The William Howard House - 108 East Park Avenue

Authentic Victorian Town Home circa 1906 Suburban Beauty - Designed by Renowned Architect George F Barber Queen Anne home has been fully restored and is offered at less      than its restoration cost - 5 Bedrooms, 4.5 Baths plus separate      2 Bedroom Garage Apartment overlooking Charleston-Style garden      with pergola  Faces the Historic Town Common and features a Gourmet Kitchen,      2 Porches, Private/Fenced Rear Yard, 2-Car Garage, Faces      Historic Town Common

History

This lot was originally part of the Grove, built in 1808 by Thomas Blount and acquired by Wilson County's namesake, Louis Wilson in 1830. Mr. Wilson lived in the Grove until his untimely death during the Mexican War (1847). Soon afterward Robert R. Bridgers purchased the Grove, occupying it until 1880. In 1860, Mr. Bridgers sold some 1-2/3 acres from Blount's original property, which reached to the Town Common, to David Pender, brother of General William Dorsey Pender. In March 1901 the Pender heirs, Mary C. Pender, Henry Pender, and W.L. deRosetta conveyed a portion of this parcel to James Pender. Later that same year, he sold this lot to William. O. Howard, a local attorney, for $600.

Construction on William O. and wife Katherine's new Queen Anne style home most likely began in 1904 when they acquired a $1000 mortgage on the lot. William O. Howard with wife Katherine expanded their family through the years to include daughters Katherine, Margaret, and Page. Long-time neighbors to the Penders, the Howards became prominent leaders in their local church, St. James United Methodist Church, where Mr. W. O. Howard served as the Superintendent of Sunday School and Mrs. W. O. Howard as President of the Women's Missionary Society.

By 1930 the house was rented to Walter Lanne and wife Mary, son Allen, daughters Louise, Mildred, Winnifred and Helen, with boarders Milford Haynes and Victor Rawlings. In the 1950's it was purchased by Vinton E. Fountain and remained in the Fountain family for some fifty years.

 

             Complete Structural/System Restoration –

                          New Roof – House & Garage – rafters replaced as needed

                          Foundation Stabilized/Perimeter Brick Foundation Rebuilt

                          Plaster Repairs to Walls & Ceilings Throughout

                          New Electrical Systems - House & Garage – Utilities Buried

                          New Plumbing Systems - House & Garage

                          New 2-Zone HVAC System in House

                          New HVAC System – Garage Apartment

                          New sewer line, including pumping station, installed - Garage Apartment

                          Insulation Installed – attic/under floors and all exposed walls/ceilings

                         3 Existing Baths Remodeled

                         1 Full and 1 half-bath Added

                         Gutted modern pine-paneled side porch and installed window-wall for sunroom.

                         Gutted kitchen/breakfast room and incorporated existing rear porch area for
                              gourmet kitchen, including professional range and hood. 

                         Enclosed and remodeled existing exterior rear staircase, landing area and sleeping
                              porch to create 4^th bathroom and laundry room on 2^nd floor

                         Repaired structural damage caused by the installation of a whole-house fan in 2^nd floor
                              stairway ceiling and installed drop-down stair for attic access.

                        All windows re-roped, reglazed and new glass installed where necessary.

                        Interior redecoration throughout including refinishing and repairing original hardwood
                             floors and plaster repair throughout, tile/tub restoration in baths.

 

Complete Exterior Restoration –

      Removed vinyl siding, uncovered original gable shingle detail. Paint stripped, entire house painted, front porch rebuilt, columns restored, trim replaced where necessary and siding repairs made where necessary

                     Added Rear Porch – 10’ x 18’

      Installed private rear garden in Charleston style, including pergola with antique-brick floor, center formal boxwood bed and surrounding brick patio area.

      Fencing installed for privacy and pets.

      New Gutters – House & Garage

     
Design

A self-taught architect and a masterful marketer, George F. Barber established his practice in Knoxville, TN in 1888. He created architectural designs, both stock catalog plans and custom designed houses, for prominent small-town professionals, merchants and farmers who often had money to spend on "convenience, comfort and good taste" but no local access to an architect capable of building their dream.

From 1888 to 1913 his firm produced as many as 800 separate house plans and is said to have sold as many as 1,000 mail order plans annually for mansions, seaside cottages and stables to national and international clients, including some of the top business leaders of the time, such as millionaire North Carolina tobacco baron R.J. Reynolds.

By the early 1900s his firm, George F. Barber & Company, was the largest in Knoxville and one of the leading mail-order architectural firms in the United States, employing approximately 30 draftsmen and 20 secretaries, publishing numerous periodicals and even maintaining its own publishing company, The American Home Publishing Co., which Barber had established in 1898, to distribute his house designs in the form of pattern books and mail-order catalogs for house kits.

Barber's publications include The Cottage Souvenir (1891), Cottage Souvenir No. 2 (1892), New Model Homes and How Best to Build Them (1894), Artistic Homes (1895), Art in Architecture (1902-3), and Modern Dwellings (1901-1907).

Containing order forms and price lists for the drawings, his catalogs were not the first to sell private homes to the public on a widespread basis, but the first to give customers the opportunity to participate in custom-designing their own houses. These catalogs included questionnaires and sketch pads so customers could define or draw changes. Barber urged his readers to customize, using such encouragements as "Keep writing till you get just what you want." and "Don't be afraid of writing too often. We are not easily offended."

Part of a Barber house's appeal is the nostalgia it represents. Barber houses were an integral part of the small-town streetscape at the turn of the last century and can still be seen in every state of the nation as well as overseas. Often they represent the most ornate Victorian houses in many cities, such as the Castle in Drain, Oregon. Many are now on the National Register of Historic Places.

As Barber's designs progressed through a series of styles, the ones built in the 1890s became most associated with his name. These are best described as Eastlake, Queen Anne, or a mixture of the two romanticized Victorian styles. Elaborate in their detailing with rich but simple ornamentation and a variety of materials and textures, they contained such features as patterned slate roofs, a lively irregular roofline with many dormers and chimneys, multiple fireplaces, elaborate brick work, pressed metal bays and turrets, fishscale shingled wall coverings, bays, expansive verandas topped with second-story balconies, spindle work, beaded spandrels, scrollwork, and windows decorated with stained glass.

 

Community

In Tarboro, a front porch is more than part of a house. It symbolizes a way of life that's easy, open, and relaxed--yet casually elegant--a way of a life growing so unique that Tarboro has become a regular stop on tours associated with The History Channel, The Victorian Society, The Smithsonian and Historic Albemarle.

Rich in history and steeped in tradition, Tarboro, nestled in a bend of the Tar River became the head of navigation on the Tar. This important colonial river port was chartered in 1760 and is one of North Carolina's oldest towns. Tarboro still has its original Town Common, a 15-acre park canopied by tall oaks that marks the threshold to our 45-block Historic District and renovated Downtown, all listed on the National Register of Historic Places. Each Spring the North Carolina Symphony holds an annual concert on The Common.

Although it is generally agreed that the area around Tarboro was settled by 1733, Mosley's map of that year shows only Tuscarora Indians. Tarrburg, as the town was called on maps of 1770-75, was chartered November 30, 1760 as Tarborough by the General Assembly. In September of the same year, Joseph and Ester Howell deeded 150 acres of their property to the Reverend James Moir, Lawrence Toole (a merchant), Captains Aquilla Sugg and Elisha Battle, and Benjamin Hart, Esquire, for five shillings and one peppercorn. As commissioners, these men were to lay out a town with lots of not more than 1/2 acre and streets not wider than 80 feet, with 12 lots and a 50-acre "common" set aside for public use. Lots were to be sold for two pounds, with the proceeds to be turned over to the Howells; however, full payment was not received for all of the 109 lots sold, and some were not sold for the 40 shillings price.

Tarboro has been the county seat of Edgecombe County since the county was established in 1741. The North Carolina State Legislature met here once in 1787 and again in 1987, and Tarboro has continued to maintain a position of importance in eastern North Carolina.

Many citizens ventured early into manufacturing, though agriculture has long been the major industry. The area prospered, and by 1850 was widely known as "Tawboro", a name attributed to "Taw", the Indian word for "river of health".

Tarboro, as a community of some 11,000, has preserved much of its history and has developed one of the most active historic preservation programs in North Carolina. Numerous public and private residential and commercial restorations can be found in one of the largest historic districts in this part of the country. The town's historic downtown has been recently revitalized and recognized by the National Trust for Historic Preservation "Main Street Program". An Historic District National Recreation Trail guides visitors through the scenic older neighborhoods of the town.

Tarboro's cultural center is the Blount-Bridgers House, the early 19th century plantation house "The Grove" of Thomas Blount, an important figure in North Carolina's history. He, along with numerous Edgecombe County residents, served as officers in the Continental Army. Blount (1759-1812), a very young officer spent time in England as a prisoner of war, but returned to participate in one of the largest merchant/shipping companies in late eighteenth century America. Here, at the Blount-Bridgers House, artifacts and antiques tell the story of Edgecombe County, while the Hobson Pittman Collection of 20th century art, located in the same building, recalls the career of one of North Carolina's most celebrated artists.

A variety of shopping centers and modern residential areas compliment the Historic District, providing residents with convenient goods and services and quality housing of varying styles and prices.

Tarboro has a great mix of small shops, restaurants and business opportunities. On the Square Wine Bar and Restaurant, run and operated by young chef/sommelier Stephen Ribustello and his wife Inez, former Beverage Director at Windows on the World in New York City, provides an exquisite food and beverage experience. Main Street Cafe´ is a popular gathering spot along with Cotton's Grill for morning tales and enjoyable conversation.

The Edgecombe County Military Veteran's Museum and Blount-Bridgers House Gallery and Museum both provide cultural insight into the local historical character of the community.

Residents can also enjoy the many recreational facilities the town offers its citizens: a fifteen-acre Town Common, three recreation Centers (including a state-of-the-art senior citizens center), a community pool complex, 10 tennis courts, three major parks and several neighborhood parks, two boat ramps accessing the Tar River, and Indian Lake, a 52-acre natural park. From golf and tennis and to hunting and fishing, there are numerous venues, including The Links at Cotton Valley, an 18-hole course with $75 per month dues, the Tarboro Softball Complex which houses five regulation fields, shad and herring fishing on the Tar River, an abundance of turkeys and deer during hunting season, and a bike trail throughout the town.

Only 22 miles southeast, via a four lane highway, East Carolina University, home of East Carolina Medical School, is recognized as having one of the top cardio vascular programs in the country. The local Heritage Hospital is affiliated with the East Carolina Medical School through the University Health System of Eastern North Carolina. Locally, the Fountains at the Albemarle, a local upscale retirement complex, offers five levels of living from independent to Alzheimer's care.

Edgecombe Community College and North Carolina Wesleyan College can provide great opportunities for adult degree programs as well as a variety of engaging educational courses that are stimulating and thought provoking. Both schools have state of the art auditoriums where concerts, plays and various other programs are presented regularly.

Centrally located for those who enjoy the excitement of North Carolina's cities and the relaxation of its coast, Tarboro is strategically positioned between the Piedmont and the Outer Banks. Located on the banks of the Tar River in the northeastern section of the state's Coastal Plain, easily accessible by Interstate 95 and U.S. 64, Tarboro is only an hour's drive to Raleigh, the state capital and an additional quarter hour to the Raleigh-Durham International Airport. The Atlantic coast with its many beaches is an easy drive during the summer months.



Best of all - this beautiful home situated in the heart of the 45-block Tarboro Historic District is offered below the restoration cost at only... $440,000
 

To arrange for your private showing of this historic gem, please contact:

    Rusty Holderness via email: rusty@historictarboro.com or via phone  252.823.7295 / 252.903.9498 (cell)

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