Duckett, Charles H., House

National Register Listing

Street Address:

105 Downs St., Laurens, SC (Laurens County)

Alternate Name:

Duckett House

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NRHP Nomination

Record Number:

S10817730017

Description and Narrative:

The Charles H. Duckett House is significant to the areas of architecture, black history, and commerce for its association with Charlie Duckett (1860-1947), a prominent black Laurens businessman. Mr. Duckett built the house ca. 1892 as his private residence and continued to live there for the rest of his life. He was a carpenter, contractor, and lumber dealer in Laurens during the late nineteenth and early twentieth centuries. In addition to the lumberyard, Duckett operated a funeral home. He took an active part in the civic affairs of Laurens and in the Bethel African Methodist Episcopal Church. The Charles H. Duckett House is a vernacular, one-story, frame residence with a partial basement. The L-shaped house has a low-pitch, hip roof of standing seam metal and a boxed cornice. The exterior is sheathed in beaded weatherboarding, accented by corner pilasters and a water table. The house is outstanding in its level of ornamentation. Distinctive features include sawn and perforated porch details, paneled ceilings, ornate mantels, wainscoting, carved door and window surrounds, and an Eastlake front door. The home is located in a residential neighborhood that has been associated with the black community of Laurens since its development. Listed in the National Register November 19, 1986.

Period of Significance:

1892

Level of Significance:

Local

Area of Significance:

Commerce;Architecture;Ethnic Heritage: Black

National Register Determination:

listed

Date of Certification:

November 19 1986

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