7812 E. WASHINGTON ST. EXT./ MARY E. WHITE HOMEPLACE

This house was built by/for Charles and Mary White, sometime between 1875 and 1879 [1].

Charles owned and operated the store at the nearby Bingham School, and was also postmaster for that location [2]. He died May 24, 1883, in this house, and his wife Mary continued to operate the Bingham School store until 1889 [3].

Mary and Katherine/Kathy White purchased the property from their mother's estate in October 1936 [4], and then immediately sold the house and property to A. L. Wilson [5].

The Wilson family sold the property to the Jordan family in 1941 [6]; The Jordan family sold the property to the Chandler family in 1952 [7]; the Chandler family sold the property to the Langley family in 1973 [8]; the Langley family sold the property to the Polak family in 1983 [9].

In the 1700s and early 1800s, this property was part of a much larger property owned by Samuel Strudwick and then his son William F. Strudwick. In an August 1811 division of the estate of William F. Strudwick, the land was part of Lot #2 of the estate [10]. The property is shown as being owned by Hugh Wilson on the circa 1850 North Carolina Railroad survey map by Walter Gwynn. Wilson's son Addison sold the property to Peter Penick in September 1873; Penick sold it to Thomas Norwood in June 1874; Norwood sold it to Charles White in September 1875 [11].

View south east, 12.21.2022 (photo by S. Rankin)

The front porch was "bungalowized" likely in the 1930s. A one-story rear addition was added at some point.

ENDNOTES

[1] Orange County deed book 44, page 46; deed book 45, page 102; deed book 45, page 345; deed book 45, page 572

[2] United States Federal Census 1880; The Orange County Observer, June 2, 1883; The North Carolina Postal History Society, Orange County, Bingham School. Charles White was a veteran of the Civil War, having served in D Company, 1st NC Infantry Regiment (CSA), until he was discharged in 1863, likely for having been wounded and then captured by Union troops during the Battle of Antietam in September 1862

[3] The Orange County Observer, June 2, 1883; April 27, 1889

[4] Orange County deed book 100, page 275. Mary E. White died in Greensboro on March 22, 1930

[5] Orange County deed book 105, page 76.001

[6] Orange County deed book 115, page 290

[7] Orange County deed book 144, page 302

[8] Orange County deed book 245, page 1706

[9] Orange County deed book 442, page 22

[10] Orange County deed book 14, page 171; Phil Mace, personal communication

[11] Orange County deed book 43, page 95; Phil Mace, personal communication