Cherry Lane, north side

Located at a bend on Cherry Lane near the intersection of Hellgate Road,

the Henry Crane House is set on a level lot surrounded by open fields in

a rural residential neighborhood.

• Record ID: 9
• Address: Cherry Lane, north side
• Current Owner: LaBella, Frank & Dorothy
• Name of Building:
• Historic Name: Henry Crane House
• Download PDF of Original Record

Notable Features

The 1 story, three-bay, hip-roofed enclosed porch added to the facade in the

nineteenth century features a modern doorway flanked by two six-over-six sash. The

1 story, gable-roofed ell which extends from the eastern elevation most likely was

u added at the same time as the facade addition. The original center chimney has been

replaced and a modern exterior chimney has been added to the western elevation. There

is a shed-roofed addition to the rear.

Outbuildings: A single story, two-bay, gable-roofed garage is located to the northwest

 of the house

Historical or Architectural Importance

I

Facing

south onto Cherry Lane, this Colonial period house was erected by Henry Crane ca.

1785. The 2t story building topped with a wood-shingled, ridge-to-street gable roof

features a center-hall plan with a three-bay facade. Utilizing a post-and-beam framing

system, the house is asbestos-sided and rests on a sandstone foundation.

Henry Crane ( b. 1748 ) erected this house ca. 1785 on a plot of land he purchased from

Jonathan Wells. Crane, the son of Henry Crane, Jr. and Mercy (Francias), was the grandson

of Henry Crane, Sr., one of Durham’s original settlers. Shortly before he migrated to

Whitestown, New York, Crane sold the homestead to Captain James Hickox in 1792. In 1802

Captain Hickox’s widow, Rachel, sold the dwelling house to brothers, Ezra and Isaac

Loveland. Both men resided in the house, each owning half of the dwelling with the

right to pass through each others portion when necessary. This dual ownership of the

property provides an interesting glimpse of the close relationship of an early nineteenthcentury

family. Ezra and Isaac were the second and third eldest sons of Titus Loveland

whose homestead (no longer extant) was located just to the east of this property. Like

their father, the Loveland brothers were employed as shoemakers and by 1817 were operatir

their own shoeshQP on the property. In 1834 Isaac’s son, Isaac C. Loveland, purchased

the property which was “subject to the improvement of (uncle) Ezra Loveland during his

natural life”(DLR 21:155). Isaac C. resided there until 1846, when the property was

purchased by Bela Davis (1800-1887). It is most probable that Davis resided here until

his new house was completed in 1865 (see Bela Oavis House). The Davis

family owned the property until 1907.

The Henry Crane House derives its significance from the long association

with the Loveland family arid its contribution to Durham’s cottage industry:

shoemaking.