William and Lucille High House

(Below in italics is from the 2009 National Register listing; not verified for accuracy by this author.)

This one-story, gable-and-wing house is two-bays wide and double pile. The gabled roof along the left side of the house extends over a rear ell, a shed-roofed modern addition behind the wing, and a second gabled addition beyond that lengthens the footprint. The house has two interior brick chimneys, one at the intersection of the gable and wing and one on the north side of the wing. A hip-roofed porch extends the width of the wing and is supported by tapered wood posts on brick piers. The house retains original wood weatherboards and molding, including boxed eaves, wood soffits and fascia boards, and cornice returns and rectangular vents in the gables. The windows are one-over-one replacement windows, but the original front door, a single-light over three-panel door, remains. The house has been recently renovated and the new gabled wing at the rear is not visible from the street and therefore does not detract from the historic integrity.

The house is named for William High (conductor) who lived in the house from the mid-1930s through the 1970s.

(The information below in italics is from the Historic Preservation Society of Durham Plaque Application for the William and Lucille High House)

The house at 830 Burch appears to have been constructed between 1912 and 1919 by John F. and Mabel Harward. The Harward's purchased the land from V. S. Bryant and J. C. Biggs who bought the land at public auction ten years earlier. The house may have been occupied by Harwards in the early years, but by 1919 they had sold the house to the Liggett & Myers Tobacco Company. 

The house changed hands several times and had numerous tenants until it was purchased by Mrs. Bettie Gupton (a widow) in 1923. Gupton herself did not occupy the house for the entire term of her ownership. By 1930-31 Ralph W. (& Alice) Pickett were listed at the house, though it was still owned by Gupton. 

In 1933, William Joseph High and his wife, Lucille Leah E. High purchased the house and moved in. William was listed as a braker for the railroad in the early years and his obituary recalls him as a retired conductor for the Seaboard Coast Line Railroads. Lucille was also employed, working "for many years" at Belk-Liggett Co. The couple lived out their lives in the house and did not appear to have any children. 

William died in 1972 and after Lucille's death in 1974, the home was sold to J. Melvin and Janet K. Tillman. The couple owned the house, operating it as a rental property until 1989 when it was sold to another Durham landlord. In 2008 the home was purchased, renovated, and owner-occupied once again.