Trinity Park in Durham in Durham County, North Carolina — The American South (South Atlantic)
W.W. Card House
Photographed By Duane and Tracy Marsteller, August 31, 2023
1. W.W. Card House Marker
W.W. Card
House
1910
No. 43
Trinity Historic District
Erected by Historic Preservation Society of Durham. (Marker Number 43.)
Topics and series. This historical marker is listed in these topic lists: Architecture • Education • Sports. In addition, it is included in the National Register of Historic Places series list. A significant historical year for this entry is 1910.
Location. 36° 0.279′ N, 78° 54.73′ W. Marker is in Durham, North Carolina, in Durham County. It is in Trinity Park. Marker is at the intersection of Minerva Avenue and North Buchanan Boulevard, on the right when traveling west on Minerva Avenue. Touch for map. Marker is at or near this postal address: 1110 Minerva Ave, Durham NC 27701, United States of America. Touch for directions.
Other nearby markers. At least 8 other markers are within walking distance of this marker. LeGrand-Bozarth House (within shouting distance of this marker); Joseph Breedlove House (about 300 feet away, measured in a direct line); The King's Daughters Home (about 300 feet away); Warren-Redmond House (about 400 feet away); William Kenneth Boyd & Trinity Park Neighborhood (about 400 feet away); Crowell House
this page online
Regarding W.W. Card House. Excerpt from the National Register of Historic PLaces nomination for the Trinity Historic District:
W.W. Card House. 1110 Minerva Ave. W.W. Card, first athletic director of Trinity College, had this substantial two-story frame Neo-Colonial house with multiple hipped roofline constructed c. 1905. According to early photos and recollections by one of Card's daughters, it was one of Trinity Park's earliest houses and was for many years relatively isolated on a very large lot. The exterior of the house, which features plan frieze and cornerboards, Tuscan porch columns and a trabeated entrance, appears to be intact.
From Duke University Libraries:
Wilbur Wade Card was born on October 29, 1873 in Franklinton, North Carolina to Sabert Henry Card and Cecilia Bennett Fuller. He entered Trinity College in 1895 and became one of the school's best athletes. He set and broke numerous baseball records as an outfielder and hitter and served as captain of the Trinitybaseball team in 1899 (for which he received his nickname, "Cap").Photographed By Duane and Tracy Marsteller, August 31, 20232. W.W. Card House Marker
After graduating in 1900, he attended the Harvard School of Physical Education and graduated after a year long program. He returned to Harvard every summer through 1913 to train and work at the famed Sargent Normal School of Physical Education. While at his first job as director of the Mobile, Alabama YMCA, Card was invited by President John C. Kilgo to return to Trinity as Director of a new program in physical education. He remained at Trinity College/Duke University for the next 46 years.
From 1902-1912, Card worked as both Director and coach of various sports such as baseball. After the 1912 season, he stepped aside as coach to devote all of his time to being Director. One of the many highlights of Card's career is his introduction of the game of basketball to the State of North Carolina. He coached Trinity College for the first game, played with Wake Forest College in 1906. For this, he is considered the "Father of Intercollegiate Basketball in North Carolina."
Wilbur Wade Card died September 3, 1948 of a heart attack. He was interred at Maplewood Cemetery in Durham. In March 1958, the Duke Gymnasium was renamed the Wilbur Wade Card Gymnasium in his honor.
Also see . . .
1. Card House. Historic photographs of the
Duke University Archives via Flickr (CC BY-NC-SA 2.0), August 25, 1941
3. Wilbur Wade Card (1873-1948)
A star athlete at Trinity College (later Duke University), he was the school's first basketball coach and athletic director, serving in the latter post for 46 years.
2. Trinity Historic District (PDF). Original National Register nomination for the district, which was listed in 1986 and subsequently enlarged. (National Archives) (Submitted on September 11, 2023, by Duane and Tracy Marsteller of Murfreesboro, Tennessee.)
3. Card, Wilbur Wade. Baseball was Card's favorite participatory sport. In addition to playing on the Trinity team, he played semipro baseball at Tarboro in the summer of 1898 and at Concord the following summer. The Boston National Baseball Team offered him a contract to play professional baseball in 1900, but he went to Harvard instead. (C. Sylvester Green, Dictionary of North Carolina Biography via NCPedia, 1979) (Submitted on September 11, 2023, by Duane and Tracy Marsteller of Murfreesboro, Tennessee.)
Additional keywords. Duke University; basketball
Credits. This page was last revised on September 11, 2023. It was originally submitted on September 11, 2023, by Duane and Tracy Marsteller of Murfreesboro, Tennessee. This page has been viewed 58 times since then and 9 times this year. Photos: 1, 2, 3. submitted on September 11, 2023, by Duane and Tracy Marsteller of Murfreesboro, Tennessee.
