1724 Wayne Street
The home at 1724 Wayne Street, built in 1903, is an example of the now rare, but once plentiful shotgun house. It has many characteristics of the style, including a central chimney, steep gable roof with return and two bays on the facade. One bay features a one over one paned window while the other is the entrance. A small front porch with hip roof has evidence of a few decorative bracket ends along the cornice. The square posts supporting the porch roof have a small detail, typical of many shotguns, in the form of a decorative bracket.
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1724 Wayne Street, 2018. Historic Columbia collection
Popular from the turn of the twentieth century through the 1920s, this type of structure was typically an inexpensive style favored by the working class, as the simple design and narrow lot required much less money than homes with complex roof lines, wrap-around porches and a wider front façade. Census records indicate a succession of African American, working class families at the residence, including the family of railway worker Washington Gary in 1910, John McDaniel, a janitor for Southern Bell Telephone, in 1930, and the family of bricklayer Melody Orchard in 1940. By the 1920s, almost all residents of Wayne Street were African American, a trend that continued for several decades.