A Building Birth Story.......Part II

In the first part of the story, Durham's Main Street grew west with my building being built circa 1907. Druggists, working for R. Blacknall, moved to my building and opened their own drug store, sharing space with a physician and an art shop. The westward movement continues......

1911
King, C. E. & Sons are the only business listed at 224 West Main (my buildings address in the early years)

The King brothers, Charles E., Charles H., and Harris L., are still living at 505 Duke Street and listed as druggists. Blacknalls Drug Store is still at 130 West Main (corner of Corcoran and Main) along with Five Points Drug Co. at the corner of Main & Chapel Hill, Main Street Pharmacy at 202 West Main and Rexall Pharmacy on the corner of Corcoran and Main. There are 16 Drug Stores listed in the Directory. Clearly this was a booming business, and perhaps one heading for consolidation.

Furniture also seems to be going through some considation because Herring & Elliott Furniture is now listed at 126 West Main. The Elliott name has moved onto the marque. It's still not tied to my building, I'm using him as the character to drive interest........

1915
My building is still labeled as 224 West Main on the Sanborn maps and Herring & Elliott Furniture Co. is listed in Directory as the tenants. H. H. Herring and B. W. Elliott are listed after the building name, maybe meaning they are co-owners. Benjamin W. Elliott lives at 905 Yancey so he's moved out of living where he works. H. H. Herring is listed as a resident of Spartanburg, SC.

Why B. W. Elliott is interesting to me is he is the great-great grandfather of Kristy, my friend and hair stylist. I've known Kristy for 17 years and even dated her for a time. She remains one of my favorite persons on this planet. Having a connection to her past gives me great pleasure.

C. E. King and Sons are listed at West Main corner Market. I'm not sure which corner, but I suspect what is now known as the Temple Building. Charles H. and Harris L. are still listed as proprietors.

1919
Now my building takes on its current address of 308 West Main. Elliott Furniture Co. (not Herring and Elliott) is listed as the tenant. B. W. is noted as sec-tres, with H. H. being the president.

Benjamin W. moved his home to 114 E. Geer.

1923
Elliott Furniture Co. has moved to 416 West Main. H. H. and B. W. are still proprietors.

Benjamin C. Woodall Sporting Goods moved into 308 West Main.

The building is 15 years old and Durham is growing. The building was home to 3 shops; druggists, furniture and sporting goods. Not an exact parallel to my life but oh well. I've got enough information now to decide how to brand the building.

Title Searches

Lynn Harder did some Title searches yesterday. While the information is interesting, it unfortunately did not get me closer to the name I'll attach to the project. "The Radcliffe" might win by default......

Detail for posterity (not interesting, so read at your own risk). I need to research these parties to find anything interesting about them:

• No record of how John Sprunt Hill acquired the property but he did own it. This is interesting because John Sprunt Hill married into the Watts family (American Tobacco family) and built many buildings in Durham/Chapel Hill including the Carolina Inn. His bank later became CCB. This information is exciting to me, but since he owned so many properties, mine is not unique and can't acquire his name.
  
• 17APR 1905 - John Sprunt Hill to E.P. Wharton.
  
• 30JUN 1905 - E.P. Wharton to Southern Real Estate Company
  
• 17MAR 1906 - Southern Real Estate to E.J. Parrish. Might be Parrish of Parrish Street. Interestingly, the property was sold for "that for and in consideration of the sum of ten ($10) dollars and other goods and valuables....".
  
• 24FEB 1912 - E.J. Parrish to H.H. Herring
• 17APR 1918 - H.H. Herring to James S. Perry and devised by said James S. Perry to Mary Susan Perry, now Sudie Barbee Lindsey (whatever that means)
• 27JUN 1956 - Sudie Barbee Lindsey to Trustee for Sudie Barbee Lindsey (The Depositors National Bank of Durham). Perhaps part of a will?
• Then it seems to go into the hands of Alice Lee Barbee Perry because
• 23JUN 1967 - North Carolina National Bank (successor by merger to the Depositors National Bank of Durham) to Alice Lee Barbee Perry. Deed says, "was devised to Alice Lee Barbee Perry by Last Will and Testament", so perhaps Alice Lee got the property some years later when she became an adult?
• 08JAN 1979 - Alice Lee Barbee Perry to George C. Love, Jr.
• 15JAN 1998 - George C. Love, Jr. to Owen D. Wade
• 15JUL 2008 - Owen D. Wade to Barry Radcliffe. This is the date of the Deed filing, closing was actually on 12JUL 2008