Evans House - Page Road

35.914162, -78.814164

Durham
NC
Year built
1850
Construction type
Neighborhood
Use
Building Type
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evanspage_ci3.jpg

Descendants relate that nine generations of the Evans family have occupied the weathered log house built by John Evans, Jr., ca. 1850. Evans son, Reuben, reported to have been born in the house, was about twelve years old when Union soldiers raided the family farm near the end of the Civil War. Among other items, peanuts belonging to the boy were taken. Young Reuben followed the soldiers to a nearby camp and informed the commanding officer that his men had stolen the peanuts, stating further that he considered the thieves neither gentlemen nor honest. The Union officer, undoubtedly impressed by the boy’s courage, made his soldiers apologize and return the peanuts.

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1990

Resting on its original fieldstone piers, the two-story side-gable house has a single fieldstone and brick end chimney. Particular to early houses, the chimneystack is free standing. As in many log structures, fenestration is irregular; an entry door (an early- twentieth-century replacement) is located in the center of the front facade with windows offset to its right on both floors and on the gable end opposite the chimney. At least two layers of board siding have been superimposed on the logs; vertical board and batten siding thought to date from the late nineteenth century was covered with horizontal weatherboard siding in the early twentieth century. A front ell that adjoined the house on the north and a shed-roofed front porch have been demolished but a long one- story rear ell remains. The placement of siding shows that a breezeway and a shed porch have been enclosed. Except for a single tobacco barn and a deteriorated garage, outbuildings associated with the house have disappeared.

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Comments

The cemetery for Reuben is near where the old house was. It was great to come across this info on your website. Here is the cemetery info: http://cemeterycensus.com/nc/durh/cem205.htm I actually surveyed it last week for myself and took a few pictures of the remaining stones. I will send in the update to the cemetery census site soon.

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