Date: c. 1890
8528 Ragan Road, Apex
Designated 12/1/2008
Individually Listed
National Register of Historic Places
The Calvin Lawrence House is an excellent and little-altered example of a typical late-nineteenth century farmhouse. The two-story dwelling displays the triple-A roof that became the most popular roof form for farmhouses built around the turn of the century, and typical late-Victorian interior and exterior woodwork. The front porch, which spans the full façade, is supported by turned, bracketed posts. The gables are ornamented with double-arch vents. A one-story rear ell houses the dwelling’s kitchen and dining room, while the four rooms of the main block serve as parlor, living room, and bedrooms and a parlor. The interior retains unpainted pine sheathing as well as original decorative grain painted mantels and wainscot. The front yard is landscaped with hedges and a variety of trees including cedars, oaks, and a holly. Many of the shrubs and boxwoods are said to be original plantings by Callie Lawrence. Behind the house stands several outbuildings, among them a covered well, a storage shed, and an outhouse, which displays diamond-shaped ventilators.