603 Ramseur Street

603 Ramseur St., looking north, 1950s
(Courtesy Wendy Watson)

Wendy Watson was kind enough to let me scan the above photo of her grandmother's house at 603 Ramseur Street. Her grandmother, Mary Frances Reams Graves, lived in the house during the mid-20th century. Her grandmother's grandfather was Henry Reams, who ran the first tobacco auction house in Durham - located where the Hill Warehouse on the American Tobacco Campus is now.

Ramseur St. was developed during the late 19th century and first decade of the 20th century. The 1891 Bird's Eye shows the street more developed on the southern side vs. the northern.

1891 Bird's Eye of Ramseur St.

Although this house was not in place in 1891, the street was called Reams Avenue (later South Elizabeth) and #28 is listed as "H Reams, Tobacco Dealer". So the land on which the house was built likely belonged to the Reams family.

Looking southwest at the residential development of these blocks that still existing in the 1950s.

By 1959, industrial uses and the expansion of Carpenter Chevrolet had started to eliminate the residential character of the neighborhood.

1959 aerial with 603 Ramseur marked.

From the backyard of 603 Ramseur, looking east,showing the backs of houses on Hood Street

The remainder of the houses in this block were torn down during the 1960s

Looking south, early 1970s.

This was as close as I got to the puppy that now guards this land, 02.27.11 (G. Kueber)

Now with more vacant!

12.14.2019 (G. Kueber)