514 East Umstead Street – Matilda Townsend House

This one-story, hip-roofed house is three bays wide and triple-pile with a hip-roofed rear ell on the southwest corner and series of shed-roofed rear additions east of the ell. The house has a brick pier-and­ curtain-wall foundation, molded wood weatherboards, and three interior brick chimneys. It retains four-over­-one, double-hung Craftsman-style wood sash windows, but has a replacement front door. The hip-roofed front porch is supported by tapered wood posts on brick piers and retains an original bead board ceiling and tongue-and-groove flooring. The earliest known occupant is Matilda Townsend (maid) in 1925. According to her obituary, she was employed by Professor C. W. Toms and later Mrs. J. A. Buchanan. Townsend remained in the house until her death in 1965.