The sixty-fourth 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 the East Wilson Historic District: “ca. 1908; 1 story; two shotguns joined together to form a duplex with unifying hip-roofed, turned-post porch; house appears in 1908 bird’s-eye view of Wilson.”

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In the 1922 Hill’s Wilson, N.C., city directory: Artis Columbus E propr[ietor] The Delicatessen h 308 Pender

In the 1925 Wilson city directory: Artis Columbus E (A & Flanagan) h 308 Pender

In the 1928 Wilson city directory: Artis Columbus E (c; Ada D), undtkr 571 E Nash and prop[rietor] Smith’s Filling Sta h 308 Pender.

In the 1930 Hill’s Wilson, N.C., city directory: Artis Columbus E (c) (Ada D), undrtkr 571 E Nash h 308 Pender

In the 1930 census of Wilson, Wilson County:  at 308 Pender Street, valued at $4000, Columbus Artis, a merchant/undertaker, wife Ida, and niece Gladys Adams.

In the 1940 Hill’s Wilson, N.C., city directory: Cox Leslie (c; Mary) h 308 Pender

In the 1940 census of Wilson, Wilson County: at 308 Pender, rented for $16/month, Leslie H. Cox., 58; wife Mary, 53; and Nancy, 26, Florence, 20, both household servants, Leslie Jr., 18, hotel bellhop, David, 16, and Ardelia, 15, and grandson June Lee, 9.

In 1942, Leslie Robert Cox registered for the World War II draft in Wilson County. Per his registration card, he was born 8 August 1921 in Wilson, N.C.; his address was 308 Pender Street; his contact person was Mary Cox, 308 Pender; and he worked at the Briggs Hotel, East Nash Street, Wilson.

In the 1947 Hill’s Wilson, N.C., city directory: Cox Leslie H (c) carp h 308 Pender and Cox Nancy (c) maid h 308 Pender.

Photograph by Lisa Y. Henderson, February 2018.