The thirty-fifth in a series of posts highlighting buildings in East Wilson Historic District, a national historic district located in Wilson, North Carolina. As originally approved, the district encompasses 858 contributing buildings and two contributing structures in a historically African-American section of Wilson. (A significant number have since been lost.) The district was developed between about 1890 to 1940 and includes notable examples of Queen Anne, Bungalow/American Craftsman, and Shotgun-style architecture. It was listed on the National Register of Historic Places in 1988.

As described in the nomination form for East Wilson Historic District: “1925; 2 stories; Camillus L. Darden house; one of the district’s fine Colonial Revival house, with rare original brick veneer, arched floor-to-ceiling windows flanking front door; columned entry porch with roof balustrade; Darden contracted white architect Charles Benton; builder was black brick mason John Barnes [Darden’s brother-in-law]; Darden operated district’s leading mortuary business, established by his father, Charles Darden.”

After the death in 1987 of Camillus Darden’s widow, Norma Duncan Darden, the house passed to the local graduate chapter of Alpha Kappa Alpha Sorority.

Photograph by Lisa Y. Henderson, July 2016.