North Carolina Architects and Builders - A Biographical Dictionary

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Thrower, James R. (b. ca. 1825)

Birthplace: North Carolina, USA
Residences:
  • Henderson, North Carolina
  • Warrenton, North Carolina
  • Halifax County, North Carolina
Trades:
  • Carpenter/Joiner
NC Work Locations:
  • Henderson, Vance County
  • Vance
  • Warrenton, Warren County
  • Warren
Building Types:
  • Public;
  • Residential
Styles & Forms:
  • Second Empire

Title:
Citation:
Source:

Biography

James R. Thrower (b. ca. 1825), was a carpenter active in Warren and nearby counties in the middle and late 19th century. Born in Halifax County, North Carolina, the 25-year old carpenter was listed in 1850 among several journeymen carpenters in the Warrenton household of builder Jacob W. Holt. He is one of the few of Holt's carpenters whose subsequent careers are known. In 1860 Thrower, a carpenter, had his own household in Warren County with his wife Ann, their 2-year-old child born in Virginia, and an apprentice carpenter (perhaps his brother), W. Thrower, 21, of Halifax County.

James Thrower settled in Henderson, a town made by the Raleigh and Gaston Railroad. He evidently continued as a builder, though in 1870 and 1880 the census taker listed him as a railroad manager and railroad master, respectively. He held the important position as the "road master" of the Raleigh and Gaston Railroad through at least 1890 (The Official Railroad List [1890]).Thrower's most prominent architectural project was the design of the Vance County Courthouse (1884), a brick structure with a modest mansard tower; it was remodeled in 1908. His own residence, the James R. Thrower House (ca. 1886), is one of the only houses in town with a mansard roof.

Author: Catherine W. Bishir.

Published 2009

Building List

Vance County Courthouse (Henderson, Vance County)

Vance Henderson

1884

Contributors:
Dates: 1884; 1908 [remodeled]
Location: Henderson, Vance County
Street Address: Young St., Henderson, NC
Status: Standing
Type:
  • Public
Images Published In:
  • Ann Melanie Murphy, An Inventory of Historic Architecture, Henderson, North Carolina (1979).
Note:

This project was a thorough remodeling of the 1884 courthouse, including a completely new façade.

View larger image and credits

Vance County Courthouse

Title: Court House, Henderson, North Carolina
Citation:
"Court House, Henderson, North Carolina," North Carolina Postcard Collection (P052), North Carolina Postcards, North Carolina Collection Photographic Archives, Wilson Library, University of North Carolina at Chapel Hill
Source:

James R. Thrower House (Henderson, Vance County)

Vance Henderson

1886

Contributors:
Dates: Ca. 1886
Location: Henderson, Vance County
Street Address: 144 Clark St., Henderson, NC
Status: Standing
Type:
  • Residential
Images Published In:
  • Ann Melanie Murphy, An Inventory of Historic Architecture, Henderson, North Carolina (1979).
Title:
Citation:
Source:

James R. Thrower's Work Locations

Bibliography

  • Charlotte Vestal Brown Papers, Special Collections Research Center, North Carolina State University Libraries, Raleigh, North Carolina.
  • Ann Melanie Murphy, An Inventory of Historic Architecture, Henderson, North Carolina (1979).
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