The Price-Leiner House
By Cameron Kinard
Current Plaque Text
1905
Rogers & Thomas, Contractors
Neoclassical Revival style house built for Willie Ann Wood Price (1857-1931), widow of William Price (1853-1904). Purchased in 1919 by Ludwig Leiner (1862-1951); and wife, Kate Stuart Burriss (1880-1970), native of Southport. He was born in Bavaria, served in the U.S. Army during the Indian and Spanish-American wars and was an inspector with the U.S. Army Corps of Engineers in Wilmington. House remained in family for 59 years.[1]
[1] Historic Wilmington Foundation, “Price-Leiner House,” New Hanover Library Digital Collections, accessed 3/10/2024, https://cdm16072.contentdm.oclc.org/digital/collection/p15169coll2/id/3021/rec/583
Price-Leiner House Architecture
The Price-Leiner House was originally constructed in 1905 for “Willie” Ann Wood Price. This building is constructed predominantly in the Neoclassical Revival style of architecture. This style harkens back to the Greek Revival style that first became popular in the late seventeenth century and early nineteenth century, but demonstrates several evolutions. The most important is its design flexibility. While Greek Revival structures were often large, monumental structures, several expositions of the 1893 World’s Fair in Chicago showed that these Greek design elements could be used in a variety of smaller, everyday buildings.[1] The Neoclassical Revival style that emerged became one of the most popular in America by the time the Price-Leiner House was constructed in 1905.
Like many other residential houses built in the Neoclassical Revival style, the Price-Leiner House was not designed to stand out as an architectural achievement. Many such houses only display a small number of Greek-inspired design features and can thus be better incorporated with other American construction elements. The Neoclassical Revival features on the Price House include the design of the front porch, which is fully covered and sports columns of the Tuscan style. As a whole, the house boasts two floors and is characterized as “hip-roofed,” with a second-story rear porch that was added by later residents in 1992.[2]
[1] “Neoclassical Revival,” Architecture Styles, accessed 3/12/2024, https://architecturestyles.org/neoclassical/
[2] “Price-Leiner House Application,” Historic Wilmington Foundation, 18.
The Price Family
The Price-Leiner House was first constructed and occupied by members of the Price family from 1905 to 1919, who were long-time Wilmington locals. The family was headed by father William P. Price, born in May 1854, and mother William Ann Wood Price, who was born in November 1856 and went by the name Willie. They married in 1883, and in the course of their marriage they had five children: Joseph, Mary A., Mary E., Louise, and Phineas.[1] For much of their time as a growing family, the Price family lived at 317 S. 5th Avenue, just next door to the plot that would later hold the Price-Leiner House. While Willie reared their five children, some of whom would go on to higher education at Belmont College, William Price made a successful career as a banker. He started off as a money clerk and quickly rose to the position of a bank teller in multiple local Wilmington banks before entering service with Atlantic National Bank. Known as “perhaps the most capable bank teller in the State,” William Price left a mark on the social fabric of the city and was sorely missed by his community when he died unexpectedly of heart trouble while at work on May 25, 1904.[2] He had only earlier that month served as a pallbearer during the funeral of his friend John W. Reilly, and William Price was then laid to rest by many of the same friends.[3]
It was in the following year that the Price family had the house at 319 South 5th Avenue constructed. This was accomplished by the construction company Roger & Thomas, who were well-known contractors in Wilmington. Roger & Thomas built this house and four others concurrently, during a significant building “boom” experienced by Wilmington in the first decade of the twentieth century.[4] It is believed that Willie Ann Wood Price may have considered constructing another house in the adjacent plot, which would have brought the total of her owned properties on that single block to three. The Price-Leiner House itself was owned by Willie Price personally for several years, until in 1915 she transferred the deed to her youngest son Phineas, who had just turned 21 years old. Phineas in turn sold the house to Ludwig and Katie Leiner four years later.[5] The reasons for these sales are known only to the family, but Willie Price continued living in Wilmington for the remainder of her life. Willie passed away on October 5, 1931 and was buried with her late husband in Oakdale Cemetery in Wilmington.[6]
[1] “William A Price,” in 1900 United States Federal Census, Ancestry.com.
[2] “His Death Summons,” Wilmington Morning Star (Wilmington, NC: May 25, 1904), 1.
[3] “Laid to Rest,” The Wilmington Messenger (Wilmington, NC: May 5, 1904), 4.
[4] “Five New Residences,” Wilmington Morning Star (Wilmington, NC: May 11, 1905), 1.
[5] “Price-Leiner House Application,” Historic Wilmington Foundation (Revised February, 2011), 21.
[6] Ibid, 5.
The Leiner Family
When Ludwig and Katie Burris Leiner moved into 319 South 5th Avenue and entered the Wilmington community in 1919, they had already lived rich lives. Ludwig was born a native of Munich, Germany in February, 1862[1] to a family of Black Forest farmers. He lived in his family’s stone farmhouse until after the death of his father, Alexander Leiner, in 1881 when he immigrated to the United States. After arriving, Ludwig enlisted with the US Army in Baltimore, thereafter serving in multiple units, such as the 6th US Cavalry, in various posts along the Western Frontier. Among the duties he told his children about later in life was the escorting of American Indians to tribal reservations in Kansas and other Western territories.[2] By the time of the outbreak of the Spanish-American War in 1898, Ludwig was a Master Seargeant in the Light Battery F of the Army’s Second Artillery regiment.[3] He served in Cuba for the duration of the war, taking part in the battles at El Pasa Hill and San Juan Hill.[4] Ludwig was later stationed at Fort Caswell near Southport, NC and there met Katie Burris, who was a native of that town. Katie Buriss Leiner was daughter to Thomas Gray and Nancy Elmore Burris, born in May, 1889.[5] Ludwig and Katie married soon after.[6]
After retiring from active service in the army in 1913, Ludwig served as an inspector for the Army Corps of Engineers. This was what brought Ludwig and Katie to Wilmington in 1919, and the Price-Leiner House was where they would continue rearing their family. For the next decade Ludwig served at this post as inspector in Wilmington, though the 1920 US Federal Census also listed him as a machinist for the local rail road office. He and Katie raised six children over the course of their marriage: Louis, Herbert, Alice, Berthram, Katherine, and Betty Jane.[7] The family were members of Wilmington’s First Baptist Church and then later St. Matthews Lutheran church, with whom Ludwig served as treasurer. Through these connections the family were engaged constantly with a lively and mutually supporting community. Ludwig, Katie and their family were often involved in church events, notable birthdays, and funeral services as noted participants.[8] In 1950, Ludwig and Katie were honored by St. Matthews Lutheran Church in the Sunday Star News newspaper for both their 50th wedding anniversary and Ludwig’s 89th birthday as the “oldest member” of their congregation.[9] Ludwig passed away on November 14, 1951 at the age of 91 and buried with honors at the Wilmington National Cemetery.[10] Katie lived for another two decades, supporting their children as they grew up and moved away to their adult lives. She passed away on May 8, 1970 after years of battling illness, and was buried with her husband in the Wilmington National Cemetery.[11]
Louis, as their first son born in 1901, experienced much of his father’s military career at various posts such as Fort Hamilton in New Jersey and Guantanamo Bay in Cuba. Louis closely followed in his father’s footsteps, likewise joining the Army Corps of Engineers as a young man and serving until his sixtieth birthday in 1961 as Chief of a survey party managing navigational markers and matters of maritime engineering along the Carolina coast. Like his father, Louis married a Southport woman, Maggie Mae Harrelson, and after moving away from their parents they lived in a house on Carolina Beach.[12] Unfortunately, Bertham Leiner, also known as Carlton, passed away at the young age of 36 in 1947. He had been married to Shirley Leiner with a son, Carlton Jr. and was mourned by his large family and even larger community. He was buried in Oakdale cemetery.[13] Alice also remained in Wilmington with her mother, but the rest of the Leiner family spread out as they grew up, with Katherine settling down in Williamsburg, VA,[14] Herbert in Paducah, KY and Betty Jane in Neptune Beach, FL.[15]
[1] “Ludwig Leiner,” Find a Grave, accessed 3/12/2024, https://www.findagrave.com/memorial/3270531/ludwig-leiner
[2] “Price-Leiner House Application,” Historic Wilmington Foundation, 12.
[3] “Local Dots,” The Morning Star (Wilmington, NC: October 18, 1898), 1.
[4] “Ludwig Leiner,” Wilmington Morning Star (Wilmington, NC: November 15, 1951), 2.
[5] “Mrs. Katie Leiner,” State Port Pilot (Southport, NC: May 13, 1970), 2.
[6] “Price-Leiner House Application,” Historic Wilmington Foundation, 5 & 22.
[7] “Ludwig Leiner,” in the 1920 US Federal Census, Ancestry.com
[8] “Birthday Party,” Wilmington Morning Star (Wilmington, NC: April 7, 1846), 19.
[9] “Price-Leiner House Application,” Historic Wilmington Foundation, 25.
[10] “Ludwig Leiner Dies; Was Spanish War Vet,” Wilmington Morning Star (Wilmington, NC: November 14, 1951), 2.
[11] ”Katie B. Leiner,” Wilmington Morning Star (Wilmington, NC: May 9, 1970).
[12] “Louis Leiner is Retired by U.S. Army Engineers,” State Port Pilot (Southport, NC: January 11, 1961), 1 & 4.
[13] “Carlton Bertham Leiner,” Wilmington Morning Star (Wilmington, NC: April 5, 1947), 2.
[14] “Mrs. Katherine Leiner Murray, Clyde E. Gooch Wed in Williamsburg,” Wilmington Morning Star (Wilmington, NC: Oct. 12, 1947), 19.
[15] “Katie B. Leiner,” Wilmington Morning Star (Wilmington, NC: May 9, 1970).
Final Notes
Some time after Katie Burris Leiner passed away in 1970, the house at 319 South 5th Avenue was sold out of the Leiner family. It stood vacant for several years, until in 1978 the house was purchased by Paul H. White and then Glenn and Beverly Tetterton. The Tettertons lovingly cared for the house for many years, adding the second story rear porch mentioned previously and creating the original application submitted to the Historic Wilmington Foundation for the Historic Plaque Program.[1] It is thanks to the cooperation between the Tettertons and the Historic Wilmington Foundation that the building is known as the Price-Leiner House, and the stories of the Price Family and the Leiner Family are remembered today.
[1] “Price-Leiner House Application,” Historic Wilmington Foundation, 4-5.
