In American culture, the automobile has long since been a symbol of freedom and mobility for Americans everywhere. In the 1930’s and due to the rising African-American middle class, Victor Hugo Green, New Yorker and U.S. mailman, saw a need for a travel guide for the Black community and created the first edition of the Negro Motorist Green Book (NMGB) which was first published in 1936. According to the 1940 edition, “there were thousands of ‘sundown towns,’ towns where African Americans were barred from spending the night…at all”; therefore, the NMGB was a vital tool for the Black community throughout the U.S. for decades until the “civil rights laws of the 60’s brought about the end of legal segregation.” Although Green was able to expand his book to a successful travel reservation business, he also hoped for a time when the book would not be necessary for the Black community.
This location/address (1035 Chapline Street) is listed in the Negro Motorist Green Book (1954 edition) as a restaurant and was called the Blue Goose.
This location/address (1206 4th Street) is listed in the Negro Motorist Green Book (1954 edition), and this establishment was listed as "Ms. Blanche Campbell" and was categorized as "lodgings."
This location/address (226 Jackson Street) is listed in the Negro Motorist Green Book (1940 edition), and was identified as a hotel that went by the name of "Cobb's."
This location/address (36 Latrobe Street) is listed in the Negro Motorist Green Book (1954 edition), and was categorized as a tavern known as "Boston's."
This location/address (309 Water Street) is listed in the Negro Motorist Green Book (1954 edition), and it is listed under the category of "lodgings" owned by a "Ms. Ruby Thomas."
This location/address (223 Gaines Street) is listed in the Negro Motorist Green Book (1954 edition), and was categorized as a hotel that went by the name of "New Royal."
This location/address (1329 E Washington Street) is listed in the Negro Motorist Green Book (1954 edition), and was listed under the category of restaurants and was called "The Hut."
This location/address (1614 8th Avenue) is listed in the Negro Motorist Green Book (1954 edition), and was categorized as a restaurant which went by the name of "The Spot."
This location/address (605 Logan Street) is listed in the Negro Motorist Green Book (1954 edition) as "lodgings" that belonged to a "Mrs. A. Wright."
This location/address (14 Virginia Avenue) is listed in the Negro Motorist Green Book (1954 edition) as a hotel called "Capehart."
This location/address (602 Raleigh St.) is listed in the Negro Motorist Green Book (1940 and 1954 editions), and this exact listing was described as a "tourist home" and was called "Traveler's Inn." This means that an actual establishment may still exist or could have been demolished and/or altered over time, but an establishment did in fact exist in this area at one time and it provided service to Black American travelers during the era of Jim Crow laws. The NMGB was necessary due to the prevalence of racial discrimination and the lack of knowledge available to the Black community informing them of remaining segregated businesses and towns; however, the book itself was an empowering tool for the Black community which enabled mobility and also provided safety for those traveling throughout the United States.
This location/address (109 9th Avenue) is listed in the Negro Motorist Green Book (1954 edition), and is categorized under hotels but was known as "The Price House."
This location/address (340 S Fayette Street) is listed in the Negro Motorist Green Book (1954 edition), and is described in the book as a hotel called "New Pioneer."
This Tour is a Digital Story Map.
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This tour visits sites included in the 1940, 1954, and 1956 publications of the Negro Motorist Green Book (NMGB). The NMGB served as a guide for Black travelers. It listed lodging, food, and recreation establishments that welcomed Black motorists, so they could move by automobile without fear of danger or embarrassment.
