One of the minor surprises I got while researching residential patterns in Wilson was the revelation that the southern block of Pender Street — between Nash and Barnes Streets — was an all-white block into the 1930s. The block’s west side was industrial, but its east side (at the bottom in the 1930 Sanborn map detail below) was lined with small bungalows and duplex shotgun houses.

Most of the houses are long gone, but the double shotguns at 113 and 115 stood until about 2023. The historic union hall at 121 was erected in the 1950s. This property, plus two lots fronting Barnes Street, have been bundled for sale. Purchased for $35,000 in the summer of 2023, the asking price is now an eye-watering $425,000.

Photo by Lisa Y. Henderson, May 2026.