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Explore Our Neighborhoods

"It takes a strong neighborhood to build a town. You’ve got to take it one neighborhood at a time. And I see that happening around here."
- Antonio Vinson

Explore the history of Black communities in Chapel Hill and Carrboro, NC. Meet our neighbors through oral history interviews, images, and more. Share your own story.
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Lincoln Park

"Then we moved out to Lincoln Park, name of the subdivision. We were sort of like the Hillbillies. When you turned on the hot water, it scared us, especially me. Getting used to these things. But all the good things went away, like homemade biscuits. In the old house, Momma used to cook homemade…

M&N Grill

"The M and N Grill...was owned by, my uncle Charlie and Robert Nicks, who were brothers in laws. I don’t know how they got along...The M and N Grill was the hangout for the Blacks in Chapel Hill. Especially on Saturday night after a big football game." - David Mason "It was a stop off place going…

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 Center for Saving and Making History

Have a photo? Click on Respond at the top of this page to upload it.

Mason Motel

"My uncle had Mason’s groceries, and then he decided he would have a motel, and they called it Mason’s Motel for Colored. And, it was the only motel for Black people. Of course, Black people couldn’t go to the hotels in this area. And, Callaway had been there, Diana Washington, James Brown." - David…

Mason's Grocery Story

"And my uncle was quite innovative at that time, and...he would get me and my brothers, and some of my friends—and we would go all over Chapel Hill. And he would have leaflets made, identifying when he was going to have a big sale at his store. And we would go all over Chapel Hill to do this. And,…

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…

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…

Mr. Jasper Massey's Store

Jasper Massey ran a store on Brooks Street in Chapel Hill, near Orange County Training School. According to the 1940 census, Mr. Massey also worked at the Carolina Inn.

Ms. Molly's Gift Shop

The building that houses Ms. Molly's Gift Shop and Walt's Grill has been owned by the Riggsbee family since 1944. At various points in time, it has been home to the Church of God of Prophecy and Lizzy Mae's Southern Kitchen. In the late 1990s, the restaurant became Walt's Grill with Ms. Molly's…

Mt. Zion Missionary Baptist Church

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

New Vision Church of God of Prophecy

New Vision Church of God of Prophecy is located at 605 Church Street in Chapel Hill, 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.

North Graham Street

"We [had] a sense of community on North Graham Street. Everybody's mother looked after each other. Our neighbors were like our sisters and brothers and we just had a big sense of family." - Clementine Self North Graham Street is part of the historically-Black Sunset neighborhood, now often regarded…

North Roberson Street

"We did a lot of roller-skating, especially when I got in, probably fourth or fifth grade. We roller-skated all the time. We'd ride our bikes. One of the worst injuries I had was riding that bicycle down Roberson Street. Because at that time there was a big dip in the road and I didn't hit it just…

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.…

Norwood Brothers Esso Service Station

"Northside was closer to Chapel Hill High than it was to Lincoln, and so in passing you would see the white students on the other side of Franklin Street smoking the cigarettes at Ross Norwood's service station in clear view of the schoolyard. Nobody was trying to hide from the either their parents,…

NOW Church

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