Arminta Foushee

"He [Jacob James] was just very well respected here in Chapel Hill. I remember when he passed in Chapel Hill, I was living in Washington DC. It was probably one of the largest funeral servicec I’ve attended at St. Paul [AME Church]. They had to bring in chairs, they put chairs in the aisle and over in the annex to seat people because everybody loved him."

Arminta Foushee, a previous resident of Chapel Hill and current resident of Durham, NC shows Kathryn Wall a collection of pictures of her family, historic Northside, community members, and local businesses. She talks about her grandfather, Jacob “Mr. Jake” Monroe James, who played many roles in the community. He was a head chef at The Carolina Inn and summer camp, the operator of Tar Heel Taxi #1, a mason, and a trustee of St. Paul AME Church. He was a very well-respected member of the Black Chapel Hill community and made great contributions to the community. Ms. Foushee also discusses her grandmother, Marie, who was a prominent member of St. Paul AME Church and served as a class leader and church secretary. She talks about the importance of Christianity within her family, and her grandparents’ role in her family’s faith.

"After the announcements were said I had this motto I would state, every Sunday I would say, "We are so happy to have you worshiping with us, we hope you would come back again." And St. Paul’s motto was: "visitors are strangers but once.""

- Arminta Foushee

Aminta Foushee shares photographs and a detailed history of St. Paul AME Church. Founded in 1864 under a grape arbor where the current church stands, St. Paul was the first African American church in Chapel Hill. She explains her family’s ties to the church and the history of other local churches, including Chapel of the Cross, First Baptist, Second Baptist, and St. Joseph’s. She talks about the Black church community in Chapel Hill and shares stories of the vacation bible schools children attended during the summer. Throughout the interview, she shares photos of various important members of the community, including founding families of St. Paul. She describes her home in the Northside neighborhood that her grandfather built in 1939 and her grandfather’s cab stand. She discusses the church officers' roles and shares pictures throughout the years of various events at St. Paul, including memorabilia from the church’s 100 year’s anniversary in 1964. She discusses the role of St. Paul and St. Joseph’s in the Civil Rights Movement in Chapel Hill. She shares photos of various church choirs and their anniversary celebrations. She ends the interview discussing the lack of children at St. Paul presently, and theorizes why there are fewer children in the congregation than when she was growing up.