Historic Courthouse Development

THE PHYSICAL DEVELOPMENT OF THE DAVIDSON COUNTY COURTHOUSE

by
David R. Black, 1987

Funding for this report provided by the National Trust

In 1856 the Davidson county Courthouse was a two-story brick building which occupied the center of the present square. Built in 1824-25 using designs by architect William Nichols, it consisted of a courtroom upstairs with offices below. (1) Although only thirty years old, this courthouse was regarded as inadequate and decrepit in 1855 when it was announced that construction of a new courthouse would be considered by the magistrates at the February, 1856 court.

That a new court house is very much needed is certainly evident to everyone who has taken the least trouble to examine the condition of the building in which the laws are now administered. In the first place the dimensions of the present building are entirely too small to afford convenient and comfortable accommodation for the Justices, members of the bar, officers of court, suitors, witnesses, and others who feel an interest in witnessing the dispensing of Justice. In the second place the walls are so cracked that it is dangerous, for a crowd to be in the court room, and in the third place the roof has become so old and rotten that it is impossible to keep the papers dry in the different offices. (2)

As expected, the February term of the Court of Pleas and Quarter Sessions ordered the building of a new court house in Lexington. They resolved that "five commissioners be appointed to locate a court house in the Town of Lexington on or adjoining the public square-and that Said Commissioners be hereby authorized to Superintend the location & erection of said Court House and that they be vested with sufficient power to carry out in all respects this object." (3) Appointed as Commissioners were R. A. King, Samuel Hargrave, Alfred Hargrave, John P. Mabry and J. W. Thomas. (4)

In April of 1856, the Commissioners advertised in the Lexington and Yadkin Flag newspaper for proposals from contractors for the construction of the new courthouse. Just how detailed the plans for the building were at this point, and by whom they were drawn, is not clear. The advertisement states that,

The said Court House will be 85 or 90 feet long by 50 wide, and two stories high, to be built of brick with cut stone foundation. proposals are invited for the whole in one contract, also in separate contracts as follows: For the brick and stone delivered, for the same laid in the wall, for the plastering, for the carpenter's work, and for the painting--each finding his own material. For further specifications, Contractors will apply to either of the undersigned [commissioners listed]. (5)

Whatever records the Commissioners may have kept have not survived. That their decisions may have been controversial is suggested by a February, 1857 resolution that "this court have implicit Confidence in the Commissioners appointed 12 months ago to make a Contract to locate and build a court house for this county & hereby testify our acquiesence in all they have done thus far and throw the entire responsibility of locality & finishing said contract upon them." (6)

Construction began in the spring of 1857. On March 20, 1857 the Greensborough Patriot and Flag noted that "The public square in Lexington is now covered over with large blocks of granite, and the sound of the hammer is heard from the rising to the setting of the sun, preparing and dressing rock for a new court house." The newspaper listed the contractors for the building as "Messrs. Dudly and Ashly" and stated that the projected cost of the building was $20,000. The new building was to be 80 feet long and 60 wide, two stories high, with a foundation of granite quarried in the immediate vicinity of Lexington. (7)

The "Messrs. Dudly and Ashly" referred to in the article were no doubt George A. Dudley and William D. Ashley. Little is known about Dudley, but Ashley was a carpenter from Raleigh, the son of a carpenter named William Ashley. (8) Between 1856 and 1859, the partnership of Dudley and Ashley built a number of structures for the North Carolina Railroad at its new company shops in Alamance County, now Burlington. Among these was a two-story brick hotel of considerable size and elegance. (9)

Sadly, William Ashley died of consumption at the age of 34 in 1860. (10) In his will he left $4,400 of North Carolina Railroad company stock to his mother, noting that they were drawn "in the name of Dudley & Ashley, these being my portion of them after a Settlement of the copartnership between Dudley & Ashley made in Memphis, Tenn. in June 1859." (11)

By October 1858, the new court house was complete. Contemporary articles in the Greensborough Patriot are effusive in their praise of the building, but not very specific about its appearance.

"We learn that the new courthouse at Lexington was christened this week; that it is a beautiful, magnificent building; that the rooms for the Jurors, Clerks, Sheriff, &c., are large and pleasant, and that the greater portion of the Court hall is included within the large circular Bar for the exclusive accomodation of the Lawyers….There is no arrangement for clients to sit convenient to their counsel during the pendency of their trials, it being considered that people who will go to law, should be made to stand up during the trial of their cause. (12)

and,

...by far the best Court House we ever saw, and we the finest in the state. The house is an honor county, and the citizens of Davidson may well be proud of the beautiful and magnificent temple of Justice which they have erected; it will stand for ages as a monument both of their taste and liberality, while the stranger in passing will involuntarily stop to gaze on its beautiful proportions, its majestic columns, and admire the artistic skill of the master workmen, which is so admirably and tastefully displayed in every part of the building. ...The foundation of the main building, and also the steps and platform upon which rest the lofty columns of the portico, which extends the entire front of the building, are of granite, and cost about $4,000. The court room is on the second floor, and is most beautifully and tastefully furnished and elicited the admiration of his Honor, the members of the bar, and all who were in attendance. The Court room is large, and as is the case with most large Halls, it was feared that it would be difficult to hear and speak in it, but owing the admirable construction of the room, no difficulty of this kind was experienced. We consider it a model of a court House, and as perfect in every particular, with perhaps one slight objection, which could, and we hope will be remedied-the Bar should be elevated....in point of magnificence, there in nothing in the state to compare, except the Capitol at Raleigh. (13)

In examining the physical fabric of the building, it appears that its exterior appearance in 1858 must have been much as it is today. The courthouse represents standard construction for the mid-nineteenth century, although a higher standard than that usually seen in North Carolina during the period.

The foundation of the building was composed of local quarried on the farm of Joseph Conrad, set in sand/lime mortar. (14) Large, rock-faced stones were laid in ashlar with rubble used for an inner layer.  Locally produced hand-made brick laid in common bond was used for the upper walls. Over these brick was applied a sand/lime/clay stucco rendering incised in imitation of cut stonework. This relatively soft stucco was intended to be protected by paint, and appears to have always been painted.

The columns on the front of the courthouse, and the pilasters along the sides, were constructed of brick with a formed stucco coating on the outside. This stucco appears to be of a richer, harder mix than the wall stucco, but was also painted. The lower portions o£ the columns were clad in thin-section cast iron sheaths for greater durability and to secure more detail than could be had from stucco. At the tops of the columns are cast-iron cylinders around the brickwork, to which are screwed the leaves and volutes that make up a Corinthian capital. These columns actually support a brick wall that backs up the wooden trim of the front of the portico. The pilaster caps and bases were bolted through the wall, and in some areas the nuts and bolt ends are still visible inside.

On the side elevations of the courthouse between the floors are rows of bolted ends of tie rods. These rods presumably go clear across the courthouse and strengthen it from lateral thrust, though they may be bolted to joists instead. On the rear elevation the rods are connected to vertical wrought iron straps set in the central hall wall masonry about eight feet from the outer surface of the wall. This appears to be an original installation, again intended to tie the outer walls to the inner structure.

The principal interior bearing walls on the first floor were set directly over their foundations. The side walls were set back at the second level to form a shelf to support the second floor joists. These joists, composed of 2 x 11 inch frame-sawn clear pine boards set at about 18 inch intervals, carry from the side wall to the central hall wall, where they rest on a one-inch plank set on top of the masonry wall. Another set of joists spans the central hall, overlapping the outer joists.

Spanning the courtroom were large-member timber queen post trusses of oak, mortised and tenoned together, and with heavy iron bolts securing the upper diagonals to the top chord. The bottom chords of the trusses were hung from the queen posts with heavy wrought iron stirrups. Large purlins were placed across the tops of these trusses, and the rafters set on the purlins. Across the rafters was placed a sheathing of planks. Cantilevered outriggers were used to support the overhanging cornices on the outside of the building.

Between the front attic wall of the courthouse and the front wall of the portico were set four large beams, two over two. The top two beams supported the heavy timber frame that reached up to form the base of the cupola.

Just what form the original cupola had is unknown. That there was one is clearly indicated by references to the cupola in minutes of the Court of pleas and Quarter sessions in 1862. (15)

Very little is known about the original appearance of the interior, except for the layout of the rooms. The first room on the right on the ground floor was allocated to the Clerk & Master in Equity, the second room on the right to the Clerk of the County Court and the third for the Sheriff. The first room on the left was appropriated to the Clerk of the superior court, the second for the use of the Grand Jury and the third for the Register of Deeds. (16) The front hall was probably arranged much as it is today, except that the first floor windows were exposed, and there was a single stair rising from the second floor to a platform at the attic level.

On November 17, 1865, three commissioners were appointed by the magistrates to repair the Court house and the public well, presumably from the "ravages" of the war and the accumulated wear of seven years of use. (17) However, on November 23, the courthouse caught fire. The Salisbury Daily Union Banner reported that "We learn that the fine court house at Lexington, Davidson county, and the building near it, belonging to Mr. Penery, were destroyed by fire on Thursday night last. This was doubtless the work of an incendiary." (18) Federal officers occupying the courthouse were blamed for the fire. (19)

Just how much of the courthouse was destroyed by the fire is still unclear. There is little physical evidence of fire, whatever, but documentary evidence suggests that the damage was extensive. One hypothesis might be that the fire started in one of the offices on the ground floor and burned through to the courtroom, damaging at least part of the courtroom floor, the plaster ceilings and walls and the courtroom furnishings. The front hall may also have been involved.

The magistrates met at the Clerk's office in Lexington on January 2nd and ordered that a petition and memorial be prepared by attorney J. M. Leach relating to the burning of the courthouse and asking that Congress pay for the courthouse. Leach was authorized to represent the county in attempting to get compensation for the burning, but there is no indication that he was successful. At the same meeting a committee was appointed to secure the use of the Methodist Church or another suitable building to serve as a courtroom. (20)
On February 12, the justices of the Court of Pleas and Quarter sessions "at the court House in Lexington...assembled in the court room...." This suggests that it was at least possible to get to the second floor, and to make some use of the courtroom. However, the court agreed to rent the upper room of J. P. Stimson's Store House as a temporary courtroom, and it ratified contracts made by the clerks of the several courts for the rent of offices for the next twelve months. (21)

Four days later the magistrates appointed five commissioners "to contract immediately for rebuilding the Court House, upon the best terms they can…." The County Trustee was authorized to borrow five thousand dollars for the rebuilding of the courthouse and for repairing the jail. (22)

Apparently the commissioners ran into problems securing contractors who would undertake the work, at least with the funds available, since they resigned at the May 14 meeting of the court. The magistrates refused to accept their resignation, added two members to the-committee, and increased the limit of expenditures to ten thousand dollars. (23)

During this period, legal notices continue to summon litigants to the Court House, and minutes of the court refer to sessions being held at the Court House in Lexington.

Work must have been carried out on the building over the next year and a half. In February, 1868, the court authorized the Court House Committee to "go on and finish up the wood work the Court House and let the plastering remain for the present." (24)

A county Board of Commissioners replaced the Court of Pleas and Quarter Sessions in August of 1868. On the tenth of the month, the new board authorized Captain Wolf, "the superintendent of the building of the courthouse….to go on this week and next finishing up the bar and seats." A week later he was ordered to continue work until he had "finished the railing (including the railing for the stairs and the cupola)." (25)

In September the board ordered the workmen in the courthouse to move all their benches, tools and building materials out of the courtroom and down to the Grand Jury room on the first floor, and to turn over the key of the courtroom to the Superintendent of Public Buildings. The office of Superintendent of Building the Courthouse was declared vacant. (26) Apparently desirous of speeding up completion of the remaining work, the commissioners ordered that "there be enough priming bought for the doors and windows, also enough cording to hang the window sash in the Courthouse." (27)  T. C. Ford was ordered to have the hand railing to the stairs finished up and to dispose of all the lumber not needed to finish the courthouse." (28)

Work continued on the courthouse for at least several more months, and bills for previous work were presented for the next year. In September of 1869, the board ordered the superintendent of public buildings "to have such work done on the Court House as he considers to be really necessary to be done soon." (29)

In all, at least $10,982.135 was paid by the county between September 2, 1868 and February, 1869 for rebuilding and refurnishing the courthouse. (30) That represented a considerable amount of money for the period, but the cost may have also been amplified by the piecemeal approach to the work indicated by the bills presented to the board, by expenditures to repair the jail, lumped with the courthouse, as well as by the need to borrow funds to pay for virtually everything.

The 1871 report of T. C. Ford, Superintendent of public Buildings, indicated that the distribution of rooms on the first floor was as follows: right front-Sheriff, right center-Clerk of Superior Court, right rear-rented to Jacob T. Brown, Left front - Register of Deeds, left center-Grand Jury and Lexington Township Board, left rear-rented to John H. Welborn. (31)

Over the next several years, small amounts of money were paid out for continuing repairs to the courthouse. The largest effort was carried out in 1874, with the erection of a new cupola on the courthouse. An April, 1873, commissioners' order authorized that the cupola be erected on the Court House. (32)  However, it seems to have been nearly a year before the work was begun. In mid1874, T. C. Ford was paid more than $600 for moneys he had spent in erecting the cupola, including superintending the work and "drafting." (33)
 
It seems likely that Ford was the designer for the octagonal cupola. Whether he was trying to reproduce the cupola which had previously existed, or whether this was a new design is unclear. Similar octagonal cupolas, though generally identified with Georgian or Federal style architecture, may be found on Greek Revival buildings. However, the small, paired brackets in the cornice and the non-Greek moldings of the cupola above its base give the structure a decidedly Victorian appearance. On its interior, the cupola is supported by a new internal structure that rises from the ceiling of the portico through the existing base.

Small sums were spent to repair the building during the latter quarter of the century, including plastering the Sheriff, Clerk and Register's offices in 1875 and for further plastering in 1881. (34) One important change was the repainting of the exterior of the building in 1891 with a sanded brownstone finish. (35)

In a special session of the county commissioners on August 21, 1902, the commissioners resolved to construct fire-proof vaults in the Register's and Clerk's offices for the safe keeping of records. However, it was not until March and April of 1903 that a set of vaults was created out of the center, left room of the first floor. (36)

The new vaults involved lining the existing walls with brick, and constructing new floors and ceilings of I beams with brick arched between them. Steel doors were added and steel shutters placed over the windows. The center window was stuccoed over.

The courthouse was wired for the first time in 1905, with one arc light "and not less than six incandescent lights" being installed. (37)  In 1906 the exterior of the courthouse was repainted, this time in a more classical grey and white scheme. (38)

Although the design of the cupola suggests that a clock was intended to be installed in it, it was not until 1907 that the city and county jointly paid to have a clock put in. (39)
During 1915 and 1916, a series of grand jury reports were made to the judge of the Superior Court concerning a number of repairs and modifications which needed to be made to the building. (40) Perhaps as a result of these reports, the commissioners contracted with W. C. Northrup of Winston-Salem to prepare plans and specifications for remodeling the courthouse. These plans were adopted in December of 1917, and the work put out for bids. (4l)

The contract for the basic construction work was awarded to D. K. Cecil of Lexington in early January. The Lexington Dispatch reported that Cecil would start in the courtroom, and hoped to be finished there before the March term of the court began in late February. In addition to the courtroom remodeling, the project would include creating at least four additional rooms in the
basement for the farm agent, vaults for the Clerk of court and Register of Deeds, and a furnace and fuel room. If the excavation was not too expensive, the restrooms would also be placed there. First floor offices would be remodeled, and the courtroom greatly changed, including the construction of a gallery and increased seating. (42)

Newspaper articles during the renovation make clear the dramatic changes taking place in the courtroom.

Citizens won't know the place when they go there to the next term of court. The whole room was torn out and is being remodeled, with a nice gallery at the rear and remodeled entrances and aisles. Instead of two rooms for jurors back of the bench there will be four rooms, two down stairs and two up stairs. The ceiling is being raised about two feet to permit of this change. (43)

Most of these changes can be clearly read in the fabric of the building. The upper half of the rear wall of the courtroom was removed and a gallery installed that reached to the front wall of
the building, replacing the existing stair that led to a platform at the attic level. On the second floor of the front hall, the stair railing was changed so that it no longer dead ended into the front wall at either side, but continued up a new gallery stair on the east side of the front wall. The central doorway to the courtroom was filled in and two pair of double doors placed at either side.

Inside the courtroom, the existing windows and their paneled surrounds were left in place. New, classical pilasters and a complete entablature were set in place, and the existing plank ceiling was covered with a pressed steel classically-detailed ceiling. The three existing doorways at the front of the courtroom received pedimented architraves, although the earlier, heavily-molded doors were kept.

New benches, a jury box and a new bar of mahogany-finished hardwood were put in place. Beyond the bar, the floor was raised and sloped to provide a better view for the oak opera seats which were installed. (44) Maple strip flooring was installed over the existing pine flooring inside the bar and in the halls and rooms behind the bench. At least two large brass and glass chandeliers were hung in the center of the courtroom. One of these survives and has been reinstalled in the first floor front entrance foyer.

As noted in the newspaper, behind the bench the two rooms on either side were divided horizontally to make four. This required raising the ceiling above these high-ceilinged rooms by about two feet to match that of the courtroom. A stair was installed in parts of the east room and the central judge's chambers, and the chambers themselves divided horizontally to form a landing. It appears that the cell in the west room was provided at this point to provide a holding room for the court.

Another area of the courthouse which underwent substantial change was the building's basement. Before the 1918 renovations, there does not appear to have been any useable space below the building. To the county's pleasure, it found that the original contractors had provided deep and substantial foundations, and that excavating for rooms was comparatively easy. After the project was begun, it was decided to excavate an additional room for the Recorder's Court, as well as for complete sets of toilets. (45) Four doorways were cut through the foundation, two on each side, as well as a number of small windows. An interior stair was extended from the front hall to the basement in the southeast corner. Another stair may have also run from the central hall on the first floor to the hall in the basement.

The offices on the first floor were also remodeled, although just what that involved is not clear. The existing window and door surrounds seem to have survived, though the door openings may have been altered. One item that may have disappeared in the remodeling is the ground floor mantels, since a central steam heating system was installed.

On the exterior, the courthouse was altered very little. The tympanum of the front pediment was covered with a sheet of stucco, in the center of which was embedded a cartouche. Letters and medallions were put in the frieze. A pediment was added to the front door surround. At the rear, a new set of steps was built. The (now ornamental) chimneys were capped and the flagstaff atop the cupola was raised.

Inside and out, the courthouse was repainted. securing painters was difficult, given the amount of war work in progress, but by mid-July Emmett Hiatt and Frank Lewallen of Midway Township had begun work. (46)

By October, the courthouse renovation was essentially complete. The Dispatch noted on October 30 that:

The County Court House has received a new coat of paint inside and out. The court room is equipped with everything necessary for comfort and convenience. A large gallery across the rear end adds to the seating capacity. The auditorium is seated with first class chairs and the bar and rostrum are finished up in beautiful mahogany wood work. All the offices present a much improved appearance. When the building is turned over to the county as finished it will be a credit to the public. (47)

Since 1918, a number of additional alterations have been made to the building. Between 1923 and 1929, a fire escape was added to the west side of the building. (48) The front doors have been changed several times, and the rear doors at least once. Two of the basement areaways and several of the basement windows have been filled in. During the 1940s or early fifties the basement stair in the front hall was partially enclosed for an office, which was later converted to a toilet. At about the same time, the basement toilets were rearranged. A second stair was added to the gallery.

During the 1950s the offices on the east side of the courthouse were stripped and paneling applied. A ducted central heating system was installed above hung ceilings on both sides of the hall. Following, the construction of a new courthouse in 1958, the building was largely abandoned, although Davidson County Schools maintained offices there for a time.

During the mid-to-late 1970s, the courthouse was "restored". At this time, or slightly before, the chimneys were removed from the roof. The raised seating was removed from the courtroom, and new bases constructed for the pilasters. Sections of the bar were re-arranged or removed. Heating and air-conditioning was installed in the courtroom. The third floor room at the northwest corner of the building was converted to a mezzanine [the floor separating it from the holding room below collapsed sometime between 1958 and 1970 and was not replaced]. New partitions were added to the offices on the west side of the first floor. The basement stair in the hall was removed, being replaced by an enclosed stair in the adjacent office. A large opening was cut into the west wall of the central hall. Sets of double doors were constructed at either end of the hall, reducing the heights of the openings there. Further partitions were added to the basement, while vault doors were removed.

NOTES

1 M. Jewell Sink and Mary Green Matthews, Pathfinders Past and Present – A History of Davidson County, North Carolina (High Point: Hall Printing Company, 1972), p. 44.
2 “A New Court House,” Lexington and Yadkin Flag, 14 December, 1855, p. 2.
3 Davidson County, N. C., Court of Pleas and Quarter Sessions. Minutes, February Term, 1856.
4  Ibid.
5 “To Contractors,” Lexington and Yadkin Flag, 11 April, 1856, p. 3.
6 Davidson County, N. C., Court of Pleas and Quarter Sessions. Minutes, February Term, 1857.
7 “New Court House,” (Greensborough) Patriot and Flag, 20 March, 1857. p. 2.
8 United States Census of Population. Wake County Schedules, 1850.
9 N.C. State Archives. North Carolina Railroad Company Records, 1849-1952. Ledgers 1852-1858, and Durward T. Stokes, Company Shops, the Town Built by a Railroad (Winston-Salem: John F. Blair, 1981) p. 31.
10 (Raleigh) North Carolina Standard, 29 February, 1860, p. 3.
11 Wake County, North Carolina. Wills, Vol. 31, p. 432.
12 Greensboro Patriot, 8 October, 1858, p. 2.
13 “New Court Houses,” Greensborough Patriot, 15 October, 1858, p. 2.
14 Thomas L. Watson and Francis b. Laney, The Building and Ornamental Stones of North Carolina (Raleigh; North Carolina Geological Survey, 1906), pps. 123-124.
15 Davidson County, N. C., Court of Pleas and Quarter Sessions. Minutes, August Term, 1862.
16 Davidson County, N. C., Court of Pleas and Quarter Sessions. Minutes, August Term, 1868.
17 Davidson County, N. C., Court of Pleas and Quarter Sessions. Minutes, August Term, 1865.
18 “Local,” (Salisbury) Daily Union Banner, 25 November, 1865, p 3.
19 Rev. Jacob C. Leonard, Centennial History of Davidson County, North Carolina (Raleigh: Edwards and Broughton, 1927), p. 174.
20 Davidson County, N. C., Court of Pleas and Quarter Sessions. Minutes,  January 2, 1866.
21 Davidson County, N. C., Court of Pleas and Quarter Sessions. Minutes, February 12, 1866.
22 Davidson County, N. C., Court of Pleas and Quarter Sessions. Minutes, February 16, 1866.
23 Davidson County, N. C., Court of Pleas and Quarter Sessions. Minutes, May 14, 1866.
24 Davidson County, N. C., Court of Pleas and Quarter Sessions. Minutes, February 1868.
25 Davidson County, N. C., Board of Commissioners. Minutes, August 10, 17, 1868.
26 Davidson County, N. C., Board of Commissioners. Minutes, September 12, 1868.
27 Davidson County, N. C., Board of Commissioners. Minutes, September 18, 1868.
28  Ibid.
29 Davidson County, N. C., Board of Commissioners. Minutes, September 7, 1869.
30 Sink and Matthews, p. 47.
31 Davidson County, N. C., Board of Commissioners. Minutes, February 7, 1871.
32 Davidson County, N. C., Board of Commissioners. Minutes, April 2, 1873.
33 Davidson County, N. C., Board of Commissioners. Minutes, July 6, 1874, august 13, 1874, October 6, 1874.
34 Davidson County, N. C., Board of Commissioners. Minutes, November 10, 1875 and September 5, 1881.
35 Davidson County, N. C., Board of Commissioners. Minutes, March 14, 1891.
36 Davidson County, N. C., Board of Commissioners. Minutes, March 2 and 3, April 6 and 7, 1903.
37 Davidson County, N. C., Board of Commissioners. Minutes, June 5 and 6, 1905.
38 Davidson County, N. C., Board of Commissioners. Minutes, June 4, July 9, August 6, 1906.
39 Davidson County, N. C., Board of Commissioners. Minutes, June 4, 1906 and March 4, 1907.
40 Davidson County, N. C., Board of Commissioners. Minutes, February 26, 1915, August 7, 1915, and August 1, 1916.
41 “Submit Courthouse Bids Dec. 17th,” (Lexington) Dispatch, 5 December, 1917, p. 1.
42 “Remodelling Court House,” (Lexington) Dispatch, 2 January, 1918, p.1.
43 “Local Items,” (Lexington) Dispatch, 5 February, 1918, p. 5.
44 “Court Room Seats Arrive,” (Lexington) Dispatch, 26 June, 1918. p. 1.
45 “Local News,” (Lexington) Dispatch, 3 April, 1918, p. 5.
46 “Local News,” (Lexington) Dispatch, 17 July, 1918, p. 5.
47 “Local News,” (Lexington) Dispatch, 30 October, 1919, p. 5.
48 Sanborn Map Company. Sanborn Insurance maps for Lexington, N. C., 1923 1929.