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On January 21, 1903, fourteen people under the leadership of P.R.D. Gore assembled to organize a new church. It began with the singing of hymn no. 556, and scripture was read from the Gospel of Matthew. The fourteen people present signed a pledge by singing “Together let us Sweetly Live, Together let us Die.” Friendship Missionary Baptist Church was chosen for the name, and Revered Gore pioneered and set a precedent for the church’s growth. Under Gore’s leadership, the church erected its first building in 1906 and stood until 1956, when it was removed to construct the present building.Under the direction of their sixth pastor, E.B. Wilkerson, membership soared, and the connection with other local churches grew. Friendship and Morning Star First Baptist Church worked together continuously to improve the surrounding area. During the fight for integration, Friendship was a backbone for the site. Since 1963 the Hickory Branch of the NAACP has held a march honoring Dr. Martin Luther King, Jr. from Lenoir-Rhyne College to the Ridgeview Community Center, often assembling on the steps of the church to praise the work that King was doing and what has been done. Shouts, singing, and praises filled the crowd on King’s birthday as the crowd would shout “We Shall Overcome!” and sing hymns. The Church’s objectives are to create a spiritual organization that is empowered by the Holy Spirit to spread the message of Christ to as many people as possible, to minister to the community unselfishly, and to help people experience a meaningful relationship with God. They do so by providing Sunday School, Women’s auxiliary groups, Christian Education, and a Layman group.

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Friendship Missionary Baptist Church began after Reverend P.R.D Gore left Morning Star First Baptist Church to establish a new church. Less than 400 feet away, Reverend Gore, with the assistance of other previous members of Morning Star and new believers, wanted to create a church that believed in the Holy Trinity, water baptism, and the sacredness of the Holy Bible. The congregation steadily grew, becoming one of the most attended churches in the area, and they stayed loyal, with some families attending the church over five generations. 


Friendship Missionary Baptist Church

"In 1940 on the Hill, you were Negroes; then, you were Colored. Today you are Black and Black is beautiful. So is your history. For a moment, step back in time; remember where you came from." -Drucella Sudderth Hartsoe. The Hill is a historically Black neighborhood near downtown Hickory. It contained the first Black school in Catawba County and countless Black owned businesses including grocery stores, hotels, cafes, dance halls, barber shops and more. Today the area is better known as Ridgeview, named after the former school. 

Clemons Barber Shop was opened in 1978 by George Clemons. George Clemons is 80 years old and was born in rural Cleveland County. His parents were farmers, and he grew up with nine siblings, five brothers and three sisters. Due to segregation Clemons went to Newbold School in nearby Lincolnton. He lettered in football, was a baseball star, and drove the school bus his junior and senior years. Because of lack of funds designated to Black schools, there were only three buses for the whole county; Clemons said he had to be up by daybreak to make it to school by 8:30. He furthered his education at North Carolina A&amp;T State University, though he dropped out after his first semester to go to Durham’s barber school. Being a barber was not his only career. He was a funeral director and owned a funeral home in Newton, NC. After doing both for many years, he had to stop working at the funeral home due to health issues but continued barbering.  Clemons was not the only barber in his family; all 5 of his brothers were barbers. His older brother inspired him to start cutting hair, and it has been a passion since he began in 1959. His brothers owned barbershops in Lexington, Newton, Catawba, and Lincolnton. He and his brother, Benny, opened the first barbershop in an old cafe, but soon outgrew it and built Clemons Barbershop. He and his family went to the Ridgeview area often. His memories of the streets being filled with local businesses and children running around brought a sense of community that he says has decreased as the years have gone on. However, the community's importance continued within his barbershop, with some of his customers coming since its inception. Although the area has changed drastically, it was a place that was good to him, and he was good to. Clemons wants the area to remember him as a “nice guy,” he treated everyone with respect no matter their credentials or lack thereof, and he made anyone who walked through his door treat everyone with respect as well.  Even though his career has spanned over sixty years, he never got tired of it or wanted to quit. Now, at 80 years old, he plans to retire and “ride around,” wanting to keep active, but to make sure he is not working. Clemons Barber Shop was one of the few Black businesses left in the area, and its legacy will continue as previous customers continue to share the history of the area.

One of the many Black businesses that used to line the streets of The Hill, Clemons Barber Shop, opened in 1978 by George Clemons. Clemons had been barbering in the area since the early 1970s, as he opened a smaller barbershop with his brother. Since his opening, he has continually barbered and now, at 80 years old, has plans of selling so that he can retire. The shop is one of the few remaining businesses from the “old days” that has kept the history of the area through him and customers that have been coming since its inception. 


Clemons Barber Shop

On January 21, 1903, fourteen people under the leadership of P.R.D. Gore assembled to organize a new church. It began with the singing of hymn no. 556, and scripture was read from the Gospel of Matthew. The fourteen people present signed a pledge by singing “Together let us Sweetly Live, Together let us Die.” Friendship Missionary Baptist Church was chosen for the name, and Revered Gore pioneered and set a precedent for the church’s growth. Under Gore’s leadership, the church erected its first building in 1906 and stood until 1956, when it was removed to construct the present building. Under the direction of their sixth pastor, E.B. Wilkerson, membership soared, and the connection with other local churches grew. Friendship and Morning Star First Baptist Church worked together continuously to improve the surrounding area. During the fight for integration, Friendship was a backbone for the site. Since 1963 the Hickory Branch of the NAACP has held a march honoring Dr. Martin Luther King, Jr. from Lenoir-Rhyne College to the Ridgeview Community Center, often assembling on the steps of the church to praise the work that King was doing and what has been done. Shouts, singing, and praises filled the crowd on King’s birthday as the crowd would shout “We Shall Overcome!” and sing hymns.  The Church’s objectives are to create a spiritual organization that is empowered by the Holy Spirit to spread the message of Christ to as many people as possible, to minister to the community unselfishly, and to help people experience a meaningful relationship with God. They do so by providing Sunday School, Women’s auxiliary groups, Christian Education, and a Layman group.

The Embassy Theatre opened in 1948. It was owned by Henry Brown, who had previously owned Norwood Theater, built and first owned by noted businessman Norwood Patterson, who later sold it to Brown. Norwood Theater closed in 1930 and was demolished in 1940. Brown would later build the Embassy Theatre, one of the few Black theaters in Western North Carolina, outside of Asheville. One of the most popular movie theaters was Center Theater in Hickory, NC. Center Theater held over 800 seats and the balcony an additional 192. Despite the vast space, it was segregated. Black patrons had to enter the building through a door on the left of the box office. They had to purchase their tickets in a separate box office and go up the second set of stairs to the balcony. Although there were no physical barriers that enforced segregation on the actual balcony, Black patrons’ movements were limited, they had their own bathroom on the balcony level. They could not go downstairs to buy food and drinks. They were brought leftover popcorn and beverages after the white patrons were done.  The Embassy Theatre filled the gap for Black moviegoers to provide a comfortable environment, and equal if not better than other segregated theaters. The Embassy held 450 seats and not only played movies but held live music and dances on Saturday nights. On Saturday morning, the theater played movies for children and frequently had them running around and playing cowboys and hopscotch. Records do not indicate the theater’s existence after 1958, and it was demolished after, which is now used for parking for Friendship Missionary Baptist Church. The loss of the Norwood and Embassy Theatres made Black patrons either attend the segregated theatres in the city or travel to the nearest Black movie theaters in Charlotte, NC, which held at least nine theaters that they could attend.

The Hill was self-sufficient. It held not only its own grocery store, hair shops, churches, and clothing stores, but also a theatre. Movie theaters were heavily segregated, causing Black patrons to go through extra steps to see a movie. They usually had to go to separate box offices, doors, bathrooms, and even stairs. Most movies would not allow them to go to the lobby to attain snacks. Still, Henry Brown decided that The Hill needed its own movie theatre, opening The Embassy in 1948, the only Black movie theatre in Catawba County.


Embassy Theatre

Morning Star First Baptist Church began in the mid-late 1890s, with some records indicating as early as 1888 and as late as 1898, through the organization of between seventeen to twenty community members believing the statement of Jesus in Matthew 28:20. The congregation led church services amongst themselves until 1898 when the Rowan Baptist Association sent Reverend P.R.D. Gore. A pot-bellied stove, using wood for fuel, heated the church, with large oil lamps acting as lights in the old wooden building where it stood on just three pillars. Despite this, Pastor Gore organized a summer school for pre-schoolers attending at five cents a week. Under Gore, numbers grew slowly, but his impact and leadership allowed the church to be accepted by the Mountain and Catawba Missionary Baptist Association. Reverend Gore pastored at Morningstar until 1903, leaving to organize a second Baptist church, Friendship Baptist Church, around the corner. In 1930 Reverend P.D. Harper was called to service, serving until 1972. Under his leadership, the church increased from 100 to over 400, an education unit and pastorium was built, and the church went under numerous renovations.  The church continued to grow even further with the control of Reverend E. Lytle in 1973. Membership soared with further investment in the community. During the summer, members were involved in Vacation Bible School to help children in the area, sponsoring a Summer Day Camp, and awarding college scholarships. The church also contributed to local initiatives, including the Cooperative Christian Ministry of Greater Hickory, The Meals on Wheels, Broughton Hospital Volunteer Program, and the Chaplaincy Program of Catawba Memorial Hospital. Morning Star is actively involved in civic affairs in the greater Hickory area, serving on numerous boards, committees, and commissions. Reverend Lytle was the first African-American elected to Hickory City Council, serving two four-year terms.  Morning Star Baptist Church believes that the Christian Church is called to minister to the whole man and seeks to reach all mankind, build up the weak, strengthen the strong, and heal the brokenhearted. The church continues to grow, contains eight choirs, over ten auxiliary groups, and numerous committees that serve The Hill community. Descendants of some of the first founders still attend the church today.

One of the oldest churches in The Hill, and the first Black Baptist Church in Hickory, Morning Star First Baptist Church began in the late 1800s. The church started at humble beginnings with fewer than twenty men and women in a wooden church, with a property value of $500. Reverend R.A. Smyre hosted services every first and third Sunday. The church continued to grow and allowed the community to grow as well by providing numerous outreach programs. 

Morning Star First Baptist Church

The library was a hub of the neighborhood. Ridgeview Library began with 420 books loaned through the WPA, and in 1943 they withdrew them all; the library had to rely on Lenoir-Rhyne College, the segregated and all white, Hickory High, and private lenders. Despite this, by 1945, the library had 12% of the community as registered borrowers and over 1,800 books. Twelfth Street Library went through numerous name and location changes. The Twelfth Street Library was located in a building rented from Ridgeview native, Mr. Norwood Patterson. The library soon had too many contents and moved to the basement of St. Paul AME Zion Church on July 18, 1946. Interest in the library continued, and it quickly grew too large for the church’s basement as well. In 1946, the Hickory Altrusa Club began raising $10,000 for the construction of a new building. Now located on Thirteenth Street, it evolved into the Thirteenth Street Library. And in January 1951, the library opened as the Ridgeview Public Library the second public library in Catawba County.  The second librarian, Mrs. Menzie Henderson, worked there for over twenty years. Tales of how Mrs. Henderson would personally retrieve the books from patrons who did not return them loomed over the neighborhood. Through her leadership, she helped organize cooperation between Ridgeview School and the library. She held the library open two nights a week with Ridgeview Principal Taft H. Broome, so school children and older people in the community could continue their learning and get help with their school work. The school and library relationship continued, as teachers would regularly assign their students classwork that required the library’s use. Community involvement grew as well, with local Girl and Boy Scouts troops working periodically with the library, reading nights for the children, and collaborations with churches and clubs.  As the need for the library grew and technology advanced, the small library could no longer supply the community with what was needed. In 1999 a new Ridgeview Library opened, over four times bigger than the previous one. Around this time, the old library was set for a new site to make way for the new library. Old Ridgeview Library moved further down Thirteenth Street, now known as First Street. And in 2017, Old Ridgeview Library reopened as a museum to honor the neighborhood’s history. Spearheaded by local churches such as Morning Star and Friendship, the library is now on the National Register of Historic Places.

With the intent to serve The Hill and be an extension of the local school’s library, on September 17, 1940, through a grant from the Works Progress Administration (WPA) and help from community members’ they established the first Black library in Catawba County. Grace Patrick, Spurgeon Young, Martha Troutman, and Nellie Corpening opened Twelfth Street Library. The library served the community for over 50 years and eventually closed so a newer library could serve the area better. As the library continuously moved and turned into a historical site, it is one of the few public places that continues The Hill’s history. 


Ridgeview Library

Several hundred people filled the new Ridgeview community center in the summer of 1958, a project that has been in the works for years. An anonymous donor matched any funds raised by local clubs, making the center possible. Professor Taft H. Broome, principal of the Ridgeview schools and a Recreation Committee of leading Black citizens, spearheaded a project that would help the area. They wanted a place of recreation outside the school. Attorney Thomas P. Pruitt, who urged the residents to unite to create the center, stated that “It was not built as a monument to the efforts of those who conceived it or raised the money for it or contributed to it; nor was it built to test the architect’s skill or serves as an example of their handiwork...The sole and only purpose in erection this building was for your right to use it.” This opening was deemed as something that would subdue the high racial tensions that were happening. Children did not have a proper place to play, so they either had to find an integrated sports field or simply not go when seeking recreation. This achievement allowed the community to become even more self-sufficient.  Over 700 people attended the opening ceremony, and during its first week, over 3,000 people participated in some form of recreation. Volleyball, horseshoes, checkers, ping pong, and dominoes were among the favorites. Sports stars from Ridgeview High came to teach the children how to play sports. The Silhouettes, a famous quartet with a number hit on the R&amp;B charts, “Get A Job,” included The Hill’s very own Bill Horton. The group came to sing during its opening week. The Community Center opened to the public that following Monday, and hundreds of children and teenagers attended the new facilities. Horseshoes, volleyball, checkers, cards, and ping pong. It was added to the Ridgeview block, which housed the Ridgeview campus, library, and pool. As of 2020, it is still open and is now the Ridgeview Recreation Center.

 Due to segregation, most Black communities had to be self-reliant. Local businesses and initiatives allowed the neighborhood to flourish. In the mid-1950s, Ridgeview Principal Professor Taft H. Broome led the area to obtain a community center. The community center was needed as a space for productivity and energy. The limitations of segregation made it so that The Hill did not have a recreation center outside the school’s gym. In 1958 The Hill opened the Ridgeview Community Center. 


Ridgeview Community Center

"By the Ridge of Blue Top Mountainstands dear Ridgeview High. Whose fame and ho-nor ev-er mounting,nev-er ne'er will die, Ridge-view Ridgeview Al-ma Mater, your sons and daughters are true. Long as the sun sinks o'er yon mountain,we'll cheer the orange and blue." Ridgeview was one of the few Black schools in the area. Although it quickly became overcrowded, it remained a sense of pride. Black students around the Hickory area had to walk through busy roads, outside of city limits, and harsh weather to get to one of the few Black schools. Two other Black schools were in Catawba County, but lack of bus transportation and sub-standard work in grades ninth and tenth grade allowed Ridgeview to become the top Black school in the surrounding area. Before 1938 the school only held academic courses but soon became accredited in carpentry, masonry, secretarial sciences, and home economics. Plans of growing the school halted as World War II progressed. Even as the war progressed and some projects slowed, enrollment grew. From 1933 to 1946, high school teachers rose from 6 to 15, enrollment increased from 133 to 338, and improvements eventually continued. Additional buildings, better teaching materials, a new lunchroom, and more extracurricular activities like sports and band were introduced.  In 1964 the Community Relations Council assembled and pushed for integration. However, the issue kept being moved back, and there were no promises of integration, but for the study of the supposed educational inequity between segregated schools. Businesses in Hickory continued to integrate, but the public school system did not. By 1966 no Black parents had challenged the school system to admit their child into a white school. Druella Sudderth Hartsoe did challenge the school system, and her daughter, Mabel Irene, entered the all-white Hickory High, sparking school integration in Hickory. Black students continued to integrate into Hickory High and Claremont Central High, with hopes of a better education. They received newer equipment and smaller classrooms but were met with rampant racism. Ridgeview students left a building less than ten years old for a building built in the 1920s. Catherine Sudderth Tucker advocated for school integration in the 1960s but later felt deceived; as students went to other schools, Ridgeview’s sense of community ceased. Black students left comfortability in hopes of betterment but were met with marginalization.  In 1972, Hickory built a new Hickory High School, but white privilege played a considerable role in shaping public memories. Claremont High School turned into the SALT Block, which contains a science center, art museum, Western Piedmont Symphony, Hickory Choral Society, and United Arts Council. Most of the Ridgeview campus was torn down, with only the elementary school building, gym, and cafeteria complex remaining. The school’s dissolution led to many families leaving the Ridgeview area, causing many local businesses to close. As of 2020, the remaining buildings of the schools are still in use. The elementary school now houses a childcare facility, the gym is a recreation center, and the cafeteria complex is a senior citizen center.

Ridgeview School opened in 1927 and was the center of the neighborhood. It consisted of an elementary school and the oldest Black high school in Catawba County. Ridgeview was not only known for its achievements in athletics but also the academic standings. It continually fought for funds and excellence through the leadership of the community and Principal Taft H. Broome. The schools shut down in 1966 due to desegregation, and most of its students went to Hickory High. The shutting down of the school left a hole in The Hill.


Ridgeview Schools

The Ridgeview Panthers excelled in all sports, but especially in football. Before the team was designated genuinely untouchable, the 1963 football won all their regular games and did not allow their opponents to score. In the final match, they lost 0-38, after being denied a score. Game announcer Ellis Johnson stated that “The Untouchables have been touched,” this propelled the team to vow never to lose again. During the following summer, of 1964 the team put the work in; they practiced vigorously, studied playbooks intently, and got up earlier for practice. The team had to redeem themselves from last season but had to live up to previous seasons as well. The Panthers had won the state championship four times and would not stop until they won again. Players told stories of their coach would drop the team off in rural Catawba County and make them run back home.  Their field was called the “dust bowl,” as it was more dirt than grass; despite this, spectators and supporters flocked to the field, even white supporters, which was not common during segregation. The Panthers continued to dominate each team they took on. Newspapers circulated stories that teams tried to avoid taking a beating from the team, one even stating that they could not play in the rain. The Panthers played a close state championship at Lenoir-Rhyne College against Hamlet High School. The game remained scoreless until the last few moments of the second half. The Hamlet Tigers were on the Panther’s two-yard line; however, the Panthers’ defense did not allow them to get through. The Panthers scored twice in the second half, not allowing Hamlet to score, securing the state championship.  The Panthers’ legacy did not begin or stop in 1964; they produced multiple successful NFL players. Ernest (Ernie) Warlick was the quarterback and end; he graduated in 1948. He went to earn a B.S. in Physical Education for North Carolina Central University and then went on to the Air Force. After his release from service, he signed with the Calgary Stampeders Football Team in Calgary, Alberta, Canada, where he was named All-Pro twice, and soon moved to the Buffalo Bills in 1962, where he was a leading receiver. Ridgeview also produced Washington Redskins’ Ozzie Clay, who graduated in 1960. Clay won two conference titles while a Panther and was recruited by Iowa State before being drafted as a running back.  No physical recognition exists for the Panthers football team, but as of the summer of 2019 as the United Arts Council of Catawba County has been awarded $45,000 to build a mural honoring Ridgeview High and the Panthers. In the summer of 2020, an archway was erected at their old field commemorating the team with 6 of the former players attending. The Ridgeview community still holds the history and success of the team tightly. The Old Ridgeview Library, which is currently a museum to memorialize the area’s history, contains exhibits dedicated to the team.   The old Panthers field went untouched as Ridgeview High School dissolved in 1966 due to integration. Most players went on to Hickory High, where they aided in securing state championships for them as well. The field eventually began to be used again, now named Samuel William Davis, Sr. Multipurpose Field, it now contains more grass than dirt.  The 1964-1965 Panthers Coaches - Samuel Davis and Roger Scales Willie Byrd, William Heard, Allen Burch, Ollie Parks, Frank Abernethy, Edward White, Charles Thompson, Jerry Johnson, Hubbard Morrison, Edward Cunningham, Hamp Davis, Xenephone Lutz, Dwight Thompson, Harrison James, Douglas Bumgarner, James Thompson, John Hodge, Craig Wilfong, Allen Pope, Mitchell Anthony, Eddie Corpening, Lewis Collins, Danny Carter, Detroit Rhyne, Charles Redman, Douglas Thompson, John Thompson, Larry Williams, Jimmy Shade, Tommy Yearby, Anthony Parks, Elbert Little, Curtis Cunningham, Tillis Rendleman

The old football field was the place of the Ridgeview Panthers’ domination. They continuously outshined whoever they played. Winning the state championship in 1964, the Ridgeview Panthers football team went undefeated. Their distinction continues as they also did not allow any other school to score on them, leaving their season record 446-0. The team was deemed the “Untouchables” and has held the North Carolina High School Association record for consecutive shutouts for over 55 years, and has finally been recognized for its football achievements.



The Hill - Hickory's Historically Black Neighborhood

Friendship Missionary Baptist Church

Introduction

Images

Backstory and Context

Sources

Additional Information