Roanoke Route Walking Tour Stop 10: Gillespie/Seagraves House

Gillespie/Seagraves House, 1909

301 N. Oak St.

Constructed between 1909 and 1910, the Gillespie/Seagraves House served as the residence for the Gillespie family until Dr. Biram H. Seagraves purchased it at the outset of World War I. From around 1914 to the 1960s, the Seagraves family made this place their home. Dr. Seagraves and his wife, Lucinda, initially arrived in Roanoke with their four children: James Henry, William Hise, Amanda Susan, and Samuel Lewis in 1885. It is said that Dr. Seagraves had his doctor's office on the second floor of the Silver Spur Saloon at some point in its history. William Hise attempted to attend medical school but soon realized that medicine was not his true calling. Instead, he and his brother James Henry became prominent merchants right here on Oak Street. 

The buildings that once housed their businesses no longer stand, but they were located where Los Molcajetes Mexican restaurant is today. In 2019, the Gillespie/Seagraves house underwent a comprehensive and loving renovation, transforming it into the Old Oak Street Reception and Event Center.

Hise Seagraves, left, inside his hardware store on Oak Street in the 1920s.  

The Gillespie/Seagraves House has a distinctive wraparound porch.

Another original feature that has endured is the unique wire fencing.