1505 Fayetteville Street – Rogers-Ferrell House

James and Annie Rogers were the original owners and occupants of 1505 Fayetteville. James worked as a carpenter, and Annie did domestic work at home. Annie passed away in 1936. 

James remarried in December 1937 to Lucille Alice Page Rogers. Lucille had one daughter, Esther. Lucille was a private elementary school teacher at a local Seventh Day Adventist Church. She was also a congregant at the local Seventh Day Adventist Church and attended the Seventh Day Adventist World Conference in 1950.

Her daughter, Esther, followed in her footsteps, earning her teaching degree from the Teachers College at Columbia University. Esther and her husband, Sam Hill, lived at 1505 Fayetteville for a time before moving to Charlotte, North Carolina. 

The longest occupants of 1505 Fayetteville moved into the home in 1977. Maynard Ferrell lived in the home until he died in 1999. Maynard Ferrell owned a neighborhood grocery store and worked as a deliveryman. Maynard and Catherine met in 1945, both entering their second marriage when they married in 1950. 

Catherine Ferrell continues to live in the property and is currently the oldest living person in North Carolina, as of the writing of this application, at 113 years old. Catherine was born on October 10, 1912, in Warsaw, North Carolina. Growing up, Catherine attended Frederick Douglass High School, where she played basketball and graduated as class valedictorian. Catherine originally hoped to teach, but could not afford to pursue it. She eventually left Warsaw, moving to Durham in 1945.

After coming to Durham, Catherine worked at the American Tobacco Company, at Maynard’s grocery store, and eventually as a cafeteria worker at Carr Junior High School and Brogden Middle School. She retired in the 1970s, but has continued to remain active in her community.

In Catherine’s 81 years in Durham, she has made a legacy with her commitment to her community. She has been a devoted congregant at Mt. Gilead Baptist Church since 1947, and she has been very active as a choir member, part of the bus ministry and usher board, and director of the vacation bible school. During the church’s 79th anniversary, they honored Catherine and nine other congregants for their service to the church.

Catherine has also been involved with numerous clubs in the Durham community, including the Lamplighters Club, the Everready Club, the Better Home and Garden Club. She was also an active member of the E.J. McCoy National Elk Shrine Temple #704, earning the role of Daughter Ruler, the highest position in the organization.

She has also been a dedicated public servant, advocating for civil rights through her membership in the National Council of Negro Women, Inc (NCNW). The NCNW was founded in 1935 by activist Mary McLeod Bethune. The organization’s mission, “...is to lead, advocate for, and empower women of African descent, their families and communities.” The Durham Chapter of the NCNW honored her in 1985 for her dedication to the community.

In November 2025, she was interviewed by the Indy Week for her dedication to civic engagement as a Black woman born during the Jim Crow era. In the article, she discusses the importance of voting and civic engagement, especially in the face of the many obstacles she dealt with as a Black woman living during the twentieth century. The article also reflects on Catherine’s belief in the importance of schooling, as her daughter reflected on what she said growing up, “If I can finish high school, learning by an oil lamp and a fireplace, you have gotto (sic) finish high school.” 

Before moving to 1505 Fayetteville, Catherine and Maynard lived on Elizabeth Street, saving money to purchase their home at 1505 Fayetteville. Catherine has lived in 1505 Fayetteville for nearly 50 years, almost half of her life. Catherine has decorated the home with newspaper clippings, photographs, and awards, including a photograph of her with former Secretary of State Hillary Clinton, a testimony to the life she has and continues to live. Catherine continues to be a pillar in the Durham community after 81 years of residence.  

Sources: 

 “About - NCNW,” NCNW, last accessed February 5, 2026, https://ncnw.org/about-us/. 

Carolina Times

Herald Sun

Paige Stevens, “At 113, Catherine Ferrell Never Misses a Durham Election,” Indy, November 3, 2025, https://indyweek.com/news/at-113-catherine-ferrell-never-misses-a-durham-election/. 

 Thomasi McDonald, “Durham Woman Is One of Only 60 Living Supercentenarians in the Nation,” Indy, October  26, 2022, https://indyweek.com/news/centennarian-durham-woman/. 

From the Stokesdale National Register Nomination: 

1505 Fayetteville – James R. Rogers House – 1920 C – Building This one-story, hip-roofed bungalow is three bays wide and triple-pile with a full-width, shed-roofed rear ell and a shed-roofed screened porch behind the ell. The house has a stuccoed foundation and brick veneer with an exterior brick chimney on the north elevation and concrete windowsills and lintels throughout. It retains nine-over-one, double-hung wood sash windows, paired on the façade, with nine-light casement windows in the asphalt-sided, hip-roofed front dormer. The engaged front porch is supported by tapered concrete posts on brick piers with a low brick knee wall and is accessed by a concrete stair with brick knee wall. There is a low concrete retaining wall across the front of the property. The house is nearly identical in form to 1507 Fayetteville and may have been constructed by a single owner. County tax records date the building to 1920; the earliest known occupant is James R. Rogers (laborer) in 1925.