Catsburg Store

From Wikipedia, the free encyclopedia

Catsburg Store is located at the junction of old oxford hwy and hamlin rd in Durham County, North Carolina. The Catsburg Store is about halfway between Durham and Butner, and is near historic Stagville.

This two-story, hip-roofed, frame structure is a well-preserved box-and-canopy store. Built in the 1920s by Sheriff Eugene G. Belvin, it has a high false front, and a one-story gable-roof supported by large wooden posts.

Though no longer open for business, the Catsburg Store is still widely recognized as a local landmark. Its renown comes from the large painted image of a black cat on the front parapet above the word Catsburg, which has led to the building becoming a favorite of local photographers and artists. This part of town is called Catsburg as a tribute to the late Sheriff Belvin, whose nickname was "Cat." Belvin was an extremely popular sheriff in Durham County who earned his nickname through his ability to sneak up on bootleggers and moonshiners in the 1920s.^{[citation needed]}

Surrounding the old store, Catsburg Natural Area contains a good Basic Mesic Forest with two rare plant species. The site is a Registered Heritage Area owned in part by the Army Corps of Engineers; the remainder is privately owned.^{[citation needed]}