stonemason

"The only way our history can get told right, is that we have to tell it." - Eugene Farrar In this oral history, Eugene Farrar gives an account of growing up in Chapel Hill as well as his lineage of Black builders. Farrar discusses his uncle, James Blacknell, who was a rock mason at the University…

"You can’t have Hargraves without A.D. Clark Pool. And you can’t have A.D. Clark Pool without Hargraves. They’re just meshed together because it’s just a perfect match. - Kathy Atwater Kathy Atwater recounts her childhood visiting the Hargraves Community Center and the Adolphus D. Clark pool.…

This interview starts with the occupational history for Marian Cheek Jackson. She worked in policy service, data processing, and underwriting for North Carolina Mutual Life Insurance Company for 22 years. North Carolina Mutual is the largest and oldest black insurance company in the country. In…

"I’ve learned on every project I’ve done. And I’m still learning." - William E. Smith William E. “Smitty” Smith is a rockmason and builder who has lived in Chapel Hill for his entire life. First brought into building through a class at Chapel Hill High School, he reflects on what brought him into…