James E. Shepard House

In 1910, Dr. James E. Shepard founded the National Religious Training School and Chautauqua for the Colored Race. The school would become North Carolina Central University, the first state-supported liberal arts college for Black students. An educator, civil servant, pharmacist and businessman, Shepard was one of the first seven investors in North Carolina Mutual Life Insurance Company and assisted with the incorporation of Mechanics and Farmers Bank, original anchors of Durham’s Black Wall Street and two of the largest and longest-running Black-owned companies in the nation. The Dr. James Shepard House on the corner of Brant and Fayetteville Streets displays interactive exhibits on the life and work of Dr. Shepard and hosts private events.