After the Civil War, parcels of land were subdivided throughout the south to be sold to former slaves. This often led to the creation of ‘freedmen communities.’ In 1866, James E. Harris – himself a former slave who had gained his freedom in 1849 – established one of Raleigh’s first freedmen communities and named it for his Alma Mater, Oberlin College, Ohio, which he had attended in the years preceding the Civil War. Primarily consisting of farmland, residents eventually built churches and schools and opened businesses on one hundred forth-nine (149) acres. Some of the original homes were splendid examples of Victorian architecture, but today, only a few remain to be seen along Oberlin Road, Wade and Clark Avenues.
In the recent past, the community’s history has sadly been overlooked as development has erased much of Oberlin Village’s physical and historic landscape. While welcoming economic opportunities and urban growth, many descendants of the original villagers are ensuring that Oberlin Village is preserved and its history shared. The goal of the Friends of Oberlin Village is to “create a robust repository of information about the development of Oberlin Village, an African American reconstruction settlement established in 1866, and its outstanding citizens.” The founders and early residents of Oberlin Village have made significant contributions locally as well as on the world stage. The website of the Friends of Oberlin Village is dedicated to sharing a wealth of information and research on the history of the African-American community that, for generations, called Oberlin Village home.
With support from the Friends, Preservation North Carolina, the Raleigh Historic Development Commission, and Capital Area Preservation, Inc. recently worked together to relocate the Willis M. Graves House onto the property of the Plummer T. Hall House. Both Hall and Graves houses are protected in perpetuity by a CAP, Inc. historic preservation easement, as is the John T. and Mary Turner House, just a few lots to the north of the Hall and Graves houses. These houses serve as some of the finest examples anywhere of African-American architecture in the late nineteenth century; and, all have been designated as Raleigh Historic Landmarks within the boundary of the Oberlin Village National Register Historic District and the Oberlin Village Local Historic District.
A grassroots, private non-profit organization, the Friends of Oberlin Village is entirely volunteer-based. Its volunteers are richly diverse from students to scholars, prosecutor to prison guard, entrepreneur to retiree, and Baptist to Quaker, yet, their common bond to seek and share the truth is stronger than any difference. On their website, they describe themselves as “a humble and steadfast group sharing our areas of expertise and passion for those whose voices have gone unheard and achievements unrecognized. It’s our love of history, education and humanity that has created and sustained an exceptional group of individuals to succeed in elevating the preservation, recognition and education of Oberlin Village on a local and a national level.”
There are still many stories to be unearthed in both the cemetery and within the walls of the few remaining homes original to the community. The Friends of Oberlin Village is open to everyone who wishes to become a part of this community’s great history and to volunteer with the organization. As long as there are people who care, the Oberlin Village community will continue to survive and thrive as Raleigh continues to grow, just as it has done for the past 153 years.
The Board of Directors of Capital Area Preservation, Inc. is pleased to present a 2019 Anthemion Award to Friends of Oberlin Village for Preservation Advocacy.