The First North Carolina State Fair

The inscription on the marker reads:

First NC State Fair sponsored by the state agricultural society the fair was held here, October 18-21, 1853. New Bern Avenue and corner of Tarboro Road on site of Dept. of Motor Vehicles. The state fair, with its large racetrack, was two blocks south, between Hargett, Tarboro, and Davie Streets. It operated from 1853 to 1872, with exception of Civil War years, when it served as a millitary training camp. The "Fairgrounds Hospital", the first millitary hospital in North Carolina, was established here in 1861.

This is the second sidewalk marker covered on this blog. The first was Raleigh At Four Hundred Acres. The second location of the North Carolina state fair was located on the present day location of Fairmont Methodist Church and Horse Track Alley.

North Carolina School Book Depository

The old NC School Book Depository building is located at 811 West Hargett Street. The particular part of W. Hargett Street that it occupies is a bit of an anomoly, as it exists for about two blocks before it turns in to Snow Ave., before turning back in to W. Hargett Street.
This building is now home to BFE Architects. Sadly, they don't have a web site. You can find them on the web at http://bfe-architecture.com.


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City Cemetery (1798)

This was another chance encounter, as I was previously under the impression that Oakwood and the Raleigh National Cemetery were the oldest ones in town.

City Cemetery is the oldest cemetery in Raleigh. It was established by an Act of the North Carolina General Assembly in 1798. It began as a four acre tract: two acres for burial of local residents, one acre for visitors, and one acre for blacks. Land was added in the 1840’s establishing its current boundary which encompasses more than 7 acres. Actual records of the cemetery were destroyed by fire in the 1890’s and again in the early 1930’s. The only existing records are those made by past Superintendents. The City Cemetery is surrounded by an iron fence that once was located at the State Capitol.

City Of Raleigh, Cemetery Study

Perhaps the most famous person buried here is Joel Lane, best known for his direct part in the decision to locate the state capital in Wake County and for donating 1,000 acres of his property which would later become the city as we know it today. Lane Street was named in his honor.

City Market (1914)

Since I first moved to Raleigh, I had always wondered if the 1914 on the big building comprising a part of City Market was an address or "since" designation. I've posted about City Market in the rain and posted a street level view and until now, I haven't been curious enough to look it up. In fact, the 1914 refers to the date at which it opened to provide a market for seafood, vegetables, home baked items, and other types of food:

From October 1, 1914 until the mid 1940's the City Market flourished. Farmers from the Eastern part of the state came regularly in their trucks and horse drawn carts bringing produce, poultry, seafood and flowers. Home baked goods were also a favorite among Raleigh city wives. On Saturdays you would find farmers gathered at the Market and in Moore Square (known as the "the Grove") visiting and picnicking with their family and friends.

With the advent of supermarkets and the opening of a new Farmers Market off Capital Boulevard in 1957, the old City Market no longer satisfied the need of Raleigh households so in June of 1957 the City Council adopted a resolution to close it. In 1959 the building was sold to an individual who leased it to a furniture store.

In 1980, the City Council secured a grant from the North Carolina Division of Archives & History to study the architectural resources surrounding Moore Square. As a result, the City Market was recognized by the National Register of Historic Places. The City then began work to rehabilitate the Market and nearby buildings.

Today City Market is square in the middle of downtown Raleigh's explosive growth of nightlife. Filled with plenty of bars and restaurants, there are also many niche and spelcialty stores.

Raleigh At Four Hundred Acres

A plate near the sidewalk at the corner of East St and New Bern Avenue reads:

Eastern boundary of the original city of Raleigh. The original city plan, drawn by surveyor and legislator William Christmas in 1792 contained four hundred acres with North, South, East, and West Streets as the boundaries. Christmas's plan called for New Bern Ave and the other streets leading towards Union Square to be 99 ft. wide, the rest of the streets to be 66 ft. wide. Raleigh grew slowly, and by 1891 the eastern boundary was one and one-half blocks east of here.

A reader earlier noted these original boundaries when commenting on the history of the Hillsboro(ugh) St. name.

Seaboard Station And The Villa Real

The car in the first photo has been undergoing restoration for some time (since 1998, according to one account). As recently as last Sunday there was someone doing welding work on the inside of the car.

There's an interesting (old) discussion at Greenspun about the history of this particular car:

The Villa Real is a Pullman plan 3411 10 section 3 double bedroom car. This car is shown on the 1950 Pullman list of cars as not being owned by any railroad. It was one of the cars that remained in the Pullman pool. Interestingly enough, the car is shown as not being air- conditioned, perhaps that being a reason why the car was not sold to a railroad and then leased back to Pullman. The car was apparently sold sometime before 1961, as it is not shown in the 1961 Pullman list of cars, either as in the Pullman pool, or in government storage.

...

"Villa Real" was built by Pullman in 1910 as "Lenover". This was a 12 section, 1 drawing room and 1 compartment sleeper, Lot 3800, for assignment to the Pennsylvania Railroad. In January, 1931 it was converted to a different plan and renamed "Villa Real".

When commenting on my post about the Seaboard Station RR turntable, a reader (Dave) gave the following account of the importance of Seaboard Station in New York to Miami trips:

The turntable was part of the complex used by the CSX predecessor railroad, Seaboard Air Line Railroad for their New York to Miami passenger trains. A set of diesel engines would pull the coaches from Richmond, VA to Raleigh. Then, the trainset would be passed off to a fresh set of engines to continue on to Florida.

The engines from Virginia would be refueled and turned around on the turntable to take a northbound passenger train back to Virginia. And, those engines from points south would be refueled and turned back around to head south again. This was necessary back in the late 1930's because diesel train technology was still very new and didn't have the ability to go the whole distance like engines of today.

The reason that the Seaboard didn't pull their trains all the way to New York was simple. A passenger leaving Pennsylvania Station on say the Orange Blossom Special would be carried by the Pennsylvania Railroad's electric GG1 engines as far as Washington, DC on PRR-owned tracks. Then, they would be passed off to the Richmond, Fredericksburg and Potomac to Richmond who owned those tracks. Then, the Seaboard Air Line would continue the journey to Florida on their trackage. Even with all of that maneuvering, the travel time from New York to Miami was only 24 hours because the running times at night through the Carolinas would be as much as 100 miles per hour. That's a far cry from what it is today!!

The Death Of A High School [UPDATED]

The gargoyles in the brick structure pictured above once guarded the entrance to Hugh Morson High School. It has long since been demolished, and this was erected in 1978 to preserve the memory of it by alumni. The inscription above reads:

These gargoyles once graced the entrance to Hugh Morson High School. They now face the site approximately 275 yards southeast between Person, Morgan, Bloodworth, and Hargett Streets. Erected in remembrance by former students in 1978

This structure is located on Morgan Street, near where it intersects Blount Street. When doing my routine scientific and exclusive detective work that accompanies each post (a Google search), I found a treasure trove of Raleigh history in the form of a video interviewing the final class of Hugh Morson High School. Some of the interesting facts about Raleigh in 1955 noted by alumni include:

• The population was around 55,000 people
• There were 3 high schools: Broughton, Ligon, and Hugh Morson
• All schools combined their athletic programs to form one team, The Raleigh Camps

The original is hosted on the WCPSS web site but for embedding purposes, I uploaded it to YouTube. There are several incredible photos of Raleigh's past that are worth checking out in the video below.



UPDATE: A reader, Raleigh Boy (Karl) has provided me with the following images of Hugh Morson High School. Thanks Karl!

The Abandoned Section Of Stanhope Avenue

There is a section behind the old bulldozer building on Stanhope Avenue that has been abandoned for a few years now. Ballentine Properties has been renting out the space for student parking in recent years. Stanhope is one of those parts of Raleigh that are somewhat hidden, as you usually only wind up there out of curiosity or by accident. It's a series of older and mostly modest homes that have been there for some time.
When I stopped to get these pics, I talked to a resident of the road and got a good bit of the sentiment that prevails amongst some of the residents. For the interest of disclosure, I am employed by Lulu.com which will soon be moving into the NC Equipment Building (aka The Bulldozer Building) that makes up a good part of the landscape on Stanhope Ave. From what I understand, they (my employer) are anxious to see the Stanhope Plan come to fruition. Although the resident I spoke with didn't outright state opposition to the Stanhope Plan, I got the impression that the residents of the street were not enthusiastic about it. I'm not sure if it is because of plans for student housing or parking, or the increased amount of traffic which it would bring to the road, or something else. In any event, I can certainly understand the apprehension of new development in one's backyard. The extremely rural area where I grew up is transforming from apple orchards and logging trails in to housing developments and state parks. It's not easy to see the environment you've come to know change in ways beyond your control.
The person I spoke with went to NC State, and has memories of people and friends that lived in the houses pictured above. She said that the last memories she has of people living there were those of a shady nature, being associated with drug dealing and other nefarious activities.
So the question remains, what is the best way forward? I can't say I have the answer. Although I have a great passion for historic preservation, sometimes development comes and you are powerless to stop it.
It appears that the bone of contention isn't that these old and decrepit houses are getting knocked down, but what will appear in their place--that which is more friendly to students, or something that is more friendly to long term residents.


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The History Of The Hillsboro[ugh] St. Name

Pictured above is the only example (that I'm aware of) that uses the the particular spelling of Hillsborough Street without the 'ugh'. I first got curious about the subject when a reader began giving detailed historical descriptions with the street name's spelling minus the 'ugh'. The only other place I've seen this spelling was on the famous bird's eye view map of Raleigh in 1872.
After doing a bit of online sleuthing, I came across a very interesting historical account [PDF] by the Hillsborough Historical Society that says the following:

When originally founded in 1754 as the seat of Orange County, the town merely had the name of Orange. It was quickly changed to Corbin Town, and then again to Childsburg (or Childsburgh). In 1766 the town was renamed Hillsborough, in honor of Irishman Wills Hill, the Earl of Hillsborough. Four years later, the use of the term “borough’ was strengthened when the town was made an official English pocket borough. This designation gave the town a vote in the North Carolina Colonial House of Commons. It also recognized the town’s stature in Colonial political life, and probably aided in its being used as the meeting place of the North Carolina General Assembly several times before the establishment of Raleigh as the capital in 1792.
As early as 1800, the name had been shortened to Hillsboro’ and then to Hillsboro. By the middle of the century the Hillsboro spelling was widely recognized as the “official” spelling of the town’s name, though no documents in the town or state government record a name change. Every official building in town from Hillsboro High School to the Hillsboro post office used the shortened spelling in 1962, when the Society was formed. The Hillsborough Historical Society was an exception to this rule and an early herald of the return of the original 1766 spelling. When the Society was formed in March 1962, the spelling of Hillsborough with the ‘ugh’ was used. It made sense for the organization, which took on the challenge of preserving the history of the town, to take on the original spelling.
At the same time, others interested in returning the ‘ugh’ began working to accomplish this. In December 1962, the Society newsletter included a report that town postmistress Louise R. Clayton had petitioned postal authorities to return the “proper spelling” of Hillsborough to the post office and the postal stamp.

Within 13 months, other groups began using the ‘ugh’ spelling, at the urging of the Society. These included the News of Orange County and the Hillsborough Lions Club, who also updated their road signs.

The July 1965 [Hillsborough Historical Society] newsletter joyously announced the news that
"THE HILLSBOROUGH SPELLING, reaffirmed on May 4, 1965, by a special bill passed by the General Assembly, will soon be seen everywhere. The Highway Dept. states that it has made estimates and is now proceeding with new State Highway markers to replace all "Hillsboro" ones. Postmaster Louise Clayton has applied for a new cancellation die and this should come before long. The town of Chapel Hill voted to change the spelling of "Hillsboro" Street to Hillsborough Street and the new signs are already in place. Durham and Raleigh are considering similar changes. Newspapers in the area made the change promptly. By the end of the year the Hillsborough spelling should be in general usage.

So there you have it. After almost one hundred years of Raleigh's most famous street being spelled 'Hillsboro', it was changed to 'Hillsborough' in the mid 1960s due to the hard work of a postmistress and a historical society many miles away.

I'd also like to know when Hillsboro Road became Hillsboro[ugh] Street.

Raleigh National Cemetery

The Raleigh National Cemetery was created in 1865. The Veterans Administration [PDF] says that

Located in a neigh­borhood of mixed residential and commercial develop­ment, the cemetery is a nearly seven-acre, largely flat, grassy rectangle on a north-south axis. The main entrance is off the west boundary defined by Rock Quarry Road, and is located in the northwest quadrant of the acreage that is further defined by an enclosing brick wall erected circa 1875.

...

The site of the national cemetery was originally designated as “Camp Green,” an army post used as headquarters of the occupation forces stationed in the Raleigh area [during the Civil War]. This is evi­denced by the establishment of a “post” cemetery, wherein a total of 32 burials were made of troops and members of their families. The post cemetery is now Section 10 of the Raleigh National Cemetery.

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Theatre In The Park

According to the plaque in the lower right corner of the third image, the old North Carolina National Guard building was built by the Works Progress Administration during the years of 1935-1937. The Ira David Wood III Theatre In The Park web site says that

Theatre In The Park is located in the northern end of Raleigh’s scenic Pullen Park and is internationally acclaimed for its outstanding theatrical achievements—more than 40,000 people attending our programming last year alone. TIP is second only to the celebrated Louisville Actor’s Theatre in original works premiered— producing over 40 original plays during the last two decades (two of which moved to off-Broadway).

Originally chartered in 1947, TIP started out as The Children's Theatre of Raleigh, Inc. During the early 70s, its name was changed to Theatre In The Park in order to reflect its expanded programming, location and new "home" in The National Guard Armory building located in scenic Pullen Park. In 2004, the building was renamed as “The Ira David Wood III Pullen Park Theatre,” to reflect the decades of work done by Executive and Artistic Director, Ira David Wood III.

The facility includes a beautiful garden (named for its caregiver, John Bento, a fellow City of Raleigh employee), Season Member Lounge, administrative offices, costume shop, technical workshop, dressing rooms, lobby and totally flexible (black box) performance space. The theatre is in-door, air conditioned and has a seating capacity of approximately 250. Year-round programming includes no less than four mainstage productions, classes, workshops and independent productions.

Between TIP, Stewart Theatre, and The Raleigh Little Theatre, this little patch of Raleigh sure has quite an array of performing arts options.

107 Pullen Road
Raleigh, NC 27607
(919) 831-6936
Get directions

What's The Future Of This Building?

This building is located across from the Days Inn on Dawson Street. It's obviously very old, but I couldn't find any evidence of what this building is going to become after restoration is complete. Does anyone know its future is or what business or other entity once existed here?


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Watkins Shoe Shop

Peering in to the window of Watkins Shoe Shop is like looking in to a time capsule. I honestly had no idea there was a place in Raleigh where you could still get your shoes shined. I've driven by this place hundreds of times, and assumed it was only a shoe repair place. Despite the sad and somewhat dated note on the door, the place is still open. It first opened for business in 1973.
Anne Blythe wrote an outstanding article on Willie for the News & Observer, shortly after his death:

As an African-American man, Watkins had to overcome many obstacles to build his business. As a young husband and father, he worked two jobs -- early mornings at a creamery moving crates of milk from the refrigerated area to the loading dock, then at a white-owned shoe shop in Raleigh's Five Points where he only was allowed to shine shoes.

Through his time there and at other shops and companies, Watkins soaked up enough about the business to teach himself the intricacies of shoe repair.

Once he took apart his daughter's little patent leather shoes just so he could stitch them back together. He made leather book bags and suitcases that his children still have.

"He used to say he was a jack-of-all trades and a master of none," Elaine said. "I dispute that."

Watkins worked hard to afford his children any opportunity. He helped them pay for college and chipped in for other relatives in tough times. That generous spirit carried over into his shop. "People would come through a little down and out on their luck, and he would do their repair work and not charge them," said son Reggie, a lawyer in the state Attorney General's Office.

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Shipping & Receiving At Tire Supply

It's difficult to tell in the photo, but there is a set of ghost railroad tracks in the foreground. That yellow patch of grass running diagonally marks one of the tracks. If you were to follow it straight in the opposite direction, you'd run in to the Clarion Tower.


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The Staudt Bakery

I'd like to take a moment to say thank you to 'Raleigh Boy' who has filled in many of the gaps of the history section of the site as well as other posts about lesser known parts of the city. For a good read, check out the Raleigh Connoisseur's post about the old Meredith College. I've wondered about that particular "set of stairways to nowhere" for a long time now.
The point of mentioning Raleigh Boy is that he provided great insight to another longstanding curiosity of mine--the history of the building at the Hillsborough St/Morgan St split:

The building at Hillsboro/Morgan is the old Staudt Bakery. The Staudts began operating a bakery in Raleigh in the 1910s. This building was put up ca. 1940 and was very "modern" for its time. (It's been vacant for decades.) The Staudt family home, a substantial brick house, stood up on the corner @ Hillsboro St. where a small parking lot is now. It was demolished in the late 1970s when when Morgan St was converted to one-way and the traffic connector put in, usurping the old Harrison Ave., which once occupied this route. You can still see a small section of Harrison Ave. down by the tracks at Charlie Goodnight's building (which was originally built as an ice plant and icecream factory)

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Another Old Doorway

This particular doorway is attached to the First Presbyterian Church.

The new congregation erected a brick meeting house of colonial design in 1818 on the southwest corner of Salisbury and Morgan Streets at Capitol Square. This original structure was used for 80 years until it was razed to make room for the present sanctuary, which was completed about 1900. When fire destroyed the original State Capitol in 1831, the North Carolina Supreme Court met in the Session House of First Presbyterian Church until the present Capitol was completed in 1840.

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Raleigh Printing, Inc.

I've never noticed this little place on East Martin Street before. Is this the old location of the current Raleigh Printing, Inc. located at 5415 Fayetteville Road?


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Mecca Restaurant

Nureena and I just went here for breakfast today, so I thought it would be appropriate to post a photo of it I've had lying around for a little while. It was fairly recent that they began to serve breakfast (or again?)--and it was delicious. I know it's been here since 1930, and have heard that it is Raleigh's oldest restaurant. The Raleigh Sandwich Shop was established in 1929, but it is no longer in business.
I had a conversation with our server about the bustling nature of downtown recently because of the Earth Day celebrations near the Capitol. I mentioned how when I moved here four years ago, downtown was not a very happening place to be. It was a virtual ghost town on Saturday and Sunday afternoons, and night life isolated to a few small corners. She said she has lived here over thirty years and had never seen activity in the area like there is today. She mentioned the familiar story of closing down Fayetteville Street to auto traffic as the nail in the coffin to retail and social activity downtown. I have also heard this story from the person I rent my house from. It comes as no surprise that a good part of the upswing has been shortly after the resurgence of Fayetteville Street after being reopened to auto traffic. It is very much likened to opening a main artery that was once blocked. Life returns to normal.

Gibbons Service - For Happy Motoring

Hillsborough Street must have the highest number of automotive service shops (both current and abandoned) of any street I've ever been on. Most of them are clustered around the campus area, but there are a few that are closer to the Capitol Building end of Hillsborough Street.
Even more peculiar is the brand new asphalt surrounding this otherwise decrepit building. What gives? This end of the road isn't exactly the hottest piece of real estate downtown, but I still don't understand how this property has been able to sit in this condition for this long--unless there are environmental issues requiring cleanup before redevelopment.
This building gives us a peek into Raleigh's past. With the development about to take place just around the corner, I can't imagine this will continue to be an abandoned relic.


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An Odd Place For A Doorknob

Over the years I've heard of really old hobbit-like doors in old cities that were short, rounded, and had the knob in the middle of the door. This is the first one that I've noticed (although not round nor short) in Raleigh.
It makes you wonder, what is really the advantage of placing the knob in the middle?

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The Ghost Of The Capitol Building

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I got this photo while pinned down under the downpour on Friday night. I was stuck under an awning waiting for the heavy rain to subside, and decided to get a photo of the Capitol building. I had thought the Vance Monument was the only human-like object in the photo, but if you look closely at the far left bottom window there is a shadowy figure in the rain. This was a longer exposure (1.5 seconds) so any person captured by the camera should be invisible. Additionally, people are never a solid dark color, especially with so many bright fluorescent lights around. If it was a person standing still, there would at least a few colors. I stood staring at the Capitol building for a long time, and there weren't any people standing around it or walking by it. I'm not a believer in the paranormal, but have no explanation for this photo.
To see more information on freezing/blurring people in movement, please check out this article at my night photography how-to site Dark Photography School.

Raleigh Furniture Company

This is the familiar building on Hargett Street, mentioned in my last post and across the street from Two T's Rack and Tavern. The Empire web site says that

Constructed in 1914, this building was originally home to the Raleigh Furniture Store and later to Kimbrell’s Furniture. This stand-alone structure retains its original brick façade, featuring an original, painted advertisement on the external west-facing three-story wall. Exposed beams on the third floor, tin ceiling tiles on the second floor and hardwood floors throughout will be retained during the renovation, which will include additional windows for more natural light on the west side of the building. Renovations to this property will retain and revitalize its historic qualities, while adapting it for reuse by new, enterprising businesses that desire to operate in the heart of the city.

A news article on the Empire Web site says that

Instead of buying a building and focusing purely on financial return, he's willing to take the time to renovate the building to its historical glory, and then wait as long as it takes -- despite the cost -- until the right tenant comes along.

I've gushed about Empire Properties before, when talking about the Odd Fellows Building. Any developer who puts historical precedence above a quick profit earns a lot of respect from me. Does anyone have information on the past and/or future of this building?

Murphey School Auditorium

I got the idea to photograph the Murphey School Auditorium based on a tip (thanks Craig!) from someone at the N&O. About 6 weeks ago I drove by this place because they had spotlights shining at the sky. Me, being the moth that I am, followed the lights to this place. Unfortunately I rolled up at a time when no one was outside. It was a brisk night so I decided not to wait around and find out. Once I learned the history, I really regretted not getting pictures. It is a new home for the Burning Coal Theatre Company, and I believe I had been by their grand opening, but came at a bad time.
The Historic Oakwood web site says that

The historic Murphey School Auditorium is at the corner of Person and Polk Streets. The Murphey School, one of the oldest schools still in existence in Raleigh, was the first integrated school in our state's capital.

The N&O says that

Compared to the Progress Energy Center's Kennedy Theatre, where Burning Coal performed most frequently, the renovated school auditorium is much more intimate, even though it can seat almost twice as many (up to 175). Seated on three sides of the rectangular playing space (an in-the-round arrangement is also possible), with only three to four rows of seats in each section, audiences are never far from the action.

From what I understand the remaining part of the school has been converted to housing for seniors. For more information on the history of the building and a detailed timedline of the renovation, please visit the official web site.

Architectural Styles of Raleigh and London

My last post entry about the Post Office reminded me of the slight similarity or architectural styles of Fayetteville Street and London's Piccadilly Circus. I first thought about it when noticing the light reflections on the Court House. It's interesting that both buildings pictured have blue reflections on the windows. To be sure, the Fayetteville Street Mall is quite a ways off from matching the beauty and environment of Piccadilly.

The official Raleigh City Government web site says that

The new federal courthouse and post office with its identical front and back, was opened at the corner of Fayetteville and Martin in 1878 at a whopping cost of $400,000.

Considering the time frame that this building was constructed, it isn't much of a surprise that it shares many architectural characteristics with a building in Piccadilly, shown below.

The Federal Building and Court House had many buildings constructed around the same time frame as those in Piccadilly. There was talk of closing down the Federal Building (which includes the Post Office and Bankruptcy Court), until the plans came to revitalize the Fayetteville Street Mall.
If you are interested in seeing photos of London at night, please check out my other site, Goodnight, London!.

Peeking In To The Post Office

A view inside of the post office on Fayetteville Street, as seen from the outside of it.

Forgotten Neighborhood of Dorothea Dix

Pictured above is what remains of Dorsett Drive on the Dorothea Dix campus. I haven't been to this area in a few years now, and it's quite different than I remember it. The difference being piles of rubble where abandoned houses once stood. I've heard that these houses were home to staff of the hospital, but I do not know for sure.
Anyone have the story of this place? Did red street signs once designate roads in Raleigh, or was it limited to Dorothea Dix?
For more photos, check out the N&O gallery of Dorothea Dix Hospital.

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The Wilmont

I've never lived here nor have I known anyone who has. I have had friends that lived across the street at Fincastle, though. There is almost always something new to look at while driving by. The Christmas lights are usually on all year round. There are also frequently mannequins propped up on a few of the balconies.
The most interesting part? It's the first apartment or other living space that I am aware of that has its own myspace page. The complex is around 70 years old.
What are some of the more memorable items you've seen on the various balconies of the Wilmont?

The North Carolina Legislative Building

The North Carolina state government web site says that

The North Carolina General Assembly met in the State Capitol from 1840 until the State Legislative Building was completed in January 1963. The home of the North Carolina General Assembly is unique in that it is devoted solely to the legislative branch of the state government. The Legislative Building contains facilities necessary for the efficient functioning of the General Assembly. The building includes not only Senate and House Chambers, but also committee rooms, offices for members, and space for clerical personnel. Throughout, provisions are made for easy access and observation of legislative procedures by the interested visitor.

Railroad Tracks to Nowhere

If you are not a new reader of this blog, you may have noticed that I have a fondness for railroad related items. Raleigh has a rich history with railroading, and it shows in some of the artifacts around town.
I can't say that I know the purpose of this dilapidated structure. My guess is that it was a direct route in to the warehouse to the last building on West Martin St..

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St. Paul African Methodist Episcopal Church

A few notes from their web site:

• The congregation which formed St. Paul's Church was originally the slave membership of Edenton Street United Methodist Church.
• In 1853, White Methodists bought the Old Christ Episcopal Church, where the Blacks had been worshipping since 1846. The congregation worshipped under other names, but it was in 1848 that "St. Paul Church" was formally established
• In 1854, the Black membership moved the old church to the corner of Harrington and Edenton Streets
• The Black congregation remained under the guidance of the Methodist Episcopal Church, in the South, until Emancipation
• In 1865, the membership severed its ties with Edenton Street Methodist Church and joined the African Methodist Episcopal Church Conference, a Black denomination founded in 1787 by Richard Allen and organized in 1816
• The birth of the current structure was the result of a long building campaign which began in 1884. The church formally opened in 1901
• The record bears that St. Paul was built by the "first independent Black congregation" formed in Raleigh. It is the oldest Black church in Wake County, North Carolina

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Who or What was on the Island?

This is the island that is sandwiched in between Hillsborough St., West St., and Edenton St. I've often driven by and been puzzled as to why there is a chain link fence around a section of it. I've even walked by on a few occasions and poked around, and I didn't see any evidence as to what the fence is currently or was formerly protecting. The only thing on the island is a sign that says something like "parking for sight and sound only".
Does anyone know what used to be here? It seems a bit out of place currently.

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