Oral History

William Gattis - On segregation and boundaries (clip)

Interviewed on March 26, 2025

William Gattis: If we historically want to find out, and this is my understanding: it was Northside with the adopted name Potter’s Field, because in the Bible, Potter’s Field was where we had the dead bodies. And the whole idea is we can’t have you all among us, so we’re going to put you on the outskirts. So, if we look at the original town and the layout, this is like the outskirts of the town. So then the Black people get sandwiched between Columbia Street and the railroad tracks in Carrboro. And where we are now, the haircut place, Midway, this is Midway.