Owner renovated original long, thin, one-story porch after seeing porch similar to this one on trip north in early 1900s. House still has fireplace in every room, including six bedrooms, and original wrought iron fence. Walkers may proceed along alley between the Evans Webber and Rice houses, a typical nineteenth century passageway for townspeople on horseback or foot. 121 Academy St. These two buildings, of Italian style of Flemish Bond construction, served students for better part of century, until 1977.
Buildings are now condominiums.
In early 1800s, headquarters of Roanoke Navigation Company, on southwest corner of Main and Union, which sent several shipments of cargo on canal running down Union Street to Roanoke River. In 1859, railroad eliminated need of canal. There were wagons, carriages, carts, omnibuses, horsemen, footmen, citizens, students, running pell-mell hollowing Yankees. New Castle was later converted into factory that produced chewing tobacco. After World War II, Mrs. Howard Butts founded private North Cross School here.