James Boon (1808-1850s or later) was a free black carpenter active in North Carolina from the 1820s through the 1850s. As historian John Hope Franklin relates, the rare if not unique survival of the personal papers of this free black artisan provides an important window into the "common experiences, the fortunes, both good and...

Thomas Bragg, Sr. (1778-1851), was a prominent house carpenter whose work in the plantation counties along the Virginia border included houses, churches, and other buildings in Federal and Greek Revival styles. He was born in Craven County, son of Hannah Tolson Bragg (b. 1742) and John Bragg (1741-1816), a pilot and native of Carteret...

John J. Briggs (1770-1856), a highly skilled and widely respected Raleigh house carpenter, began work in the capital city during its early days and continued for more than a half-century. Along with accomplishing the fine carpentry work on a number of town and plantation houses, he served as "boss" carpenter at the North Carolina...

Thomas Henry Briggs, Sr. (1821-1886), builder and manufacturer, worked in Raleigh during a long career that extended from the antebellum period into the 1880s. With James Dodd, he formed about 1850 the company of Briggs and Dodd, contractors and manufacturers of building components. The firm constructed some of the city's most stylish and complex...

James Calder (fl. 1810s), builder, came to Raleigh to build the Governor's Palace (1814-1815). On June 18, 1814, commissioners to build the governor's residence, dissatisfied with proposals received, sought others from "Architects at a distance." They adopted a design from a prominent citizen, Calvin Jones, who had provided a plan drawing and description of...

The Conrad family of builders from Davidson County, who also formed a firm called Conrad and Williams with their partner John Wilson Williams, constructed some of the most important and advanced buildings in the western North Carolina Piedmont during the antebellum period. The Conrad family possessed traditional skills as cabinetmakers and carpenters, but they...

Conrad and Williams was a firm established in 1850 by John W. Conrad of the Conrad Family of builders and John Wilson Williams. It was founded to accomplish a major project and continued in business for several years. The firm, like the Conrad Family, constructed some of the most important and advanced buildings in...

Stewart Ellison (March 8, 1834-October 24, 1899), building contractor and political leader, was born a slave owned by Abner F. Neal of Beaufort County, North Carolina. He was apprenticed at age thirteen to serve a term of seven years at carpentry trade with Marrs (Marse) Newton, a free mulatto mechanic in Washington, North Carolina...

William J. Hicks (February 18, 1827-January 14, 1911), millwright, builder, contractor, architect, and prison warden, began his career in the 1850s and became a prominent figure in North Carolina construction after the Civil War. He epitomized the practical, ambitious, and adaptable men who made their way in the unsettled times after the war. Hicks was...

Jacob W. Holt (March 30, 1811-September 21, 1880) was a Virginia-born carpenter, builder, and contractor who moved to Warrenton, North Carolina, and established one of the state's largest antebellum building firms. His work covered several counties in North Carolina and Virginia. Drawing upon popular architectural books, he developed a distinctive style that encompassed Greek...