists  of  architec- 
tural terms  which  have  appeared  in  several  historic  architec- 
tural surveys  published  in  North  Carolina,  including  works  by 
Michael  Southern,  Ruth  Little-Stokes,  David  R.  Black,  H. 
McKeldon  Smith,  Doug  Swaim,  Peter  Kaplan,  Gwynn  Taylor 
and  Dm  Haley.  James  Coman  of  the  Buncombe  County 
Planning  Department  drew  the  illustrations,  with  the  excep- 
tion of  the  log  comer  timbering,  which  was  drawn  by  John 
Kinney. 

Other  sources  found  to  be  exceedingly  helpful  were: 
John  Blumenson's  Identifying  American  Architecture:  A  Picto- 
rial Guide  to  Styles  and  Terms,  1600-1945;  Leland  M.  Roth's 
A  Concise  History  of  American  Architecture;  Labine  and 
Poore's  article  "The  Comfortable  House:  Post- Victorian  Do- 
mestic Architecture"  in  The  Old-House  Journal;  Cyril  M. 
Harris,  editor  of  both  Dictionary  of  Architecture  and  Con- 
struction and  Historic  Architecture  Sourcebook;  William  H. 
Jordy  and  William  H.  Pierson,  Jr.,  a  four-volume  anthology 
American  Buildings  and  Their  Architects;  John  Fleming, 
Hugh  Honour  and  Nikolaus  Pevsners'  The  Penguin  Dictionary 
of  Architecture;  Paul  E.  Buchanan's  article  "The  Eighteenth- 
Century  Framer  Houses  of  Tidewater  Virginia"  in  Building 
Early  America;  Fred  Kniffen's  article  "On  Comer-Timbering" 
in  Pioneer  America;  John  Summerson's  The  Classical  lan- 
guage of  Architecture;  Marcus  Whiffen's  The  Eighteenth- 
Century  Houses  of  Williamsburg;  and  Thomas  Tileston 
Waterman's  The  Mansions  of  Virginia,  1706-1776  and  The 
Dwellings  of  Colonial  America. 

Terms  relating  to  milling,  the  textile  industry,  water 
power  and  bridge  constmction  were  assembled  from  Peter 
Kaplan's  inventory  of  Cabarrus  County;  Herman  Steen's  Flour 
Milling  in  America;  Charles  B.  Kuhlman,  Development  of  the 
Flour  Milling  Industry  in  the  United  States;  the  first  volume  in 
Louis  C.  Hunter's  projected  series,  A  History  of  Industrial 
Power  in  the  United  States,  1780-1930;  Steve  Dunwell,  The 
Run  of  the  Mill;  Mary  Meigs  Atwater,  The  Shuttlecraft  Book 
of  American  Hand-Weaving;  and  Richard  S.  Allen,  Covered 
Bridges  of  the  South. 

ABUTMENT  The  shore  foundation  upon  which  a  bridge 
rests,  usually  built  of  stone  but  sometimes  in  bedrock,  iron  or 
concrete. 

ACADEMIC  Pertaining  to  formal  architecture  styles  as  prac- 
ticed by  architects  and  masterbuilders. 


ADAMESQUE  Having  qualities  of  style  which  derive  from 
the  work  of  the  late  eighteenth-century  Scottish  architects 
Robert  and  James  Adam.  The  Adamesque  mode  is  character- 
ized by  slender  proportions,  delicate  scale,  graceful  curves 
and  linear  compartmented  omamentation  held  flat  to  the  wall 
or  other  architectural  surface.  In  its  American  form  the  style 
is  typified  by  the  work  of  Charles  Bullfinch  and  Samuel 
Mclntire. 

ADZ  A  cutting  tool  having  a  thin,  arching  blade  set  at  right 
angles  to  the  handle,  and  thus  differing  from  the  ax.  It  is  used 
to  trim  the  surface  of  wood. 

"AMERICAN  FOURSQUARE"  A  simple  early  twentieth- 
century  house  type  growing  out  of  the  Craftsman  style;  basic 
features  include:  two  stories,  unadomed  boxlike  shape,  low 
hipped  roof  with  dormers  and  a  porch  extending  the  full  width 
of  the  front  elevation. 

ANTEBELLUM  Dating  from  before  the  Civil  War  (1861- 
1865). 

APSE  A  semicircular  or  polygonal  part  of  a  building  forming 
a  projection  from  the  exterior  wall,  commonly  used  for  the 
altar  area  of  a  church. 

APSIDAL  Apse-like,  in  the  shape  of  a  half-round  or  polygo- 
nal projecting  bay. 

ARCADE  A  range  of  arches  supported  on  piers  or  columns 
attached  to  or  detached  from  a  wall. 
ARCHITRAVE  The  lowest  part  of  an  entablature,  some- 
times used  by  itself  as  around  a  window  or  door. 
"A"  ROOF  See  Gable. 

ART  DECO  A  style  of  decorative  arts  and  architecture 
popular  in  the  1920s  and  1930s;  characterized  by  linear  or 
angular  composition  often  with  a  vertical  emphasis  and  high- 
lighted with  stylized  "sunrise,"  chevron,  or  "zig-zag" 
decoration.  The  name  is  derived  from  the  Paris  "Exposition 
International  Des  Arts  Decoratifs  Et  Industriellcs  Modemes" 
of  1925. 

ART  MODERNE  Architectural  style  of  the  1930s  and  1940s, 
characterized  by  rounded  corners,  fiat  roofs,  smooth  wall 
finish  without  surface  omamentation  and  horizontal  bands  of 
windows  which  create  a  distinctive  streamlined  or  wind-tunnel 
look.  The  streamlined  effect  is  emphasized  by  the  use  of 
curved  window  glass  that  wraps  around  comers.  Aluminum 
and  stainless  steel  often  are  used  for  door  and  window  trim, 
railings  and  balusters. 


ASHLAR  Hewn  blocks  of  masonry  wrought  to  even  faces 
and  square  edges  and  laid  in  horizontal  course  with  veritcal 
joints,  as  opposed  to  rubble  or  unhewn  stone  straight  from  the 
quarry. 

ASYMMETRICAL  Lacking  symmetry  or  regularity  in  ar- 
rangement of  corresponding  parts. 

ASYMMETRY  An  occult  and  dynamic  balance  achieved  by 
the  irregular  distribution  of  weights  and  forces  around  an 
off-center  fulcrum. 

AUGER  A  carpenter's  tool  for  boring  holes.  It  has  a  handle, 
placed  crosswise  by  which  it  is  turned  with  both  hands. 
"BALLOON  FRAME"  CONSTRUCTION  Method  where 
machine-sawn  lumber  in  standardized  sizes  is  joined  with 
hammer  and  nails;  so  light  and  insubstantial  when  compared 
to  "heavy  frame"  construction  that  it  was  likened  to  a  balloon 
rising  from  the  ground. 

BALUSTER  A  tumed  or  rectangular  upright  member  sup- 
porting a  stair  rail. 

BALUSTRADE  A  railing  consisting  of  a  handrail  and  balus- 
ters (turned  or  rectangular  upright  members  supporting  the 
handrail);  usually  found  on  stairs  or  porches. 
BARGEBOARD  (also  known  as  verge  board)  A  wide  board 
fastened  on  edge  below  the  slope  of  the  roof  on  the  gable  end. 
A  popular  device  of  the  Gothic  Revival,  it  was  either  carved 
or  sawed  in  ornamental  tracery-like  patterns. 
BAROQUE  A  style  of  architecture  which  flourished  in  Eu- 
rope during  the  seventeenth  and  eighteenth  centuries.  Al- 
though based  on  the  architecture  of  the  Renaissance,  it  was 
more  dynamic,  with  circles  frequently  giving  way  to  ovals, 
flat  walls  to  cur\cd  or  undulating  ones  and  separated  elements 
to  interlocking  forms.  It  was  also  a  monunTental  and  richly 
three-dimensional  style  with  elaborate  systems  of  omamental 
and  figural  sculpture. 

BARREL  VAULT  A  semicircular  vaulting  unbroken  by  ribs 
or  grains. 

BASEBOARD  See  walls  illustration. 
BATTEN  In  building  siding,  a  thin  narrow  strip  of  wood 
applied  over  the  joint  between  vertical  boards  to  seal  it  from 
the  weather. 

BATTEN  DOOR  A  door  (or  shutter)  of  vertical  boards  held 
together  with  two  or  more  horizontal  boards  (battens)  on  the 
back  side. 
BAY  I.  An  opening  or  division  along  a  face  of  a  stmcturc; 


258 


as 


e.g.,  a  wall  with  a  door  and  two  windows  is  three  bays  wide. 
2.  A  projection  of  a  room,  usually  with  windows. 
BAY  WINDOW  A  projecting  bay  of  windows  rising  from 
ground  level  for  one  or  more  stories. 
BEADED   WEATHERBOARD  A   weatherboard   finished 
with  an  incised  and  rounded  edge. 

BEAM  A  structural  spanning  member  of  wood,  iron,  steel  or 
reinforced  concrete. 

BEAUX  ARTS  STYLE  Style  based  on  Classical  and  Renais- 
sance architecture;  popular  around  the  turn  of  the  century. 
Many  followers  of  this  style  were  trained  at  the  Ecole  des 
Beaux- Arts,  the  national  school  of  fine  arts  in  France. 
BELFRY  Bell  tower;  a  room  at  or  near  the  top  of  a  tower 
which  contains  bells  and  their  supporting  members. 
BELT  COURSE  A  projecting  course  or  courses  on  the 
exterior  of  a  building,  usually  at  the  floor  or  wmdow  sill  level. 
BOARD- AND-BATTEN  Siding  fashioned  of  boards  set  ver- 
tically and  covered  where  their  edges  join  by  narrow  strips 
called  battens. 

BOBBIN  A  wooden  spool  or  reel  used  to  hold  yam. 
BOLECTION  In  joinery,  a  moulding  following  the  outside 
edge  of  a  panel  and  projecting  byond  the  face  of  the  frame  in 
\vhich  the  panel  is  set. 

BOLTING  The  sifting  of  flour  into  various  grades  of  fineness. 
BOND  The  pattern  in  which  bricks  are  laid  for  the  sake  of 
solidarity  and  design.  Three  basic  bonds  are  seen  in  North 
Carolina;  FLEMISH— headers,  or  ends,  alternate  in  each 
row  with  stretchers,  or  sides,  with  the  center  of  each  header 
over  the  center  of  the  stretcher  below;  AMERICAN— rows  ol 
three  to  seven  stretchers  between  rows  of  headers;  COMMUIn 
—American  Bond  without  the  rows  of  headers.  Amencan 
Bond  is  also  often  referred  to  as  Common. 
BOXED  CORNICE  A  simple,  sometimes  bold,  projection 
running  along  the  top  of  an  exterior  wall,  formed  by  enclosing 
either  the  ceiling  joists'  ends,  the  plate,  or  the  rafters  ends. 
See  gable  treatments  illustration. 

BRACE  A  member  placed  diagonally  within  a  framework  or 
truss  to  make  it  rigid. 

BRACKET  A  device,  either  ornamental,  structural,  or  both, 
set  under  a  projecting  element,  as  the  eaves  of  a  house  or 
porch. 

BREAST  WHEEL  A  vertical  wheel  rotated  by  the  weight 
and  percussion  of  water  striking  a  series  of  buckets  slightly 
above  or  below  the  wheel's  axle.  If  struck  from  above  it  was 
ealled  a  high  breast  wheel;  if  struck  from  below,  a  low  breast 
wheel. 


BRICK  NOGGING  Filling  of  brick  work  between  timber 
framing. 

BROKEN  PEDIMENT  A  pediment  that  has  been  split  apart 
at  the  center,  the  gap  of  which  is  often  filled  with  an  urn  or 
other  ornament. 

BUCKETS  A  series  of  enclosed  paddles  struck  by  water, 
utilizing  its  force  and  weight  to  power  both  breast  and 
overshot  wheels. 

BUNGALOID  SASH  A  double-hung  window  whose  upper 
sash  is  divided  by  vertical  muntins  into  long  vertical  panes 
and  whose  lower  sash  is  a  single,  undivided  pane. 
BUNGALOW  STYLE  An  early  twentieth  century  architec- 
tural style  that  grew  from  the  arts  and  crafts  movement  of  the 
late  nineteenth  century.  Most  basic  characteristics  are  long, 
low  profiles;  overhanging,  bracketed  eaves;  wide,  engaged 
porches;  and  informal  interior  arrangements.  The  term  bunga- 
low refers  to  a  one  or  one-and-a-half  story  house  in  this  style. 
BUTTRESS  A  mass  of  masonry  timber  or  brickwork  pro- 
jecting from  or  built  against  a  wall  to  give  additional  strength. 
CA.  Abbreviation  for  "about"  in  reference  to  approximate 
dates. 

CANTILEVER  An  overhanging  horizontal  member  which 
is  supported  at  only  one  end  and  carries  a  load  beyond  its 
point  of  support. 

CAPITAL  The  head  or  cap  of  a  column  or  pilaster.  There  are 
three  types  of  capitals:  DORIC— the  simplest;  IONIC— 
characterized  by  spiral  scrolls  (resembling  ram's  horns);  and 
CORINTHIAN— the  most  ornate  with  ornamental  acanthus 
leaves  and  various  foliage. 

CARDING  The  process  whereby  the  fibers  of  wool  or  cotton 
are  combed,  straightened  and  aligned  before  they  undergo 
spinning  into  yam. 

CARTOUCHE  A  scroll-shaped  panel  used  as  an  omament 
in  a  design. 

CASEMENT  WINDOW  A  window  having  hinged  or  piv- 
oted sash  opening  either  outward  or  inward. 
CASTELLATED  Omamented  with  battlements  like  a  medi- 
eval fortified  castle. 

CENTER  HALL  PLAN  See  floor  plan  illustrations. 
CHAIR  RAIL  A  molding  on  a  wall  around  a  room  at  the 
height  of  a  chair  back. 

CHAMFERED  Cut  away  at  the  outer  edge  where  two  sur- 
faces meet,  leaving  a  bevel  at  the  junction. 
CHAMFERED  POST  A  post  whose  comers  are  beveled. 
CHEVRON  A  V-shaped  stripe  pointing  up  or  down  or  any 
omament  so  shaped. 


CHIMNEY  POT  A  cylindrical  pipe  of  brick,  terra-cotta  or 
metal  placed  atop  a  chimney  to  extend  and  thereby  increase 
the  draft. 

CHORD  the  top  (upper  chord)  or  bottom  (lower  chord) 
member  or  members  of  a  bridge  truss,  usually  formed  by  the 
stringers;  may  be  a  single  piece  or  a  series  of  long  joined 
pieces. 

CLAPBOARDS  Split  or  rived,  instead  of  sawn,  boards  used 
as  sheathing  or  roofing. 

CLASSICAL  Based  upon  the  arts  of  ancient  Greece  and 
Rome  or  upon  their  stylistic  derivatives. 
CLASSICAL  REVIVAL  STYLE  Late  nineteenth,   early 
twentieth  century  style  which  combined  features  of  ancient 
Renaissance  and  Colonial  architecture;  characterized  by  im- 
posing buildings  with  large  columned  porches. 
CLERESTORY  An  upward  extension  of  a  single-story  space, 
or  of  the  upper  floor  of  a  multi-story  building,  used  to  provide 
windows  for  lighting  and  ventilation.  Monitors  and  sawtooth 
skylights  are  two  types  of  clerestories. 
CLIPPED  CORNERS  Where  the  comers  of  a  projecting 
bay  or  room  are  tmncated  for  ornamental  or  spatial  effect; 
often  the  roof  overhangs  the  missing  corners. 
CLIPPED  GABLE  A  gable  which  has  been  cut  back  to 
form  a  hipped  peak. 

COLLAR  BEAM  A  horizontal  tension  member  in  a  pitched 
roof  connecting  opposite  rafters,  generally  halfway  up  or 
higher.  Its  function  is  to  tie  the  angular  members  together  and 
prevent  them  from  spreading. 

COLONETTE  A  small  or  slender  column  or  pilaster. 
COLONIAL  REVIVAL  Late  nineteenth  and  early  twentieth 
century  interpretation  of  architectural  forms  of  the  American 
colonial  period. 

COMMON  BOND  Brick  bonding  in  which  three  or  more 
courses  of  stretchers  (large  side  of  brick)  alternate  with  one 
course  of  headers  (short  end  of  brick);  e.g.,  five-to-one 
common  bond  would  be  five  courses  of  stretchers  alternating 
with  one  course  of  headers. 

COMPOSITE  ORDER  A  late  Roman  order  whose  capital 
combines  the  Corinthian  acanthus  leaves  with  Ionic  volutes. 
CONCAVE  MOLDING  A  molding  whose  surface  is  curved 
like  the  inner  surface  of  a  sphere. 

CORBEL  In  masonry  a  projection,  or  one  of  a  series  of 
projections,  each  stepped  progressively  farther  forward  with 
height  and  articulating  a  comice  or  supporting  an  overhanging 
member. 

CORBEL  TABLE  A  projecting  course  supported  on  a  range 
of  brackets. 


259 


V 

J'' 


CORBELED  CORNICE  A  molding,  decorative  band  or 
series  of  decorative  bands  created  with  projecting  bricic  courses 
along  the  roofline  of  a  building. 

CORINTHIAN  Most  ornate  of  the  classical  orders,  the 
columns  of  which  are  characterized  by  capitals  with  ornamen- 
tal acanthus  leaves  and  curled  fern  shoots. 
CORNERBLOCK  The  square,  usually  decorated,  medal- 
lion at  the  comers  of  a  door  or  window  surround.  Common  to 
the  Greek  Revival  and  Victorian  styles. 
CORNICE  The  uppermost,  projecting  part  of  an  entablature, 
or  a  feature  resembling  it.  Any  projecting  ornamental  mold- 
ing along  the  top  of  a  wall,  building,  porch,  etc. 
COUNTERBRACE  A  diagonal  timber  in  a  truss  which 
slants  away  from  the  midpoint  of  the  bridge  (opposite  from 
brace,  q.v). 

COURSE  In  masonry  construction,  continuous  horizontal 
ranges  of  brick  and  stone. 

COVED  CEILING  A  ceiling  where  the  junction  of  wall  and 
ceiling  is  disguised  by  a  large  hollow  or  concave  curved 
molding. 

COVED  CORNICE  A  cornice,  or  uppermost  course  of  a 
wall,  shaped  to  a  concave  pattern. 

CRAFTSMAN  STYLE  Decorative  and  architectural  style 
emphasizing  simplicity  of  design,  use  of  natural  materials  and 
hand-made  craftsmanship.  An  American  outgrowth  of  the 
English  Arts  and  Crafts  Movement,  it  was  popularized  by 
designer  Gustav  Stickley  in  his  magazine  The  Craftsman. 
CRENELATED  Describing  a  parapet  in  which  the  top  is 
alternately  and  uniformly  depressed;  bearing  an  embattled 
pattern  of  repeated  indentations.  (Sometimes  referred  to  as 
"battlemented.") 

CROCKET  From  Old  French,  crochet,  "hook."  In  Gothic 
architecture,  a  carved,  ornamental  foliate  hook-like  projection 
used  along  the  edges  of  roofs,  spires,  towers  and  other  upper 
elements. 

CROSS  GABLE  A  gable  which  intersects  at  right  angles 
the  main  gable  roof. 

CROSS  PLAN  A  building  plan  which  assumes  the  basic 
shape  of  a  cross. 

CROSSETTES  Decorative  square  offsets  at  the  upper  cor- 
ners of  a  door,  window  or  mantel  architrave. 
CROW-STEPPED  (CORBIE-STEPPED)  GABLE  A  gable 
finished  in  steps  instead  of  in  a  continuous  slope. 
CRUCIFORM  Cross-shaped. 

CUPOLA  A  small  structure  built  on  top  of  a  building, 
usually  for  ornamental  purposes. 


CURTAIN  WALL  A  wall  supporting  no  more  than  its  own 
weight. 

DADO  A  plain  or  paneled  field,  defined  at  top  and  bottom  by 
moldings,  that  traverses  the  lower  part  of  a  wall  surface. 
DECK-ON-HIP  A  flat  roof  surmounting  a  hip.  See  Hip. 
DENTILED  Consisting  of  a  series  of  small  block-like  pro- 
jections forming  a  molding,  usually  as  part  of  a  classical  cor- 
nice. These  small,  block-like  projections  are  called  "dentils." 
DEPENDENCY  A  building,  wing,  or  room,  subordinate  to, 
or  serving  as  an  adjunct  to,  the  main  building. 
DIAMOND  NOTCH  See  log  corner  timbering  illustrations. 
DIAPER  WORK  A  diamond-shaped  pattern  or  design  on  a 
flat  surface. 

DOG-EAR  SURROUND  A  door  or  window  surround  that 
features  flaps,  or  "dog  ears"  at  the  upper  corners.  A  character- 
istic of  the  Greek  Revival  style. 

DOG-TROT  PLAN  A  simple  structure,  often  log,  with  two 
rooms  or  blocks,  separated  by  an  open  breezeway  which 
affords  better  air  circulation. 

DORIC  The  simplest  of  the  three  orders  of  classical  architec- 
ture developed  by  the  Greeks. 

DORMER  WINDOW  A  window  that  projects  from  a  roof. 
See  illustration  of  dormer  types. 

DOUBLE-HUNG  WINDOW  A  window  consisting  of  a 
pair  of  frames,  or  sashes,  one  above  the  other,  arranged  to 
slide  up  or  down.  Sometimes  their  movement  is  stabilized  by 
a  system  of  cords  and  counterbalancing  weights  contained  in 
narrow  boxing  at  each  side  of  the  window  frame. 
DOUBLE-LEAF  DOOR  A  pair  of  doors  hung  side-by-side 
which  together  create  a  single  doorway. 
DOUBLE-PEN  PLAN  A  plan  in  which  two  pens  with  their 
own  chimneys  are  placed  side  by  side. 
DOUBLE-PILE  HOUSE  A  two-story  center-hall  plan  house, 
two  rooms  deep  on  either  side  of  the  hall.  See  floor  plan 
illustrations. 

DOUBLE  SHOULDER  CHIMNEY  See  chimney  illustra- 
tions. 

DOUBLE  WEAVE  A  weave  that  produces  two  distinct  layers 
of  cloth  simultaneously,  often  connected  or  interpenetrating  at 
some  point. 

DRAWING  ROOM  The  room  in  a  factory  where  the  warp 
yarns  are  threaded  through  the  hcddles. 
DRIP  MOLDING  A  molding  which  is  designed  to  divert 
rain  water  from  the  window  or  door  below  it  and  which 
follows  the  shape  of  the  arch  over  the  opening  it  protects. 
DRY-LAID  Stone  or  brick  laid  up  without  mortar. 


DUTCH  DOOR  One  divided  horizontally  in  two  leaves 
which  operate  independently;  "Dutch"  is  a  derivation  of 
"Deutsch,"  meaning  German. 

EASTLAKE  Popular  decorative  and  architectural  style  of 
the  1870-1890  period  named  for  English  interior  decorator 
Charles  Eastlake.  Porch  posts,  railings,  balusters  and  pen- 
dants were  characterized  by  a  massive  and  robust  quality. 
Brackets,  scrolls  and  other  stylized  elements  often  are  placed 
at  every  comer,  turn  or  projection  along  the  facade,  along 
with  a  profusion  of  spindles  and  lattice  work  found  along 
porch  eaves  which  added  to  the  complexity. 
EAVES  The  projecting  edge  of  a  roof  designed  to  shed  water. 

ECLECTIC  Exhibiting  elements  and  characteristics  of  more 
than  one  historic  style  simultaneously. 
EGG  AND  DART  A  molding  taken  from  classical  architec- 
ture where  an  oval,  egg-shaped  motif  alternates  with  a  dart 
form. 

ELEVATION  Any  one  of  the  external  faces  of  a  building; 
also  a  drawing  made  in  projection  on  a  vertical  plan  to  show 
any  one  face  of  a  building. 

ELL  A  secondary  wing  of  a  building  attached  at  right  angles 
to  its  principal  axis. 

EMBATTLED  Having  battlements  or  crenelations. 
EMBATTLED  MOLDING  A  molding  notched  or  indented 
to  resemble  merlons  and  embrasures  in  fortification. 
ENCLOSED  STAIR  A  narrow,  boxed-in  stair  usually  seen 
prior  to  1840;  very  common  to  the  hall-and-parior  plan. 
ENGAGED  COLUMN  A  column  attached  to  a  wall. 
ENGAGED  PORCH  A  porch  whose  roof  is  continuous 
structurally  with  that  of  the  main  section  of  the  building. 
ENGLISH  BOND  A  method  of  laying  brick  wherein  one 
course  is  laid  with  stretchers  and  the  next  with  headers,  thus 
bonding  the  double  thickness  of  brick  together. 

ENTABLATURE  A  three-part  horizontal  band  consisting  of 

architrave,  frieze  and  cornice;  located  above  columns  and 

pilasters  of  classical  orders. 

EXTERIOR  END  CHIMNEY  See  chimney  illustrations. 

EYEBROW  DORMER  A  low  dormer  on  the  slope  of  a 

roof.  It  has  no  sides,  the  roofing  being  carried  over  it  in  a 

wavy  line. 

FACADE  The  principal  face  or  front  of  a  building. 

FALL  The  action  of  water  on  a  wheel  below  the  point  of 

impact;  the  gravity  stage. 

FANLIGHT  A  semicircular  window  over  the  opening  of  a 

door,  with  radiating  muntins  in  the  form  of  an  open  fan. 


260 


FASCIA  A  flat  broad  member  used  in  a  cornice  or  other 
molded  part. 

FEDERAL  STYLE  The  architectural  style  popular  in  Amer- 
ica from  the  Revolution  through  the  early  nineteenth  century 
(in  North  Carolina  ca.  1800-1840)  similar  to  the  Georgian 
style  but  characterized  by  a  much  more  delicate  use  of  Roman 
classical  ornamentation. 

FENESTRATION  The  arrangement  and  proportionmg  of 
windows. 

FILIGREE  Delicate  ornamental  work. 
FILLING  The  threads  running  crosswise  in  a  fabric;  called 
the  "weft"  in  England. 

FINIAL  An  ornament  at  the  apex  of  a  roof,  spire,  pinacle, 
etc. 

FLASHED  GLASS  Small  colored  panes  of  glass  with  nar- 
row mullions  between,  usually  framing  a  larger  pane  or 
picture  glass;  also  referred  to  as  "Eastlake  glass. 
FLAT  ARCH  A  series  of  wedge-shaped  stones  or  brick  over 
an  opening  which,  though  simulating  the  appearance  oi  a 
lintel,  performs  the  arch  function. 

FLEMISH  BOND  Brick  bonding  in  which  headers  (short 
end  of  brick)  alternate  with  stretchers  (long  side  ot  bncK) 
within  each  course.  Flemish  bond  with  glazed  headers  reiers 
to  a  Flemish  bond  in  which  the  headers  have  been  burned  in 
the  kiln  to  a  blue-black  color. 

FLUSH  SHEATHING  Wood  siding  of  boards  set  flush  at 
the  edges. 

FLUTING  Shallow,  concave  grooves  running  vertically  on 
the  shaft  of  a  column,  pilaster  or  other  surface. 
FLUTTER  WHEEL  A  type  of  undershot  wheel  with  a 
series  of  long  paddles  connected  to  arms  radiating  from  a 
shaft.  The  name  "flutter"  was  given  to  this  wheel  because  oi 
the  bird-like  sound  its  paddles  made  as  they  cut  through  tne 
Water. 

FRIEZE  The  middle  band  of  a  classical  entablature,  be_ 
tween  the  architrave  and  cornice;  a  horizontal  band  locateo 
just  under  a  cornice  or  under  a  mantel  shelf. 
FULL-DOVETAIL  NOTCH  See  log  comer  timbering  illus- 
tration. 

GABLE  The  triangular  upper  part  of  a  terminal  wall  under 
the  ridge  of  a  pitched  roof. 

GABLE  ORNAMENT  A  decorative  woodwork  feature  lo- 
cated in  the  apex  of  a  gable,  often  used  in  conjunction  witn 
decorative  barge  boards. 

GABLE  ROOF  A  roof  sloping  upward  from  two  sides  and 
meeting  at  a  ridge  in  the  center,  forming  a  gable  at  each  ena. 


often  called  an  "A"  roof. 

GAMBREL  ROOF  A  roof  in  which  the  angle  of  pitch  is 
abruptly  changed  on  each  side  between  ridge  and  eaves. 
GEORGIAN  REVIVAL  Phase  of  the  Colonial  Revival  style 
(see  Colonial  Revival)  focusing  on  the  forms  and  details  of 
eighteenth  century  Georgian  architecture.  The  term  is  some- 
times used  loosely  to  describe  buildings  which  revived  not 
only  Georgian  period  details  but  also  those  of  the  Federal 
period  as  well. 

GEORGIAN  STYLE  The  prevailing  style  in  Great  Britain 
and  the  American  Colonies  during  the  eighteenth  century  (the 
reigns  of  George  I-III,  1714-1820)  derived  from  Classical, 
Renaissance  and  Baroque  forms. 

GERMAN  SIDING  A  type  of  weatherboard  siding  intro- 
duced in  this  area  in  the  early  twentieth  century  and  whose 
joints  are  rabbeted,  or  grooved,  so  that  each  board  lies  flush  in 
the  plane  of  the  wall.  Sometimes  referred  to  as  "ship-lap" 
siding. 

GINGERBREAD  The  highly  decorative  turned  or  sawn 
woodwork  applied  to  houses  of  the  late  nineteenth  century. 
GIRT  A  timber  framed  into  the  outside  posts  of  a  building  at 
the  second  floor  level,  or  from  plate  to  plate  across  the  gable 
end. 

GLAZED  HEADER  A  glossy,  dark  coating  formed  on  the 
ends  of  brick  through  direct  exposure  to  flame  during  firing; 
this  glazed  surface  used  ornamentally  by  exposing  the  brick 
end  when  laid;  so  laid  the  brick  is  called  a  header. 
GOTHIC  REVIVAL  Nineteenth  century  revival  of  forms 
and  ornament  of  the  architecture  of  medieval  Europe,  charac- 
terized particularly  by  the  use  of  the  pointed  arch. 
GRAINED  Painted  to  imitate  wood  grain. 
GREEK  REVIVAL  STYLE  Mid-nineteenth  century  revival 
of  forms  and  ornaments  of  architecture  of  ancient  Greece; 
also  decorative  elements  associated  with  the  style. 
GRIST  Grain  ground  in  a  mill;  originally  com,  but  later 
applied  to  all  grains. 

GRIST  MILL  A  place  where  grain  was  ground  into  meal 
and/or  flour. 

HL  HINGE  A  hinge  which  resembles  the  shape  of  these  two 
letters  of  the  alphabet;  usually  found  on  eighteenth  and  eariy 
nineteenth  century  buildings. 

HALF-DOVETAIL  NOTCH  See  log  comer  timbering  illus- 
trations. 
HALF-TIMBERING  A  method  of  construction  where  walls 

are  built  of  timber  framework  with  the  spaces  filled  in  with 
stucco  or  brickwork,  known  as  nogging.  It  is  sometimes 


referred  to  as  mock  half-timbering  in  instances  where  the 
technique  is  used  for  decorative  rather  than  stmctural  purposes, 

as  in  many  Tlidor  Revival  designs. 

HALL-AND-PARLOR  PLAN  Simple  two-room  floor  plan 

in  which  the  larger  room,  or  hall,  is  divided  from  the  smaller 

room,  or  parior,  by  only  a  wall  or  partition. 

HARNESS  A  frame  that  supports  a  group  of  heddles  on  a 

loom. 

HEAD  The  distance  water  falls  to  the  point  of  impact  on  a 

wheel. 

HEADER  A  brick  with  its  end  laid  toward  the  face  of  a  wall. 

These  were  often  glazed  or  bumed  so  as  to  create  patterns. 

HEADRACE  (sometimes  called  penstock  or  millrace)  A 

narrow  opening  or  canal  through  which  a  large  amount  of 

water  passes  in  a  strong  current,  providing  a  source  of  power 

to  drive  the  mill  wheel. 

"HEAVY  FRAME"   CONSTRUCTION  Method  where 

oversized,  usually  hand-hewn  wooden  framing  members  are 

joined  using  the  mortise  and  tenon  technique;  also  called 

"post-and-lintel"  construction. 

HEDDLE  A  wire,  strip  of  metal  or  cord  with  an  eye  in  the 

center.  One  (or  more)  warp  yams  are  threaded  through  each 

heddle  to  control  the  separation  of  the  warp  and  create  a  shed. 

HERRINGBONE  A  pattern  used  on  masonry  or  wooden 

doors  and  made  by  rows  of  parallel  slanted  lines  (resembling 

the  spine  of  a  herring). 

HEWN  TIMBER  Wood  which  has  been  roughly  dressed  by 

an  ax  or  adze,  usually  to  frame  a  building. 
HIP  The  extemal  angle  in  which  adjacent  roofs  meet  each 
other;  a  roof  that  slopes  back  equally  from  each  side  of  a 
building. 

HIPPED  ROOF  A  roof  which  slopes  upward  from  all  four 
sides  of  a  building,  terminating  in  a  ridge. 
HOOD  MOLD  A  projecting  molding  above  an  arch,  door- 
way or  window,  sometimes  called  a  label,  dripstone  or  win- 
dow hood. 

INTERIOR  END  CHIMNEY  See  chimney  illustrations. 
IONIC  A  classical  order  characterized  by  a  column  capital 
featuring  spiral  scrolls,  called  volutes. 
ITALIANATE  Mid  to  late  nineteenth  century  revival  of  the 
forms  and  ornamentation  of  Italian  Renaissance  architecture, 
characterized  particularly  by  the  use  of  overhanging  bracketed 
eaves  and  round  or  segmental-arched  openings. 
JAMB  The  reveal  or  lining  of  a  doorway  or  other  aperture. 
JERKIN-HEAD  A  roof  which  is  hipped  only  for  a  part  of  its 
height,  leaving  a  tmncated  gable.  See  also  "clipped  gable." 


261 


fill 


II. 


ii!' 


JOIST  A  horizontal  member  in  the  framing  of  a  floor  or 
ceiling. 

KEYSTONE  The  central  wedge-shaped  stone  at  the  crown 
of  an  arch. 

KICK  The  change  in  pitch  of  a  roofline  creating  an  upwardly 
tilted  eave.  This  eave  directed  the  water  away  from  the  sides 
of  the  building  while  still  allowing  the  weight  of  the  roof  to 
set  squarely  on  the  walls.  This  was  done  in  the  days  when  the 
roofs  of  buildings  were  covered  with  heavy  tiles. 
"LANCACTER  SQUARE"  PLAN  Governmental  town  plan 
where  a  courthouse  is  sited  in  a  public  square  located  at  the 
intersection  of  the  primary  axial  streets.  So-called  after 
Lancaster,  Pennsylvania,  where  it  was  first  used  in  this 
country. 

LANCET  WINDOW  A  window  generally  tall  in  propor- 
tions and  topped  by  a  sharply  pointed  arch;  characteristic  of 
early  English  Gothic. 

LATERAL  BRACING  An  arrangement  of  timbers  between 
the  two  top  chords  or  between  the  two  bottom  chords  of 
bridge  trusses  to  keep  the  trusses  spaced  apart  correctly  and  to 
insure  their  strength.  The  arrangement  may  be  very  simple  or 
complex. 

LATH  A  thin  narrow  strip  of  wood;  used  in  building  to  serve 
as  a  base  for  plaster  walls  and  ceilings. 
LATTICEWORK  An  open  framework  made  of  strips  of 
metal,  wood  or  some  other  material  interwoven  to  form 
regular,  patterned  spaced. 
LIGHT  A  window  or  the  main  subdivision  of  a  window. 

LINTEL  A  horizontal  beam  or  stone  bridging  an  opening 
such  as  a  window  or  door. 

LOCK  RAIL  Rail  of  a  door  in  or  to  which  the  lock  is  fixed. 
LUNETTED  CORNER  A  cut-out  crescent  shape  usually 
associated  with  raised  paneling. 

MANSARD  ROOF  From  Francois  Mansart,  French  archi- 
tect, 1598-1666,  who  employed  this  roof  form  extensively. 
A  roof  with  two  slopes  on  each  of  its  four  sides— a  steep  and 
neariy  vertical  slope  on  the  outside  and  a  gentle  neariy  flat 
slope  on  the  top. 

MARBLEIZED  Having  the  appearance  of  marble,  or  made 
to  look  like  marble  by  a  special  application  of  paint,  as  in 
marbleized  woodwork. 

MASSING  The  grouping  or  arrangement  of  the  primary 
geometric  comfjonents  of  a  building. 
MEDALLION  A  large  ornament,  generally  circular,  which 
adorns  the  center  of  a  ceiling. 
MISSION  STYLE  An  architectural  style  of  the  early  twenti- 


eth century  reflecting  Spanish  colonial  architecture,  particu- 
larly in  the  use  of  stucco  and  tile  roofs. 
MITRE  To  bevel  ends  for  the  purpose  of  matching  together 
at  an  angle. 

MODILLION  A  horizontal  bracket,  often  in  the  form  of  a 
plain  block,  ornamenting  or  sometimes  supporting,  the  under- 
side of  a  cornice. 

MOLDING  A  plane  surface  given  the  appearance  of  stripes 
of  light  and  shade  by  the  addition  of  combined  parallel  and 
continuous  sections  of  simple  or  compound  curves  and  flat 
areas. 

MONADNOCK  A  hill  or  mountain  of  resistant  rock  sur- 
mounting a  peneplain;  so-called  after  Mt.  Monadnock  in  New 
Hampshire. 

MONITOR  ROOF  A  roof  with  a  raised  section,  usually 
straddling  a  ridge,  with  openings  or  windows  along  the  sides 
to  admit  light  or  air. 

MORTISE  A  recess  cut  into  a  piece  of  timber  to  receive  a 
tenon. 

MORTISE  AND  TENON  JOINT  A  joint  which  is  made  by 
one  member  having  its  end  cut  in  a  projecting  piece  (tenon) 
which  fits  exactly  into  a  groove  or  hole  (mortise)  in  the  other 
member.  Once  joined,  the  pieces  are  secured  by  a  peg. 
MULLION  An  upright  post  or  similar  member  which  di- 
vides a  window  into  two  or  more  units,  or  lights,  each  of 
which  may  be  further  subdivided  into  panes. 
MUNTIN  The  strip  of  wood  separating  the  panes  of  a 
window  sash. 

NR  National  Register  of  Historic  Places. 
NAVE  The  main  part  of  a  church,  or  that  part  between  the 
side  aisles  and  extending  from  the  chancel  or  crossing  to  the 
wall  of  the  main  entrance. 

NEO-CLASSICAL  REVIVAL  Eariy  twentieth  century  style 
which  combines  features  of  ancient.  Renaissance  and  colonial 
architecture;  characterized  by  imposing  buildings  with  large 
columned  porches. 

NEO-FEDERAL  A  free,  twentieth  century  adaptation  of  the 
motifs  typical  of  late  eighteenth  and  early  nineteenth  century 
American  architecture.  Typically  includes  Flemish  bond 
brickwork,  slender  columns,  fanlights  and  delicate  moldings. 
NEO-GEORGIAN  A  free,  twentieth  century  adaptation  of 
the  motifs  typical  of  pre-RevoIutionary  War  American  archi- 
tecture. Typically  includes  Flemish  or  English  bond  brickwork, 
hipped  roofs,  swansneck  window  pediments  and  robust  col- 
umns and  moldings. 

NEWEL  (or  newel  post)  The  terminating  baluster  at  the  foot 
of  a  stair,  often  oversized  and  ornamented. 


NOGGING  Brickwork  or  plaster  used  to  fill  spaces  of  a 
wooden  frame. 

NOSING  That  part  of  the  tread  of  a  stair  which  projects  over 
the  riser. 

NOTCHING  The  various  comer  arrangements  of  joining  log 
structural  members.  Most  common  being  full-dovetail,  half- 
dovetail,  square,  V  and  diamond. 

OPEN  STRING  In  stairs,  the  end  carriage  which  has  its 
upper  edge  cut  out  to  fit  underneath  the  steps. 
ORDER  A  definite  arrangement  of  column,  capital  and 
entablature,  each  having  its  own  set  of  rules  and  ornamental 
features.  Types  are  the  Doric,  Ionic.  Corinthian,  Tuscan  and 
Composite;  see  illustrations. 

ORIEL  WINDOW  A  bay  window  supported  on  a  corbel  or 
bracket,  rather  than  on  the  ground. 

OVERSHOT  WHEEL  A  vertical  wheel  where  the  weight 
and  percussion  of  water  strikes  a  series  of  buckets  on  the  outer 
circumference  of  the  wheel. 

PALLADIAN  WINDOW  A  three-part  window  with  a  cen- 
tral arched  opening  flanked  by  smaller  rectangular  openings, 
in  the  manner  of  sixteenth  century  Italian  architect  Andrea 
Palladio. 

PANEL  A  portion  of  a  flat  surface  distinctly  set  off  by 
molding  or  some  other  decorative  device. 
PARAPET  1.  A  low  wall  along  a  roof  or  terrace,  used  as  a 
protection  or  decoration.  2.  Low  masonry  stone  walls  on 
either  side  of  the  section  of  roadway  leading  directly  into  a 
bridge. 

PATTERN  BOARD  An  applied  board  serving  as  a  func- 
tional as  well  as  a  decorative  terminus  for  a  cornice. 
PAVED  SHOULDER  See  chimney  illustrations. 
PAVILION  A  prominent  portion  of  a  facade,  usually  central 
or  terminal,  identified  by  projection,  height  and/or  special 
roof  forms. 

PEDESTAL  A  substructure  under  a  column. 
PEDIMENT  A  crowning  motive  of  porticos,  pavilions,  door- 
ways or  other  architectural  features,  usually  of  low  triangular 
form,  sometimes  broken  in  the  center. 
PEN  A  one-room  building.  Many  dwellings  erected  by  the 
first  settlers  of  the  North  Carolina  piedmont  were  single-pen 
structures.  Considerable  numbers  of  these  dwellings  were 
expanded  into  two-pen  houses  following  double-pen,  saddle- 
bag or  dogtrot  plans.  See  floor  plan  illustrations. 
PENCILING  In  brickwork,  the  painting  (especially  in  white) 
of  the  mortar  joints. 
PENDANT  DROP  The  often  decoratively  carved  or  turned 


262 


terminal  of  a  vertical  member,  such  as  a  bracket,  that  projects 
below  another  member  attached  to  it,  such  as  a  cornice. 
PENT-ROOF  A  feature  projecting  from  a  vertical  wall  in  the 
form  of  the  eaves  of  a  roof  to  protect  the  wall  below  from  rain. 
PICKER  ROOM  The  section  of  a  nineteenth  and  early 
twentieth  century  cotton  mill  where  bagging  and  ties  were 
removed  from  the  cotton  bales  and  the  fiber  of  several  bales 
was  blended  to  produce  a  raw  material  of  consistent  moisture, 
color  and  lengths.  The  picker  room  generally  adjoined  the 
main  mill  building,  but  because  it  was  an  area  where  hres 
frequently  began  it  was  separated  from  the  mill  by  a  brick  tire 
wall. 

PICKER  STICK  A  wooden  rocker  arm  in  a  loom,  slammed 
hard  against  a  shuttle  to  propel  it  at  high  velocity  through  the 
warp. 

PICKING  1.  In  weaving,  the  act  of  throwing  or  passing  the 
filling  yarn  through  a  shed  in  the  warp.  2.  In  spmmng,  an 
operation  in  which  the  compacted  mass  of  fibers  is  initially 
opened  and  blended  prior  to  carding. 
PIER  A  square  supporting  member. 
PIERCED  WORK  Decoration  which  consists  mainly  or 
partially  of  perforation. 

PILASTER  A  fiat-faced  representation  of  a  column,  project- 
ing from  a  wall. 

PILE  A  simple  timber  span,  oftentimes  associated  with  span 
depth  within  primary  framing  of  structure. 
PITCHED  ROOF  A  roof  in  which  the  two  planes  slope 
equally  toward  one  another. 

PLATE  The  timber  in  a  roof  which  rests  on  the  walls  of  a 
building  and  receives  the  roof  rafters. 
POINTED  ARCH  An  arch  with  a  point  at  its  apex. 
POLYGONAL  BAY  A  projecting  window  bay  with  Aree  or 
more  sides  or  the  gable-end  of  a  house  or  pavilion  where  tne 
corners  are  clipped  to  resemble  such  a  bay. 
PORCH  A  roofed  structure  supported  by  posts  or  columns  to 
shelter  an  entrance.  A  similar  space  formed  within  a  building 
by  recessing  the  entrance. 

PORTE-COCHERE  A  porch  or  extension  of  a  porch  large 
enough  for  wheeled  vehicles  to  pass  under. 
PORTICO  A  roofed  space,  open  or  partly  enclosed,  forming 
the  entrance  and  centerpiece  of  the  facade  of  a  building,  often 
^'th  columns  and  a  pediment. 

POST  AND  LINTEL  A  structural  system  in  which  the  main 
support  is  provided  by  vertical  members,  or  posts,  whicn 
carry  the  horizontal  members,  or  lintels. 
PRAIRIE  SCHOOL  Architectural  movement  of  the  mid- 


western  United  States  which  grew  out  of  the  domestic  architec- 
ture of  Louis  Sullivan.  Its  greatest  practitioners  were  a  group 
of  Chicago  architects  including  Frank  Lloyd  Wright.  Charac- 
teristics of  the  style  include  a  long,  low  building  profile,  hip 
roofs  with  wide  overhanging  eaves  and  use  of  natural  materi- 
als appropriate  to  the  area  of  construction. 

PULVINATED  FRIEZE  A  cushion-shaped  or  semicircular 
frieze. 

PURLIN  A  horizontal  beam  which  supports  the  rafters  in  a 
roof.  Also  referred  to  as  a  purlin  plate. 
PYRAMIDAL  ROOF  A  roof  which  slopes  upward  from  all 
four  sides,  terminating  in  a  peak. 
QUAKER  PLAN  See  floor  plan  illustrations. 
QUARREL  A   small  piece  of  glass,   usually  square  or 
diamond-shaped;  often  set  diagonally. 
QUATREFOIL  A  four-lobed,  cloverleaf  pattern,  common  in 
Gothic  design. 

QUEEN  ANNE  STYLE  Popular  late-nineteenth-century  re- 
vival of  early  eighteenth-century  English  architecture,  charac- 
terized by  irregularity  of  plan  and  massing  and  a  variety  of 
textures. 

QUILL  A  small  bobbin  on  which  the  filling  is  wound  for  use 
in  a  shuttle. 

QUOIN  The  bricks  or  stones  laid  in  alternating  directions 
which  bond  and  form  the  exterior  comer  angle  of  a  wall. 
RABBET  A  groove. 

RACKING  The  face  of  masonry  which  is  alternately  in- 
dented in  the  coursing  to  receive  a  future  masonry  wall. 
RAFTER  END  The  end  of  a  sloping  beam  supporting  a 
pitched  roof,  often  exposed  as  part  of  a  bungalow  style 
design.  See  eaves  illustrations. 

RAFTERS  Structural  timbers  rising  from  eaves  to  ridge 
which  support  the  covering  of  a  pitched  roof. 
RAISED  PANEL  A  portion  of  a  flat  surface,  distinctly  set 
off  from  the  surrounding  area  by  a  molding  or  other  device, 
that  rises  above  the  surrounding  area. 
RAISED  SIDELIGHT  A  clerestory  of  the  monitor  type. 
RAKE  The  slope  or  pitch  of  a  roof. 
RANDOM  COURSED  STONE  Stone  laid  in  irregular 
courses  rather  than  in  rows. 

REEDED  Molded  with  a  series  of  closely-spaced,  parallel, 
half-round,  convex  profiles;  the  opposite  of  fluting. 
REINFORCED  CONCRETE  Concrete  in  which  steel  rods 
have  been  imbedded  for  extra  strength. 
RENAISSANCE  REVIVAL  Characterized  by  the  re-use  of 


the  classic  orders  and  an  emphasis  on  pictorial  impact;  revival 
of  designs  of  Renaissance  architects. 
RETURNS  The  continuation  of  wall  cornices,  at  right  angles, 
partly  into  the  gable  ends  of  a  building. 
RIDGEPOLE  The  board  or  plank  at  the  apex  of  a  roof  and 
against  which  the  upper  ends  of  the  rafters  abut. 
RIPARIAN  RIGHT  A  right  of  access  to  or  of  use  of  the 
shore,  bed  and  water  of  a  natural  watercourse. 
RISER  Upright  piece  of  a  step  from  tread  to  tread. 
ROLLER  MILL  A  type  of  grist  mill,  introduced  in  the 
United  States  shortly  after  the  Civil  War  and  in  widespread 
use  by  the  late  1880s.  Roller  mills  had  a  series  of  spirally 
fluted  rollers,  followed  by  pairs  of  plain  rollers,  in  contrast  to 
earlier  mill  types  that  had  one  or  two  pairs  of  grindstones. 
The  rollers  could  be  adjusted  to  produce  finer  grades  of  flour 
and  meal,  and  could  separate  the  oil  and  embryo  from  the  rest 
of  the  grain,   making  possible  the   manufacture  of  such 
by-products  as  corn  oil  and  fodder. 

ROMANESQUE  REVIVAL  Nineteenth  century  revival  of 
the  medieval  period  of  architecture  which  preceded  the  Gothic; 
characterized  particularly  by  the  use  of  the  round  arch,  often 

in  a  series.  The  style  is  sometimes  referred  to  as  "Richardson 

Romanesque."  Henry  Hobson  Richardson,  a  Boston  architect, 

was  one  of  the  foremost  practitioners  of  the  style. 

ROSE  HEAD  NAIL  A  handmade  nail  with  a  conical  head. 

ROSETTE  A  circular  floral  motif. 

ROUND  ARCH  An  arch  whose  curved  portion  is  a  full 

semi-circle. 

RUSTICATION  A  technique  whereby  joints  in  a  brick  or 

stone  wall  were  more  obviously  defined,  either  through 

beveling  or  rebating,  thus  creating  a  purposely  rough  surface 

with  exaggerated  joints. 

SADDLE  NOTCH  See  log  comer  timbering  illustrations. 

SADDLEBAG  PLAN  See  floor  plan  illustrations. 

SALTBOX  ROOF  See  roof  illustrations. 

SASH  From  French,  chassis,   "frame."  Frame  in  which 

glass  window  panes  are  set. 

SAWNWORK  The  ornamental,   sawn  woodwork  used  to 

decorate  Victorian  buildings. 

SAWTOOTH  SKYLIGHT  A  clerestory  that  projects  from 
the  main  roofline  at  an  angle  and  whose  profile  thus  gives  the 
appearance  of  teeth.  In  large  buildings,  such  as  textile  mills, 
sawtooth  skylights  are  set  in  several  rows  at  regular  intervals. 

SCALLOP  An  omament  or  other  piece  carved  or  molded  in 
the  form  of  a  shell,  such  as  a  scalloped  shingle. 


263 


ill 


r 


'•a 

i 

"I. 


SCORED  Having  lines  scratched  in  the  surface  of  a  material, 
often  in  stucco  in  imitation  of  cut  stone  or  bricic. 
SEAMLESS  BAGS  Bags  woven  for  flour  and  feed  which 
were  sewn  only  at  top  and  bottom,  not  along  the  sides.  The 
exact  type  of  loom,  first  installed  in  Randolph  at  Franklinville 
in  1872,  is  unknown.  It  probably  employed  a  "double  weave" 
technique,  weaving  two  layers  of  cloth  at  once  to  provide  a 
long,  continuous  tube. 

SECOND  EMPIRE  STYLE  Style  deriving  its  name  from 
the  French  Second  Empire,  the  reign  of  Napoleon  III  from 
1852-1870;  popular  in  America  primarily  from  I860  to  1880; 
characterized  particulariy  by  the  use  of  the  mansard  roof,  so 
that  it  is  frequently  referred  to  as  the  Mansard  Style. 
SECONDARY  CHORD  Single  or  joined  timbers  lying  be- 
tween upper  and  lower  chords  and  parallel  to  them,  giving 
added  strength  to  the  truss. 

SEGMENTAL  ARCH  An  arch  formed  on  a  segment  of  a 
circle  or  an  ellipse. 

SELVAGE  The  point  at  which  the  filling  yams  bind  the  warp 
to  form  a  finished  edge. 

SEMI-ENGAGED  PORCH  A  porch  whose  roof  form  a 
continuous  surface  with,  but  is  in  a  slightly  different  plan 
from,  the  roof  of  the  adjacent  building  mass. 
SHEATHING  Wood  siding  of  boards  set  flush  at  the  edges. 

SHED  1 .  A  lean-to  roof.  2.  The  room  created  by  a  lean-to.  3. 
The  space  between  separated  warp  yarns  through  which  the 
filling  yam  is  passed.  A  shed  is  created  by  raising  one  or  more 
of  the  harnesses. 

SHINGLE  STYLE  Architectural  style  of  the  period  1880- 
1900  typified  by  the  uniform  covering  of  unpainted  wood 
shingles  from  roof  to  foundation  walls. 

SHOULDER  The  sloping  shelf  created  on  the  side  of  a 

masonry  chimney  where  the  width  of  the  chimney  abruptly 

changes.  Also  called  "weathering." 

SHUTTLE  The  bullet-shaped  devide  which  carries  the  filling 

yam  back  and  forth  through  the  warp  in  a  loom. 

SHUTTLEBLOCK  A  blank  wooden  turning  from  which  a 

finished  shuttle  would  be  manufactured. 

SIDELIGHT  Vertical  rows  of  narrow  glass  panes  flanking  a 

door. 

SILL  The  horizontal  member  laid  just  above  the  foundation 
of  a  building;  also,  the  horizontal  closure  at  the  bottom  of  a 
door  or  window  frame. 

SINGLE  SHOULDER  CHIMNEY  An  exterior  chimney, 
the  sides  of  which  angle  inward  once  as  it  ascends  from 
bottom  to  top. 


SIX-OVER-SIX  SASH  A  sash  window  with  six  panes  of 
glass  in  the  upper  sash  and  six  in  the  lower.  (Nine-over-six 
would  denote  nine  panes  in  the  upper  sash  and  six  in  the 
lower,  etc.) 

SOFFIT  The  lower  horizontal  face  of  any  projecting  feature. 
SOLDIER  COURSE  A  row  of  brick  having  the  stretchers 
set  vertically. 

SPAN  The  length  of  a  bridge  between  abutments  or  piers. 
CLEAR  SPAN  is  the  distance  across  a  bridge  having  no 
intermediate  support,  and  measured  from  the  face  of  one 
abutment  to  the  face  of  the  other.  The  length  usually  given  in 
for  the  TRUSS  SPAN,  i.e.,  the  length  between  one  endpost  of 
the  truss  and  the  other,  regardless  of  how  far  the  truss  may 
overreach  the  actual  abutment.  Bridges  of  more  than  one  span 
are  called  MULTI-SPAN  BRIDGES. 

SPANDREL  A  wall  panel  filling  the  space  between  the  top 
of  the  window  in  one  story  and  the  sill  of  the  windows  in  the 
story  above. 

SPINDLE  Part  of  a  spinning  frame;  a  slender  rod  or  pin 
carrying  a  bobbin  on  which  yarn  is  twisted  and  wound. 
SPINDLEWORK  A  row  of  spindles  included  as  the  upper- 
most decorative  feature  of  a  gallery  or  porch  below  the 
cornice,  also  known  as  an  open-work  frieze. 
SPINNING  The  process  of  drawing  out  and  twisting  loose 
fibers  to  form  a  continuous  strand  of  yam. 
STEPPED  GABLE  Sec  roof  illustrations. 

STEPPED  SHOULDER  CHIMNEY  Sec  chimney  illustra- 
tions. 

STOOP  A  small  porch  or  platform  at  the  entrance  to  a  house. 
STORY-AND-A-HALF  BUILDING  A  one-story  building 
with  a  large  usable  attic. 

STRAP  HINGE  One  in  which  a  long  metal  "strap"  is 
attached  to  the  face  of  the  door  for  support;  usually  seen  in  the 
late  eighteenth  or  eariy  nineteenth  century  dwellings. 
STREETSCAPE  Term  coined  to  describe  the  physical  ap- 
pearance of  a  street  including  building  facades,  signage  and 
landscaping. 

STRETCHER  A  unit  of  masonry  placed  lengthwise  in  a 
course. 

STRIATED  BRICKWORK  Brickwork  with  bands  at  regu- 
lar intervals  that  are  distinguished  from  the  surrounding 
masonry  by  color,  texture  or  elevation. 
STRING  COURSE  A  projecting  course  of  bricks  or  other 
material  forming  a  narrow  horizontal  strip  across  the  wall  of  a 
building. 

STRINGER  The  diagonal  stmctural  or  decorative  member 


of  the  outside  face  of  a  stair. 

STRUT  In  a  tmss,  a  rigid  member  which  acts  as  a  brace  or 
support.  It  differs  from  a  post  in  that  it  is  commonly  set  in  a 
diagonal  position  and  thus  serves  as  a  stiffener  by  triangulation. 
STUCCO  Plaster  for  exterior  walls. 
STUD  The  principal  vertical  supporting  element  in  a  wall. 
SUMMER  A  heavy  beam  crossing  a  ceiling  from  girt  to  girt 
and  supporting  the  floor  joists  above. 
SURROUND  The  frame  around  a  door  or  window,  some- 
times molded. 

SUSPENSION  ROD  (or  Hanger  Rod  or  Suspender)  Iron  rod 
usually  found  in  arch  bridges  or  in  connection  with  auxiliary 
arches  added  to  older  bridges,  attached  from  arch  to  floor 
beams  to  aid  in  supporting  the  roadway. 
SYMMETRICAL  MOLDING  A  decorative  surround  that 
has  an  idential  molded  treatment  on  all  of  its  sides,  often 
punctuated  by  comer  blocks. 

SYMMETRY  A  balance  achieved  by  having  an  exact  corre- 
spondence in  size,  shape  and  relative  position  of  parts  on  each 
side  of  a  center  or  axis. 

TAILRACE  The  lower  millrace,  which  carries  the  water 
discharged  from  the  waterwheel  back  into  the  stream. 
TERRA  COTTA  From  Latin,  "cooked  earth."  A  ceramic 
material  made  from  clay  slip  poured  into  molds  and  fired; 
capable  of  assuming  many  forms;  widely  used,  1875-1930, 
as  a  sheathing  material — particulariy  when  glazed. 
TETRASTYLE  Of  a  portico  with  four  frontal  columns. 
THREE-PART  MITRED  SURROUND  .  An  enframement 
of  three  members  with  mitred  joints. 

THROUGH  TRUSS  A  covered  bridge  in  which  traffic  uses 
a  roadway  laid  on  the  lower  chords  between  the  tmsses.  Most 
covered  bridges  are  through  trusses. 
TIE  BEAM  A  horizontal  members  in  a  pitched  roof  or  truss 
placed  low  down  to  tie  together  the  opposing  angular  mem- 
bers and  keep  them  from  spreading  outward. 
TIE  ROD  I .  A  horizontal  iron  rod  attached  to  two  opposite 
walls  to  prevent  them  from  spreading.  Sometimes  referred  to 
as  tie  bolts  or  earthquake  bolts.  2.  Iron  rod  used  as  integral 
vertical  member  in  some  tmss  bridges  to  replace  wooden 
posts  between  upper  and  lower  chords.  Bridge  members  could 
be  tightened  by  adjusting  nuts  against  washers  on  the  ends  of 
the  rods.  Their  use  marked  the  first  step  in  transition  from 
wooden  bridges  to  bridges  made  entirely  of  iron. 
TIER  Layer  or  level,  as  in  the  two  levels  of  a  double-tier 
porch. 

TOWN  LATTICE  TRUSS  A  bridge  tmss  patented  in  1820 


264 


by  Connecticut  engineer  Ithiel  Town.  It  consisted  of  a  series 
of  overlapping  timber  triangles  connected  by  wooden  pins  at 
the  point  of  intersection.  Town  promoted  the  truss  for  the 
construction  of  cheap,  strong  bridges  which  could  be  built 
by  the  mile  and  cut  off  by  the  yard"  to  support  spans  up  to 
200  feet  in  length. 

TRABEATED  Used  here  to  refer  to  a  standard  entrance  with 
a  transom  and  sidelights. 

TRACERY  The  curvelinear  openwork  shapes  creating  a  pat- 
tern within  the  upper  part  of  a  Gothic  window  or  an  opening 
of  similar  character. 
TRANSOM  A  narrow  horizontal  window  unit  over  a  door. 

TRAP-DOOR  or  EYEBROW,  MONITOR  In  a  sloping 
roof,  a  large  section  which  is  raised  to  a  flatter  angle  as 
though  it  were  a  trap  door  hinged  at  the  top,  and  having  a 
window  inserted  in  the  opening.  Unlike  a  clerestory  monitor, 
it  does  not  run  the  entire  length  of  the  roof. 
TREAD  The  horizontal  part  of  a  step. 
TREFOIL  A  three-lobed,  cloverieaf  pattern,  common  in 
Gothic  design. 

TRESTLE  A  braced  framework  of  timbers,  piles  or  steel- 
work for  carrying  a  road  or  railroad  over  a  depression. 
TRIPLE-A  A  colloquial  term  used  to  describe  the  false 
center  gable  often  found  on  late  nineteenth,  early  twenti^^" 
century  domestic  roofs.  Also  used  as  a  name  for  a  vernacular 
house  containing  such  a  roof  configuration.  Term  is  denvea 
from  the  three  'A"  shaped  gables:  side,  front  and  side. 
TROMPE  D'OEIL  Illusionistic  painting  creating  a  trick  of 
the  eye. 

TRUSS  Structural  triangles  formed  of  iron,  steel  or  wooden 
beams,  joined  with  pins  or  rivets,  the  arrangement  ot  wmcn 
determines  the  specific  truss  type. 


TUB  WHEEL  A  horizontal  wheel  mounted  in  a  tub  con- 
structed of  wooden  slats  and  reinforced  with  iron  hoops.  It 
receives  water  through  a  tube  that  enters  the  tub  at  an  angle, 
rotating  the  wheel  by  percussion. 

TUDOR  REVIVAL  Based  on  English  Gothic  architecture 
and  featuring  round  arches  with  points,  half-timbering,  low- 
relief  vertical  ribs,  combinations  of  brick,  stone,  stucco  and 
wood,  crenellated  parapets  and  other  Gothic  forms. 
TUMBLED  SHOULDER  Chimney  shoulder  consisting  of 
a  sloping  course  of  brickwork  which  intersects  a  horizontal 
course.  The  technique  is  also  called  "mouse-toothing." 
TURBINE  A  horizontal  wheel  of  great  power  and  efficiency; 
really  a  hydraulic  motor  in  which  water  flowing  through  the 
machine  turns  a  vaned  wheel  or  runner  with  great  force. 
TURNBUCKLE  A  metal  loop  fashioned  with  a  screw  at  one 
end  and  a  swivel  at  the  other,  used  in  some  covered  bridge 
trusses  to  tighten  iron  rods  and  thus  overcome  sagging. 
TURNED  Fashioned  on  a  lathe,  as  a  spindle,  baluster  or 
porch  post. 

TURRET  A  diminutive  tower,  characteristically  corbeled 
from  a  comer. 

TUSCAN  ORDER  The  simplest  and  most  massive  classical 
order  supposedly  derived  from  Etruscan  temples;  with  unfluted 
columns,  unadorned  capitals  and  plain  entablatures. 
TWO-PANELED  DOOR  A  single-leaf  door  with  two  verti- 
cal panels,  characteristic  of  the  Greek  Revival  style. 
TYMPANUM  The  triangular  or  segmental  space  enclosed 
by  a  pediment  or  arch,  or  similar  space  above  a  door  or 
window. 

UNDERSHOT  WHEEL  A  vertical  wheel  rotated  by  the 
percussion  of  water  striking  a  series  of  paddles  at  the  base  of 
the  wheel. 
VAULT  An  arched  roof  or  ceiling  constructed  in  masonry; 


sometimes  simulated  in  wood  and  plaster.  An  arch  or  a 
combination  of  arches  used  to  cover  a  space. 
VERANDA,  VERANDAH  From  Hindi,  varanda,  which  is 
partly  from  Portuguese,  varanda,  akin  to  Spanish,  baranda, 
"railing."  A  covered  porch  extending  along  the  outside  of  a 
building,  planned  for  summer  leisure. 
VERNACULAR  In  architecture  as  in  language,  the  non- 
academic  local  expressions  of  a  particular  region.  For  example, 
a  vernacular  Greek  Revival  structure  draws  ideas  from  formal 
classical  architecture  and  interprets  them  in  an  individual  way 
to  suit  local  needs,  tastes  and  technology. 
VESTIBULE  A  hall  between  the  outer  door  and  the  main 
part  of  a  building. 

VICTORIAN  Characteristic  architecture  from  the  reign  of 
Queen  Victoria  (1837-1901);  includes  a  number  of  individu- 
ally distinctive  styles  but  primarily  characterized  by  fanciful 
wooden  ornamentation  or  "gingerbread." 

VOLUTE  A  spiral  scroll;  especially  that  which  forms  the 

distinctive  features  of  the  Ionic  capital. 

VOUSSOIR  One  of  the  wedge-like  stones  which  form  an 

arch;  the  middle  one  is  called  a  keystone. 

WAINSCOT  Facing  or  paneling  applied  to  the  lower  part  of 

a  wall  in  a  room  and  usually  capped  by  a  chair  rail. 

WATER  TABLE  A  projecting  ledge  or  molding  running 
along  the  sides  of  a  building  near  the  foundation  to  shed  the 
rain. 

WEATHERBOARD  Wood  siding  consisting  of  overlapping 
boards  usually  thicker  at  one  edge  than  the  other. 
WINDER  A  wedge-shaped  step. 

WOOD  GRAINING  Painted  treatment  on  wood  panels  simu- 
lating patterns  of  wood  grain,  sometimes  to  the  point  of 
exotic  abstraction. 


265 


Dormer  Types 


r 

s 

i'i 
Si 

^1 


Gable 
With  Return 


Pedimented 
Gable 


Shed 


Hipped 


Eaves 


Rafter  End 


racket 


Soffit 
Frieze 


Bracketed  Cornice 


Box  Cornice 


268 


jm 


Door  Types 


Classical  Orders 


I     I     !     I 


n 


!i 


Vertical  Diagonal  Two- Panel  Uoor         Four-Panel  Door 

Board  and  Batten       Hoard  and  Batten 


J     ln.= 


J      'J, J 


Six-Panel   Doors 


DD 


L 


Trench  Door 


L 

r 


J 


Double  Leaf 
With   Panels 


ic 


'Umaumw 


Tuscan  Greek  Doric 


Ionic 


Corinthian 


Composite 


269 


Hi 


Brick  Bond  Patterns 


III 


r 


3L 


t 


jC 


IC 


lOrOTJL 


3 


English  Bond 


Stretcher 


Header 


Flemish  Bond 


□□□□□□□□r 


American  Bond 


bi 


~Dnz:][ 


n 


]nz 


1      r 


Mechanical  Bond 


t:>i 
1(11 


Log  Corner  Timbering 


V'Notch 


Full  Dovclail 


Sqiiiirc  Notch 


Diamond  Notch 


^?1 


-W 


Half  Dovetail 


270 


Windows 


L      -1            i 

r     1      1 

-_, 1 1 

1  Over   1 


2  Over  2 


4  Over  4 


6  Over  6 


9  Over  9 


a]rj[:] 
nnnn 


12  Over  1 


PI! — ir- 

1    i!    <; 
1 — li — ii — 1 

L 

n 

__.i 

r 

i           1 

Bungaloid 


Latticed 
Bung'aloid 


Wails 


5  Cornice 
-     Picture  Molding 


Chair  rail 
Wainscot  Plain 

Baseboard 


rrSj 


dJ 


m 


Wainscot  Paneled 


L --^^-^  A 

Paneled 


271 


Porch  IVeatments 


III 


"l 

\f 

1' 

, 

»i. 

:i' 

ji 

''a 


Engiigei]  Porch 


Semi-eng-agod   Porch 


Double-Tier  Portico 


Stoop 


Doublo-Ticr  Porch 
V.ilh    Porch   Rooms 


Shed   Porch 


Portico 


272 


BIBLIOGRAPHY. 


PRIMARY  SOURCES 

MANUSCRIPTS 

Asheboro,  N.C.  Randolph  County  Courthouse. 
Record  of  Deeds. 
County  Commissioners' Minutes. 
Asheboro,  N.C.  Randolph  Room,  Asheboro  Public  Library. 
Acme-McCrary  Corporation  50th  Anniversary  bro- 
chure, 1959.  ,- 
Asheboro  Chamber  of  Commerce  brochures,  ca.  IV/J, 

1930,1933,1941. 
Asheboro  Chamber  of  Commerce  pamphlet,  1^33- 
"Fayetteville  Street  School." 
Mrs.  Laura  Worth,  "Manuscript  Notebook  No.\. 
Asheboro,  N.  C.  Sulon  B.  Stedman,  "Historical  Summary, 
19  December  1960.  Typescript  in  the  possession  of  Mrs. 
Marion  Stedman  Covington.  . 

Asheboro,  N.  C.  Mrs.  J.  L.  Winningham.  "Memones  of  Old 

Asheboro."  ,.       „     ,,^ 

Chapel  Hill,  N.  C.  University  of  North  Carolina,  Southern 

Historical  Collection. 

Simeon  Colton,  Diary,  1955. 
Henry  E.  McCuUoh  Survey  Book. 
Raleigh,  N.C.  North  Carolina  Division  of  Archives  ana 
History.  „      .  „^ 

Minutes  of  the  Court  of  Pleas  and  Quarter  Sessions, 

Randolph  County ,  North  Carolina. 
'  'Return  of  the  Cotton  Machine  for  the  Year  1  Wl, 
C.R.  081.701 .  S,  Miscellaneous  tax  records,  Ran- 
dolph County  papers.  .  .^ 
Session  Record  of  the  North  Carolina  Legislature  (m- 
vate  Acts),  1829-1883). 

FEDERAL  DOCUMENTS 

Third  Census  of  the  United  States,  1810.  Randolph  County, 

North  Carolina.  Industrial  Schedule.  ^-^..^.v 

Ninth  Census  of  the  United  States,  1870.  Randolph  County, 

North  Carolina.  Industrial  Schedule. 

DIRECTORIES 

Branson,  Rev.  Levi,  ed.  The  North  Carolina  Business  Direc- 
tory. Raleigh:  J.  A.  Jones,  for  the  author,  1872. 

Branson,  Rev.  Levi,  ed.  The  North  Carolina  Business  Direc- 
tory. Raleigh:  L.  Branson,  Publisher,  1877-1878. 

Branson,  Rev.  Levi,  ed.  Branson's  North  Carolina  Business 


Directory.  Raleigh:  Levi  Branson,  Publisher,  1884,  1889, 
1896,  and  1897. 

BOOKS 

Benjamin,  Asher.  The  Practical  House  Carpenter.  Boston: 
Asher  Benjamin,  R.  P.  &  C.  Williams,  and  Annin  & 
Smith,  1830. 
Blair,  J.  A.  Reminiscences  of  Randolph  County.  Greensboro: 
Reece  and  Elam,  1890;  reprint  ed.,  Asheboro,  N.C:  Ran- 
dolph County  Historical  Society,  1978. 
Caruthers,  E.  W.  Interesting  Revolutionary  Incidents:  And 
Sketches  of  Characters,  Chiefly  in  the  -'Old  North  State." 
Philadelphia:  Hayes  and  Zell,  1856. 
Clark,  Walter,  ed.  The  State  Records  of  North  Carolina. 
Winston  and  Goldsboro:  State  of  North  Carolina,  16  vols. , 
1895-1907. 
Corbitt,  David  Leroy ,  ed.  Public  Addresses  and  Papers  of 
Robert  Gregg  Cherry,  Governor  of  North  Carolina.  1945- 
1949.  Raleigh:  Council  of  State,  State  of  North  Carolina, 
1951. 
Fanning,  David.  The  Narrative  of  Colonel  David  Fanning. 
Richmond,  Va.:  by  the  author,  1861;  reprint  ed.,  Spartan- 
burg; The  Reprint  Co.,  1973. 
Fries,  Adelaide  L.,  ed.  Records  of  the  Moravians  in  North 
Carolina.  Vol.  II.  Raleigh:  Edwards  and  Broughton  Print- 
ing Company,  state  printers,  1925. 
Kimrey ,  Grace  Saunders.  The  Morning  Star:  A  History  of 

Ramseur.  Ramseur,  N.C:  By  the  author,  1976. 
Lefler,  Hugh  Talmage,  ed.  A  New  Voyage  to  Carolina  by 
John  Lawson.  Chapel  Hill:  The  University  of  North  Caro- 
lina Press,  1967. 
Lossing,  B.  J.  Pictorial  Field  Book  of  the  Revolution.  New 

York:  Harper  and  Brothers,  2  vols.,  1855. 
Robins,  Sidney  Swaim.  Sketches  of  My  Asheboro:  Asheboro. 
North  Carolina,  1880-1910.  Asheboro:  Randolph  Histori- 
cal Society,  1972. 
Saunders,  William  L. ,  ed.  The  Colonial  Records  of  North 
Carolina.  Raleigh:  State  of  North  Carolina,  10  vols., 
1886-1890. 
Simpson  Nancy  W. ,  comp.  1850  Randolph  County  Census, 
North  Carolina.  Wilkesboro,  N.  C:  Nancy  W.  Simpson, 
n.d. 
PERIODICALS 
The  Bulletin  and  The  Randleman  News  (Asheboro,  N.C.) 


The  Courier  (Asheboro,  N.C.) 

Courier-Tribune  (Asheboro,  N.C.) 

Goodwell,  Mrs.  Kenneth.  "Thomas  T.  Newby's  Book,  Part 
IV,  1856-1857."  The  Genealogical  Journal  of  the  Ran- 
dolph County  Genealogical  Society  5  (Winter  1981):  3-7. 

Greensboro  (N.C.)  Daily  News 

The  Greensboro  (N.C.)  Patriot 

The  High  Point  (N.C.)  Enterprise 

The  High  Point  (N.C.)  News 

Raleigh  (N.C.)  Register 

Randolph  Guide  (Asheboro,  N.C.) 

Southern  Citizen  (Asheboro,  N.C.) 

The  Tribune  (Asheboro,  N.C.) 

PAMPHLETS 

Hammer,  Mrs.  W.  C,  and  Lambert,  Miss  Massa  E.  "His- 
torical Sketch  of  Asheboro,"  Asheboro  (N.C.)  Courier- 
Tribune,  1938;  reprinted,  Asheboro:  Randolph  County 
Historical  Society,  1968. 

SECONDARY  SOURCES 

BOOKS 

Allen,  Richard  S.  Covered  Bridges  of  the  South.  Brattleboro, 

Vermont:  The  Stephen  Greene  Press,  1959. 
Amett,  Ethel  S.  The  Saura  and  Keyauwee  in  the  Land  that 
Became  Guilford,  Randolph,  and  Rockingham.  Greens- 
boro: Media,  Inc.  1975. 
Amett,  Ethel  S.  William  Swaim.  Fighting  Editor:  The  Story 
ofO.  Henry's  Grandfather.  Greensboro:  Piedmont  Press, 
1963. 
Atwater,  Mary  Meigs.  The  Shuttlecraft  Book  of  American 

Hand-Weaving.  New  York:  MacmillanCo.,  1951. 
Auman,  Dorothy,  and  Auman,  Walter.  Seagrove  Area.  Ashe- 
boro, N.C:  Village  Printing  Company,  1976. 
Blumenson,  John.  Identifying  American  Architecture:  A  Pic- 
torial Guide  to  Styles  and  Terms,  1600-1945.  Nashville: 
American  Association  for  State  and  Local  History,  1977. 
Brenner,  Nancy  F. ,  ed.  Randolph  Public  Library  and  its 
Community:  A  Community-Library  Analysis.  Asheboro, 
N.C:  Randolph  Public  Library,  1979. 
Buchanan,  Paul  E.  "The  Eighteenth-Century  Frame  Houses 
of  Tidewater  Virginia."  In  Building  Early  America,  pp. 
54-73.  Edited  by  Charles  E.  Peterson.  Radnor,  Pa.:  Chil- 
ton Book  Company,  1976. 


273 


Ill 


> 

i 


Burgess,  Fred.  "Randolph  County;  Economic  and  Social." 
A  Laboratory  Study  at  the  University  of  North  Carolina  at 
Chapel  Hill,  Department  of  Rural  Social  Economics.  Ashe- 
boro,  N.C.:  Randolph  County  Historical  Society,  reprint 
of  1924  edition,  1969. 

Caldwell,  Bettie  D.,  comp.  Founders  and  Builders  of 
Greensboro,  1808-1908.  Greensboro:  J.  J.  Stone  and 
Company,  1925. 

Carroll,  Charles.  Rhode  Island:  Three  Centuries  of  Democ- 
racy. New  York:  Lewis  Historical  Publishing  Company, 
Inc.,  vol.  3,  1932. 

Cathey,  Cornelius  O.  Agricultural  Developments  in  North 
Carolina,  1783-1860.  Chapel  Hill:  The  University  of 
North  Carolina  Press,  James  Sprunt  Studies  in  History  and 
Political  Science,  vol.  38,  1956. 

Chaffin,  Nora  Campbell.  Trinity  College,  1839-1892:  The 
Beginnings  of  Duke  University.  Durham:  The  Duke  Uni- 
versity Press,  1950. 

Chapin,  F.  Stuart,  and  Weiss,  Shirley  P.,  eds.  Urban  Growth 
Dynamics  in  a  Regional  Cluster  of  Cities.  New  York:  John 
Wiley  and  Sons,  Inc.,  1962. 

Cheney,  John  L.,  Jr.,  ed.  North  Carolina  Government,  1585- 
1974:  A  Narrative  and  Statistical  History.  Raleigh:  North 
Carolina  Department  of  the  Secretary  of  State,  1975. 

Clay,  James  W.;  Orr,  Douglas  M.,  Jr.;  and  Stuart,  Alfred 
W. ,  eds.  North  Carolina  Atlas:  Portrait  of  a  Changing 
Southern  State.  Chapel  Hill:  University  of  North  Carolina 
Press,  1975. 

Corbitt,  David  Leroy.  The  Formation  of  the  North  Carolina 
Counties  1663-1943.  Raleigh:  North  Carolina  State  De- 
partment of  Archives  and  History,  1950. 

Davidson  County  Historical  Association.  Historical  Gleam- 
ings  of  Davidson  County,  North  Carolina.  Reeds,  N.C.: 
Baker  Printing  Company,  1976. 

Dowd,  Jerome.  The  Life  of  Braxton  Craven.  Raleigh:  Ed- 
wards and  Broughton,  1896. 

Downing,  A.  J.  The  Architecture  of  Country  Houses.  New 
York:  Appleton,  1851.  Reprint  edition.  New  York:  Dover 
Publications,  Inc.,  1969. 

Dun  well,  Steve.  The  Run  of  the  Mill:  A  Pictorial  Narrative  of 
the  Expansion,  Dominion,  Decline  and  Enduring  Impact  of 
the  New  England  Textile  Industry.  Boston:  David  R.  Go- 
dine,  1978. 

Ezell,  John  S.  The  South  Since  1865.  New  York:  The  Mac- 
millan  Company,  1963. 

Fleming,  John;  Honour,  Hugh;  and  Pevsner,  Nikolaus.  The 
Penguin  Dictionary  of  Architecture .  Baltimore:  Penguin 
Books,  Inc.,  1966. 

Franklin,  John  Hope.  The  Free  Negro  in  North  Carolina, 
1790-1860.  New  York:  W.  W.  Norton  and  Company, 


Inc.,  1971. 

Harris,  Cyril  M. ,  ed.  Dictionary  of  Architecture  and  Con- 
struction. New  York:  McGraw-Hill,  1975. 

Harris,  Cyril  M.,  ed.  Historic  Architecture  Sourcebook.  New 
York:  McGraw-Hill,  1977. 

Hinshaw,  Seth  B.  Friends  at  Holly  Spring.  Greensboro:  The 
North  Carolina  Friends  Historical  Society,  1982. 

Hinshaw,  Seth  B.,  and  Hinshaw,  Mary  Edith,  eds.  Carolina 
Quakers:  Our  Heritage  of  Hope.  Greensboro:  Society  of 
Friends  North  Carolina  Yearly  Meeting,  1972. 

Hoffman,  William  S.  Andrew  Jackson  and  North  Carolina 
Politics.  Chapel  Hill:  The  University  of  North  Carolina 
Press,  James  Sprunt  Studies  in  History  and  Political  Sci- 
ence, vol.  40,  1958. 

Huggins,  Maloy  A.  A  History  of  North  Carolina  Baptist, 
1727-1932.  Raleigh:  The  General  Board,  Baptist  State 
Convention  of  North  Carolina,  1967. 

Hunter,  Louis  C.  A  History  of  Industrial  Power  in  the  United 
States,  1780-1930.  Vol.  I.  Waterpower  in  the  Century  of 
the  Steam  Engine.  Charlottesville:  The  University  Press  of 
Virginia,  1979. 

Jacobs,  David,  and  Neville,  Anthony  E.  Bridges,  Canals  and 
Tunnels.  New  York:  American  Heritage  Publishing  Com- 
pany, Inc.,  1968. 

Johnston,  Frances  Benjamin,  and  Waterman,  Thomas  Tiles- 
ton.  The  Early  Architecture  of  North  Carolina.  Chapel 
Hill:  The  University  of  North  Carolina  Press,  1947. 

Jones,  Rufus  M.  The  Quakers  in  the  American  Colonies. 
New  York:  W.  W.  Norton  and  Company,  Inc.,  1966. 

Jordy,  William  H.,  and  Pierson,  William  H.,  Jr.  American 
Buildings  and  Their  Architects.  Garden  City,  N.Y.:  Dou- 
bledayandCo.,Inc.,4vols.,  1970. 

Kaplan,  Peter  R.  The  Historic  Architecture  of  Cabarrus 
County,  North  Carolina.  Concord,  N.C.:  Historic  Cabar- 
rus, Inc.,  1981. 

Konkle,  Burton  Alva.  John  Motley  Morehead  and  the  Devel- 
opment of  North  Carolina  1796-1866.  Philadelphia:  Wil- 
liam J.  Campbell,  1922.  Reprint  edition,  Spartanburg, 
S.C:  The  Reprint  Company,  1971. 

Kuhlman,  Charles  B.  Development  of  the  Flour  Milling  In- 
dustry in  the  United  States.  Boston,  New  York:  Houghton 
Mifflin  Company,  1929.  Reprint  edition,  Clifton,  N.J.: 
Augustus  M.  Kelley,  1968. 

Lambert,  L.  B.  Retrospect:  Reminiscences  of  Printers  and 
Printing  inAsheboro,  N.C.  1907-1957.  Asheboro:  Hun- 
sucker  Printing  Co.,  1957. 

Lefler,  Hugh  Talmage,  and  Newsome,  Albert  Ray.  North 
Carolina:  The  History  of  a  Southern  State.  Chapel  Hill: 
University  of  North  Carolina  Press,  1973. 

Lewis  Publishing  Company,  gen.  ed.  History  of  North  Caro- 


lina. 6  vols.  Chicago:  Lewis  Publishing  Co.,  1919.  Vol.  1: 
The  Colonial  and  Revolutionary  Records,  1584-1783,  by 
R.  D.  W.  Connor;  Vol.  2:  The  Federal  Period  1783-1860, 
by  William  K.  Boyd;  Vol.  3:  North  Carolina  Since  1860, 
by  J.  G.  de  Roulhac  Hamilton;  Vols.  4-6:  North  Carolina 
Biography,  by  a  Special  Staff  of  Writers. 

McPherson,  Holt,  ed.  High  Pointers  of  High  Point.  High 
Point,  N.C:  Chamber  of  Commerce,  1976. 

Nicholson,  Roy  S.  Wesleyan  Methodism  in  the  South.  Syra- 
cuse, N.Y.:  The  Wesleyan  Methodist  Publishing  House, 
1933. 

Randolph  County  Historical  Society.  Randolph  County, 
1779-1979.  Winston-Salem:  Hunter  Publishing  Company, 
1980. 

Roberts,  Bruce.  The  Carolina  Gold  Rush.  Charlotte:  Mc- 
NallyandLoftin,  1972. 

Rotary  Club  of  Randleman.  History  ofRandleman.  Randle- 
man,  N.C:  Rotary  Club  ofRandleman,  1944. 

Roth,  Leiand  M.  A  Concise  History  of  American  Architec- 
ture. New  York:  Harper  and  Row,  1979. 

Schlesinger,  Arthur  M.,  Jr.  The  Age  of  Jackson.  Boston:  Lit- 
tle, Brown  and  Company,  1945. 

Sharpe,  Bill.  A  New  Geography  of  North  Carolina,  vol.  2. 
Raleigh:  Sharpe  Publishing  Company,  1958. 

Steen,  Herman.  Flour  Milling  in  America.  Minneapolis: 
Dennison,  1963.  Reprint  edition,  Westport,  Conn.:  Green- 
wood Press  1973. 

Stockard,  Sallie  W.  The  History  of  Guilford  County,  North 
Carolina.  Knoxville:  Gaut-OgdenCo.,  1902. 

Stuckey,  Jasper  Leonidas.  North  Carolina:  Its  Geology  and 
Mineral  Resources.  Raleigh:  North  Carolina  Department 
of  Conservation  and  Development,  1965. 

Summerson,  John  N.  The  Classical  Language  of  Architec- 
ture. Cambridge:  M.I.T.  Press,  1966. 

Swaim,  Doug,  ed.  Carolina  Dwelling:  Towards  Preservation 
of  Place  in  Celebration  of  The  North  Carolina  Vernacular 
Landscape.  Raleigh:  North  Carolina  State  University, 
1978. 

Thompson,  Holland.  From  the  Cotton  Field  to  the  Cotton 
Mill:  A  Study  of  Industrial  Transition  in  North  Carolina. 
New  York:  The  Macmillan  Co.,  1906. 

Van  Dresser,  Peter.  "The  Coming  Solar  Age."  In  The  Sub- 
versive Science:  Essays  Toward  an  Ecology  of  Man.  Edited 
by  Paul  Shepard  and  Daniel  McKinley.  Boston:  Houghton 
Mifflin,  1969. 

Vogt,  William.  The  Road  to  Survival.  New  York:  William 
Sloane  Associates,  Inc.,  1948. 

Waterman,  Thomas  Tileston.  The  Dwellings  of  Colonial 
America.  Chapel  Hill:  The  University  of  North  Carolina 
Press,  1950. 


274 


Waterman,  Thomas  Tileston.  The  Mansions  of  Virginia, 

1706-1776.  New  York:  Bonanza  Books,  1945. 
Whiffen,  Marcus.  The  Eighteenth-Century  Houses  of  Wil- 
liamsburg: A  Study  of  Architecture  and  Budding  m  the  Co- 
lonial Capital  of  Virginia.  Williamsburg,  Va.:  Colonial 
Williamsburg  Foundation,  1984. 
Woodward,  Vann  C.  The  Burden  of  Southern  History.  Baton 

Rouge:  Louisiana  State  University  Press,  1968. 
Woodward,  Vann  C.  Origins  of  the  New  South,  18, 7-191  J. 

Baton  Rouge:  Louisiana  State  University  Press,  1951 . 
Zuber,  Richard  L.  Jonathan  Worth:  A  Biography  of  a  South- 
ern Unionist.  Chapel  Hill:  University  of  North  Carolina 
Press,  1965. 
PERIODICALS 

Bishir,  Catherine  W.  "Asher  Benjamin's  Practical  House 
Carpenter  in  North  Carolina."  Carolina  Comments  2 1 
(May  1979):  66-74.  ,  ,,     ,  _ 

Burton,  Hoyle  S.,  ed.  "Naomi  Wise  Ballad."  North  Caro- 
lina Folklore  I  (}unt\94?,).U-\5. 
Davenport,  John  Scott.  "Earliest  Pfautz/Fouts  Families  in 
America."  National  Genealogical  Society  Quarterly  bi 
(December  1975):  243-263.  u   m  ^h  r.rnlina 

Davenport,  John  Scott.  "Early  Settlers  in  the  North  Carolina 
Piedmont-on  Lands  sold  by  Henry  McCulloh  within 
Granville's  District,  1749-1763."  The  North  Carol.m  Ge- 
nealogical Society  Journal  4,  no.  2  (May  If^j)-/^^;"^^ 
Griffin,  Richard  W.  "Reconstruction  of  the  North  Carolina 
Textile  Industry,  1865-1885."  The  North  Carolina  Histor- 
ical Review  4\  (imuary  1964):  34-53.  ..„.    p„„._ 
Griffin,  Richard  W. ,  and  Standard,  Diffee  W.  Jhe  Cotton 
Textile  Industry  in  Ante-Bellum  North  Carolina.  Part  L 
Origin  and  Growth  to  1830."  The  North  Carolina  Histori- 
cal Review  34  {ianunry  \957):  \5-35 .  r„ttnn 
Griffin,  Richard  W. ,  and  Standard,  Diffee  W.    The  Cot  on 
Textile  Industry  in  Ante-Bellum  North  Carolina.  Part  U, 
An  Era  of  Boom  and  Consolidation,  1830- 186a    ine 
North  Carolina  Historical  Review  34  (Apn\  195/).  iJi- 

164 
Hatcher,  Susan  Tucker.  "North  Carolina  Quakers:  Bona 


Fide  Abolitionists."  The  Southern  Friend:  Journal  of  the 
North  Carolina  Friends  Historical  Society  1  (Autumn 

1979):  81-99.  .     . 

Johnson,  Clifton  H.  "Abolitionist  Missionary  Activities  in 

North  Carolina."  North  Carolina  Historical  Review  40 

(July  1963):  295-320. 
Kahn,  Renee.  "Post-Victorian  Domestic  Architecture:  Ihe 

American  Foursquare."  The  Old-House  Journal  10  (Feb- 
ruary 1982):  29-32. 
Kahn,  Renee.  "Post-Victorian  Domestic  Architecture:  ihe 

Dutch  Colonial  Revival  Style."  The  Old-House  Journal 

10  (May  1982):  99-102 
Kniffen,  Fred.  "On  Comer-Timbering."  Pioneer  America. 

(January  1969):  1-8. 
Labine,  Clem.  "Post-Victorian  Domestic  Architecture:  Ihe 

Homestead  House."  The  Old-House  Journal  10  (March 

1982):  55-57.  ,  .  _ 

Labine,  Clem.  "Post-Victorian  Domestic  Architecture:  ine 
Princess  Anne  House."  The  Old-House  Journal  10  (July 
1982):  135-137. 

Labine,  Clem,  and  Poore,  Patricia.  "The  Comfortable 
House:  Post- Victorian  Domestic  Architecture."  The  OW- 
WoMieyoMrna/ 10  (January  1982):  1-8. 

Linden,  Fabian.  "Repercussions  of  Manufacturing  in  the 
Ante-Bellum  South."  The  North  Carolina  Historical  Re- 
view 11  {October  \940):  3\3-33\ . 

Paschal,  G.  W.,  ed.  "Morgan  Edwards'  Materials  Towards  a 
History  of  the  Baptists  in  the  Province  of  North  Carolina^ 
North  Carolina  Historical  Review  7  (July  1930):  365-399. 

Sherrill,  Paul  M.  "The  Quakers  and  the  North  Carolina 
Manumission  Society."  Historical  Papers,  Trinity  College 
HistoricalSociety  10(1914):  32-51. 

Starling,  Robert  B.  "The  Plank  Road  Movement  in  North  Car- 
olina, Part  11."  The  North  Carolina  Historical  Review  16(Apnl 
1939):  147-173.  .     .     „ 

Tolbert,  Noble  J.  "Daniel  Worth:  Tar  Heel  Abolitionist 
North  Carolina  Historical  Review  39  (July  1962):  284- 

304.  ,_.j      , 

Whatley,  L.  McKay,  Jr.  "Courthouse  Petitions,  1785  and 
1788."  The  Genealogical  Journal  of  the  Randolph  County 


Genealogical  Society  3,  no.  1  (Fall  1978-79):  29-38. 
Whatley,  L.  McKay,  Jr.  "The  Mount  Shepherd  Pottery:  Cor- 
relating Archaeology  and  History."  VoMrna/  of  Early 
Southern  Decorative  Arts  6  (May  1980):  21-57. 

PAMPHLETS 

Flowers,  John  Braxton,  III.  Orange  Factory.  Durham,  N.C.: 

Orange  Factory  Preservation  Society,  1978. 
High  Point  Chamber  of  Commerce.  High  Point,  N.C.  1900- 

1910.  High  Point,  N.C:  Chamber  of  Commerce,  1947. 

UNPUBLISHED  WORKS 

Briggs,  Martha  T.  "Mill  Owners  and  Mill  Workers  in  an  An- 
tebellum North  Carolina  County."  Master's  thesis.  Uni- 
versity of  North  Carolina  at  Chapel  Hill,  1975 . 

Freeze,  Gary  R.  "Master  Mill  Man:  John  Milton  Odell  and 
Industrial  Development  in  Concord,  N.C."  Master's  the- 
sis. University  of  North  Carolina  at  Chapel  Hill,  1980. 

Little-Stokes,  Ruth,  and  Glass,  Brent.  "National  Register 
Nomination  for  Columbia  Manufacturing  Company."  Ra- 
leigh: Survey  and  Planning  Branch,  North  Carolina  Divi- 
sion of  Archives  and  History,  1977. 
MacDonald,  Lois.  "Southern  Mill  Hills:  A  Study  of  Social 
and  Economic  Forces  in  Certain  Textile  Mill  Villages." 
Ph.D.  dissertation.  New  York  University,  1928. 
Williford,  Jo  Ann,  and  Sumner,  Jim.  "National  Register 
Nomination  for  Calvin  Cassady  Bam."  Raleigh:  Survey 
and  Planning  Branch,  North  Carolina  Division  of  Archives 
and  History,  1980. 

INTERVIEWS 

Lounsbury,  Carl.  Alamance  Village,  N.C.  Interview,  7  Janu- 
ary 1982. 

Note:  The  author  conducted  hundreds  of  interviews  during 
the  course  of  the  survey  and  is  indebted  to  all  of  those  who 
gave  so  graciously  of  their  time  and  energy.  This  impor- 
tant oral  history  was  critical  to  the  project's  research 
process. 


275 


INDEX. 


Ill 


1 

!? 

1 

_ 

•• ' 

. 

51' 

Ji 

\ 

t 

1 

1 

1 

i 

Aberdeen  and  Asheboro  Railroad  188 
Aberdeen  and  West  End  Railroad  188 
"Abolition  Methodists"  SEE  Wesleyan 

Methodists 
Abram's  Creek  175 
Acme  Hosiery  Company  195,  233 
Acme-McCrary  Corporation  1 1 1 
Acme-McCrary  Hosiery  Mill  No.  3  217 
Acme-McCrary  Hosiery  mills  21 1 
Acme-McCrary  Recreation  Building  21 1 
Adamesque  style  38 
Adams-Millis  Corporation  18 
"Adirondack  Style"  52 
African  Pavilion  145 
"Akron  Plan"  churches  101 
Alamance  County  28,  34-35 
"Alamance  Plaids"  16 
Alamance  Village  16,  34 
Alberta  chair  works  20,  84 
Alexander,  Annie  218 

Kemp  (house)  218 
Allen  family  9 
Allen's  Fall  35,  79 
Allen's  Temple  A.M.E.  Church  233 
Allred,  Rev.  Joseph  Franklin  (house)  93 
M.M.  208 
Peter  98 

Thomas  W.  (carpenter)  24,  102-103 
Allred  Place  (Providence  TS)  71 
Alt,  John  (architect)  68 
"American  Foursquare"  style  47 
Andrews,  Hezekiah  L.  27 
Archdale,  N.C.  19,32,61  (map) 
Armfield,  W.  J.  (house)  197 

W.  J.,Jr.  195,208,211,212,243 
Armfield  Mausoleum  232 
Arnold,  John  174 
Arnold  house  (Concord  TS)  138 
Artisans  33 

Asbury,  Bishop  Francis  11,12 
Ashe,  Samuel  174 

Asheboro  and  Montgomery  Railroad  167,  188 
Asheboro  Argus  189 
Asheboro  Bank  and  Trust  Company  220 
Asheboro  Baptist  Church  196  (ill.) 
Asheboro  Chair  Factory  194 
Asheboro  City  Cemetery  232 
AsheboroCity  Hall  216 
Asheboro  Colored  Grade  School  236 

276 


Asheboro  courthouse  square  175,  176,  177 
Asheboro  Drug  Company  217 
Asheboro  Electric  Company  192,  218 
Asheboro  electric  plant  192-193 
Asheboro  Female  Academy  179,  197,  243 
Asheboro  Fire  Department  193 
Asheboro  High  School  242 
Asheboro  Hosiery  Mills  194,  195,  223 
Asheboro  incorporation  174,  177 
Asheboro  industrial  development  194-195 
Asheboro  Male  Academy  222 
Asheboro  medical  facilities  193-194 
Asheboro  Methodist  Episcopal  Church  232 
Asheboro  Motor  Car  Company  2 1 0 
Asheboro  Opera  House  213 
Asheboro  police  and  fire  departments  193 
Asheboro  Presbyterian  Church  207 
Asheboro  Printing  Company  221 
Asheboro  public  schools  193 
Asheboro-Randolph  County  Public  Library 

205 
Asheboro  Roller  Mill  96,  188,  192,  195 
Asheboro  streets  175-177,  194 
Asheboro  subdivisions  196-197 
Asheboro  Veneer  Company  195 
Asheboro  water  system  5,  193 
Asheboro  Wheelbarrow  Company  227,  233 
Ashlyn  Hotel  211 
Atkins,  Woodrow  (house)  150 
Auman, 205 

ArtemasR.  164,  165 

Frank  (house)  164 

Howard  164 

Hubert  164 

Jasper  (store)  165 

Jefferson  167 

Lynn  166 

Martin  161 

Tommie  R.  166 
Auman's  Chapel  161 
Aycock,  Gov.  Charles  66 

B 

Back  Creek  Friends  Meeting  9,  129 
Back  Creek  Steel  Bridge  143 
Back  Creek  Township  129  (map) 
Balanced  growth  20 
Baldwin,  Fred  189 
Balfour  252  (map) 
"Balloon-Frame"  construction  24 


Baltimore  Association  of  Friends  148 

Bank  of  Chatham  76 

Bank  of  Coleridge  154 

Bankof  Franklinville  102 

Bank  of  Randolph  189,  196,  212 

BankofSeagrove  165 

Baptists  8,  36 

Baptists,  "Separate"  74 

Barber  Shop  (Coleridge)  153 

Barker,  Argus  (house)  125 

Barnes,  Dr.  Dempsey  222 

Barnes-Griffin  Clinic  222 

Barrett,  Prof.  C.A.  236 

Barton,  Harry  (architect)  204,  236 

Barton's  Meeting  House  72 

Bash,  Grady  L.  (engineer)  137 

Bauhaus  240 

Bay  Doe  95 

Beaded  weatherboarding  38 

Bean,  J. W.  135 

Beane,  Allison  148 
Dempsey  (house)  162 

Beane  house  227 

Beane'sMill  148 

Beard,  Lewis  24 

Beechwood  197 

Beeson,  Seth  (house)  67 
Bell,  Martha  McGee  65-66 
Paul  122 
R.P.  (house)  122 
William  12,65-66,  174 
Bell's  Mill  14,66 
Bending  Mill  (Coleridge)  155 
Benjamin,  Asher24,41,  111 
Bernhardt,  Rev.  Christian  Eberhardt  73 
Bethel  Methodist  Protestant  Church  71 
Bird  hunting  52 
Bird,  William  160 
Blair,  Enos21 
Enos  (house)  53 
■I.  A.  188,256 
Quince  (house)  63 
Blair-Anthony  house  65 
Boarding  house  (Trinity)  57 
Bobbins  19 
Boling,  Dick  166 
Bookout,  Joseph  147 
Bossong,  Charles  G.  195 

Joseph C.  195 
Bossong  Hosiery  Mill  233 


Boyette  and  Richardson  drugstore  189 
Brady,  John  Emmett  (house)  89 

Sheriff  229 
Brady  Funeral  Home  85 
Branson,  Lewis  (contractor)  142 
Bray,  Ed  80 

Eli  (house)  38,  147 
Brewer,  W.L.  (architect)  44-45 
Brickmasons  23 
Bridges  24-28 
Briles,  Roland  A.  253 
Briles  Place  133 
Brittain,  J.L.  189 
Brokaw,  W.G.  (estate)  44-45,  52 

William  Gould  51 
Brokaw's  Mill  SEE  Miller's  Mill 
Brooks,  B.B.  27 
Brookshire,  Benjamin  142 
Brower,  Curtis  (house)  166 
J.A.  155 

Madison  (contractor)  27,  98 
Madison  (house)  98 
Brower  Township  158  (map) 
Brown,  Billy  114 
Daniel  145 

Dempsey  (house)  23,  24  (ill.),  39,  53 
John (house) 125 
M.  J.  (house)  230 
Moses  15 

Willard  (brickmason)  164 
Willard  (house)  146 
Brown-King  house  145 
Brown  family  81 
Bryant.  Stanhope  126 
Vivian  247 
Walter  247 
Buffalo  Ford  150 
Buffalo  Ford  Bridge  27 
Buie,  Hugh  B.  (house)  98 
J.T.  "Joe  "99 
James  (house)  103-104 
Matthew  Gilbert  "Gib"  98-99 
Bulla.  A.C.  (house)  40 
Dr.  A. C.  (house)  131 
A.N.  "Arch"  122.  125 
A.N. (house) 125 
Archie  Castelray  131 
Earl  130 
Bulla's  Grove  Methodist  Church  238 
Bunch,  Walter  A.  (house)  202 


Bunch  Post  Office  137 
Bungalow  226 
Bungalow  style  47 
Bunting,  H.  H.  (house)  185,  239 
Burgess  family  81 
Burkhead,  Arthur  (house)  203 
Ivey  (house)  138 
Rev.  J.  Frank  129,  203 
Rev.  J.  Frank  (house)  203 

Burlington  Industries  256 

Burns, (carpenter)  185 

Burns  Hotel  189 

Burroughs,  Susan  Lowdermilk  162 

Burrow,  J. A.  101 

Byrd,  Harry  80 


Cabinetmaking  13,  18 

Calah  Presbyterian  Church  1 50 

Cannon,  James  William  18 

Cape  Fear  and  Yadkin  Valley  Railroad  70,  77, 

93,  100 
Cape  Fear  River  6 
Capel,  A.W.E.  (house)  84 

Aaron  W.E.  84 
Capitol  Theatre  196 
Caraway  Baptist  Church  130 
Caraway  Creek  7 
Caraway  Mountains  7 
Carolina  Theatre  221 
Carolina  Wholesale  233 
"Carpenter  Gothic"  style  41 ,  79 
Carpenters  24 
Carr,  Julians.  58 
Carter,  H.B.  85 

Carter  Mercantile  Store  Company  85 
Cassady,  Calvin  (barn)  162 
Elizabeth  162 
John  162 
Catawba  River  7 
Caudle,  A.  B.  "Bart"  (house)  122 

J.N.  116 
Causey,  H.  C.  (contractor)  77 

H.C.  (house)  77 
Caveness,  John  M.  (house)  156 
Dr.  Robert  L.  155-156 
Dr.  Robert  L.  (house)  46  (ill.),  155 

Caviness, 243 

H.T.  220 
IM.211 
Cedar  Falls,  N.C.  16,  23,  33-36,  108  (map), 

109-111 
Cedar  Falls  Baptist  Church  109 
Cedar  Falls  Company  Store  36  (ill.) 
Cedar  Falls  covered  bridge  25 


Cedar  Falls  factory  16,  18 

Cedar  Falls  Manufacturing  Company  16,  18, 

29,  30  (ill.),  109-110 
Cedar  Falls  United  Methodist  Church  109 
Cedar  Fork  Creek  187 
Cedar  Grove  Township  (map)  141 
Center-Hall  plan  38 
Central  business  district  (Liberty)  76 
Central  Falls.  N.C.  18,  26,  37,  254  (map) 
Central  Falls  Manufacturing  Company  92,  256 
Central  Falls  School  255 
Central  Falls  United  Methodist  Church  256 

Central  Hotel  (Asheboro)  40,  41 ,  180-192 
(ill.),  185 

Central  Methodist  Church  (Asheboro)  242 

Central  School  236 

Chamness,  Miles  (house)  70 

Charlotte  Methodist  Protestant  Church  130 

(-|,ge)j^ (stonemason)  255 

Cherry,  R.  Gregg  20 

Church  of  Christ  (Liberty)  77 

Civil  War  deserters  184 

Civil  War  period  184 

Clark,  John  Washington  104,  107,  227 
Peter  (brickmason)  120 

Clerestory  monitor  roof  29 

Clifton,  Wiley  H.  27 

Coble  family  81 

Coffin,  Bethuel  101 

Elisha33,35,96,97,99,101,106 

John  M.  106 
Coffin-Scarboro  Company  219 
Coffin  family  9 

Cogswell.  Arthur  (architect)  248 
Cole,  James  155 
Coleman,  Edward  R.  80 
Coleridge,  N.C.  151  (map) 
Coleridge  Manufacturing  Company  133 
Coleridge  Township  146  (map) 
Coletrane,  Daniel  67 

David  65 

James  Ruffin  65 

William  (house)  37.  38  (.11.),  65 

Coletrane's  Mill  6,  67 
Colonial  revival  style  47 
Colton,  Simeon  179 
ColumbiaFactory31.32(ai.),99 

Columbia  Factory  Baptist  Church  88 
Columbia  Manufacturing  Company  8,  86 
Columbia  Manufacturing  Company  Store  36 
Columbia  Township  79  (map) 
Commercial  row  (Ramseur  85 
Commonwealth  Hosiery  Miin9.uy 

grrdMetUfstChurch(ConcordTS).39 


Concord  Methodist  Episcopal  Church  (Cole- 
ridge) 152 

Concord  Township  136  (map) 

Congregational  Christian  Church  (Ramseur) 
88 

Cook,  A.  72 

Cool  Springs  Missionary  Baptist  Church  91 

Cooper,  Clail  164,  165 
John  164,  165 

Copeland  House  83 

Cornelison,  Dave  (house)  164 

Cornwallis,  General  65,  66 

Corwith,  Henry  P.  196.  247 

Cottage  (Randleman)  119 

Cotton  gin  13,  14 

"Cotton  Row"  houses  (Franklinville)  34,  35 

(ill).  100 
Cotton  warehouse  (Cedar  Falls)  1 10 
Cotton  warehouse  (Coleridge)  154 
Cotton  warehouse  (Franklinville)  97 
Council,  John  T.  123 
Country  Club  Estates  197 
Courier-Tribune  20\ 
Covered  bridge  (Central  Falls)  256 
Covered  bridges  SEE  Bridges 
Cox,  Clark  92 

Clark  (house)  189 

Dennis  14,  168 

Dennis  (grist  mill)  168 

Ervin92,  145 

Evelyn  145 

Gilbert  150 

Harmon  12,  148 

J.W.80 

John C.  27 

Levi  148 

Mary  Jane  99 

Nathan  99 

Nathan  M.  99 

Nathan  W.  (house)  257  (ill.) 

O.J.  214 

O.R.  109,111,195 
O.R.  (Asheboro)  190 
O.R.  (Cedar  Falls)  109 
Raymond  (mill)  148 
Thomas  168 
Tom  A.  27 
Cox-Lewis  Hardware  Store  214,  22/ 

Cox  family  9 

Cox  Grist  Mill  SEE  Cox,  Dennis 

Cox's  Dam  92 

Cox's  Mill  SEE  Cox,  Raymond 

Coxe,  Hammond  148 

Coxe's  Mill  148 

Cozins,  Grief  (builder)  14 


Cranford.  C.C.  137,  192,  195.  223.  225 
Cranford  Building  219 
Cranford  Chair  Company  223 
Cranford  Furniture  Company  223,  250 
Craven,  Braxton  43,  57,  127 

Braxton  (house)  41 ,  43  (ill.),  257  (ill.) 
George  (house)  59 
I.  Fletcher  (house)  88 
Jim  A.  85 
John  81 
Joshua  177 
"Creole  Cottage"  house  105 
Crescent  Furniture  Store  85 
Crocker,  J.T.  178 

Croft,  John  J.,  Jr.  (architect)  152.  247 
Crowell,  George  (house)  63 

Dr.  John  Franklin  58 
Crown  Milling  Company  195 
Crowstep  gables  31 
Crutchfield,  Virtle  (house)  244 
Culler,  Ray  B.,  Jr.  54 
Curtis,  D.  A.  101 

Dennis  99 
Curtis-Buie  house  45,  46  (ill.),  98-99 

D 

"Dainty  Biscuit"  flour  96 

Dark,  A.E.  76 

Davis,  Dr.  John  (log  house)  248 

M.L.  47 
Davis-Freeman  house  244 
Deal,  R.P.  (house)  122 
Deep  River  12,  13.35 
Deep  River  Dyeing  Company  121 
Deep  River  Manufacturing  Company  16.  31 , 

32  (ill.).  79 
Deep  River  Masonic  Lodge  152 
Deep  River  Mills,  Inc.  119 
DeKalb.  General  148 
Depot  Street  (Asheboro)  184 
Design  profession  43 
Dicks,  James  115,  118,  121 
James  (house)  115.  118,  121 
Peter  13-14,  115,  118,  121 
Peter  (house)  37.  (ill.),  74,  115 
R.P.  (house)  45,  47  (ill.),  119,  123 
Robert  Peele  123 
Sallie  115 
Dixie  Furniture  Company  195 
Doak,  Roddy  (house)  71 
Dobson,  Charlie  125 

Rome  125 
Dobson  house  (Randleman)  125 
"Doctor"  house  (New  Salem)  1 14 
Dogwood  Acres  196,  247 


277 


Illlii 


!?!l 


> 


D 


^ 


iiil 


Dorsett,  Clyde  (architect)  240 

Clyde  (house)  240 

Spencer  M.  (carpenter)  24,  102-103 

Vance  (store)  1 16 

Will  27 
Dorsett  Store  SEE  Dorsett,  Vance 
"Double-Pen"  log  construction  22 
"Double-Pile"  construction  40 
Dougan,  Moody  (house)  39,  131 
Dove,  Duncan  (house)  104 
Dove  family  81 
Downing,  A.J.  41,  43 
Drake,  James  M. A.  101,243 
Dunbar,  John  140 
Dunbar's  Bridge  140 
Dunkers  8 
Dutch  Colonial  Revival  style  45 


Eastlake  style  46 

Eastover  197 

Eastside  197 

Ebenezar  Methodist  Episcopal  Church  65 

Edenton,  N.C.  38 

Edwards,  Herberts.  103,  107 

Eleazer,  N.C.  6 

Elliott,  Colonel  Benjamin  14,  110,  176-177, 

232 

Henry  B.  (house)  SEE  Central  Hotel 

Henry  Branson  15,  25,  29,  34-35,  1 10,  180 

Priscilla  Johnson  140 
Elliott's  Green  197 
Elliott's  Mills  14 
Ellis,  Thad  147 
Engleworth  Cotton  Mills  124 
English,  Ben  T.  (house)  63 

Merley  (house)  63 
English  family  9 
English  bond  brickwork  38 
Enterprise,  N.C.  18,26,27 
Enterprise  Company  Store  154 
Enterprise  factory  153 

Enterprise  Manufacturing  Company  152,  153 
Enterprise  Roller  Mills  96 
Episcopal  Church  of  the  Good  Shepherd  247 
Erect  Academy  148 
Evergreen  Academy  148,  150 


Factory  buildings  28-32 

Fair  Grove  Methodist  Church  161 

"Fair  Oaks"  (Level  Cross)  68 

"Fairview  Park"  SEE  Brokaw,  W.G.  (estate) 

Faith  Rock  95 

Fanning,  David  95,  148 


Farlow,  Hannah  131 

Madison  167 
Farlow  family  9 

Farm  Complex  (New  Market)  65 
Farmer  Cemetery  139 
Farmer  Methodist  Church  139 
Farmer's  Alliance  Store  (Farmer)  136 
Farmer's  Union  Mercantile  Company  (Lib- 
erty) 76 
Fayetteville,  N.C.  16,34 
Fayetteville  and  Western  Plank  Road  11,12 

(map),  178,  179 
Fayetteville  Street  School  193,  222 
Federal  style  37-39 
Fentress,  Lewis  F.  104 
Ferguson,  Ebenezar  1 19 

Ellen  119 
Ferree,  John  H.  112,  118-122,  124,  127 
Mrs.  Sarah  84 
Shafter  244 
Ferree  house  84 
Ferries  12 

Finch,  Charles  Franklin  53 
Isham  135 

Thomas  Austin  (house)  40,  53,  55 
Thomas  Jefferson  (house)  53,  55 
First  American  Savings  and  Loan  207 
First  Baptist  Church  (Ramseur)  87 
First  Baptist  Church  (Siler  City)  236 
First  Methodist  Church  (Asheboro)  236 
First  National  Bank  196,  227 
First  National  Bank  No.  1  214 
First  National  Bank  No.  2  220 
First  Presbyterian  Church  (Asheboro)  242 
First  Southern  Savings  and  Loan  212 
Fisher,  Basil  John  185-187 

Basil  John  (mansion  house  site)  227,  228 
Fisher  Estate  gatekeeper's  house  244 
Fisher  Park  neighborhood  (Greensboro,  N.C.) 

186 
FIannagan,EricG.  (architect)  194,211,234, 

242 
Flat  Creek  Ford  157 
Florence  hall  152 
Fogleman,  Eli  72 
Fords  12,  157 
Forest  Hills  197 
Forrester,  J. O.  85 
"Fort  of  Deep  River"  148 
Foster,  Dr.  G. A.  76 
Foust,  George  A.  150 
I.H.  106 

I.H.  (house)  41,  79 
Foust'sMill  150,  152 
Fox,  C.P.  80 


C.P.  (house) 81 

Charles  M.  (house)  217 

Charles  Michael  217 

Charlesanna  M.  217 

Elizabeth  Spencer  217 

Dr.  L.M.  (house)  223 
Fox  house  (Randleman)  125 
Franklinsville  Manufacturing  Company  16,  23 

(ill.),  95-96,  102 
Franklinsville  Manufacturing  Company  Store 

36,41,44,97 
Franklinville,  N.C.  13,  16,  23,  25-29,  32-37, 

45,  94  (map),  95-107 
Franklinville  covered  bridge  25-26,  27  (ill.) 
Franklinville  Iron  Works  71,  95 
Franklinville  Methodist  Episcopal  Church  98, 

101 
Franklinville  Riverside  Band  101 
Franklinville  Roller  Mill  96 
Franklinville  Store  Company  103 
Franklinville  Township  91  (map) 
Frazier,  Ed  208 

Henry  78 

Henry  W.  104 
Frazier-Fentress  house  104 
Frazier  log  house  22,  66 
Free  blacks  9 
Freeman,  Jason  166 

"Elder"  Ralph  9 

Reid  244 

Rupert  (house)  143 
Freeman's  Store  143 
Freeze,  E.W.  19,  119 
Friendsville  Friends  Meeting  House  149 
Fries,  Francis  28 
Fuller's  Mill  134 

Fuller's  Mill  covered  bridge  28  (ill.) 
Furniture  industry  19-20 


Gant  Street  (Central  Falls)  255 

Gamer,  George  (house)  162 

Garner  family  81 

Garrons,  John  135 

Gasstation222,  226,  251 

Geiger-Berger  (engineers)  145 

George,  Alvis  O.,  Jr.  (architect)  205,  207, 

212 
Georgian  style  37-38 
German  settlers  8 
Germanic  vernacular  73 
Gill,J.  N.  236 
Gladesborough,  N.C.  175 
Gladesborough  Store  40,  64 
Glencoe  School  54 


Glennanna  Female  Seminary  23 
Glenola  Brick  Works  208 
Gluyas,  William  184 
Gluyas's  Pond  Road  184 
Gossett,  Elizabeth  65 

William  65 
Gossett's  Meeting  House  65 
Gothic  cottage  (Trinity)  58 
Gothic  Revival  style  37,  41 ,  43-44 
Gould,  Jay  52 

Grace  Evangelical  Lutheran  Church  76 
Granite  Cotton  Mill  28 
Grant  Township  144  (map) 
Graves,  Calvin  E.  98 

Harwood  161 
Gray,  General  Alexander  15,  51,  55 

General  Alexander  (house)  40,  55 

Rev.  Alson  72 

Malcom  (house)  68 

Robert  64 

Robert  (brickmason)  23,  41 

Robert  Harper  55 

Samuel  (kitchen)  54 
Gray  gold  mine  179 
Gray  house  64 
Gray's  Chapel  23 

Gray's  Chapel  Methodist  Church  69 
Greek  Revival  style  29,  34,  37,  39-41 
Green,  J. M.  165 
Gregson,  Amos  (house  No.  2)  122 

Rev.  Amos  122,  127 
Gregson-Pickard  house  (Randleman)  45,  46 

(ill.),  119 
Greystone  Terrace  196 
Griffin,  Dr.  Harvey  L.  222 
Grimes,  W. A.  98,  189 
Gristmills  12,  13 
Gropius,  Walter  (architect)  240 
Grove  Hotel  (Franklinville)  101 
Guilford  College  115 
Guilford  Courthouse  (battle)  65-66 
Guilford  Dairy  23 1 
Guilford  Lumber  Company  1 89 
"Gumeyite"  Friends  149 

H 

Hager.  Mrs.  John  D.  201 

Hall,  Homer  (house)  41 ,  43  (ill.),  63 

"Hall-and-Parlor"  plan  22 

Halliday  Hunting  Lodge  (Millboro)  93 

Hammer,  William  Cicero  192,  209 

Hammond.  A. A.  141 

Clifford  (house)  167 

J.  Hyatt  (architect)  138,  205.  207,  212,  240 

John  (contractor)  142 


278 


Moses  (house)  41,62  ,,,„-, 

Hanks  Masonic  Lodge  No.  128  24,  36,  102- 

103 
Hardin,  Charles  71 
Charles  H.  (house)  70 
J.E.  70 
Hargrave,  Lt.  Col.  171 
Harper,  Carolina  Dean  162 
J.E.  162 

James  Edward  162 
Jeduthan  51 
Jethro  167 
Harris,  A.C.  164 

Wade  164 
Haskett's  Creek  175 
Haskins,  Hoyle  (log  cabin)  239 
Hasty,  Jack  205 
Haw  River  6,  28,43 
Hayes,  James  Madison  1 14-115 

Pierce  115 
Hayes-Howell,  Inc.  (architects)  145 
Hayes-Lineberry  house  121 
Hayworth,  Dr.  C.A.  193 
Dr.  C.A.  (house)  218 
Dr.  R.W.  193 
Sheriff  S.L.  210 
Hearthstone  Farm  129 
"Heavy  Frame"  construction  23-24,  34 
Hedgecock  Builders,  Inc.  195 
Hedrick  Arcade  221 
E.T.  Hedrick  and  Son  (contractors)  59 
Hedrick  Motor  Company  221 
Heitman,  John  Franklin  (house)  58 
Henley,  Jesse  174 
Hiatt-Swaim  house  190-191 
High  Point,  N.C.  19 
High  Point  Furniture  Company  20 
High  Point  Hosiery  Mill  1 8 
High  Point,  Randleman,  Asheboro  and  South- 
ern Railroad  19,  124,188 
Hill,  J.R,  (house)  228 

James  Jason  142 
Hinshaw,  Albert  121 
Amos  (barn)  45,  150 
Amos  (farm)  1 50 
Thomas  148,  150 
Hinshaw  family  9 
Historic  Preservation  2-3 
Historic  Preservation  Fund  of  N.C.  51 
Hoggott,  Wade  (house)  68 
Holden,  W.W.  184 
Holder  house  68 
Holleman,  W.C.  (architect)  204 
Holland,  Dwight  170 
Holly  Spring  Friends  Meeting  9,  147 


Holly  Spring  Friends  Meeting  (Conservative) 

149 
Hollywood  (subdivision)  197 
Holmes,  Nancy  (house)  165 
Holt,  Edwin  Michael  16,  34,  118 

Jacob  43 
T.M.  Holt  Manufacturing  Company  43 
Home  Building  and  Materials  Company  47, 

188,  191-192,  195-196,233 
Homestead  Heights  197 
Hoover,  Andrew  12 
B.  F.  (subdivision)  196 
George  177,  179,  200 
Hoover  Hill  gold  mine  57 ,  135 
Hoover  Subdivision  SEE  Hoover,  B.F. 
Hopewell  Friends  Meeting  142 
Hop's  Barbeque  216 

Homey,  Alexanders.  16,98-99,  101,  103, 
106-107,  110 
Jared  136 
Jube (house)  136 
Dr.  Phillip  16,  98-99,  101,110 
Homey-Parks  house  99,  107 
Hosiery  mills  18,  32,  122,  125,  127,  195, 

211,217,233 
Hotel  (Coleridge)  156 
Hubbard,  Dr.  C.C.  (house)  139 
Huffine,  R.L.  127 
Hughes,  C.T.  135 

W.H.  "Will"  (house)  164 
Hughes  house  132 
Humphreys,  David  32 
Humphreysville,  Conn.  32 
Hunter,  Andrew  95 

Dr.  J.V.  (house)  202 
Hunting  Lodge  Stable  (Staley)  80 
Huriey,  Rev.  M.L.  88 
Husband,  Herman  (mill)  74 

Hermon9,  12 
Husband's  Mill  SEE  Husband,  Herman 
Ed  Hyder  Datsun  234 

I 

Ingold.A.W.  114 

Joel  114 
Ingold  Hotel  114 
Ingram-Brinson  Building  221 
Ingram  house  51 

International  Harvester  Buildmg  250 
Iron  bridges  27 
Iron  Hill  iron  mine  95 
Island  Ford  iron  bridge  27 ,  28  (ill . ) 
Island  Ford  Manufacturing  Company  16-17, 

29,  30  (ill.),  36,  79,  105-106 
Italianatestyle37,41,45 


Jackson,  Samuel  S.  201 
Jarrell,  Manliff  114 

Noah  114 
Jarrell-Hayes  house  39,  1 14 
Jed's  Sandwich  Shop  211 
Jennings,  A.G.  19 
Jobe,  Lizzie  99 
Johnson,  Dob  (cafe)  85 
J.W.  123 
James  99 

Lemuel  (house)  60 
Lytle(house)38,54 
Johnson  Cafe  SEE  Johnson,  Dob 
Johnston,  Frances  Benjamin  53,  66 
Johnstonville,N.C.  174-175 
Jones,  Arthur  V.  99 
B.C.  93 
Isham  101 

Isham  (wagon  shop)  101 
L.M.  (house)  93 
Lee  85 

Leonidas  Mountvale  93 
W.C.  (house)  93 
W.J.  (contractor)  85 
Wesley  Cornelius  93 
Jones  Wagon  Shop  SEE  Jones,  Isham 
Jordan,  B.Everett  85 
Dr.  Henry  85,  109 
Rev.  Henry  Harrison  85 
Manley  "Crip"  165 
Jordan  house  247 

Jordan  Memorial  Methodist  Church  85 
Joyland  Motion  Picture  Theatre  213 
Julian,  Cornelius  H.  99 
Julian  depot  70 
Julian  house  99 

K 

Keams,  Bobby  (Ream's  Place)  135 

FredM.,  Jr.  255 

John  Orpheus  (house)  139 

Marvin  139 

Wilda  Mae  Briles  253 

William  (Ream's  Place)  133 
Kennedy,  Laura  239 
Kerr,  John  185 
Keyauwee  Indians  7 
Kidd,  Chariie  92 
Kidd'sMill92 
Kindley  house  135 
King,  Boyd  165 
Carl  (house)  166 
William  145 
"King  Tut"  subdivision  196,  252  (map) 


Kirkman,  Ed  (house)  120 

S.E.  (house)  120 
Kitchen  outbuilding  (Franklinville)  107 
Kitchen  outbuilding  (Grant  TS)  144 
Kitchens  22,  45 
Kivett,  Carrie  (house)  245 

Henry  (house)  38,  73 

Stephen  Wayland  (house)  187,  225 
Komer,  Jules  36,  118,  120 


Lake  Lucas  175 
Lake  Lucas  Dam  1 3 1 
Lake  Reese  5 
Lamb,  Isaac  14 

J. A.  119 
Lamb  Building,  C.A.  122 
Lambert,  George  (house)  89 
J.I.  89 
John  R.  103 
Julia  Ross  218 
Dr.  W.L.  (house)  218 
Lambert-Parks  house  40-41 ,  92,  103 
Lane,  Charies  (house)  84 
W.D.  (house)  84,  100 
Lassiter,  T.E.  196,202 
T.J.  47 

W.W.  (house)  141 
Laughlin,  Rev.  Cicero  140 
Lawson,  John  6 
Lawyer's  Row  192,209 
Leach,  Eli  (house)  164 
James  Madison  54,  59 
Lewis  M.  23,52 
Martin  W.  (house)  54 
Col.  Martin  W.  59 
Sallie  Mangum  59 
William  (house)  98 
Leads,  Garrett  167 
Leath,  Dr.  MacLean  B.  (house)  62 
Level  Cross  Township  67  map) 
Lewallen,  R.C.  (house)  217 
Lewis,  Chariie  (house)  40,  137 
J.Stanback214,  227 
John  Stanback  (house  no.  1)  227 
John  Stanback  (house  no.  2)  222 
Jonathan  116,  144 
Liberty,  N.C.  44,  75  (map),  76-78 
Liberty  Chair  Company  32,  78 
Liberty  depot  77 
Liberty  Friends  Meeting  78 
Liberty  Grove  Methodist  Protestant  Church  72 
Liberty  High  School  44,  45 
Liberty  Methodist  Episcopal  Church  78 
Liberty  Picker  Stick  and  Novehy  Company  78 

279 


> 


51 


Liberty  Township  72  (map) 
Lindley  Park  School  193 
Lineberry,  Jacob  (house)  116 

W.L.  121 

W.S.  114 
Little  River  6 

Little  Uwharrie  River  steel  bridge  135 
Loflin,Carl77 

Charles  (house)  229 

Donna  Lee  229 
Log  cabin  (BrowerTS)  158 
Log  cabin  (Level  Cross)  68 
Log  construction  21-23 
Log  joint  notches  22-23 
Long,  Charles  F.  227 

John  (house)  30,  73 

John  Wesley  73 
Lovelt,  Marvin  G.  (house)  202 
Lovett  house  230 
Lowdermilk  family  160 
Lowdermilk  house  245 
Lowe,  William  174 
Lowell,  Massachusetts  19,  32 
Lucas,  W.  Clyde  195,250 
Lucas  Industries/General  Electric  250 
Luther,  J. A.  (house)  106 

Jonathan  A.  106 
Lutherans  8 
Lytle,  Bill  239 

Frank  9,  239 

Mc 

McAlister,  Col.  Alexander  C.  205 
McAlister  and  Morris  Store  189,  200 
McCain,  Hugh  15,  177,  207-208 
McCaskill,  W.G.  (house)  227 
McCoy,  Paschal  104-105 
McCrary,  Charles  W.  227 

Charles  W.  (house)  204 

D.B.  195.210,234 

D.B.  (house)  204 

J.  Frank  (house)  204 
McCrary-Redding  Hardware  Company  210 
McCulloh,  George  175 

Henry  7 

Henry  Eustace  175 
McCulloh  Street  (Asheboro)  175 
McDowell,  John  (house)  245 
McKay,  Clarence  52 
McMahon,  Thomas  19 

M 

Maken worth  Company  196 
Makepeace,  Charles  Roderick  (architect)  43 
George  17-19,29,98-99,  106 


George  H.  43,  95,  98-99 

George  (house)  23,  24  (ill.),  36,  39,  45,  97- 

98 
C.R.  Makepeace  &  Company  (architects)  43 
Mallet,  Charles  P.  16 
Maner,  Hannah  102 

M.G.  "Mack"  102 
Mangum,  Willie  Person  54 
Maple  Grove  Dairy  130 
Marable,J.P.  (house)  104 

John  Paschal  104-105 
Marbleizing  38 

Marietta  Masonic  Lodge  No.  444  87 
Marlboro  Friends  Meeting  9 
Marley,  J.  Harris  (house)  89 

John  103 

Vaughn  89 

Woosley  89 
Marsh,  Alfred  H.  243 

Benjamin  Augustus  232 

O.C.  (house) 124 
Martin,  James  Alexander  78 
Mary  Antoinette  Mill  1 12,  1 19,  121 
Masonic  Temple  (Asheboro)  214 
Maxwell,  A.J.  (architect)  219 
Mead,  William  Ernest  236 
Melancthon  Lutheran  Church  72 
"Melrose"  SEE  Leach,  Lewis  M.  (house) 
Memorial  Hospital  227 
Mendenhall,  Elisha67 

George  96 

Lorenzo  57 
Mendenhall  diary  house  55 
Mennonites  8 
Merchant  mills  14 
Methodist  Episcopal  Church  36 
Methodist  Episcopal/Protestant  split  72 
Methodist  Parsonage  (Ramseur)  87 
Methodist  Parsonage  (Trinity)  57 
Middleton  Academy  33,  36 
Mill  houses  (Coleridge)  153,  156 
Mill  houses  (Franklinville)  101 
Mill  houses  (Ramseur)  88 
Mill  houses  (Sapona,  Cedar  Falls)  1 1 1 
Mill  houses  (Union  Factory,  Randleman)  118 
Mill  log  house  (Cedar  Falls)  1 10 
Mill  office  (Coleridge)  154 
Mill  villages  32-37 
Millboro,  N.C.  92,  100 
Miller,  Dr.  John  Floyd  193 

Riley  (Miller's  Mill)  14,44,51 
Miller's  house  (Liberty  TS)  74 
Miller's  Mill  SEE  Miller,  Riley 
Millikan,  Samuel  174 
Millikan  family  9 


Millis,  J.  Henry  18 
Millwright  13 
Moffitt,  Alfred  27 

E.A.  189 

E.A.  (house)  190,  203 

E.A.  (store)  201 

E.K.  "Kelly"  105 

Rev.  Thomas  C.  88,  147 
Moffitt-Stout  house  150 
Moffitt  house  147 
Moffitt  Store  SEE  Moffitt,  E.A. 
Moffitt'sMill  148,  150 
Moon,  Mary  142 
Mooney,  Kemp  (architect)  212 
Moore,  Benjamin  F.  185 

J.F.  104 

Thomas  McGhee  178,  185 

W.J.  166 
Moore's  Chapel  104 
Moragne,  W.F.  189 
Moravians  7-8 
Morehead,  John  Motley  51 

Sara  Gray  51 
Moretz,  Christian  13,96 
Moring,  W.H.  190,219 
Morris,  E.G.  (house)  203 

E.H.  205 

P.H.  189,  195 
P.H.  Morris  General  Merchandise  213 
"Mortise  and  Tenor"  construction  SEE 

"Heavy  Frame"  construction 
Mt.  Gilead  Methodist  Church  134 
Mt.  Moriah  Methodist  Protestant  Church  161 
Mt.  Olivet  Methodist  Church  159 
Mt.  Tabor  Methodist  Church  138 
Mt.  Zion  Methodist  Church  133 
Mountain  Creek  steel  bridge  131 
Murray,  Bunn  (house)  78 
Myrtle  Desk  Company  104 

N 
Nance  Chevrolet  Company  245 
Naomi  Falls  iron  bridge  27 
Naomi  Falls  Manufacturing  Company  18,  37, 

123,  127 
Naomi  Falls  Methodist  Church  120,  126 
Naomi  Village  37,  126-127 
National  Chair  Company  195,  250 
Neely,  Anne  227 

John  M.  (house)  227 

Ryan  Reynolds,  Jr.  227 

William  M.  218 
"New  England  Mutual  Vernacular"  style  31 
New  Hope  Township  170  (map) 
New  Market  Township  64  (map) 


New  Salem,  N.C.  16,  37,  39,  1 13  (map),  1 14- 

116,  175, 178 
New  Salem  Friends  Meeting  115 
New  Salem  Methodist  Church  115 
New  York  Racket  Store  121 
Newlin,S.G.  (house)  122 

Samuel  Gray  121-122,  124-125 
Nixon's  Mill  74 

North  Carolina  Lutheran  Synod  72 
North  Carolina  Temperance  Union  62 
North  Carolina  Zoological  Park  145,  170 
North  Randolph  Historical  Society  120 
Northrup  and  O'Brien  (architects)  59 

O 

Oak  Grove  Methodist  Episcopal  Church  171 
O'Brien/Atkins  Associates  (architects)  145 
Odd  Fellows  Lodge  (Trinity)  57 
Odell.J.A.  18,70-71 

John  Milton  18 
Odell  Hardware  Company  18,  70 
Offices  (Ramseur)  85 
Old  Muster  Field  196 
Orange  Factory  34,  118 
Outbuildings  (Richland  TS)  161 
Overman,  O'Kelly  76 

William  72 
Owen,  Joseph  R.  208 


P  &  P  Chair  Company  20,  1 95 ,  233 

Page,  W.C.  195.  233 

Paisley,  Bob  244 

Parham,  Rita  (house)  68 

Park  Street  School  193 

Parker,  Gerald  169 

Victor  5,  137 
Parker's  Mill  (Concord  TS)  5 
Parker's  Mill  bridge  137 
Parks,  Henry  105 

Hugh  103,  106-107 

Hugh  Jr.  227 
Parks  Hosiery  Mill  227 
Park's  Cross  Roads  148 
Park's  Cross  Roads  Christian  Church  147 
Patterson,  Dr.  A.J.  (house)  76 

Gilliam  (Patterson  Building)  76 

Dr.  Rez  D.  (house)  77 

Rev.  William  C.  88 
Patterson  Building  SEE  Patterson,  Gilliam 
Payne's  mill  house  54 
Pee  Dee  River  6 
Penn  Wood  Branch  175 
Perkins.  "Captain"  (house)  57 
Petty,  D.M.  62 


280 


W.Clinton  62 
Petty  Sash  and  Blind  Company  32,  41 ,  62-63, 

186, 189 
Phillips,  Dr.  Charles  (house)  134 
Piatt  and  Davis  (engineers)  131 
Pickard,  James  O.  119-122,  127 
Picker  sticks  19 

Pickett,  J.M.  Philmore  (houses)  77 
Pickett,  Patterson  72 

Philmore  72 
Piedmont  Chair  Company  195,  250 
Piedmont  Electric  Machine  and  Weldmg 

Company  253 
Piedmont  Electric  Motor  Repair  236 
Pierce,  Newton  131 

Ranson  131 
Pilgrim  Tract  Society  124 
Pillories  175,  176(111.) 
Pisgah  covered  bridge  27 ,  1 69 
Plaidville  Manufacturing  Company  119,  121 
Plank  road  SEE  Fayetteville  and  Western 

Plank  Road 
Pleasant  Grove  Township  157  (map) 
Pleasant  Hill  Methodist  Church  160 
Plummer,  Kearney  (house)  139 
Poole,  Harold  103 
Poplar  Ridge  Friends  Meeting  134 
Poplar  Ridge  School  134 
Porches  45 

Porter, (carpenter)  185 

"Post  and  Beam"  construction  SEE  "Heavy 

Frame"  construction 
Post  Office  (Cedar  Falls)  1 1 1 
Post  Office  Museum  (Ramseur)  84 
Post  Office  No.  1  (Archdale)  62 
Powerhouse  (Coleridge)  155 
Powhatan  Manufacturing  Company  Store  36, 

124 
Prairie  School  movement  43 
Pratt  truss  bridge  131 
Preimats,  Walter  242 
Presnell,  Arthur  195,  233 
Prestige  Fabricators  256 
Pritchard,  Benoni  (house)  253 
Pritchard  house  230 
Providence,  R.I.  43 
Providence  Friends  Meeting  9,  69 
Providence  Township  69  (map) 
Pugh,  Enoch  (cabin)  91 
Henry  (mill)  92 
Jess  (house)  41,  91 
Jesse  (house)  273 
Pugh  Funeral  Home  173,  209,  218 
Pugh's  Mill  SEE  Pugh,  Henry 
Purgatory  Mountain  145 


Q 

"Quaker  Plan"  house  39 
Quakers  9,  15,33,36-37 
Queen  Anne  style  37,  47 
Quills  19 

R 

Rae,  Miss  Eliza  243 
RaganH.S.,Jr.  62 

Thomas  70-71 

Thomas  (house)  71 

William  Henry  18,70-71 
Ragan/OdellStore38,70 
Railroads  19 

Ramseur,  Major  General  Stephen  83 
Ramseur,  N.C.  32,  35-37,  82  (map),  83-90 
Ramseur  Graded  School  90 
Ramseur  Methodist  Episcopal  Church  No.  1 

87 
Ramseur  Roller  Mill  86 
Ramseur  Store  Company  85 
Randleman,  John  Banner  118,,  120,  127 

John  Banner  (house)  118 
Randleman,  N.C.  34,  37,  44-45,  47,  117 

(map),  118-128 
Randleman  depot  124 
Randleman  Graded  School  123 
Randleman  Hosiery  Mill  18,  122,  125 
Randleman  Manufacturing  Company  17,  118, 

120,  122 
Randleman  Township  112  (map) 
Randolph  Chair  Company  233 
Randolph  County,  N.C.  4  (map),  7,  10 
Randolph  County  Agricultural  Society  185 
Randolph  County  agriculture  11 
Randolph  County  Courthouse  No.  7  208 
Randolph  County  development  and  pressures 

20 
Randolph  County  Fairgrounds  250 
Randolph  County  geography  6 
Randolph  County  Historical  Society  243 
Randolph  County  Jail  209 
Randolph  County  occupations  6 
Randolph  County  political  conservatism  10 
Randolph  County  population  6 
Randolph  County  textile  industry  6 
Randolph  County  Training  School  236 
Randolph  County  urbanization  6 
"Randolph  Court  House"  174 
Randolph  Court  House  No.  6  200 
Randolph  Dairy  253 
Randolph  Heights  196 
Randolph  Hospital  234 
Randolph  Manufacturing  Company  i»,  /v 
(ill)  96,100,102-103,106 


Randolph  Methodist  Church  73 
Randolph  Regulator  185,  201 
Randtex  Corporation  127 
Reconstruction  period  185 
Red  Front  Store  (Ramseur)  85 
"Red  House"  Church  140 
"Red  House"  School  140 
Reddick,  R.W.  (house)  57 

Robert  Wesley  57 
Reddick  house  23 
Reddick  house  52 
Redding,  Allen  (carpenter)  120 
"Gas"  (house)  92 
J.H.26 
J.O.  194 
T.H.  195,210 
T  H.  (house)  190,  207 
Troy  (house)  130,  240 
Reed  Creek  79 
Reese,  Abraham  174 
Reese-Siler  house  76 
Reynolds,  R.J.  (Building  No.  8)43 

R.J.  (Forest  Aviary)  145 
"Rhode  Island  System"  32-33 
Rice,  Thomas  23,  25-26,  41,  43  105-106 

Thomas  (farm)  136 
Thomas  (house)  105 
Rich,  O.E.  (house)  239 
O.  Elmer  164,  250 
Rose  T.  (log  house)  240 

Richardson, -244 

Jess  57 

S.  Guy ard  (house)  166 
Richardson  house  (Richland  TS)  161 
Richland  Evangelical  Lutheran  Church  73 
Richland  Township  1 60  (map) 
Ridge,  W.E.  (house)  226 
Ridge's  Mountain  7 
Rink,  Reuben  SEE  Komer,  Jules 
Riverside  Baptist  Church  158 
Roanoke  Iron  and  Bridge  Works  100 
Robbins,  Jess  (house)  133 
Robbins  house  132 
Robins,  Henry  Moring  201 
Henry  Moring  (house)  202 
Marmaduke  184,  185,201 
Marmaduke  (law  office)  41,  182,  201 
Sidneys.  239 
Rockfish  Manufacturing  Company  16,  34 
Rocky  River  6 
Rollins,  J.W.  255 
Rollins  Rock  Store  255 
RosemontPark  196 
Rosenwald,  Julius  236 
Rosenwald  Fund  236 


Ross,  Arthur  192,  218 

Arthur  (house  no.  1)  191 

Arthur  (house  no.  2)  218 

J.D.  (house)  196,  207 

J.D.,Jr.  179 

Romulus  R.  218,  225 
Ross  and  Rush  Livery  Stable  200 
Routh,  Edgar  G.  96 
Royals  house  58 
Russ,  John  P.H.  55 
Russell,  A.R.  (house)  127 

George97,  100,  102 

George  (house)  102 
W.C.  "Will"  106 
Russell's  School  House  140 


St.  Luke's  United  Methodist  Church  233, 

238 
St.  Mark's  Methodist  Church  140 
St.  Paul's  Methodist  Episcopal  Church  36, 

120,  126 
St.  Paul's  Parsonage  120 
Salem  Cemetery  (Columbia  TS)  81 
Salem  Congregational  Christian  Church  140 
Salem  Cotton  Manufacturing  Company  28 
Salem  Methodist  Episcopal  Church  (Concord 

TS)  140 
Salem  Methodist  Protestant  Church  81 
Sandy  Creek  12 

Sandy  Creek  Baptist  Association  8,  74 
Sandy  Creek  Baptist  Church  8,  23,  74 
Sandy  Creek  Friends  Meeting  9,  38,  70 
Sapona  Manufacturing  Company  1 1 1 
Sawmill  13-14 

Sawyer,  Joseph  (architect)  248 
Sawyer's  Gold  Mine  130 
Scarboro,W.J.  190-192 
Science  Hill  Academy  142 
Science  Hill  Friends  Meeting  142 
Scott  Book  Store  221 
Scotten.Mary  193 

Pelden  193 
Seagrove,  N.C.  163  (map) 
Seagrove  depot  167 
Seagrove  Hardware  Company  164 
Seagrove  Lumber  Company  164 
Seagrove  Pottery  Museum  167 
Seagrove  Roller  Mills  166 
Sechrist,  Thomas  F.  253 
"Seven  Hearths"  Lodge  137 
Shady  Grove  Baptist  Church  74 
Shaw  Furniture  Galleries  123 
Shepherd,  Dr.  Frank  A.  (house)  78 
Shepherd's  Mountain  7 


281 


"•*— ^  -—  '^    ~-  - 


r 

J 


SI 


Sherwood  house  1 22 

Shiloh  Academy  147-148 

Shiloh  Christian  Church  147-148 

Shotgun  houses  1 10 

Shuttles  19 

Skeen,  Mollie  Fuller  (house)  138 

N.R.  135 

Williams,  (house)  234 
Skeen's  Mill  covered  bridge  25  (ill.),  27,  135 
Slack,  Labon  (house)  169 

T.A.  "Bud"  104 

T.A. (house)  104 
Slater,  Samuel  32 
Slavery  9,  33 

"Slow  Burn"  construction  31 
Smith,  Charles  Philip  78 

"Duck"  (house)  167 

Wade  (house)  40,  134 
Smith-Wylie  house  78 
Snow,  E. A.  19 

William  H.  19 
Snow  Lumber  Company  19,  189 
Sophia  School  66 
Southern  Baptist  Convention  74 
Southern  Citizen  178 
Southern  Crown  Milling  Company  195 
Southern  Milling  Company  195 
Southern  Motors  and  Equipment  Company 

250 
Spencer,  A. A.  217 

R.W.  (house)  66 
Spero  252  (map) 
Spinks,  Rev.  Enoch,  Jr.  159 
Staley,  John  W.  (house)  81 
Staley  house  (Liberty)  76 
John  Wesley's  Stand  129 
Standard  Drug  Company  219 
Steams,  Rev.  Shubal  8,  74 
Stedman.  S.B.  193,  195,220 

S.B.  (house  no.  1)  190,  191  (ill.) 

S.B.  (house  no.  2)248 

W.D.  195,219 
Stedman  Block  215 

Stedman  Manufacturing  Company  180,  195 
Stedman  Motor  Company  2 1 5 
W.D.  Stedman  and  Son  215 
Steed,  E.J.  (house)  83 

Sheriff  Joe  114 
Steel  and  Lebby  (contractors)  137 
Steele,  John  Roe  150 
J. P.  Stevens  Corporation  127 
Stocks  174-175,  175  (ill.) 
Stone,  Frances  129 

Lee  129 
Stone  buildings  (Trinity)  57 


Stone  construction  23 
Store  (Franklinville  TS)  92 
Store  (New  Salem)  115 
Story,  Philip  Custer  126 
Stout,  O.M.  124 
Stout  Store  124 
Strader,  Lacey  169 
Sugg  house  (Brower  TS)  159 
Suggs,  Richard  247 
Sullivan,  Louis  (architect)  43 
"Summer"  kitchens  22 
Sumner,  David  S.  (house)  92 

David  Spurgeon  92,  103 

Matthew  92 
Sunset  Avenue  (Asheboro,  N.C.)  184 
Sunset  Theatre  216 

Superintendent's  house  (Central  Falls)  255 
Superintendent's  house  (Naomi  Mill)  127 
Superintendent's  house  (Union  Factory,  Ran- 

dleman)  118 
Susquehanna  Silk  Mills  127 
Swaim,  Benjamin  178 

Ed  (farm)  65 
Sykes,  Dr.  R.P.  214 

T 

Tabernacle  Methodist  Church  Cemetery  1 33 

Tabernacle  Township  132  (map) 

Talley,  Frank  (house)  45,  1 19 

Tanyard  Branch  187 

Taylor,  Cyrus  64 

Tennessee  Lutheran  Synod  72 

Textile  industry— labor  market  32 

Textile  industry— morality  32 

Textile  manufacturing  15-20 

Thayers,  Widow  135 

Theatre  (Ramseur)  85 

Thomas  Auto  sales  office  232 

Thomasville,  N.C.  23 

Thompson,  D.M.  43 

Holland  33 

John  137 

R.W.  229 
Thornburg-Macon  house  41,  138 

Thorns,  Julia  193 
Tippett.J.W.  10 

W.H.  (contractor)  84,  100,  102 
Tobacco  barns  23 
Tomlinson,  Dr.  John  M.  (house)  41,  43  (ill.) 

62 
Tomlinson  family  9 
Tompkins,  Daniel  A.  37 
Totero  Indians  7 
Town,  Ithiel  24-26,  135 
Town  lattice  truss  25  (ill.) 


Trading  Path  7 

Transportation  1 1 

Trestle  (Franklinville)  100 

Triad  Plumbing  Supply  236 

Trinity,  N.C.  56  (map) 

Trinity  Cemetery  57 

Trinity  College  41 ,  43-44  (ill.),  105 

Trinity  High  School  59 

Trinity  Inn  60 

Trinity  (Masonic)  Lodge  No.  256  57 

Trinity  Memorial  United  Methodist  Church  59 

Trinity  Township  50  (map) 

"Triple-A"  house  45 

Trogdon,  James  O.  (house)  248 

S.Clifford  (house)  107 

S.E.  (contractor)  248,  250 

Tom  76 
Trotter,  Benjamin  96 

Martin  (house)  135 
Troy,  John  Balfour  208 
Trunnels  24 

Turner,  John  (house)  41 ,  79 
Tysor,  Charlie  (carpenter)  164 

Herbert  (house)  159 

Thomas  B.  (house)  159 

U 

Ulah,  N.C.  143 

Ulah  Motor  Company  143 

Underwood,  Alvis  (house)  69 

Reggie  H.  69 

W.A.219 

W.R.  (house)  201 
Underwood  Store  69 
Union  Manufacturing  Company  16-17,  31 

(ill.),  33-35 
Union  Township  167  (map) 
"Upper  Dam"  (Franklinville)  95 
Uwharrie  Friends  Meeting  9 
Uwharrie  Mountains  6 
Uwharrie  National  Forest  6 
Uwharrie  River  6,  12 


VanArsdale,  Dr.  J.V.  114 
Vance.  Zeb  184,201 
Varner  Place  (Cedar  Grove  TS)  142 
Vestal  Motor  Company  238 
Vickory,  William  (house)  1 16 
Voncannon,  Bobby  164 
Vuncannon  house  (Concord  TS)  137 

W 

WGWR  radio  station  200 
Waddell's  Ferry  Bridge  27 


Wagoner,  Harold  E.  (architect)  242 
Wainman,  C.  Slingsby  185-186 

C.  Slingsby  (house)  225 
Walden  family  9 
Walker,  Charlie  92 
J.  Ed  124,  126-127,  190 
Jesse  15 
Samuel  12.  184 
Walker-Story  house  126 
Walker  family  66 
Walker's  Grocery  92 
Wallace,  J. A.  96,  99,  100 
J. A.  (house)  99 
Paul  96 
"Waltham  System"  32 
Wannamaker  and  Welles  (contractors)  1 3 1 
Ward,  John  213 
Rom  (house)  1 15 
W.P.  98 
Ward  rent  house  1 15 
Warehouse  (Asheboro)  233 
Warren  bridge  truss  143 
Water  tank  (Asheboro)  217 
Water  tank  (Millboro)  93 
Waterman,  Thomas  T.  21,  53 
Watkins,  E.C.  (house)  88 

W.H.  83-84 
"Waverly"  SEE  Dicks,  Robert  P.  (house) 
Weatherly,  D.M.  "Dave"  105 
D.M.  (house)  105 
J. A.  105 
Weaver.  Logan  127 
Weeks.  Dr.  Samuel  B.  (house)  59 
Weiman  Company  20 
Welbom.  Jane  McGee  66 
John  66 

Joseph  (house)  39-40,  66 
Welbom-Dougan  Cemetery  65 
Welbom  family  63,  66 
Welbom  house  64 
Welch  Delia  (house)  166 

J.J.  27.  169 
Wesley  Long  Hospital  73 
Wesleyan  Methodists  10,  36,  1 16 
West,  Tom  (house)  83 
Western  Auto  221 
Westside  subdivision  197 
Whatley.  Enoch  (house)  143 

Ralph  143 
Wheatmore  Farms  53,  55 
Wheeler,  Runge  and  Dickery  (architects)  208 
Whig  political  party  10,  15 
Whipping  post  175 
Whitaker.  Lonnie  L.  (house)  222 
White.  J. F.  216 


282 


Stanford  44,  52 
Tommy  (house)  23,  54 
White  house  (Asheboro)  223 
"White  House"  (Cedar  Grove  TS)  142 
White's  Chapel  Methodist  Episcopal  Church 

80 
Whitney,  Eli  14 
Why  Not  Academy  161-162 
"Wilburite"  Friends  149 
Williams,  Jewel  167 
JohnD.  106 
Noah  167 
Solomon  247 
Williams-Bryant  log  cabin  175,  247 
Williams-Riddle  Clothing  Store  221 
Wilson,  W.M.  62 
Winn,  Charles  St.  George  185,  187 
Winningham (carpenter)  185 


Carson  200 
Winslow,  Dr.  Thomas  W.  (house)  57 

Tom  (house)  225 
Wise,  Naomi  14,  69,  1 16,  127,  144 
Wood,  Fargo  (house)  136 

Marquis  L.  58 

Ross  (house)  114 

Col.  William  Penn  190,219 
Wood  and  Moring  Store  219 
C.H.  Wood  Construction  Company  221 
Woodell,  Allen  175 
Woodell's  Spring  175 
Woodruff,  A.C.  (architect)  222 
Wool  carding  13 
Woollen,  Dr.  C.W.  (house)  116 
Woollen  family  115 
Worth,  Daniel  10,  116 
HalM.  (house)  47 


JohnMiltonll,18,96,  115,  123,  182, 

184,  188,192,205,256 
Jonathanll,18,  176-177,182,  184,201, 

207-208, 232 

Thomas  Clarkson  123 
Worth-McAlister  house  4 1 ,  42  (ill .),  1 82- 1 84 

(ill.),  205 
Worth  family  9 

Worth  Manufacturing  Company  124,  128,  256 
Worth  Terrace  197 
WorthviUe,  N.C.  18,26,37,128 
Worthville  covered  bridge  27  (ill.) 
Wrenn,  John  (house)  74 
Wrenn  house  (Cedar  Falls)  40,  1 1 1 
Wright,  Frank  Lloyd  (architect)  43,  240,  247- 
248, 250 

John  (brickmason)  164 
Wylie,  Margaret  Smith  78 


Yadkin  River  6 

Yates,  Mavin  (house)  138 

York,  Abram  74 

Brantley  65 

Ed  (house)  10 
York  family  81 
Yow,  Francis  165 

Henry  165 

Henry  (house)  165 
Yow'sMill  161 


Zeigler,  William  54 

Zeigler  Lodge  54 

Zoo  SEE  North  Carolina  Zoological  Park 


283 


J  t 


I'll 


• 


> 

a 


'i'i 

•1' 


,'