Black History Tour

Join Davidson County Historical Museum staff on a video tour of Lexington, NC as they visit 6 sites (mostly within walking distance of the museum) exploring people, places, and events relating to the history of the Black experience in Davidson County. By highlighting only a few examples, this tour raises awareness and appreciation for the social, economic, educational, and cultural contributions of the Black community to Davidson County. The tour also addresses subjects including slavery, racial segregation, and civil rights as they took place and were experienced in Davidson County. The final stop of the tour discusses a milestone event, the “Race Riot” of 1963, which gained national attention, spurred local government response and catalyzed the process of local racial integration.

Video Tour Time Stamps:
Lexington City Cemetery: 2:10
Lexington Colored School: 4:00
American Legion Post #255: 6:37
St. Stephen UMC: 10:02
Carolina Theater: 13:53
1963 Race Riot: 19:07

There is a long list of individuals and organizations to thank for their collaboration and participation in gathering historical information and materials relating to each site and for filming access to each location. We are also grateful to the creative contributors who provide free public access to stock photos, videos, and audio which were used to enhance the tour.

Special Thanks To:
Bruce Cross and the American Legion Post #255 Banks & Miller Post
Suzie Zimmerman, Greg Beck, and the Edward C. Smith Civic Center
Reverend Arnita Beverly, St. Stephen United Methodist Church, and Open Hands of Davidson County Ministry
Tonya Lanier
Charles Owens
Heather Fearnbach
WXII News Channel 12
The City of Lexington
Tonya Hensley and the Davidson County Genealogy/History Room Lexington Public Library https://www.co.davidson.nc.us/298/Gen...
Davidson County Historical Museum / H. Lee Waters Photography Collection http://www.hleewaters-photography.com/
Duke University Libraries Digital Collections and Archives/ H. Lee Waters Film Collection https://repository.duke.edu/dc/hleewa...
Henderson County Public Library, Hendersonville, NC/ Stillwell Collection https://www.hendersoncountync.gov/lib...
University of North Carolina at Chapel Hill, University Library Digital Collection: Going to the Show http://gtts.oasis.unc.edu/