We can assume that, like Stumptown, this area did not have access to the amenities the white sections of the city enjoyed. This prevented access to loans for home repair and other opportunities, and set the stage for future displacement.Īccording to the Asheville City Directory, in 1947 there were around 89 Black households in the Hill Street neighborhood and 34 in the area of Hill Street we’re focusing on. ![]() Dixon became pastor and the church started publishing one of the first Black newspapers in Asheville, The Church Advocate.Ī key moment in this story, in 1937 Home Owners Loan Corporation (HOLC) map “ redlined” the Stumptown and Hill Street neighborhoods due to the high percentage of Black residents. In 1915 the congregation of what became the Hill Street Baptist Church began meeting in a schoolhouse in Stumptown. William Green Torrence opened the second site of his practice – Asheville’s first Black hospital – at 95 Hill Street, on the corner of Barfield Avenue. In contrast: The Montford Avenue School, 80 Montford Ave, Asheville’s first public school for white students opened in 1888.Īlso during the Hill Street neighborhood’s early history, in 1911, Dr. But it was seven years later, June 4, 1914, before a contract was given to construct a building at a cost of $21,551.” The building opened in 1917. The question of location of Hill Street School was finally settled when the school committee, in a special meeting, purchased an adjoining lot on Hill Street. 1907 Richard Sharp Smith plan for the Hill Street School, which opened in 1917 However, opposition developed to such a degree among white residents of the Montford neighborhood that it was impossible to secure a building permit from the Asheville Board of Aldermen. Plans were made and a contract was set for the construction of a brick building on the site. The school board authorized the subcommittee to purchase the property. The committee reported on that an available house on Hill Street at Maiden Lane could be used. ![]() 22, 1899, a special committee was appointed to investigate a location for a school to house Black students. ![]() The History of Education: Asheville’s Black Community Part II, which can be found in UNC Asheville’s Special Collections, describes how, beginning in the late 1800s, Black leaders such as Isaac Dickson led efforts to build much needed public schools for Black children.
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