I happened to be on the 27th floor of One City Center looking down upon the roofs of the buildings below and was taken back by the large churches in the distance. Four of the churches stood out the most, First Baptist, Duke Memorial United Methodist, Trinity Methodist, and Duke Chapel. I tried to get a good shot of First Presbyterian, the church I attended as a child and was married in, but there were too many buildings blocking my view.
I went to Open Durham and found some interesting information. First Presbyterian began on the same lot that it now occupies on the corner of Roxboro and Main Street. My great grandfather, Dr. David Scanlon presided over the congregation for several decades. Apparently he was a strong pastor because the church thrived under his leadership.
(courtesy Duke Archives) If you look to the far right, you can see the E.J. Parrish house that Richard Harvey Wright lived in.
In 1845, First Baptist Church was the first church to make Durham its home. It resided on Mangum Street from 1878 until 1926 at which time a new sanctuary was built on its present location on Cleveland Street.
Trinity Methodist Church was initially built in 1880. On a Sunday morning in January of 1923, the church burned to the ground. Families who had come for services watched as the magnificent steeple collapsed to the ground. My great Uncle Richard Harvey Wright and his family had been members of the church since its beginning.
(Courtesy Duke Archives)
In 1923, a Gothic style building was built but before the steeple could be added, the church ran out of money. It took sixty years, but on March 8, 1985, a magnificent steeple was added to the top, which is clearly seen in this picture.
And then there is Duke Memorial Methodist Church. In the late 1800’s a church was formed called Main Street Methodist Church. Washington Duke and his family were some of the first parishioners that attended.
(Courtesy of Durham County Library)
In 1875, in the midst of his wealth, William T. Blackwell, purchased the land on the corner of Duke and Chapel Hill Street and built his home. Blackwell, one of the Dukes strongest competitors in the tobacco business gave up the tobacco business and invested his money in the Bank of Durham which went bankrupt in 1888. With no money to speak of, Blackwell ultimately had to abandon his home.
And do you know who purchased the property? You guessed it. Main Street Methodist Church. In 1907 the church was moved to this property and changed the name to Memorial Methodist. This church stands in its glory when you drive up Duke Street and look to the left. In 1925, the church changed its name to Duke Memorial Methodist to honor Washington Duke, one of their most famous parishioners.
Which leaves us to the chapel that was designed by Julian Abele, the first African American to graduate from the University of Pennsylvania Department of Architecture. Its amazing to think that all the stone came from a quarry in Orange County. We truly are blessed have such an array of historical buildings in our midst.
This gothic style structure towers above the trees to the west of downtown. Very cool.
I’m excited to share that my book, A Story of Durham: Told the Wright Way, is now available in hardback!
For the past two years, I have been researching and writing about my grandfather’s 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. My new book, A Story of Durham: Told the Wright Way, will cause you to reflect on your own history and hopefully create in you a desire to study your past to understand your