This two-story frame Victorian house was built about 1895 for David R. Julian, Rowan County Sheriff during the period of 1900-1906.
A few years after its construction, Julian sold the house to Dr. Thomas Wright.
In 1902 Dr. Wright moved to Winston-Salem and sold the house to D. M. Phillips, a railroad employee. Phillips occupied the house until his death in the 1930s and the house passed to his daughter Annie Phillips who lived there until 1965.
The house was used as a rental property until it was purchased by Historic Salisbury Foundation in November 1992. Historic Salisbury Foundation sold the property in 1996 with protective covenants, and restoration of the house began.
Set behind a high bank created in 1950 when a new railroad bridge was constructed, the house is characterized by a steep gable roof with bold decorative brackets along the eaves and an asymmetrical composition.
According to Annie Phillips, the western addition and wrap-around porch were added by her father in 1902, giving the house its present appearance. The porch features heavy square posts, a turned balustrade, and decorative brackets.
During the time of the Salisbury Prison, the three-story brick barracks, a former cotton mill, was located at the back corner of this property.
The large building spanned a portion of what is now this lot, the vacant lot to the south, and the two lots behind, which face Horah Street.
Standing on what is now the sidewalk in front of the house, you would have been in the middle of the prison’s bakery.
Looking toward the front of the house, the northwestern wall of the prisoner stockade would have run parallel to the right side of this house, with a gate located approximately where the corner of the front porch now stands.
The Salisbury Prison was closed in early 1865 and its remnants destroyed by Union General Stoneman on April 12 of that year. Thirty years after Stoneman’s Raid, this house was constructed on the former site of the prison.