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Commission designates 709 North 8th Street (Mary Etta Williams House) a local landmark
Summary
The Historic Preservation Commission unanimously designated 709 North 8th Street as a local landmark, citing 140 years of continuous family ownership and the property's association with African American education and post‑emancipation land ownership.
The Wilmington Historic Preservation Commission unanimously designated 709 North 8th Street (the Mary Etta Williams House) as a local landmark on Feb. 12, citing its long family ownership and association with African American education.
Staff summarized the property’s history: the one‑story gable‑front bungalow appears on early Sanborn maps and has associative integrity through continuous family ownership since 1885. The application links the property to Sadie Williams Joseph, an early teacher at the Rosenwald‑funded Caintuck School, and to generational resilience through the Wilmington Massacre (1898) and Jim Crow eras. Staff used the Historic Wilmington Foundation plaque (which records a 1941 construction date) for consistency in dating where archival sources vary.
Owner Tammy Graham described the family history and emotional significance of the home, recalling stories passed down about the community’s endurance through racial violence and displacement. She told the commission that thorough research for the plaque and application was done with consultant Carla Barris and members of the Historic Wilmington Foundation; commissioners commended that stewardship.
A motion to designate the property as a local landmark, subject to design‑review procedures for future exterior changes, was moved and seconded and passed unanimously.
The designation places the property under local design review for any future exterior work; appeals follow the city’s published procedure.
