On an odd, irregular plot of land behind the estate of Major William T. Sutherlin and bordered by Green and Colquhoun Streets, once stood the large home of Major Algar Monroe Wheeler. Wheeler had acquired the unimproved plot from Ario P. Platt in 1872. Platt, who resided in Pennsylvania, had family in Accomac, Virginia where they operated a mining and lumber business. What Platt’s connection to Danville was, it is unclear, but, having purchased the property from N.T. Green in 1844, he held onto it for nearly thirty years before relinquishing it to Major Wheeler. It is therefore probable that Wheeler built that first home just subsequent to his purchasing the property.

Major Wheeler was up for reelection as postmaster in 1871. At a meeting of local Republicans, he answered to accusations made against him regarding the manner in which he represented his party as well as that by which he carried out his duties as postmaster. The committee heard the complaints and received the witnesses of others who had attended the gathering before taking a brief recess. Upon reconvening, the committee drafted and unanimously voted on a resolution which offers something of a sketch of Major Wheeler’s character.

“…we the Republicans of Danville, representing the entire party at this place, do hereby Resolve, That we have always known Mr. A.M. Wheeler to be a thoroughly sound and active Republican, that he has always been a firm reliable friend of the colored people; … that he has performed his official duties to the universal satisfaction of this entire community, and is regarded by every one irrespective of party as a worthy gentleman and efficient officer.”

By 1891, Major Wheeler and his family had relocated to New York, and the property was sold to William Diffendal for $6,750. Diffendal certainly lived here, as he appears on the Census of 1900, and this time the property is identified as 503 Holbrook Avenue. Not much is known about Mr. Diffendal. He was born in Maryland in 1842 and married Emma Hellen Shaw there in 1868. The couple had ten children, including twins who died in infancy.

In 1898 Mr. Diffendal sold his home to W.W. Lynn. A year later, Mr. Lynn deeded the property to his wife. It’s not clear that the couple lived here, however, as the 1900 Census places them on Cabell Street, and, as we’ve mentioned already, Mr. Diffendal was living at the address at that time. It’s possible it was intended as an investment property, however, as they did not hold onto the property long.

In 1904 the property was sold to Anderson Wade Douthat. Mr. Douthat, whose family moved to the Danville area from their James River plantation of Weyanoke around 1895, appears to have intended to develop these properties (and, indeed, his name is associated with several other properties on Holbrook Avenue and Green Street as well). He took out a loan, divided the lot into three parcels, and built two, nearly identical homes. His own home at 503 Holbrook Avenue, in which he was identified in the 1910 census as owner/occupant, is attributed by the city as having a construction date of 1907. The city gives a build date 0f 1910 to the twin property at 507, but in that same census of 1910, the home was already occupied by renter William B. Hill, a miller in the flour mill, and his wife Bessie and three year old daughter Mildred. It is therefor probable that the properties were constructed at the same time.

By 1911, it was clear Douthat was experiencing some financial difficulties, for it was in that year that he put all three lots up for auction as a result of having defaulted on his loans. In preparation for sale, Douthat transferred the deeds to the properties to his trustees, James P. Harrison and Randolph Harrison. It was actually the Harrisons themselves who acquired lot no. 2 (at 507 Holbrook Avenue) as lot no. 3, now addressed as 941 Green Street (which we’ll cover in a companion post), lot no. 1 at 503 Holbrook Avenue was purchased by Harrison Robertson, Jr., the son of Danville land baron Harrison Robertson, who owned a large tract of land just outside the then city limits of what is now West Main Street (the location of which the Montague house is now a central landmark). The Harrisons, with whom we’ve spent some time already, along with their extended family, owned several houses on Holbrook Avenue and Green Street. Apart from the Dr. Harrison House at 507 Holbrook Avenue, these homes included the William Leigh House at 614 Holbrook Ave, the Venable-Carrington House at 622 Holbrook Avenue, the Carrington-Patrick House at 940 Green Street, the Sarah E. Harrison House at 941 Green Street. James P. Harrison himself lived for a time at 169 Holbrook Avenue.

Harrison Robertson, Jr. and his family maintained the property for just over thirty years, until Mrs. Robertson’s death, when the property became the home of Charles S. Fulton, who worked as a postal carrier in Norfolk for several years prior to his retirement. A native of Danville, he returned to this city where he resided at 503 Holbrook Avenue up until the time of his death. On August 18, 1953, Mr. Fulton travelled to Richmond, where he was scheduled to meet with his cardiologist regarding some ongoing heart problems. He suffered a heart attack during the night and passed away the following morning in his hotel room without ever making his appointment. The Green Street home continued to be maintained by members of the Fulton family until 1981 when it was purchased by Gary and Mable Thompson. The home has been the residence of the Howell family since 2015.

As an interesting aside, deed records since 1911 reference a map and a section of land that has been reserved for communal access and which was originally identified as a “wagon turnaround.” The space, as a dead-end alleyway, has been preserved to the present day.

Sources include:
Original Deed records
Census and directory records as compiled by Paul Liepe
Census and other genealogical records as found at FamilySearch.org
Charles S. Fulton Death Notice, Times Dispatch (Richmond, VA) 20 Aug 1953, pg. 8