Joseph Breedlove House

1999 (DC tax office)

(The information below in italics is from the Historic Preservation Society of Durham Plaque Application for the Joseph Breedlove House)

The original deed (registered book 36 page 440) was held by Bessie Bassett Breedlove, daughter of Historian Richard Bassett and Mary Wilson Bassett, born 6-Feb-1879. The property was purchased 16 Aug-1906 from DW Newsom. 

Bessie married Joseph Penn Breedlove, born 14-Jul-1874, on 31-Aug-1905. They had one daughter together, Bessie Bassett, born 1912. Bessie (Sr). died 19-June-1912, presumably related to childbirth.

 Joseph Penn Breedlove married again 14-June-1917 a Ms. Lucille Aileen, born 25-June-1885. Together they had 6 children, two of which survived to adulthood. According to 1920 census Joseph, Lucille, Bess (age 7), Caroline (age 1-1/2), Joseph P. (3 mos.) and Ethel, Joseph's sister, were living at 407 Watts Street.

 It is presumed that the structure was built sometime between 1912, when Bessie died, and 1920 when they were living there according to the census. 

Joseph Penn Breedlove was the first librarian at Duke University and helped to build the library structure at the school. Lots of information about Joseph Penn Breedlove and his contributions to Duke can be found in the Duke Archives. Joseph Penn Breedlove died 24-May-1955. His wife Lucille did not die until 1 0-Feb-1970, however the house at 407 Watts Street passed to Bessie Bassett Breedlove Thomason (married Claude Thomason), the daughter of Bessie and Joseph and was sold by her to Evelyn Florence Vandiver on 8-Nov-1961 (Deed Book280 p. 217).

 Evelyn Vandiver lived at 407 Watts Street from 1961 until 3--0ct-1979 (18 years) when it was purchased by Robert and Janet Evans (Deed Book 1014 p.102 ). The Evan's family lived in the house from 1979 until 1986 (7 years) until it was sold 30-June-1986 to Sallyeana Coyle and Warren Hall (Deed Book 1292 p. 554). The Coyle-Hall family performed renovations on the kitchen and bathrooms of the home. 

Sallyeana and Warren lived in the house from June 1986 until June 1993 (7 years) when the house was sold to Robert and Wendy Shreefter 910-June-1993, Deed Book 1857 p.861. The Shreefters lived in the house for 6 years until it was sold to the current owners, Richard and Linda Schmalbeck on 30-Sept-1999 (Deed Book 2722 p. 704).

(Below in italics is from the 1984 National Register listing; not verified for accuracy by this author.)

Trinity College librarian Joseph Breedlove constructed this two-story double-pile frame house in the 1900s. The restrained Neo-colonial design, reminiscent of the more elaborate (Former) Watts Hospital, is evident in such elements as the plain frieze boards at the base of the deep box cornices, the narrow corner boards with molding at the top, and the paired box porch posts with molding at top and bottom. Dr. Breedlove lived here for several decades.