Beyond the Green Book

Recovering Elizabeth City’s Historic African American Businesses through Project-Based Learning

BY: DR. MELISSA N. STUCKEY, ASSISTANT PROFESSOR, HISTORY PROGRAM, DEPARTMENT OF SOCIAL SCIENCES, SCHOOL OF HUMANITIES AND SOCIAL SCIENCES, ELIZABETH CITY STATE UNIVERSITY

The Negro Motorist Green-Book , a segregation-era travel directory, was an important tool for African American travelers. Created by Victor Hugo Green in 1936, the Green-Book guided African Americans to safe and dignified accommodations across the United States and beyond. Between 2017 and 2020, the North Carolina African American Heritage Commission (AAHC) identified and mapped the locations of the 327 North Carolina businesses listed in the Green-Book . Only two Albemarle–region businesses, the Blue Duck Inn and Small’s Service Station (both located in Elizabeth City) were ever listed in the guide.

INTERIOR OF THE NEGRO MOTORIST GREEN-BOOK SHOWING THE BLUE DUCK INN ENTRY, 1940 EDITION

Courtesy of the New York Public Library

Inspired by the AAHC’s research and the fact that many northeastern North Carolina African American businesses were not included in the Green-Book , I have been working with Elizabeth City State University students to identify the names and locations of Elizabeth City’s Green-Book –era African American–owned businesses and business owners. An upcoming presentation in October will share their preliminary findings. This is an ongoing project, and anyone with photographs, objects, or memories associated with African American businesses in Elizabeth City from the 1930s through the 1960s is encouraged to connect with me at Elizabeth City State University.