August marks one full month into my new role as Executive Director of Preservation Durham! It has been a whirlwind of a month, settling in, meeting the wonderful staff and board members, and importantly learning about all the essential work being done to preserve Durham’s history!
The incredible thing about Durham is that although it’s a relatively young city, there is so much rich and diverse history to discover. From its beginnings as a tobacco and textile hub, to its emergence as one of the preeminent black banking cities in country with the founding of the Mechanics and Farmers Bank and NC Mutual Life, to the development and fostering of its amazing art and theater scene, Durham is a city of both rich and complex history while also an inspiration for new opportunities.
Here at Preservation Durham, we aim to preserve the city’s historic buildings and homes, while also engaging with the community to learn and share the stories which bring that history to life through compelling tours and programming. There is one upcoming tour in September that I’m particularly excited about: the Durham Athletic Park Walking Tour! If you know me, you’ll know that I’m passionate about Baseball (I did my graduate school internship at the Baseball Hall of Fame and Museum) and constantly amazed by how Durham’s history is so intricately woven with the game of baseball!
Baseball came to Durham in 1902 when the Durham Tobacconists took the field for the first time in a game against Trinity College, though residents had been playing Townball (an early version of baseball) for decades. From the beginning Durham’s baseball team was linked with its tobacco industry. From the name of the first team, the Tobacconists, to the eventual name we know today, the Bulls. Both team names were inspired by Durham’s first tobacco Company, Bull Durham, led by W.T. Blackwell.
Another connection, though this one is perhaps more legend than fact, is the term “bullpen”. Blackwell’s Bull Durham invested in large advertisements to be hung in the area where pitchers warmed up during baseball games. This resulted in the area being referred to as the bullpen. Though the first use of this term goes back decades earlier and refers to limited standing-only space for late-comers to view a ballgame, the connection of the large Bull Durham advertisements still draws a connection to the name of the space where relief pitchers warm up. The Tobacconists did not last long as Durham’s team, but they set the groundwork for the Durham Bulls, who played their first season in 1913.
Durham baseball was subject to segregation just as all professional baseball was until Jackie Robinson broke the color barrier when he debuted with the Brooklyn Dodgers in 1947. Prior to the desegregation of baseball, Durham had its own black team called the Durham Black Sox, which played in the stadium that would become the Durham Athletic Park from the 1920s-1963. A decade after Jackie Robinson broke the color barrier in the Major Leagues, Bubba Morton and Ted Richardson were the first black players to play for the Durham Bulls in April 1957.
One of the things that I enjoy so much about studying and sharing Durham’s history is that there is always something new to discover and learn. Whether you’re a fifth-generation Durhamite or just moved here a decade ago, like me, you can always find out more about the people and places that form the foundation of this city we call home and are called to continue to share and preserve. I hope you’ll join us for our baseball tour next month where you can discover more about Durham’s baseball history!
Historic Athletic Park Baseball Walking Tour
We’re excited to announce a brand new Durham Athletic Park Walking Tour, on Tuesday, September 15th at 5:30pm. Durham’s baseball history connects to community building, the local economy, civil rights, and so much more. Join us to learn about the origins of Durham baseball, the historic Durham Athletic Park, and the Durham Bulls.
El Toro Ballpark, late 1920s
Courtesy Durham County Library
The City of Durham’s Historic Preservation Commission will review the Emorywood Estate National Register Nomination on Tuesday, September 1st. Rory Krupps, the consultant who prepared the nomination will be giving the presentation. The City invites members of the Emorywood Estates community to City Hall to observe the presentation and offer any comments that you’d like to share at the meeting. Preservation Durham will be at the meeting to speak in support of the nomination and we encourage Durham community members to join us. After the Historic Preservation Commission’s review, their comments will be sent to the National Park Service for a final review.
Emorywood Estates is a mid-twentieth century historically African American residential suburb was first platted in 1964 by developer and builder Ervin Herndon. Herndon, who was a white man, marketed his subdivision to African Americans because he saw an opportunity to sell something no one else was offering, lots in a neighborhood in which to construct custom-built homes for rising middle-class African Americans. Residents of this neighborhood included business owners, doctors, lawyers, those employed in medical services, teachers, college professors, and school and college administrators, among other professionals. These types of professional careers afforded residents the opportunity to custom build their own homes.
Emorywood Estates is located between North Carolina Hwy 55 and Fayetteville Street off Riddle Road, where the original entrance to the neighborhood is less than three miles southeast of downtown Durham and two miles south of North Carolina Central University. The neighborhood is on the American Tobacco Trail, and 3 1/2 miles from the Research Triangle Park exit on the Durham Freeway.
NC Modernist and Preservation Durham are delighted to present the Harkrader Home Tour. From 1972-2000, Richard and Lonna Harkrader founded, owned and operated New Morning Construction and New Morning Realty, two businesses that built numerous passive solar, energy efficient homes and apartments with a unique architectural style in and around the Morehead Hill neighborhood of Durham.
The Harkraders co-founded Sister Communities of San Ramón Nicaragua in 1993, providing $2 million over thirty years for schools, water projects, and community development while running an award-winning eco-lodge and organic coffee operation, and introducing generations of Triangle residents to the kindness of the Nicaraguan people. Richard and Lonna's careers represent an integrated vision of sustainability—from individual homes and apartments designed to work with the sun and natural surroundings, to state policies enabling renewable energy, to international partnerships built on mutual respect and environmental stewardship.
Explore the solar passive style of homes by visiting six Harkrader properties during the Harkrader Home Tour
on Saturday, October 10th from 9am-3pm.
If you’re interested in volunteering as a docent for the tour, please sign up HERE. Volunteers help for half the tour, and get a ticket to enjoy the other half of the tour.
Presenting Partner
Preservation Partner
George Watts Hill Circle
Preservation Friends
The program from our May 16-17, 2026 Home Tour is now available on Open Durham! Our annual home tour serves as our largest annual fundraiser, as well as an opportunity to share the stories behind Durham’s historic places. Folks gather to appreciate remarkable architecture and learn about the people, ideas, and events that shaped the city we know today.
Hope Valley captures the spirit of Durham’s 1920s, a time when the city stood at a crossroads between innovation and tradition. The neighborhood showcases some of Durham’s most impressive revival architectural styles and reflects the ambitions of a rapidly growing community.
Edward Merrick and Lyda Vivian Moore Merrick were the original owners of 2008 Fayetteville Street, built in 1949. Edward lived in the home from 1964 until he died in 1967, and Lyda lived in the home from 1964 to 1978. Lyda was the daughter of Dr. Aaron McDuffie Moore, the first Black doctor in Durham.
Edward was the eldest son of John Merrick, who created the North Carolina Mutual Life Insurance Company with Dr. Moore. The marriage of Edward and Lyda joined two of the most influential families in Durham. Lyda attended Scotia Seminary School (now Barber-Scotia) and Fisk University. She was an artist and musician, teaching music in Durham until she married Edward. The couple were longtime members of St. Joseph’s AME Church. In 1981 Lyda received the Baha’i Community of Durham Humanitarian Award in observance of World Peace Day.
Lyda founded the Negro Braille Magazine, later renamed the Merrick/Washington Magazine for the Blind. John Washington, a blind friend of Lyda, was the inspiration behind the magazine. He emphasized the need for a braille magazine for blind people all over the world. Lyda delivered, starting the magazine in 1952, and going on to ship free copies to people throughout the United States and internationally. She did extensive research and outreach to ensure this project would be successful, taking it upon herself to learn more about journalism and braille types, all on a volunteer basis. The magazine was also originally largely self-funded by the Merrick family, with her husband Edward contributing significantly to printing costs. The magazine was in production until 2019.
Edward and Lyda’s daughter, Vivian Merrick Sansom, and her husband, James J. Sansom Jr. were the first occupants of 2008 Fayetteville. Vivian was born at Lincoln Hospital, the hospital her maternal grandfather founded. Vivian had a career in health and physical sciences, starting as the first female physical education instructor at North Carolina College (now North Carolina Central University). She worked at Shaw University in Raleigh, first as a professor of Health and Physical Education, and then as the Physical Education department chair.
James Sansom Jr. was originally from Atlanta, Georgia, but moved to Durham after taking a job with the Mechanics and Farmers Bank. Throughout the 1940s, he worked at the bank while also taking night classes to earn his law degree. After completing his education, James taught law as an associate professor for four years at North Carolina College, then worked at Wachovia, and went on to become the president of Mechanics and Farmers Bank from 1978-1983. He owned and operated many organizations and businesses, including Southgate Plaza shopping center, which was “...the first minority owned shopping center between Washington D.C., and New Orleans, L.A. to be built without government expenditure.” James also co-founded Meadowbrook Country Club, an African-American non-profit country club. James and Vivian had four children together: Joseph, Beryl, Sara and James.
Mary and Albert Gilbert, both born in 1878, purchased the parcel on Patra Street in 1922. The road soon changed names to North Roxboro Street. The Colonial Revival home at 1723 N. Roxboro has a balloon frame and brick veneer construction. The primary roof has gable sides, while the two wings have flat roofs. Carl Cozart and his wife Evelyn Fleming purchased the property in 1924, eventually leaving it to their six children.
Photo courtesy Homes.com
Carl Haynes Cozart was born on April 3, 1874 in Granville County. Carl operated his first tobacco warehouse in Creedmoor before getting into the business in Durham in 1919. He opened the Big Four Tobacco Warehouse at the corner of Morgan and Foster Streets. In 1933 the company expanded to become Carver, Cozart and Currin, operating Star Warehouse No. 1 and 2 and Star Brick Warehouse. In 1944 a fire started in the basement of the Big 4 Warehouse and the structure was destroyed. Carl was a charter member of the Durham Tobacco Board of Trade and operated warehouses in Georgia and South Carolina as well.
Photo courtesy Library of Congress, 1939
Evelyn Fleming was born and raised in Granville County and attended private school in both Granville County and Washington D.C. She received a degree in music from the Waco Conservatory of Music in Waco, Texas. After marrying Carl in 1905, they resided in Creedmoor. Carl and Evelyn had five daughters and one son. In 1955 she died of heart disease. Carl continued to live at 1723 N. Roxboro until his death at age 92 in 1966. Both Carl and Evelyn are buried at Maplewood Cemetery.
Harold and Beverly Scroggs purchased the house in 1972. The couple was born in South Carolina, and had two sons. Harold started working for Sears and Roebuck in 1954, and by 1973 he was named the Assistant Manager at the Durham Northgate store. He later became the Operating Manager. He was heavily involved in Boy Scouts and in 1982 he received the Silver Beaver Scout award, the highest honor for scout leaders, presented by the Occoneechee Council of the Boy Scouts of America.
Photo courtesy The Herald-Sun, 1973
Local events and news from us and our partners in preservation you may be interested in.
- Summer Patchwork Market at the historic Durham Armory on Sunday, August 16th, 12pm-4pm. Patchwork is a curated market featuring 60 artists and small businesses from across the region. Discover handmade goods, art, jewelry, ceramics, clothing, home décor, vintage finds, and plenty of things you won't see anywhere else.
- Many Roads, One Community: Migration, Memory, and Belonging in Durham Through the Stories of Geer Cemetery pop-up exhibit at the Museum of Durham History on Saturday, August 22nd, 10am-2pm. Meet folks from the Friends of Geer Cemetery, the Stagville Memorial Project, the Descendant Council, and other community partners who can share resources related to genealogy, preservation, local history, and descendant engagement.
- Brightleaf Harvest Day & BBQ Fundraiser at Duke Homestead on Saturday, August 22nd, 10am-2pm. We’ll be harvesting our tobacco out of the field and demonstrating the process of tobacco looping. Visitors are welcome to try their hand at these activities! The volunteer non-profit support group for Duke Homestead will also host a barbecue lunch fundraiser for $12/plate.
- UCAN’s 10th Anniversary Celebration on Saturday, September 12th from 11am-4pm. Enjoy an afternoon of fun at the farm featuring activities, food, live music and community. If you’ve been wanting to learn more about UCAN and Catawba Trail Farm, this is a great opportunity to visit the farm and enjoy a guided tour.
- A Benefit Concert for the Eno - Celebrating 60 years of the Eno River Association at the Carolina Theatre on Saturday, September 12th at 7:30pm. There will be a free community gathering that afternoon from 1-5pm, at DPlex Plaza with live music and performances. Come out for interactive activities with community partners, and take home new Eno River Association merchandise.
- Historic Athletic Park Baseball Walking Tour on Tuesday, September 15th, 5:30-7pm at 500 W. Corporation St.
- Luminary & Freedom Stories at Bennett Place State Historic Site on Friday, September 18th, 7pm-9:30pm. Walk among 3,310 luminaries - one for every 1,000 enslaved people in NC - and reflect on experiences of enslavement and freedom. Historians dot the path and share stories of people's pathways to freedom and life after slavery and the Civil War.
- Harkrader Home Tour on October 10th, 9am - 3pm. This is a special year, as we’re hosting a second home tour! The Harkrader Home Tour is in partnership with NC Modernist and will feature six passive solar, energy efficient homes.
- DigitalNC is a project of the North Carolina Digital Heritage Center, a statewide program that works with cultural heritage organizations of all sizes across North Carolina to digitize and publish historic materials online. We are housed in the North Carolina Collection at UNC’s Wilson Special Collections Library.
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