Director

Charles A. Higgs was a African American man who owned the tourist home. In Raleigh's city directory, he was listed as the secretary of Raleigh Funeral Home Inc and the householder on East Lenoir with spouse Gertrude T. Higgs. Lizzie L. Tucker (colored, dressmaker) is listed as a resident at 219 E. Lenoir.

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This site was listed as a tourist home in the Green Book. This site was listed in the Green Book from 1952-1957 and 1959-1960. The tourist home was originally built in the 1930s but was torn down and replaced by another structure (house) in 2014.

Mrs. Charles Higgs Tourist Home

This tour is just a little over 1 hour and 1-mile. The tour consist  of 14 of 38  "The Negro Motorist Green Book" sites that were in Raleigh from 1936-1968. The Green Book was a Traveling guide for African Americans to use during the Jim Crow era in the U.S and internationally. North Carolina had over 300 sites listed in the directory's publications. 3 of the 14 sites on this tour are still standing and are commercial spaces downtown. The Green Book sites highlighted on this tour are near or on East Hargett Street which was known as “Black Main Street”. The findings compiled in this tour invites visitors to explore the history of different Green Book sites in downtown Raleigh. Each stopping point should provide brief historical vignettes, stories, and images. The 14 featured Green Book sites range in listing dates from 1936 to 1968. Please be aware that some of these tour sites are private property and, please do not trespass.

Many of the laws that affected statewide accommodations and restricted the access of African Americans in North Carolina were passed here at the North Carolina State Capitol. The sites listed in the Green Book were safe havens for African Americans ,not just traveling, but navigating safe places in their communities during Jim Crow. The Green Book was necessary as white legislators sought to disenfranchise African Americans and segregate various aspect of public life.

Did you know that over 300 businesses in North Carolina were listed in the Negro Motorist Green Book? In fact, there were 327. “The Negro Motorist Green Book,” published between 1936 and 1966, was both a travel guide and a tool of resistance designed to confront the realities of racial discrimination in the United States and beyond. The book listed over 300 North Carolina businesses—from restaurants and hotels, to tourist homes, nightclubs, and beauty salons—in the three decades that it was published. This tour and the correlating exhibit highlight a complex statewide network of business owners and The Green Book sites that allowed African American communities to thrive, and that created “oasis spaces” for a variety of African American travelers.

Oasis Spaces Green Book Project: African American Travel in NC

This building was built in 1935. G &amp; M Tailors advertised as located at 106 E. Hargett Street and co-owned by Joe Miller, Charles Jenkins, and Elvis Rand. Advertised as providing “fine quality men’s wear” from slacks to shirts plus expert tailoring, dry cleaning laundry, and suits to order. Building now houses Nicholson’s Barber &amp; Style Shop.

This business was a Tailor listed in The Green Book from 1954-1955. It was located here at 106 E Hargett St. This building remains standing today.

G. & M. Tailor 

William M. Moras was listed as the owner of New York Cafe in a directory , and the householder at 702 E. Franklin with spouse Ethel Moras. They both are not listed as African American or colored in the Raleigh city directories. Though the owners were not African American, they serviced and employed African Americans in the community.Like, Benjamin Robinson who is listed as African American waiter at the New York Cafe ,Joseph Yoines an African American who is listed as a cook and Maryland Campbell an African American woman listed as a dishwasher for the cafe.As of 2016, the London Bridge Pub (bottom floor) and the Architect Bar (top floor) are the two businesses that now occupy the building previously known as the New York Cafe/Restaurant. In the 1960s, an architectural firm was housed in the space hence the name of the bar upstairs.

This business was listed as a restaurant in the The Green Book from 1950-1957, and again in 1959-1967.

New York Restaurant (New York Cafe)

This structure was built in 1921 by Calvin Lightner. It was the only hotel (commercial hotel) available to African Americans when visiting Raleigh. It is noted that Duke Ellington and Count Basie stayed at the hotel. The hotel changed ownership in the 1940s and was managed by the NC Homemakers Association. During this management, the name changed to Eckers Hotel. The name also later changed to Peebles Hotel (not clear if under the management of NC Homemakers Association or another group). The hotel burned in 1968 and the Capital Area Transit now sits at this address.

This business, The Lightner Arcade Building, housed several different businesses and meeting spaces for organizations in addition to the hotel. They included Grand District No. 10 Household of Ruth, physician offices, beauty parlors, The address 122 E. Hargett St and 120 E. Hargett Street were listed in The Green Book for this location. There was not a “Hotels” section listed for Raleigh in the 1948-1952 Green Book editions. In 1952-1955 the Arcade was listed as under “Hotels” AND “Tailors”. In the 1961-1967 Green Book editions it was listed as “Home Eckers Hotel---122 E. Hargett Street” in Raleigh.

Arcade Tailor and Arcade Hotel & Dining Room (Eckers Hotel)

This business was a beauty store within the Arcade. This is just one of many businesses that operated at the Arcade building.

This business was a beauty parlor located in the Arcade buidling and was listed in the Green Book edition in 1955 on 118 E. Hargett St. Raleigh.

H & H Beauty Parlor

Thomas Owens was listed as colored man operating a restaurant in the Arcade Building at 125 E. Hargett St. and the householder at Apt 8 at 125 E. Hargett St. with spouse Sadie Owens. The Lightner Arcade Building housed several different businesses and meeting spaces for organizations in addition to the hotel.

This business was listed as a Restaurant located at 125 E. Hargett St.

Owens

Moore Square was communal space for African Americans in various part of the 19th and 20th century. In the late 19th and early 20th many African American businesses were forced to move due to discrimination and segregation. Many business would move to East Hargett Street, located on the same street as Moore Square.

Moore Square

The business was listed as operating as a (colored) business in the Raleigh Directory. This address was listed as owned by Daniel Sherman and located on 133 E. Hargett. The company is advertised as providing 24 hour service by dialing 9137. According to oral histories, this site was the only African American taxis service for the African Americans in the community. This company was located in the same building as, Hayes-Jackson Electric Company, electrical contractors selling household appliances. This current structure originally used for a taxicab in 1947. Original structure is no longer standing. Remedy Diner stands partially where the original structure once stood.

The business Capital Cab Company, was listed as a taxi shop that service African Americans in Raleigh . It was located at 133 E. Hargett Street.

Capital Cab Company 

Joseph H. Blacknall was an African American man who is listed as a waiter and as the householder at 225 E. Cabarrus with spouse Annie Blacknall in a city directory. After the restaurant moved locations it was located next to the Deluxe Hotel on Cabarrus street.

This business was originally listed at 407 ½ S. Blount St from 1934-1936.Then again at a new address 218 E. Cabarrus St. from 1938 to 1939.The Green Book listed this sties as a Dining-Tavern. Both of the original structures have been demolished.

Joe Blackwell/Blacknall

William H. Bryant was an African American man listed as the owner of B &amp; H Cafe. He resided at 908 Fayetteville with spouse Lucille M. Bryant. The original structure was demolished and now a multi-family residential homes are at this site.

The business, B &amp; H Cafe, was a restaurant listed in the Green Book on 411 S. Blount St. This business was listed in the Green Book from 1947 to 1952.

B & H Cafe

Lizzie B. Yeargan was listed as the homeowner at 210 E. Cabarrus Street. The Green Book directory has her business listed in 1939-1940.

This site was listed as a tourist home in the Green Book and was located on 210 E. Cabarrus. It was advertised in the Green Book from the years 1939-1941. The original structure has been demolished and currently the location is a parking lot.

Mrs. L. B. Yeargan (Yeargin)

Hattie Lewis was the owner of the Lewis Hotel located at 220 East Cabarrus Street in Raleigh. She owned it until her death. Hattie’s husband, Needham Lewis, assisted with building the hotel until he left for other opportunities in DC. Hattie nieces, Gloria Griswold Jeffers, Fannie Griswold and Beadie Lucille Griswold, moved from their home in Dudley, NC, to assist their aunt in managing the hotel while attending classes at Shaw University.Hattie Lewis left the hotel to Beadie Lucille Griswold who changed the name to the DeLuxe Hotel.Tupper Memorial Baptist Church was built on the corner of Blount and Cabarrus Streets in 1912 and expanded to East Cabarrus Street by purchasing lots for parking. These properties were Lewis’ Tailor and Mrs. L.B. Yeargan’s Tourist Home. The structure dated back to the 1920s when Needham and Hattie Lewis operated it as a hotel, originally named the Lewis Hotel. The hotel had 26 rooms and providing lodging for Fats Waller, Louis Armstrong’s band, Clara Ward, and Nat King Cole’s band. The hotel was renamed the Deluxe Hotel after Mrs. Lewis passed. Fire destroyed the building in 1992.

This site was listed from 1941 and 1947-1955. In the Green Book, this site was originally named the Lewis Hotel/ Lewis (Tailor) and then later listed as the Deluxe Hotel.

Lewis Hotel & Lewis Tailor ( Deluxe Hotel )

Though much is unknown about this site, an advertisment of the business list Chase Richardson and Homer Smith as owners in 1946.

This site was listed in the Green Book from 1947-1954 as an auto garage. The original structure has been demolished and now is a parking lot.

Richardson & Smith

Peerless Cleaners &amp; Dyers listed as owned by H. Frank Smith and Robert J. Ray.

Peerless was listed in the Green Book as a Cleaners &amp; Dyers business in the Green Book from 1947-1955. The original structure has been demolished.

Oasis Spaces Green Book Project: Downtown Raleigh Walking Tour

Mrs. Charles Higgs Tourist Home

Introduction

Backstory and Context

Sources

Additional Information