A History of the Rogers House

History of James Dean Mitchell Rogers

1844-1924

James M. Rogers was born into the very prominent family of the Reverend Zebdiel Rogers and his lovely wife Juliet Mitchell Rogers of Charleston, South Carolina in 1844. He attended the Citadel Academy in Charleston for one year before enlisting in the Civil War in 1861. There were rumors that he retired a Captain in 1885, although we have found no documented evidence of this designation, we lovingly refer to James M. Rogers as "Captain Rogers". The Captain moved to Shreveport, Louisiana after the war and started his first hardware company. While in Shreveport he met and married Mary Jones Erwin of Morganton, North Carolina.

In 1880 the couple moved to Salem, North Carolina to be closer to her parents and so the Captain could start his second, and final, hardware company with J.T. Brown. They formed the Brown-Rogers Company, which is still in business today as the Brown-Rogers-Dixon Company in Winston-Salem, North Carolina.

The Rogers were blessed with the birth of their only surviving son, Francis Mitchell Rogers, on March 22, 1883. The birth records for the Rogers family indicate that Francis had seven other siblings all dying before the age of two. We do not know the cause of death in any of the infants. Captain Rogers was a true man of God and an outstanding civil servant. The Captain served as the first President of the Winston-Salem Chamber of Commerce in 1885. He served on the Chambers Board of Directors with other prominent members of the city such as J.W. Hanes, R.J. Reynolds, C.A. Hege, J.L. Patterson, and P.H. Hanes from 1885 through 1901. He was also a pioneer of the Presbyterian Denomination not only in the city of Winston-Salem, but in the state of North Carolina as well. He was a founding member of the First Presbyterian Church of Winston-Salem and was senior elder and deacon.

In 1888, he served on the building committee of the Church, responsible for the second church building being built and dedicated to the congregation on Sunday, January 26, 1890. His work with the poor and his donations to charities classed him as one of Winston-Salem's greatest philanthropists. His wife of 40 years, Mary Erwin Rogers, died in 1914 at the age of 69. Captain Rogers continued to his work until he took ill at his desk, retired to his home on Cherry Street, then died at Memorial Hospital in Winston-Salem in 1924 at the age of 81.

The Rogers House

1885-Present

The property for the Rogers House, the southwest corner of South Cherry Street and West First Street, was purchased by James M. Rogers in 1882 from Harry T. and Emma F. Bahnson. The construction firm of Miller Brothers, J.S. and Gideon L. Miller was hired in 1883.

The house is an excellent example of the eclecticism which was prevalent in the architecture of the late Victorian period. The irregular massing and variety of detailing of the large two story frame house reflects influences of several stylistic trends popular across America during the second half of the nineteenth century. Influence of the Gothic Revival is seen primarily in the steeply pitched gables sheathed in board and batten siding, contrasted to the weatherboarding which covers the rest of the house, which boast pointed, arched, and louvered ventilators, kingposts with sawnwork, bargeboards, and other decorative detailing. The projecting hood molds found directly below the gables also reflects this style. At the same time, the bay window with paneled dado and frieze, the segmental arched windows of the first story with their heavily molded lintels, and the combination of the projecting and receding planes recall the Italianate style. The Queen Ann influence is suggested by the general irregularity of massing, texture, and detailing. The interior is characterized by an asymmetrical arrangement of rooms around a center hall, a heavily detailed stairway, and wooden mantels of various designs, plaster ceiling medallions, and an ornate spindle frieze in one of the rooms. The house is comprised of 10 rooms and was renovated into suitable office space in 1979.

We at Peebles Law Firm invite you to come see this historic piece of Winston-Salem architecture anytime during business hours. You never know who you might run into here...we've had sightings of the Rogers children who like to play on the staircase, the help, and Mrs. Rogers.

First Presbyterian Church, 1890, Dedication Sunday.

The above invoice dated 1891 portrays an invoice to P.P. Miller for $5.12 which was paid for with goods; butter eggs and 75 cents cash.

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