129 Main Street

The Leverett M. Leach House is located on a large, wooded lot on the west side of Main Street in the Durham historic district.

  • Record ID: 59
  • Address: 129 Main Street
  • Current Owner: Schilling (Estate of), Minnie A.
  • Name of Building:
  • Historic Name: Leverett W. Leach House
  • Download PDF of Original Record

Notable Features

A full-length, hip-roofed porch is on the facade. It is supported by a square, chamfered bust set on low pedestals rising to square capitals. A plain frieze runs under the wide roof overhang. Roof brackets, the usual hallmarks of the Italianate style, appear to have been removed. Symmetrical, hip-roofed entryways have been added to the north and south sides. There is also a large, two story, rear addition. The six-over-six sash windows have architrave moulding around their frames. A 2 1/2 story cross-gabled barn with cupola is located northwest of the house at the rear.

Historical or Architectural Importance

The Leverett M. Leach House is a 2 story, three-bay Italianate cube built in 1867 or 1868. It has a flat, central chimney, asphalt-shingled roof, a clapboard exterior, and a sandstone block foundation. The house is in some respects similar to to 132 Main Street. Leverett W. Leach, the proprietor of the L.W. Leach and Son Store located to the south next to the First Church of Christ, received this lot in 1852 (without buildings) from the estate of Mary Bowers. When he died in 1866, his son ,Leverett M. inherited the property and four years later he had built this house, as the 1870 plot map of Durham indicates. Leverett M. also inherited his father’s business; by 1880 he is listed in
the Census as the keeper of a “Dry Goods & Grocery Store” But Leverett M. served his community in other than purely mercantile ways. In 1860 he was elected as a Durham repesentative in the General Assembly. Two years later he became a Senator from the Eighteenth District. After he died in 1898 the house was sold to Levi Leonard. This house is significant as an example of Italianate-style architecture in Durham and its association with one of Durham’s influential citizens.