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University of North Carolina at Chapel Hill

"There would not be a University if there had not been the Blacks in this community to help build the University."

- Kathy Atwater

The University of North Carolina at Chapel Hill was chartered in 1789 and began enrolling students in 1795. Through the mid-19th century, enslaved Black people on lease or loan from wealthy white residents constructed the University buildings, laid the rock walls, maintained the grounds, hauled water from the iconic Old Well, and cooked and cleaned for the administration, faculty, and students.  Their descendants continued to do so while maintaining small homes and farms on the emerging “west end” of Chapel Hill and beginning to build both a de facto labor settlement for the University and an independent community distinguished by tight networks of home, school, church, and business.

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Citation: “University of North Carolina at Chapel Hill,” From the Rock Wall, accessed November 21, 2024, https://fromtherockwall.org/places/university-of-north-carolina-at-chapel-hill.

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A.D. Clark Pool

A.D. Clark Pool opened at the Roberson Street Center (now Hargraves Center) in June 1961. Prior to the opening of the pool, young people in the Black community swam in local creeks (including one by the railroad trestle near the public works building) and swimming holes like the 88 and the Catfish…

Abundant Life Faith Ministry

Abundant Life Faith Ministry is located on Farrington Point Road in Chapel Hill, NC.

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Barbee's Chapel Harvest Word Church

Barbee's Chapel Harvest Word Church is located at 5916 Barbee's Chapel Road.

 Burnice Hackney - On family, school integration, and inequality in Chapel Hill

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Campus Y

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Carrboro Community Health Center

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Carrboro Elementary School

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Cathedral of Hope Mission Church

Cathedral of Hope Mission Church is located at 100-A Hillview Street in Carrboro, NC.

Chapel Hill High School

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Culbreth Middle School

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Durham Technical Community College (aka Durham Tech)

"I got two brothers that went to college. I went to Durham Tech. I took a few classes at Central. But I got one brother that he's an engineer now. He started off as an X-ray technician and then he went on and became an engineer." - Raney Norwood Durham Industrial Education Center opened in 1961 and…

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"I was for all kids, not just Black kids. My philosophy was if it's good enough for white kids, it ought to be good enough for Black kids." - Edwin Caldwell, Jr. Edwin Caldwell, Jr. talks about his time working at a biomedical lab and eventually becoming in charge of the lab after excelling in his…

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EMPOWERment, Inc.

EMPOWERment, Inc. is a Community Development Corporation with the mission of empowering individuals and communities to achieve their destiny through community organizing, affordable housing, and grassroots economic development.

Faith Tabernacle Oasis of Love International Church

Faith Tabernacle Oasis of Love International Church is located on Rogers Road in Chapel Hill, NC.

First Baptist Church

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First Church of God Christian Fellowship

First Church of God Christian Fellowship is located at 102 Boyd Street in Carrboro, NC.

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"I remember my mother always told me, 'Whatever job you must do, be sure you give it your best.' She said if it’s sweeping the floor, washing dishes, anything, do it your best. And as I grew, that was her philosophy - always give it your best. And I still carry that philosophy." - Frances…

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Frank Porter Graham Elementary

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Greenbridge

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Guy B. Phillips Junior High

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Hamlet Chapel CME Church

Hamlet Chapel CME Church is located in Pittsboro, NC.

Hampton University

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Hargraves Community Center

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Haw River Baptist Church

Haw River Baptist Church is located on Mt. Gilead Church Road in Pittsboro, NC.

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“Well, I feel like it’s a big issue of whether or not businesses should have a social component in their mission. And I think that ideally, it’s best for business to have that element. And so, I feel like it’s responsible for businesses to take community input into consideration.” - Paige In this…

 Henry Atwater and Charles Weaver - On the African American freedom struggle and Civil Rights Movement in Chapel Hill

"Chapel Hill and Carrboro have been fighting each other for a long time. Ever since I was born. About where the city limits are, what they do, and how they’re going to do this. That’s why you’ve got the mayor of Chapel Hill and the Mayor of Carrboro. Chapel Hill has been trying to take over Carrboro…

Hickory Grove Missionary Baptist Church

Hickory Grove Missionary Baptist Church is a historically traditional black church that is located in the rural area of Chapel Hill. It has a rich history that began with just a few people in a one-room log cabin, with one window, no floor, yet our ancestors were honored to call that building...…

Johnson C. Smith University

"I vowed that when I left [Chapel Hill High School], I was going to a historically Black institution. And I did. I went to Johnson C. Smith up in Charlotte. And that was the best decision I ever made. I felt such a sense of acceptance. I made lifelong friends at Smith. I was actively involved. I…

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Kennon Cheek/Rebecca Clark Building

The Kennon Cheek/Rebecca Clark building was built in the 1920s to house the university laundry. It was renamed in 1998 to honor Kennon Cheek, a former janitor in Venable Hall and first president of the university janitor's association, and Rebecca Clark, who worked as a housekeeper at the Carolina…

Knotts Funeral Home

"My uncle ran a funeral home here. Bynum Weaver Funeral Home (Chapel Hill Funeral Home), which is now on Graham Street. Actually, the original funeral home is still on Graham Street but is Knotts Funeral Home now. But that was my uncle’s funeral home." - Kathy Atwater Located at 113 N. Graham…

Lenoir Dining Hall

"I’ll never forget, down at the university when I worked in the food service, they were picketing in Lenoir Dining Hall, Chase Cafeteria, and the Student Union. We all had to group together because they didn’t want to pay us minimum wage, and the hours were so long. So, a guy came in from Georgia…

Lincoln Center

Located at 750 S. Merritt Mill Road, Lincoln Center is an administrative building of the Chapel Hill-Carrboro City Schools. From 1951-1966, the building was home to Lincoln High School, the school serving Black students in the school system. The campus currently houses an alternative high school…

 Mae McLendon - On motherhood and attending UNC

“I was a member of the Black Student Movement. It was like a year old when I got there so I was very active in that. I was the off-campus minister. We would go to the football games and not stand for the national anthem…as a form of protest.” - Mae McLendonr In this interview, Mae McLendon sits down…

Mama Dip's Kitchen

Mama Dip's Kitchen is a full service restaurant serving traditional southern food since 1976. The restaurant was founded my Mildred "Mama Dip" Council who had previously cooked at Bill's Bar-B-Que, which was owned by her husband's family. She trained all of her children in all aspects of operating…

 Marian Cheek Jackson - On community history, family history. and the University of North Carolina

"You have to keep going." - Marian Cheek Jackson Mrs. Marian Cheek Jackson begins with a description of prominent Black businesses that used to exist in the African American community, (including Mason's grocery store); St. Joseph's Christian Methodist Episcopal Church's role in civil rights…

Marian Cheek Jackson Center for Saving and Making History

 Marie Mann and Kenneth Mann

“Everybody knew everybody, and it’s just like anywhere else, you could walk away from your house and not lock the door. You would know the neighbor would watch your house, and you would hook the screen in the back, and you go on downtown wherever you are going and come back, and your house is ok.…

 Mary Norwood Jones - On her experiences at Orange County Training School

“First of all, I think that any person who comes to this community to teach in the school system should have a tour of Chapel Hill prior to teaching, so that they will know where the different neighborhoods are and what the neighborhoods are all about. They should know where the historical places…

McDougle Elementary School

McDougle Elementary opened in 1996. The school is named after Charles and Lucille McDougle, who educated students in Chapel Hill for over 40 years. It shares a campus with McDougle Middle School.

McDougle Middle School

"I know at McDougle Middle School where I worked part-time for the past six years, I made many a phone call encouraging Blacks to come to PTA meetings and to let them know that it was very important to be involved. I did encourage becoming leaders within the PTA." - Hilliard Caldwell McDougle Middle…

Memorial Hospital

"And that was 1952, when the hospital was opened. That's when jobs really became available. And then, if you got a job at the university hospital, twenty-five dollars a week, a hundred dollars a month. That was a long way from paying seven dollars a week." - Rebecca Clark "My grandmother didn't do…

Midway Barber Shop

Stephen Edwards opened the Midway Barber Shop in 1952.

Midway Business District

"I’ve heard stories from people that were around when there were Black owned businesses and most people that owned those businesses were family members or they knew the kid’s parents. It was really easy for them to come in and just hang around and don’t have to worry about safety or…

 Mildred Council - On her family, segregation, restaurant business, and Head Start

"“[I don’t think] that there would be anything that I would have done differently. I really don’t." - Mildred Council This interview was recorded in 1994 for the Southern Oral History Program. Mildred Council, born in Chatham County in 1929, is the owner of Mama Dip’s Kitchen in Chapel Hill. She…

Morgan State University

"I went to Morgan State University in Baltimore...I felt like I was returning to my roots. I felt like integration had been forced upon me and now that I was able to choose what school I could go to I was going to choose to return back to my community where I knew that academics would be stressed in…

Mt. Zion Missionary Baptist Church

Mt. Zion Missionary Baptist Churches located in Chatham County, NC.

North Carolina Agricultural and Technical State University

"I went to North Carolina, I played football at North Carolina A&T, where I received a BS degree, and as a matter of fact, I was instrumental in the boycott in '62-'63, where we desegregated the Woolworths." - Fred Battle North Carolina Agricultural and Technical State University (North Carolina…

North Carolina Central University

North Carolina Central University (NCCU) is a public, historically-Black university in Durham, North Carolina. Founded by Dr. James E. Shepard in 1909, the university was made part of the state system in 1923.

North Carolina Mutual Life Insurance Company

"During World War II, [my mom] sold insurance for North Carolina Mutual Insurance Company." - Doug Clark, Sr. North Carolina Mutual Life Insurance Company, founded in Durham, North Carolina in 1898 by John C. Merrick, is one of the oldest and largest Black-owned businesses in the United States.

Northside Elementary

"I went to school at Northside. My parents wouldn't allow me to walk to school the first two years ...I was kind of ticked because I wanted to walk...They allowed me to walk to school in third grade. So that was cool, like a half hour walk from my house...all these roads here then were dirt roads.…

NOW Church

NOW Church is located on Barbee Chapel Road in Chapel Hill, NC.

O'Bryant Chapel AME Zion Church

O'Bryant Chapel AME Zion Church is located on Chapel Street in Chapel Hill, NC.

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 Paul Caldwell - On Northside, the Civil Rights Movement, and his work in the University Police at UNC

Paul Caldwell was the first African-American sergeant, lieutenant, and captain of University Police at the University of North Carolina at Chapel Hill. This interview includes Mr. Caldwell’s early life; The evolution of the Northside Neighborhood; Memories of growing up in Chapel Hill; Mr.…

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 Paul Caldwell - On working during segregation (clip)

R.D. and Euzelle P. Smith Middle School

"They were saying, 'We want Black history courses in this school. We feel like everybody ought to have a knowledge for what the Blacks have contributed to this society.' And yet the textbooks don't even a carry a thing about it...I don't intend for that to happen at R.D. Smith and Euzelle B. Smith's…

 Rebecca Clark - On her childhood, education, and school integration

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“My parents always taught us you know who you are, no matter what you say to me or what you call me, I know who I am. And that stayed with me for years. Because people are going to talk about you, you cannot stop people from talking. They can say what they want to say to you, but you know who you…

RENA Community Center

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Second Baptist Church

Second Baptist Church is located at 114 S. Graham Street in Chapel Hill, NC.

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St. Joseph C.M.E. Church

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Sutton's Drug Store

"Most of the news that came out of that was the kind of word of mouth. You know, we're going to march in front of Sutton's today and the word would just kind of come, and after it was over-. I marched in some of these places." - Stanley Vickers Sutton's Drug Store opened in the Strowd Building at…

 Sylvester Hackney - On growing up in Chapel Hill and school integration

“For me, high school was a good experience because I had my friends. We were in this big environment, and we had to stick together. We learned to love each other and care about each other. We didn’t know it, but we were nurturing each other.” - Sylvester Hackney Sylvester Hackney, a native of rural…

Terrell’s Creek Missionary Baptist Church

Terrell’s Creek Missionary Baptist Church is located on Old Greensboro Road in Chapel Hill, NC.

 Thurman Couch - On his childhood, family, and school integration

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University of North Carolina at Greensboro

Initially established as a women's college, the State Normal and Industrial School opened in 1892. In 1919 it was renamed the North Carolina College for Women and in 1932 it was renamed the Woman's College of the University of North Carolina. Men were first admitted in 1963, when it became the…

 Valerie P. Foushee

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Varsity Theatre

"My dad, when we was growing up he worked at the Varsity Theatre as a janitor, and that gave us the opportunity to go and see some of the movies. As you know, back in the early '50s and the '60s and maybe up into the '70s, you know, you were not, African Americans was not allowed to go to the…

 Vernelle Brooks Jones and Charles David Brooks - On their family history and business

"They had a very high reputation in the community. They did excellent work. One thing that my father always said, that when they finished their job, they didn’t have to go back…They did quality work, quality construction." -Vernelle Brooks Jones "I loved just doing things with my hands and then…

Walt's Grill

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White Rock United Holy Church

White Rock United Holy Church is located on White Rock Church Road in Chapel Hill, NC.

 William Carter - On school integration and the Civil Rights Movement

William Carter discusses the movement and his background. He was born in the Bronx, New York in 1949 and discusses his heritage with a grandma being a Lumbee Native American and father being an African American. Carter moved back to North Carolina because his aunt was in poor health and he discusses…

William E. Smith Masonry

"When you start, you’re always dealing with brick. But with bricks come long blocks, and then later on, then come rocks. You know, so I was not trained to be a rock mason. 1971 or 1972, I did my first rock repair on Pittsboro Street at the Carolina Inn. And we have just gone from there.... I knew…

 William Smith - Speaking about his masonry career and business

William E. Smith, also known as Smitty, grew up in Durham with his parents and seven brothers. His strongest influence growing up was his grandfather, who he spent a great deal of time with – including helping out on his farm in Orange County. He graduated from Hillside High School, which he…

 Willis Farrington - On growing up in Northside, his ministry, and changes in Chapel Hill

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Winston-Salem State University

Winston-Salem State University is a historically Black public university in Winston-Salem, North Carolina. Founded as Slater Industrial Academy in 1892, it was renamed Winston-Salem Teachers College in 1925. The addition of a school of nursing in 1963 led it to be renamed Winston-Salem State College…
"We’re writing our own history, thank you!"

Ms. Esphur Foster

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