Topics Related to African American History

Mars Hill Rosenwald School Reclaimed

The almost forgotten Anderson Elementary School in Mars Hill is being reborn. It evolved from a school for black children built in 1928 to enable African Americans still weighed down by the impact of slavery to seek a better life.

The black community remained in western North Carolina as slavery ended for the small population of enslaved there. A split in pro-Confederate and pro-Union sentiment locally-led many blacks to move from Yancey to the Union-leaning Madison County at the Civil War’s end.

Activist Ann Atwater

Photo from the University of North Carolina Chapel Hill Libraries.

Ann Atwater was a woman to be reckoned with, a woman not to be ignored. She was a fierce fighter for rights for poor African Americans who shook up the white power establishment in Durham, N.C. in the 1960s. From then on, she demanded to be heard.

Land and Song: A Singing Stream in Creedmoor, North Carolina

Bertha Landis (center) with her children in 1985. Photo provided by Tom Davenport.

The Spirits of Freedom

Halifax, North Carolina, was an important part of the Underground Railroad in North Carolina. With the largest free Black population of any county in the state in the antebellum period, the community provided a network to help freedom seekers as well as a place to blend in.

Moses Grandy ca. 1786-1843 (A-99)

Abolitionist & maritime captain. Emancipated self and family. He published autobiography ca. 1843. Labored & lived nearby.

10 Places to Explore Black History in North Carolina

African American culture and history have deep roots in North Carolina. Across the state, these stories are preserved in special locations dedicated to honoring the experiences and achievements of African Americans. Here are 10 places to explore Black history in North Carolina:

Plymouth Massacre (B-79)

Confederate attack on U.S. troops, April 1864 led to killing of Black soldiers and civilians. Atrocity diminished the placement of Black troops in N.C.

L. Richardson Memorial Hospital (J-128)

Opened in 1927 to serve Black patients during Jim Crow era. Housed nursing school, 1929-1954. Operated here until it relocated in 1966.

Citizens for Responsible Zoning (E-132)

The historically Black community of Kingsboro organized to stop hog slaughterhouse efforts, 1996. Environmental victory. Met 1/2 mile west.

Annie Wealthy Holland

State supervisor of Black elementary schools, 1915-1934. Est. N.C. Congress of Colored Parents and Teachers. Was Gates Co. Jeanes Supervisor, here.