Special to The Herald-Sun
Major projects and activities such as the Historic Parrish Street, the Hayti Heritage Center and the Fayetteville Street Historic Corridor highlight the rich African-American history in Durham.
There is more to the African-American experience, however. What about sites that represent unsung heroes? What stories are we missing that contribute to the story of social uplift and prosperity of emancipation and “separate but equal” within Durham County?
Preservation Durham is leading an effort to identify and document African-American historic sites in Durham County with a matching grant from the National Trust for Historic Preservation.
Preservation matters
History can be documented in many ways, but for preservationists the built environment is the primary artifact of choice.
Buildings are a form of documentation quickly becoming extinct within the African-American community, whether by government-led projects, neighborhood disinvestment or negligence.
Urban renewal of the 1950s and 1960s, for example, wiped out a good amount of African-American communities nationwide.
Durham was certainly not exempt, with the clearance of the Hayti community to make way for the Durham Freeway.
Understandably there were buildings in dire need of repair; however a map on the Open Durham website demonstrates the magnitude of what was destroyed for the construction of a highway. The site clearly shows more buildings were demolished than was necessary for the highway.
Just imagine what resources would be available to us had the demolition been more thoughtful.
As devastating as the swift, wholesale demolition of urban renewal was, perhaps an even greater challenge to African-American preservation is a more gradual and insidious threat.
Many sites are left abandoned or forgotten, and therefore threatened by neglect and deterioration. The historic wealth gap between African-American and majority communities often underlies the problem. Black property owners are not able to keep up with the property in old age or the property gets passed down to children and grandchildren who move out of state and sell the property to a slumlord for a quick dollar.
Durham sought to engage the African-American community to help find these sites and create a plan to preserve them and designate those that could meet certain criteria.
Identifying historic places
I was hired in October 2009 to accomplish this task.
As part of this project, I’ve interviewed and asked several members of the community which sites they perceive to be historically significant, or which persons have contributed to historic significance in the black community.
The project identifies sites that normally would not be eligible for the National Register of Historic Places, our nation’s official list of properties deemed worthy of preservation, and one of the most distinctive designations available. Additionally, the project seeks to unveil properties that could be listed on the National Register and designate them, or at the least suggest further research for designation.
Community involvement is an important aspect to accomplishing the final product. It is important that the community has ownership in the project and can contribute to efforts to acknowledge sites and bring awareness to the history they represent.
The sites so far
So far, more than 45 properties have been identified and inventoried, including 18 neighborhoods.
The site I most was surprised to learn about was the Floyd B. McKissick Sr. House at 1123 N. Roxboro St. I couldn’t believe it was not already listed on the National Register, or at least as a historic local landmark. Nevertheless it has recently been added on the State Historic Preservation’s Office study list. McKissick was a nationally known champion and advocate for civil rights activism and black economic prosperity. He practiced law in Durham and organized for civil rights activism at his home, nicknamed “Freedom House.” He also was president of the Coalition of Racial Equality (C.O.R.E.), a nationally known civil rights group, in the 1960s.
The original Hillside High School on Umstead Street is already listed on the State Historic Preservation Office’s study list. This means the property was approved by the state National Register Review Board as being highly likely to be approved for National Register of Historic Places nomination and warrants further study.
The old Hillside High School, also known as the Whitted School, has been mothballed. Conversations are under way planning for the building’s future. Whatever the plans are, the black community is strongly connected to Hillside High School, so we hope preservation and adaptive reuse have the final word. Hillside High School in 1931, was the first black segregated high school in the state to gain accreditation by the Southern Association of Secondary Schools and Colleges.
Geer Cemetery, on Colonial Avenue, is an African-American cemetery that dates to 1877, when it was founded by three African-American men. Geer Cemetery had been neglected for decades until Friends of Geer Cemetery began advocating for its care. The cemetery is still in need of help with archeological surveys and other activities to help preserve the site. G.W. Pearson, for which the neighborhood Pearsontown was named in the early 1900s, is buried at the site. His son was W.G. Pearson, Hillside High’s first principal and an influential and wealthy man.
Adding to the list
In January, two community input meetings showcased the properties and the community was asked to provide additional information or sites that could be added to the list.
Ideas for the inventory included the Algonquin Tennis Club, currently a lost property. However the meeting revealed that people wanted to honor lost historic buildings, and the Algonquin Tennis Club was mentioned at both meetings.
Other suggestions included the St. Titus Episcopal Church. The church has been a part of the community for about three-quarters of century and has connections with people of influence and fame like the Fitzgerald family and Pauli Murray.
The list neglected to include Piedmont Blues musicians, and one community member offered to provide information that will identify where these musicians rented while in Durham. The meetings were lively and many other ideas concerning preservation activities were discussed — for instance, a driving tour of Piedmont Blues musician’s residences, historical theaters and walking tours related to African-American heritage.
The inventory is meant to be a resource guide providing the community a list of sites to consider for the purpose of preservation and education in the future. The guide includes an architectural survey of each site, a historical summary, pictures and a map of its location. When the guide is finalized, it will also include a preservation plan of action to help guide the community to activities towards preserving these sites of memory. The goal is to bring awareness to sites that are still here and to engage the community to protect those historic resources.
Protection can come in many forms like rehab and adaptive use, protective historic covenants, historic designations, historic marker or plaque, educational programs, digital history projects, oral history projects, walking tours and many more. The memory of the site as it relates to a person, institution or event significant to the black experience in Durham is what is important to preserve. A list of sites will be posted on Preservation Durham’s website at www.preservationdurham.org. Community members may submit ideas to be considered as sites significant to black history to april@preservationdurham.org or call at (919) 682-3036. A final draft community input meeting will be held in the beginning of June.
April Johnson earned a B.S. in Economics from the University of North Carolina at Greensboro and a master’s degree in Urban and Environmental Planning at the University of Virginia, with a master’s certificate in Historic Preservation.
LEARN MORE
A selection of sites that Preservation Durham has identified as significant to the history of Durham, and to its African-American community, will be featured in the Your Community pages each week.
Comments and suggestions can be directed to April Johnson at april@preservationdurham.org or (919) 682-3036.
