Whitehall Terrace was built by my grandfather in 1930 for his wife Helen. Helen didn’t want to live at Bonnie Brae with her mother-in-law and my grandfather’s old aunt Nannie. Even though it was during the Great Depression, no expense was spared for Helen.
My mother is the young girl sitting with her father, Richard Wright Jr. It definitely looks like a picture right out of Facebook.
My grandfather died on Tuesday and on Thursday, July 10th, the morning he was to buried, his wife, Helen, passed away just in time to buried alongside the love of her life.
My husband and I went to the house to help with the process of removing the items that weren’t damaged in the house. When we arrived, we were greeted by a security guard who appeared shaken up. When we asked him what was wrong he shared this story. ” I arrived on Sunday, after the firemen and police officers were finished with their investigation. Almost immediately, a large truck pulled up, ready to take everything they could steal. After, I called the police and the truck left, I settled in for what I believed would be an uneventful time. On Tuesday evening with a clear setting of the sun in the west, I heard a noise that sounded like a strong wind coming through the windows. I looked out and noticed a large cloud coverage that came out of no where. I found it strange but didn’t think much more of it until the dog started barking loudly and began to run up and down the main stairwell. Not long after the dog settled down, I received a phone call informing me that Mr. Wright had just passed away. Now I’m not a superstitious man but I didn’t feel alone in this house since then.”
The house still stands but is in need of repair. You can see it as you drive north under 85 and turn right onto Knox Street.
My most recent book, A Story of Durham: Told the Wright Way, is NOW AVAILABLE in hardcover, paperback, and kindle e-book at coradarrah.com and amazon.com!
For the past two years, I have been researching and writing about my great uncle, Richard Harvey Wright. When I began my search, I knew very little about this man except that he was one of the founding fathers of Durham, North Carolina. But what I discovered was a story of passion, love, and a determination to succeed with no boundaries.
