Note: I'm consolidating three owners into this post. Two owners I have little to no information about, and the third I have significantly more. The third is a pivotal part of my research, but I have so little on the other two that I see no need for a separate entry on them.
Historical research involving people can be incredibly nerve wracking. It's amazing that you can come across a name so many times and even recognize it, but then realize you are so limited in your resources you don't even know why you know them. Moreover, you have to deal with what I have dubbed the junior syndrome. You see a name several times, only to realize that it's someone's son.
Such is the case with the second owners of Ms. Gott's house. I have heard and seen the name F.X. Burton several times throughout my research on her house and through various other ventures in Danville's history. Imagine my surprise when I saw that name and read the deed to verify that it was, indeed, her house! I may not have believed it, had the deed not referenced it as Robinson Market Gardens.
F. X. Burton and his wife, Alice, owned the house for 10 years. Unfortunately for me, I quickly learned that during that 10 years, he died. Deed book entries in Danville that referenced F. X. Burton must have referred to his son. So, I know very little about him. As I recall, however, he was instrumental in the development of Neopolis (North Danville).
In 1904, Alice Burton sold the house to Mollie E. Mays and her husband. I know absolutely nothing about them, but they are worth mentioning as they established a trend with the house: female owners. Like Blanche Robinson, the land was deeded to Mollie, not to Mollie's husband. Between inheritances and purchases, the majority of the owners of that house have been women.
Mollie Mays owned the house for a year, give or take. If I recall, it was just under a year. As interesting as her purchase of the house was, her sale of the house was piece of information that completed my research.
The year was 1905. That area was yet to be annexed by the City of Danville. The Mount Vernon Villa Company had done very little to the area around Virginia Avenue. It was also the year that a purchase was made that would change the shape of the area forever...just not for another 15 or 20 years. The buyer? J. E. Perkinson: the one man upon whom all of my research hinged.
J. E. Perkinson...a man I have never met, and who left no heirs. Yet, by the end of my research, I felt like I knew him. I could picture what I thought he looked like in my head. All these years of researching him (which, somehow, did not feel stalkerish at all) made me feel a connection with him. He worked in the tobacco industry and owned a house on Main Street which no longer exists, but, ironically, he gave to his wife.
As an interesting side-note, before I get into the importance of J. E. Perkinson. His brother, T. R. Perkinson, built the house at 274 Carolina Avenue in 1916. He, however, lived in the area prior to that. He was first listed as living in the vicinity of Virginia Avenue in 1906, and T. R. Perkinson's name is also on the first piece of evidence of prior owners that I ever found in the house.
T. R. Perkinson moved to Danville in 1901, according to his obituary. He was a farmer who moved from Amelia. Where he lived prior to 1906 is unknown, though I imagine it is possible that he may have rented the house, which sparked his brother purchasing it.
Anyway, back to J. E. Perkinson...
J. E. Perkinson is the man who would make the area from Carolina Avenue to Howeland Circle what it is today. He would eventually buy the land up College Avenue, extend Carolina Avenue to Virginia Avenue, develop Howeland Circle and all of the intermediate streets. He built Avondale Drive and named the entire neighborhood Avondale Park.
This, however, was not until the 1920s. Around this time, Carolina Avenue was officially given its name, and the two houses given their house numbers. It is interesting to note, also, that circa 1920 the taxes on the house at 275 Carolina Avenue was $275 and some change. Maybe it's just coincidence, but I can't think of a better reason for a street to have houses that begin in the 270s rather than 100s.
After 1916, the house was rented. The only known occupant during this time was a local grocer: Frank L. Martin. He and his family lived here around 1920 before moving to Florida. Perhaps I need to do an entry on him as a miscellaneous later...
In 1924, J. E. Perkinson finally put his original purchase on the market. Amidst the selling of bungalows on College Avenue and other houses in the neighborhood, the unique house at 275 Carolina Avenue had it's first new owner in nearly 20 years.
Wednesday, August 29, 2012
Thursday, August 2, 2012
History of a House: The Not Swiss Family Robinson
What fascinates me most about researching old houses is the people and their stories. Perhaps it is the Psychology major in me, though some say it's the historian in me. Either way, the more I researched, the more I found myself feeling a connection with these people. Long forgotten families who built a life and memories...these are their stories.
As I researched, I spent countless hours searching for deeds. I'd find myself saying "let's find my dear Blanche," or "my friend J. E. Perkinson." While, sadly, they are simply names printed in black and white, I began to feel like I knew them and knew their stories. So, now, I shall present you with the first family of 275 Carolina Avenue: The Robinsons.
On July 17, 1884, W. P. and Blanche Robinson purchased ~11 acres of the former Wimbish property. Their property was bounded by the former Wimbish property line (where the alley is today), the property purchased by E. H. Miller and J. M. Neal (around Westhampton Avenue), the Southern Railroad, and a new road opened where Carolina Avenue is today. The road, however, ended where the alley is and stretched all the way to West Main Street. In fact, if you stand on Carolina Avenue (just in front of 275) at night, you can see the stoplight at West Main and Howeland Circle.
W. P. Robinson was a Civil War Veteran, ran a dry goods store downtown, and held a pivotal role in the 1883 election in the city of Danville. He was a magistrate for the coalition, which had formed several years prior and helped to enable a biracial state government during reconstruction in the state of Virginia. Following the Danville Riots, he expressed concerns that blacks would not be voting and that acting as a magistrate for the election might be pointless.
Immediately following the purchase of their 11 acres, Blanche Robinson purchased an additional 4 acres from E. H. Miller. On the same day, W. P. Robinson transferred all of his possessions to his wife with her brother, Thomas L. Sydnor (a local dentist) as trustee. Blanche became the sole owner of the original 11 acres and the dry goods store he owned on Main Street. Subsequent deeds would list her as the owner, and W. P. as running the store and acting as her agent.
The following year, in 1885, I believe that the Robinsons built their home. Pittsylvania County landbooks indicate a building worth $600 being on the original ~11 acres. Subsequent deeds refer to the land as "Robinson Market Gardens". The deed for the four acres purchased from E. H. Miller referred to it as the "W. P. Robinson Fish Pond."
Many subsquent trust deeds on the property helped me verify that they not only lived on the land, but that the location was correct. At least one deed from Blanche mentions "my home" and they all mention the surrounding property owners: E. H. Miller, J. T. Watson, and E. H. Mitchell (who had purchased the Wimbish home a few years after the subdivision on the land).
Life, however, was not so great for the Robinsons. They took out a handful loans with their home and store as collateral. By 1894, Blanche owed money to a plethora of people for goods in their store, for work, and for loans taken out. That deed, in particular, was hard to read. The deed was about five pages long and listed everyone to whom money was owed and how much. For example, she was indebted to the National Cash Register Company.
In 1894, pursuant to a trust deed from 1890, the ~15 acres owned by Blanche Robinson was auctioned off. By this point, as best I can tell, they had moved from their home and were renting it out as one deed mentions allowing her to "enjoy rents from the use of her property..."
So, in 1894, the land was purchased at auction by F. X. Burton.
As I researched, I spent countless hours searching for deeds. I'd find myself saying "let's find my dear Blanche," or "my friend J. E. Perkinson." While, sadly, they are simply names printed in black and white, I began to feel like I knew them and knew their stories. So, now, I shall present you with the first family of 275 Carolina Avenue: The Robinsons.
On July 17, 1884, W. P. and Blanche Robinson purchased ~11 acres of the former Wimbish property. Their property was bounded by the former Wimbish property line (where the alley is today), the property purchased by E. H. Miller and J. M. Neal (around Westhampton Avenue), the Southern Railroad, and a new road opened where Carolina Avenue is today. The road, however, ended where the alley is and stretched all the way to West Main Street. In fact, if you stand on Carolina Avenue (just in front of 275) at night, you can see the stoplight at West Main and Howeland Circle.
W. P. Robinson was a Civil War Veteran, ran a dry goods store downtown, and held a pivotal role in the 1883 election in the city of Danville. He was a magistrate for the coalition, which had formed several years prior and helped to enable a biracial state government during reconstruction in the state of Virginia. Following the Danville Riots, he expressed concerns that blacks would not be voting and that acting as a magistrate for the election might be pointless.
Immediately following the purchase of their 11 acres, Blanche Robinson purchased an additional 4 acres from E. H. Miller. On the same day, W. P. Robinson transferred all of his possessions to his wife with her brother, Thomas L. Sydnor (a local dentist) as trustee. Blanche became the sole owner of the original 11 acres and the dry goods store he owned on Main Street. Subsequent deeds would list her as the owner, and W. P. as running the store and acting as her agent.
The following year, in 1885, I believe that the Robinsons built their home. Pittsylvania County landbooks indicate a building worth $600 being on the original ~11 acres. Subsequent deeds refer to the land as "Robinson Market Gardens". The deed for the four acres purchased from E. H. Miller referred to it as the "W. P. Robinson Fish Pond."
Many subsquent trust deeds on the property helped me verify that they not only lived on the land, but that the location was correct. At least one deed from Blanche mentions "my home" and they all mention the surrounding property owners: E. H. Miller, J. T. Watson, and E. H. Mitchell (who had purchased the Wimbish home a few years after the subdivision on the land).
Life, however, was not so great for the Robinsons. They took out a handful loans with their home and store as collateral. By 1894, Blanche owed money to a plethora of people for goods in their store, for work, and for loans taken out. That deed, in particular, was hard to read. The deed was about five pages long and listed everyone to whom money was owed and how much. For example, she was indebted to the National Cash Register Company.
In 1894, pursuant to a trust deed from 1890, the ~15 acres owned by Blanche Robinson was auctioned off. By this point, as best I can tell, they had moved from their home and were renting it out as one deed mentions allowing her to "enjoy rents from the use of her property..."
So, in 1894, the land was purchased at auction by F. X. Burton.
History of a House: Our Story Begins...
Author's Note: Though I have officially finished my research on the house, I decided to write out a detailed history of the 275 Carolina Avenue/The Cottage/Robinson Market Gardens. Rather than one extremely long blog entry, I'm going to write one for each person. Well, some may be joined as I have very little information on them. But anyway...
The main part of my research may be done, but, as with an old house, there will always be little things to do. I'm sure I will continue to "accidentally" dig things up, unearth treasures, and it's quite possible that one day I'll be locked in the crawl space and be forced to tunnel out. So at least there is potential for more learning.
No story would be complete without a beginning. True, you could make a beginning out of any part of a story, but it really wouldn't make sense if you picked some arbitrary point. That being said, I think the best starting point is the subdivision of the land on which the house was built. From there, I can regale you with stories of the people who have owned/inhabited the home for the past 127 years.
To truly begin the history of 275 Carolina Avenue, though, we have to start with a completely different house: 120 College Avenue -- formerly 413 West Main Street. The yellow gothic cottage situated on a tiny parcel of land on College Avenue used to be a farm house located in Pittsylvania County.
Built around 1871 by William P. Graham, the house originally faced West Main Street and rested on roughly 83 acres of land. In 1874, William P. Graham sold the house to his cousin, Abram Wimbish. The 83 acres of land contained all of the area from the current Virginia Avenue to Carolina Avenue, then at a diagonal to South Main Street at the Southern Railroad. From there, it followed the railroad to the outer edge of Howeland Circle and to West Main Street. Beers' 1877 Map of Danville and Pittsylvania County show the property containing a natural spring, a large and small orchard, and even a proposed half-mile race course.
Around 1877, Abram Wimbish sold a portion of his land to the City of Danville "to afford it room enough to lay its water pipes and reach the city reservoir." At this time, the City Reservoir was located on Virginia Avenue. Wimbish reserved a 30 foot right of way for himself around the reservoir, which may still exist in part today.
In 1884, shortly after the death of Abram Wimbish, the vast acreage was subdivided. Abram had left his wife, Fannie, with a fair amount of debt, and in order to settle those debts and allow Mrs. Wimbish to keep her house and outhouse -- yes, the deed actually specified that there was a lien on the house AND outhouse. The majority of the land was purchased by J. M. Neal and E. H. Miller. They purchased everything from roughly Westhampton Avenue to Howeland Circle. J. T. Watson bought the triangular parcel from the intersection of Virginia and Carolina to South Main and back to Virginia. The last parcel, facing a newly opened street (now known as Carolina Avenue) contained 11 acres of land. This parcel, stretching from the alley down Carolina Avenue to Westhampton and back to the railroad, was purchased by W. P. Robinson.
Well, that's it for now. My next entry will begin to delve into the true history of the house and the people. To be honest, my research didn't go much into Wimbishes. Most of what I got comes from Victorian Danville Fifty-Two Landmarks: Their Architecture & History. Except the house and outhouse thing. I actually did read that for myself at the Pittsylvania County Courthouse.
The main part of my research may be done, but, as with an old house, there will always be little things to do. I'm sure I will continue to "accidentally" dig things up, unearth treasures, and it's quite possible that one day I'll be locked in the crawl space and be forced to tunnel out. So at least there is potential for more learning.
No story would be complete without a beginning. True, you could make a beginning out of any part of a story, but it really wouldn't make sense if you picked some arbitrary point. That being said, I think the best starting point is the subdivision of the land on which the house was built. From there, I can regale you with stories of the people who have owned/inhabited the home for the past 127 years.
To truly begin the history of 275 Carolina Avenue, though, we have to start with a completely different house: 120 College Avenue -- formerly 413 West Main Street. The yellow gothic cottage situated on a tiny parcel of land on College Avenue used to be a farm house located in Pittsylvania County.
Built around 1871 by William P. Graham, the house originally faced West Main Street and rested on roughly 83 acres of land. In 1874, William P. Graham sold the house to his cousin, Abram Wimbish. The 83 acres of land contained all of the area from the current Virginia Avenue to Carolina Avenue, then at a diagonal to South Main Street at the Southern Railroad. From there, it followed the railroad to the outer edge of Howeland Circle and to West Main Street. Beers' 1877 Map of Danville and Pittsylvania County show the property containing a natural spring, a large and small orchard, and even a proposed half-mile race course.
Around 1877, Abram Wimbish sold a portion of his land to the City of Danville "to afford it room enough to lay its water pipes and reach the city reservoir." At this time, the City Reservoir was located on Virginia Avenue. Wimbish reserved a 30 foot right of way for himself around the reservoir, which may still exist in part today.
In 1884, shortly after the death of Abram Wimbish, the vast acreage was subdivided. Abram had left his wife, Fannie, with a fair amount of debt, and in order to settle those debts and allow Mrs. Wimbish to keep her house and outhouse -- yes, the deed actually specified that there was a lien on the house AND outhouse. The majority of the land was purchased by J. M. Neal and E. H. Miller. They purchased everything from roughly Westhampton Avenue to Howeland Circle. J. T. Watson bought the triangular parcel from the intersection of Virginia and Carolina to South Main and back to Virginia. The last parcel, facing a newly opened street (now known as Carolina Avenue) contained 11 acres of land. This parcel, stretching from the alley down Carolina Avenue to Westhampton and back to the railroad, was purchased by W. P. Robinson.
Well, that's it for now. My next entry will begin to delve into the true history of the house and the people. To be honest, my research didn't go much into Wimbishes. Most of what I got comes from Victorian Danville Fifty-Two Landmarks: Their Architecture & History. Except the house and outhouse thing. I actually did read that for myself at the Pittsylvania County Courthouse.
Subscribe to:
Posts (Atom)