East End
East End Taxi was listed as “East End—Dial 2-2086” under “Taxicabs” in Raleigh. No street address was provided.1
East End Taxi Company opened in 1946 at 807 E. Martin Street. It advertised 24-hour service, drivers with public transportation experience, and prompt and courteous service. The company’s founders were Earl Dunston, William Eldridge Blalock, Sr., Hinton Johnson, and Thomas Tate. June Huff, Hinton Johnson, and Earl Dunston were listed as the company’s owners in 1950.2
East End was a pillar in the community. The company sponsored a Negro Midget League baseball team and raised funds for organizations like the YWCA.3
East End Taxi Company was sold in 1955. It was purchased by Douglas Smith, who moved the cab company to 323 N. Tarboro Street. It closed, due to financial difficulties, in 1956.4
Essay by Brandie K. Ragghianti
Notes
- Victor Green, 1948 Green Book, 63; Green, 1949 Green Book, 57; Green, 1950 Green Book, 63; Green, 1951 Green Book, 54; Green, 1952 Green Book, 54; Green, 1953 Green Book, 54; Green, 1954 Green Book, 54; Green, 1955 Green Book, 54.
- “Advertisement,” The Carolinian, August 3, 1946, p. 3, accessed from North Carolina Newspapers/DigitalNC, digitalnc.org; “Advertisement,” The Carolinian, August 10, 1946, p. 8, accessed from North Carolina Newspapers/DigitalNC, digitalnc.org;
“William Eldridge Blalock Sr.” (obituary), The News and Observer, September 14, 1997, p. 34, accessed from www.newspapers.com, https://www.newspapers.com/article/the-news-and-observer-obituary-for-willi/158497685/. - Hill’s Raleigh City Directory, 1946-1956, street listing, alphabetical listing; “Support the YWCA,” The Carolinian, July 19, 1947, p. 14, accessed from https://newspapers.digitalnc.org/lccn/sn80008926/1947-07-19/ed-1/seq-1; (“Negro Midget Leagues,” The News and Observer, July 7, 1953, p. 15, accessed from www.newspapers.com./
- “East End Cab Co.,” The News and Observer, February 6, 1955, accessed from www.newspapers.com; Hill’s 1956 Raleigh City Directory, classified listing, street listing, alphabetical listing; “Cab Company Goes To Wall,” The Carolinian, April 28, 1956, p. 6, accessed from https://newspapers.digitalnc.org/lccn/sn80008926/1956-04-28/ed-1/seq-6/print/image_618x817_from_1091,1163_to_2426,2927/.
