Fourth Ward Historic Tour

The founding of the school which would become Shaw University in 1865 profoundly shaped African American life in Raleigh and across the nation. Just months after the Civil War ended, Union veteran and missionary Henry Tupper established a school for newly freed men and women. Over its first 50…
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In 1895, a small group of African Americans purchased land to build a church of their own. Reverend John T. Pullen, pastor of “The Little Mission Church” at 751 Fayetteville Street, agreed to sell them the property. The original building was modest but welcomed the first congregation of 16 members.…
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In 1867, the American Missionary Association (AMA) met with Black residents in a small one room building on South Street near Manly, where they helped establish the Freedmen’s School. This early partnership laid the foundation for what would become First Congregational Church. The church soon…
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The roots of First Congregational Church date back to 1867, when the American Missionary Association founded a school and church for newly freed African Americans. As the congregation grew, members built a wood frame church with a corner tower in 1896. Under the leadership of Reverend Perfect…
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Washington School was founded after the Civil War to educate newly freed African Americans at the corner of McDowell and South Streets. As Raleigh grew, a new school building was constructed in 1923–1924 to serve the rising number of students. For many years, Washington Graded and High School was…
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Established in 1872, Mount Hope Cemetery was the first municipal burial grounds for the newly freed in North Carolina. Many of these individuals, born into slavery, created a thriving and diverse community. Those interred in the cemetery owned shops and businesses, became pioneers in education, and…
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Union Grove Baptist Church took root around 1905 under the leadership of Reverend Alex A. Jones, beginning as a humble wooden sanctuary on South Saunders Street. By 1935, members like recording artist Hamp Jones who journeyed from South Carolina in search of new opportunities during the Great…
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Lewis O. “Dusty” Dewberry, born in 1947, discovered his passion for cars while studying auto mechanics at Ligon High School, where he graduated in 1966. In the 1980s, he opened his own repair shop, which quickly became an anchor for the Fourth Ward community. Dusty and his wife, Barbara, ran the…
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Construction on Memorial Auditorium began in 1932 to honor Raleigh’s soldiers who died in World War I. The site had a long history: Originally home to the Governor’s Palace, built in 1814-16, later became the Centennial Graded School, established in 1876 as Raleigh’s first public school and the…
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In 1950, a corner of Raleigh’s South Dawson Street transformed into a culinary landmark when Peter Pavlakos and Michael Thevis joined forces to open the Pete and Mike’s Grill. Both men were seasoned veterans of the city's cafe scene. Pavlakos already established himself with the Fruit and…
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Edward Austin Johnson was born into slavery in Wake County in 1860 and went on to become one of North Carolina’s most influential Black educators and civic leaders. He attended Raleigh’s Washington School and later graduated from Atlanta University in 1883. Returning to Raleigh in 1885, he became…
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Baseball was a favorite pastime for many children growing up in the Fourth Ward, where neighborhood teams played one another across Raleigh. Wilbur Allen “Pete” Wilder, born on McKee Street, was one of those kids who fell in love with the game. He graduated with the first class of Washington High…
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For more than 60 years, Willie Virginia Otey Kay created elegant, custom gowns which made her one of North Carolina’s most sought after clothing designers. Born at 125 West Cabarrus Street, she was the youngest of eight children. Kay graduated from Shaw University in 1912 with a degree in Home…
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The large building shown here was known for many years as Tent Sisters’ Hall, the meeting place of the United Order of Tents. This organization, founded and led by African American church women, was a secret society devoted to community care. Members provided healthcare, end of life care, and…
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Dr. Lovelace B. Capehart was a Shaw University trained physician and professor who constructed a building which quickly became the center of life for the Fourth Ward community. He named it after himself, Capehart Hall, and it became a lively hub of Black enterprise and culture in Raleigh. The space…
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During World War I, the Wake County Red Cross opened canteens in Raleigh to support soldiers traveling through the city. Since many Raleigh goods and services were segregated, Black troops were turned away. In response, local leaders created the Oak City Auxiliary on July 8, 1917, to ensure African…
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Effie Whitaker was a lifelong educator whose work helped shape the North Carolina School for the Deaf. Growing up in Raleigh’s Fourth Ward, she became a strong advocate for deaf students at a time when specialized education was still developing in the state. Whitaker championed the use of…
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Fourth Ward native Charles R. Davis was a force of nature whose rhythmic heartbeat bridged the distance between the African continent and the American South. Davis was born on Jamaica St. and graduated from Ligon High School in 1954 and originally trained as a naval medical corpsman but eventually…
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