Blues Marker Signifies Fayetteville Street Historic District
The Highway Historical Marker on Fayetteville Street, near the Stanford L. Warren Library and midway between Hayti Heritage Center and North Carolina Central University (on the National Register of Historic Places), signifies the impact this street had on the Blues, and ultimately, Black America.
The marker reads:
Bull City Blues
During the 1920s-1940s, Durham was home to African-American musicians whose work defined a distinctive regional style. Blues artists often played in the surrounding Hayti community and downtown tobacco warehouse district. Prominent among these were Blind Boy Fuller (Fulton Allen) (1907-1941) and Blind Gary Davis (1896-1972), whose recordings influenced generations of players.
But the Fayetteville Street Historic District is nationally significant for even more than the Carolina Blues. A fascinating history can be found in a recent book in the Black America Series titled Durham's Hayti by Andre D. Vann and Beverly Washington Jones. Another National Register Site, Historic St. Joseph's newest performance hall, adjacent to the Hayti Heritage Center, continues to build on Fayetteville Street’s rich history.
For a convenient guide to Durham's African-American Heritage, drop by the Durham Visitor Information Center at Morgan and Mangum Streets or click here.
Last updated 3/8/04
