building construction

710, 712, and 714 Viola Street.

The one hundred-seventy-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.

710 Viola Street.

714 Viola Street.

Three houses are under simultaneous renovation in the 700 block of Viola Street. They have been filleted wide open, offering a close look at the construction methods for inexpensive rental housing in the early 20th century.

Lathing covering the interior wall of the right-hand side of the duplex at 714. Though many houses in this era had beadboard walls, the laths suggest these were plaster. Brick pillars support the sill that ran down the duplex’s centerline. 

The beadboard ceiling.

The right-hand side of 712 Viola Street with exposed floor joists in the front half of the house. The brick box at center supported a central chimney through which an oil or wood-burning stove vented.

The single endway house at 714 Viola has completely new sills and joists. 

  • 710 Viola Street

As described in the nomination form for the East Wilson Historic District, this building is: “ca. 1930; 1 story; gable-end double shotgun with shed-roofed porch.”

In the 1930 Hill’s Wilson, N.C., city directory: Pender Henry (c; Mollie) farm hd h 710 Viola

In the 1930 census of Wilson, Wilson County: at 710 Viola, paying $12/month, grocery store delivery man Earnest McCray, 22; wife Lizzie, 19; and son Levaughn, 3; plus roomers Mollie Pender, 48, servant, and Henry Pender, 45, farm laborer.

In the 1940 census of Wilson, Wilson County: at 710 Viola, rented for $9/month, Mamie Lassiter, 51, widow, household servant, and sons John D., 33, highway project laborer, and Samuel, 27, tobacco factory laborer; also, for $9/month, William H. Pender, 59, carpenter helper; wife Mollie, 52, tobacco factory stemmer; and lodgers Eva Reid, 25, and Mary J. Pitt, 27, public school teachers.

In 1940, Charles Bryant Lassiter registered for the World War II draft in Richmond, Virginia. Per his registration card, he was born 8 November 1917 in Smithfield, N.C.; his contact was mother Mamie Lassiter, 710 Viola Street, Wilson; and he worked for R.G. Booker at Hotel John Marshall, 5th and Franklin, Richmond.

In the 1941 Hill’s Wilson, N.C., city directory: Pender W Henry (c; Mollie) carp h 710 Viola. Also: Pender Sudie (c) tob wkr h 710 Viola

In 1942, John Daniel Lassiter registered for the World War II draft in Wilson. Per his registration card, he was born 26 October 1902 in Johnston County, N.C.; lived at 710 Viola; his contact was Mamie Lassiter; and he worked for Wilson Floral Company, 307 Hill Street, Wilson.

Charles B. Lassiter died 8 March 1946 at the Veterans Administration hospital in Kecoughtan, Virginia. Per his death certificate, he was born 8 November 1917 in North Carolina to John D. Lassiter of Johnston County and Mamie Sanders of Harnett County; his regular address was 710 East Viola Street, Wilson; he was single; he was a World War II veteran; and he worked as an insurance agent.

Wilson Daily Times, 15 March 1946.

In the 1947 Hill’s Wilson, N.C., city directory: Pender Mollie Mrs (c; wid W Henry) tob wkr h 710 Viola. Also: Lassiter John D (c; Lillie) hlpr Wilson Floral Co h 710 Viola

  • 712 Viola Street

As described in the nomination form for the East Wilson Historic District, this building is: “ca. 1930; 1 story; gable-end double shotgun; identical to #710.”

In the 1930 Hill’s Wilson, N.C., city directory: at 712 Viola, rented for $12/month, Marrion Mercer, 32, tobacco factory laborer; wife Sarah, 28; brother Leslie Mercer, 50, tobacco factory laborer; and children Isear, 10, Marjorie, 8, and Florence Mercer, 5.

In the 1940 census of Wilson, Wilson County: at 712 Viola, rented for $9/month, John Johnson, 29, cotton oil mill laborer; wife Nellie, 25, tobacco factory hanger; daughters Gertie B., 8, and Daisey Lee, 4; sister-in-law Lula M. Hunter, 23, and niece-in-law Bernice, 3. Also, renting for $9, Frank Harris, 45; wife Mamie, 40; and children Frank Jr., 12, Mildred, 9, Raymond, 7, James L., 4, and Mary L., 1.

In the 1941 Hill’s Wilson, N.C., city directory: Johnson John (c; Nellie; 2) hlpr Colonial Ice Co h 712 Viola. Also: Harris Frank (c; Nannie) lab Stephenson Lbr Co h 712 1/2 Viola

In the 1947 Hill’s Wilson, N.C., city directory: Vines Jack (c; Hazel M) tob wkr h 712 Viola. Also: Harris Benj F (c; Mamie) lab Williams Lbr h 712 1/2 Viola

  • 714 Viola Street

As described in the nomination form for the East Wilson Historic District, this building is: “ca. 1922; 1 story; shotgun; shed-roofed porch.”

In the 1930 Hill’s Wilson, N.C., city directory: at 714 Viola, tobacco factory laborer Annie Gunn, 56; daughter Mattie, 18; father Charles Barnes, 80; niece Annie Barnes, 26, cook; and roomer Hellen Brewer, 17, servant.

Charles Barnes died 18 June 1930 in Wilson. Per his death certificate, he was 77 years old; lived on East Viola Street; was born in Wilson County in Alex Barnes. John M. Barnes was informant.

In the 1940 census of Wilson, Wilson County: at 714 Viola, rented for $9/month, Madison Mincey, 25, hospital orderly; wife Lallo R., 22; and children Elizabeth E. and Robert E., 3, Johnnie M., 1, and Luther, 5 months.

In the 1941 Hill’s Wilson, N.C., city directory: Mincey Madison (c; Lottie; 4) orderly h 714 Viola

In the 1947 Hill’s Wilson, N.C., city directory: Jorda Wm J (c; Rosa) agrl wkr h 714 Viola

Photographs by Lisa Y. Henderson, June 2022.

Nestus Freeman’s crew at work. (But where?)

This copy of a photograph is said to show O. Nestus Freeman‘s workmen building Our Redeemer Lutheran Church on West Vance Street, Wilson. Does it though?

Freeman came out of retirement to direct the stonework at Our Redeemer, which was completed after World War II. The photo above is undated, but appears to date from earlier in the twentieth century. Moreover, this crew is clearly building an addition to a pre-existing church.

Here’s a photo of Our Redeemer published at the church’s 25th anniversary at the Vance and Rountree Streets site. (The building itself was not completed until after 1941.) This does not appear to be the same church as the one above. The men above are laying brick, not stone. The buttresses between the windows below do not appear in the image above. And the windows themselves are much taller in the image above. The church’s raised stone rake is also missing from the gable end above.

Wilson Daily Times, 7 May 1966.

On 1 September 2001, the Daily Times featured a long piece contributed by Robert B. Lineberger, whose father was pastor at Our Redeemer in the early 1940s. In pertinent part, here is Lineberger’s recollection: 

“Oliver Nestus Freeman was the stone mason for the church. The stone was delivered to the lot in 1942. It was supposed to be 4 inches thick, and the supplier brought half to it from the quarry at Roleville [Rolesville, in Wake County, N.C.] and dumped it on the lot when no one was there. It was 8 inches thick. When the quarry realized its mistake, they said Dad could have it at half price if he would accept it where it was.

“He asked what he could do with it that thick. They indicated it could be split just like a cake of ice … except you would use a sledge hammer with a pointed side to it instead of an ice pick. Tap it on one side, roll it, tap it on the second side, roll it, tap it on the third side, roll it … and when you tap it on the fourth side, it would split in half. That meant the church got the stone for 25 percent of the original price!

…

“[My father] acted as general contractor for the church. During the early war years contractors and builders were doing all the work they could at Seymour Johnson Air Force Base and Camp Lejeune. He hired Mr. Freeman, who came out of retirement to build the church.

“Mr. Freeman then lived in a stone house off of East Nash …. I mixed mortar for him and placed the stones at his directions on the scaffold on which he worked. He chose each stone for a particular place as he worked. I worked with him for a long time during the summer and after school of the year the church was built.

“Mr. Freeman was a fine man, and I learned a lot about stone masonry, mixing mortar and life from him. …”

Lineberger provided some photographs of construction, including these:

Wilson Daily Times, 1 September 2001.

These images further strengthen my belief that the first photograph depicts Freeman’s crew working on some church other than Our Redeemer.

Any thoughts?

Our Redeemer Lutheran today.

Top photo courtesy of Freeman Round House and Museum, Wilson, N.C., digitized at Images of North Carolina, digitalnc.org; bottom photo by Lisa Y. Henderson.