BRIGHT TOBACCO CO / WL ROBINSON TOBACCO CO

1937 Sanborn Map
(Copyright Sanborn Map Company)

The Bright Tobacco Company - a redrying/wholesale company (much like the Venable Tobacco Company) appears to have been established in the 1500 block of East Pettgrew Street by the late 1920s/early 1930s. By 1941, the company became the WL Robinson Tobacco Company, which also dried, pressed, stored, and sold tobacco to manufacturers.


1950 Sanborn map
(Copyright Sanborn Map Company)


1959 Aerial photo of the complex.
(Courtesy Durham County Library / North Carolina Collection)

By 1972, the tobacco company was out of business. It appears that a glass manufacturer took over the plant.

The buildings were still present in 1994, but had all been torn down (with the exception of one later building) by 1999. This building has recently been converted to the "Durham Green Flea Market" - I haven't been by, but it's evidently in operation on Saturdays and Sundays.


Site of the Bright/Robinson Tobacco Company / Green Flea market, 01.01.09

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35.981544,-78.885189

Publishing Note

For the time being, I'll be ratcheting down to three posts per week rather than five to give me some time to work on a few other things. Also, although I'll continue to follow some general sense of geographical grouping, in the short term I'll be hopping around a bit more than previously.

GK

NORTH STATE KNITTING MILLS / GANN HOSIERY MILLS

Looking southeast from the north side of East Pettigrew St. at South Alston Ave, (prior to the construction of the East Pettigrew overpass,) 1924.
(Courtesy Durham County Library / North Carolina Collection)

The North State Knitting Mill was established between 1911 and 1915. In 1915, WF Carr is noted to be president, WJ Berry vice-president, and CM Carr secretary of the company.

In 1918, Julian Carr is noted as president. It's unclear whether the mill was always a branch of the Durham Hosiery Mills, or became one early on. By 1918, the mill's capacity had increased from 85 to 450 machines, capable of producing 2500 pair of white socks per day.

By 1935, it appears that the original business was defunct, but that same year, the buildings became the Georgetown Silk Mills. I believe this was run by JR Gann and AC Lowe - in 1944 JR Gann, AC Lowe, WW Gann, and Helen Gann incorporated Gann Hosiery Mills, which became the operating name of the organization. JR Gann had been an employee of the mill (as a mechanic) for 10 years prior to organizing the business.


Looking northwest at the Gann Hosiery Mills, late 1940s
(Courtesy The Herald Sun Newspaper)

By 1950 the mills produced 120,000 pairs of socks per week and employed 150 people. The book "Durham and Her People" states: "Mr. Gann is frank to say that the success of his firm is largely due to the many loyal employees who have been with him since the organization of the firm."

It appears that, by 1968, the hosiery mills were no longer in business


Gann Hosiery Mills, looking northeast from Gann St. and South Alston Ave. (East Pettigrew St. is the overpass over S. Alston) late 1960s.
(Courtesy Durham County Library / North Carolina Collection)


Looking east from Gann St., across South Alston, late 1960s.
(Courtesy Durham County Library / North Carolina Collection)


Looking south from the East Pettigrew St. overpass at the Durham Freeway under construction, 04.08.69
(Courtesy The Herald-Sun Newspaper)

The hosiery mill buildings were, unfortunately, torn down by the early 1970s. The site is currently occupied by a large metal/concrete building that houses a tattoo parlor.


Looking northeast at the site of the mill from Gann St. and South Alston Ave., 03.28.08

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35.983513,-78.889475

Happy Holidays

Christmas shopping, West Main Street, 12.22.62

I hope everyone has a very, very happy holiday season. Endangered Durham will return on January 6, 2009.

"But hey ED, what did you get me?" you say?

Well, I did what I could - I finally fixed and updated the Big Map of Endangered Durham, also conveniently linked in the sidebar. This Google-based map allows ED browsing by geography, if you are so inclined.

For you Google Earth fans, you can download the full kml file and browse ED in Google Earth.

JONES HOTEL

502 Ramsey St.
(Courtesy Duke Rare Book and Manuscript Collection / Scanned by Digital Durham)

The Jones Hotel, one of the two early hotels of Hayti (the other being the Warren Hotel on Proctor St.) was established sometime prior to 1907, and was run by Ms. Josie L. Jones.

There is no history that I can find with regard to the hotel. By the 1940s, it appears to have been out of business, and its signature double front porch gone.


Above, an aerial picture (mid-1940s) showing several locations I'm posting on this week.

Yellow - Original Lincoln Hospital
Red - Site of original Whitted School / Park
Orange - Berry Company
Green - Jones Hotel
Blue - Original Mt. Vernon Baptist Church

(Original photo courtesy The Herald-Sun Newspaper)

By 1965, when it was being sized up by the Redevelopment Commission for demolition and eminent domain via urban renewal, it was barely recognizable.


502 Ramsey St., 1965.
(Courtesy Durham County Library / North Carolina Collection)

This land sat abandoned for many years after being plowed under in the late 1960s. In 1993, it was redeveloped as Rick Hendrick Chevrolet. The site of the Jones Hotel is now part of their parking lot.


Site of the Jones Hotel, 11.15.08

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35.989894 -78.898613

HENRY ALLEY - 400 BLOCK

East side of the 400 block of Henry Alley, 1950s.
(Courtesy Durham County Library / North Carolina Collection)

There is nothing particularly exciting about the 400 block of Henry Alley - I've struggled a bit with how to present, or if to present, the mass of small dwellings that once existed in Hayti, now destroyed. This block is relatively typical of most of the houses in Hayti - there was certainly worse than this, and, as I've shown previously, better. What makes this at least somewhat different is an apparent early attempt to 'fix up' this block. I found these loose photos, above and below, unmarked, in a pile that the county was donating to the library. It appears that it documents before and after - mostly the application of brick to the exterior walls. I don't know if any other improvements were made to the houses.


East side of the 400 block of Henry Alley, 1950s.
(Courtesy Durham County Library / North Carolina Collection)

These houses, along with all of the other buildings around, were taken and razed through the urban renewal program. This space is now occupied by the Durham Freeway.


Site of the 400 block of Henry Alley, looking north 12.18.08.

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35.988373 -78.898255

MT. VERNON BAPTIST - 504 SOUTH QUEEN ST.

Looking west at Mt. Vernon and South Queen Sts., 1922
(Courtesy Duke Rare Book and Manuscript Collection / Digital Durham)

The Mount Vernon Baptist Church was established in 1880 on 'Ramsey Hill' by Pastor JBK Butler.


An aerial picture (mid-1940s) showing several locations I'm posting on this week.

Yellow - Original Lincoln Hospital
Red - Site of original Whitted School / Park
Orange - Berry Company
Green - Jones Hotel
Blue - Original Mt. Vernon Baptist Church

(Original photo courtesy The Herald-Sun Newspaper)

I have little information about the history of the church - it appears that the wood frame structure at Mt. Vernon and South Queen Sts. was abandoned by the 1940s, when a new brick masonry structure, still in use, was built at 1007 Pine (South Roxboro) St. in 1940.

The original church became one of those ruins that may be called romantic or blighted, depending upon person, day, mood, and what's at stake.


504 South Queen St., July 1965.
(Courtesy Durham County Library / North Carolina Collection)


Steeple of original Mt. Vernon Baptist, 05.04.69.
(Courtesy The Herald-Sun Newspaper)


Remains of Mt. Vernon Baptist ~1970.
(Courtesy Durham County Library / North Carolina Collection)

The remains of the structure were taken and demolished by urban renewal. The original location is now part of the Rick Hendrick Chevrolet parking lot.


Site of the original Mt. Vernon Baptist Church, 11.15.08

Find this spot on a Google Map.

35.990365 -78.899442

BERRY COMPANY - 401 RAMSEY ST.

The Berry Company was a construction company founded in 1946 by LM Berry, YJ Grigsby, TE Ruffin, and JR Peddy.

LM Berry was born in Lexington, KY and graduated from the Hampton Institute in Virgina, but came to Durham to teach 'trades' in the Durham City Schools from 1929-1933, when he became construction lead for North Carolina Mutual, overseeing the physical expansion of the company into multiple states. He left that position in 1946 to found his own company.


(Courtesy Durham County Library / North Carolina Collection)

The company distinctive, gambrel-roofed building was located on a lot stretching between Branch Place and Ramsey St.


From Branch Place, July 1966.
(Courtesy Durham County Library / North Carolina Collection)


From Ramsey, July 1966.
(Courtesy Durham County Library / North Carolina Collection)


An earlier aerial picture (mid-1940s) showing several locations I'm posting on this week.

Yellow - Original Lincoln Hospital
Red - Site of original Whitted School / Park
Orange - Berry Company
Green - Jones Hotel
Blue - Original Mt. Vernon Baptist Church

(Original photo courtesy The Herald-Sun Newspaper)

I'm not sure when the Berry Company went out of business - it doesn't appear that they were very operational in the 1966 pictures above. By 1967, this area was taken the city Redevelopment Commission using urban renewal funds. I had trouble getting a great view of the location of the building, as part of the east facade would be inside Rick Hendrick Chevrolet, and these dogs also wanted to eat me.


Looking southeast at the location of the Berry Co. builing, 11.16.08


Find this spot on a Google Map.


35.989434 -78.897933