Kilby Hotel

Green Book Entry/Entries
Kilby’s---627 ½ E. Washington St.
Kilby Hotel---627 E. Washington Street
Green Book Category
Hotel
Years Listed
1947-1955, 1961-1967
Region
Piedmont North
County
Guilford

Kilby Hotel was listed in the Green Book as “Kilby’s—627 ½  E. Washington St.” under “Hotels” in High Point from 1947-1954 and as “Kilby Hotel—627 E. Washington Street, Comfort, Convenience and Cleanliness” from 1961-1967.1

The Hotel
The Kilby Hotel was built on East Washington, High Point’s newly developed Black business district, between 1910 and 1913. The three-story brick building had 21 rooms with shared bathrooms. The hotel was heated by coal and wood in its early years and was switched to electric heat in the 1970s. The hotel offered rooms to travelers as well as boarding house-style lodging. In later years, the hotel became a residential hotel. The hotel building included space for retail businesses on the first floor, which were rented out to other African American businesses.2

In 1927, two members of the Kilby family - Marion Burnie Martin McElrath and Walter McElrath) opened “Club Kilby” next to the hotel. The entertainment center held concerts and shows and served drinks. As part of the “Chitlin’ Circuit,” Club Kilby hosted regional and national touring acts. The club also hosted parties, events, and fundraisers for African American clubs and organizations.3

Founders
John and Nannie Kilby purchased and constructed the Kilby Hotel with the help of Nannie’s extended family. Nannie took out several building permits in the 1910s and early 1920s to expand the hotel.4

Nannie Pennix, born in Alamance County in 1877, married John Kilby around 1893. The couple moved to High Point in the mid-1890s. A brilliant businesswoman, High Point locals described her as someone who could turn anything she touched into something valuable. In addition to establishing the hotel she was a practical nurse, hairdress, fish vendor, and firewood seller. She owned more than 30 local properties in the area of East Washington and Leonard Streets, including the hotel. She and her husband, John, were founding members of the American Methodist Episcopal Church on Leonard Street. They were also active in many civic and philanthropic organizations. Nannie Kilby died of cancer in 1921. John Kilby died in 1940.5

Second Generation
Ora Kilby Martin became the second generation to run the hotel. She came on as a co-owner, alongside her father, in the 1920s and took over ownership after her mother’s death. Ora married  Dr. Joseph Alfred Martin, Jr., a physician, in 1914. In addition to owning the hotel, Ora was an active club woman. She was a member of numerous organizations, including the Women’s Society of Christian Service, the Pinochle Social Club, the YWCA, the NC Federation of Negro Women’s Clubs, the Shaw University Alumni Association, and the Old North State Medical Society women’s auxiliary. She also served on the board of St. Mark Methodist Episcopal Church, a position not typically held by women in the 1940s. Ora owned a significant amount of property and was a leader in  the community.6

The Martins were both supportive of the civil rights movement. Ora leveraged her wealth to bail people out of the High Point jail after civil rights protests.7

Third Generation

The third member of the family to own the hotel was Marion Burnie Martin. A graduate of Palmer Memorial Institute in Sedalia, she operated the hotel until the mid-1980s. Marion and her husband, Walter McElrath, also opened “Club Kilby.” During this era, Marion rented rooms to individuals who needed a place to stay but had difficulty affording housing. The second floor was housing for families and the third floor served as housing for individual tenants. The hotel rarely hosted travelers during this era. Marion Martin passed away in 1991.8

Fourth Generation

Marion McElrath’s children, William Joseph, Walter Alfred, and Burnie Marzella, took ownership of the hotel in 1985. The building became destabilized due to age at the end of the last century. Efforts were made to raise funds to stabilize and restore the building and it continued to be used for residential apartments and rental space for business. The building was torn down in 2014.9

The Kilby Hotel was added to the National Register of Historic Places in 1982.10

Essay by Brandie K. Ragghianti, 2024

Oral History

Notes

  1. Victor Green, 1947 Green Book, 65; Green, 1948 Green Book, 62; 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, 53; Green, 1955 Green Book, 53;  Victor Green, 1961 Green Book, 69; Green, 1962 Green Book, 74; Green, 1963-1964 Green Book, 58; Green, 1966-1967 Green Book, 58. Note: Based on city directory records, the Kilby Hotel’s address changed over the years – initially at 513 ½ East Washington Street, the street number changed to 625 ½ East Washington Street, 513-515 E. Washington Street, and 627 ½ East Washington Street.
  2. Heather Fearnbach, “Washington Street Historic District,” National Register Nomination, North Carolina State Historic Preservation Office, January 2010, https://files.nc.gov/ncdcr/nr/GF2290.pdf;  Jim Schlosser, “Kilby Hotel: Rich History, Bright Future,” News & Record, October 26, 1995; JoAnn Williford and Jim Sumner, “Kilby Hotel--National Register of Historic Places Inventory/Nomination Form, North Carolina Division of Archives and History, Raleigh, April 9, 1981,” Internet Archive Wayback Machine, https://web.archive.org/web/20170118133734/http://www.hpo.ncdcr.gov/nr/…; Jordan Green, “Last Days of the Kilby Hotel?” Yes! Weekly, November 6, 2013, https://yesweekly.com/LAST-DAYS-OF-THE-KILBY-HOTEL-a20696/; Benjamin Briggs, “The Queen Midas Touch: Nanny Kilby was a Bright Star in Otherwise Dark Time,” High Point Enterprise, November 26, 1998, 4B, accessed from “Hotels--Kilby” Vertical File, Heritage Research Center, High Point Public Library; L.W. Cates, “Notable Families of High Point-John and Nannie (Pinnix) Kilby,” September 22, 2008, “Hotels--Kilby” Vertical File, Heritage Research Center, High Point Public Library; Al Campbell, “When East Washington Was Really Alive…,” High Point Enterprise, June 22, 2014, “Neighborhoods---Washington Drive” Vertical File, Heritage Research Center, High Point Public Library; Ronald Jordan, “Landmark Under Siege,” Winston-Salem Journal, July 1, 1993, Page B1, accessed “Hotels--Kilby” Vertical File, Heritage Research Center, High Point Public Library; JoAnn Williford and Jim Sumner, “Kilby Hotel--National Register of Historic Places Inventory/Nomination Form, North Carolina Division of Archives and History, Raleigh, April 9, 1981,” Internet Archive Wayback Machine, https://web.archive.org/web/20170118133734/http://www.hpo.ncdcr.gov/nr/GF0036.pdf.
  3.  Kevin Reid, “Historic Kilby Hotel has Future,” High Point Enterprise (Real Estate, Section R), April 19, 2004, accessed “Hotels--Kilby” Vertical File, Heritage Research Center, High Point Public Library;  High Point 1916-1917 City Directory (Asheville, NC: Commercial Service Company, 1916), 187 (alphabetical listing), 308 (street guide);  Beth L. Savage, Carol D. Shull, National Register of Historic Preservation United States, National Conference of State Historic Preservation Officers, and Preservation Press, African American Historic Places, (New York: Wiley, 1996), 376; JoAnn Williford and Jim Sumner, “Kilby Hotel--National Register of Historic Places Inventory/Nomination Form, North Carolina Division of Archives and History, Raleigh, April 9, 1981,” Internet Archive Wayback Machine, https://web.archive.org/web/20170118133734/http://www.hpo.ncdcr.gov/nr/…; Benjamin Briggs, “The Queen Midas Touch: Nanny Kilby was a Bright Star in Otherwise Dark Time,” High Point Enterprise, November 26, 1998, 4B, accessed from “Hotels--Kilby” Vertical File, Heritage Research Center, High Point Public Library; Jim Schlosser, “Kilby Hotel: Rich History, Bright Future,” News & Record, October 26, 1995;  Jordan Green, “Last Days of the Kilby Hotel?” Yes! Weekly, November 6-12, 2013, Vol. 9, No. 45, accessed “Hotels--Kilby” Vertical File, Heritage Research Center, High Point Public Library; Beth L. Savage, Carol D. Shull, National Register of Historic Preservation United States, National Conference of State Historic Preservation Officers, and Preservation Press, African American Historic Places, (New York: Wiley, 1996), 377; JoAnn Williford and Jim Sumner, “Kilby Hotel--National Register of Historic Places Inventory/Nomination Form, North Carolina Division of Archives and History, Raleigh, April 9, 1981,” Internet Archive Wayback Machine, https://web.archive.org/web/20170118133734/http://www.hpo.ncdcr.gov/nr/GF0036.pdf.
  4.  Heather Fearnbach, “Washington Street Historic District,” National Register Nomination, North Carolina State Historic Preservation Office, January 2010, https://files.nc.gov/ncdcr/nr/GF2290.pdf;  Ronald Jordan, “Landmark Under Siege,” Winston-Salem Journal, July 1, 1993, Page B1, accessed “Hotels--Kilby” Vertical File, Heritage Research Center, High Point Public Library; JoAnn Williford and Jim Sumner, “Kilby Hotel--National Register of Historic Places Inventory/Nomination Form, North Carolina Division of Archives and History, Raleigh, April 9, 1981,” Internet Archive Wayback Machine, https://web.archive.org/web/20170118133734/http://www.hpo.ncdcr.gov/nr/…;
  5.  A History of the Negro in High Point, North Carolina, 1867-1950, compiled and edited by the High Point Normal and Industrial Club (High Point, NC: Self-Published); Joseph Alfred Martin, Jr. Death Certificate, North Carolina Deaths, 1931-1994, www.familysearch.org, accessed November 8, 2019; L.W. Cates, “Notable Families of High Point-John and Nannie (Pinnix) Kilby,” September 22, 2008, “Hotels--Kilby” Vertical File, Heritage Research Center, High Point Public Library; Joseph A Martin & Ora Kilby, Marriage License, North Carolina Marriage Records, 1741-2011, www.Ancestry.com;  Heather Fearnbach, “Washington Street Historic District,” National Register Nomination, North Carolina State Historic Preservation Office, January 2010, https://files.nc.gov/ncdcr/nr/GF2290.pdf,;  “Nannie  Kilby, Well Known Negro, Dead,” High Point Enterprise (High Point, NC), April 25, 1921, page 1, www.newspapers.com; Benjamin Briggs, “The Queen Midas Touch: Nanny Kilby was a Bright Star in Otherwise Dark Time,” High Point Enterprise, November 26, 1998, 4B, accessed from “Hotels--Kilby” Vertical File, Heritage Research Center, High Point Public Library; JoAnn Williford and Jim Sumner, “Kilby Hotel--National Register of Historic Places Inventory/Nomination Form, North Carolina Division of Archives and History, Raleigh, April 9, 1981,” Internet Archive Wayback Machine, https://web.archive.org/web/20170118133734/http://www.hpo.ncdcr.gov/nr/GF0036.pdf.
  6.  Joseph A Martin & Ora Kilby, Marriage License, North Carolina Marriage Records, 1741-2011, www.Ancestry.com.
  7. Beth L. Savage, Carol D. Shull, National Register of Historic Preservation United States, National Conference of State Historic Preservation Officers, and Preservation Press, African American Historic Places, (New York: Wiley, 1996), 377; Jordan Green, “Last Days of the Kilby Hotel?” Yes! Weekly, November 6, 2013, https://yesweekly.com/LAST-DAYS-OF-THE-KILBY-HOTEL-a20696/; Ora Kilby Martin Death Certificate, North Carolina Death Certificates 1909-1976, www.ancestry.com;  L.W. Cates, “Notable Families of High Point-John and Nannie (Pinnix) Kilby,” September 22, 2008, “Hotels--Kilby” Vertical File, Heritage Research Center, High Point Public Library; Jordan Green, “Last Days of the Kilby Hotel?” Yes! Weekly, November 6, 2013, https://yesweekly.com/LAST-DAYS-OF-THE-KILBY-HOTEL-a20696; JoAnn Williford and Jim Sumner, “Kilby Hotel--National Register of Historic Places Inventory/Nomination Form, North Carolina Division of Archives and History, Raleigh, April 9, 1981,” Internet Archive Wayback Machine, https://web.archive.org/web/20170118133734/http://www.hpo.ncdcr.gov/nr/…,; Club Meet,” in Brief News Items (column), High Point Enterprise (High Point, NC), January 23, 1966, Page 7C, www.newspapers.com;  “Club Notice,” in Briefs (column), High Point Enterprise (High Point, NC), June 25, 1961, Page 9A, www.newspapers.com; “Club Meeting,” in Brief News Items (column), High Point Enterprise (High Point, NC), May 24, 1964, Page 8A, www.newspapers.com,; “H.P.N. and I. Meet,” Brief News Items (column), High Point Enterprise (High Point, NC), June 21, 1964, Page 8A, www.newspapers.com; “New Officers are Installed by Club,” High Point Enterprise (High Point, NC), December 16, 1962, Page 12A, www.newspapers.com; “Club News,” in News About Colored People (column), High Point Enterprise (High Point, NC), December 11, 1960, Page 14D, www.newspapers.com; “Les Soeurs Meet,” in News of Interest to Colored People (column), High Point Enterprise (High Point, NC), March 26, 1961, Page 12D, www.newspapers.com; “YWCA News,” in News of Interest to Colored People (column), High Point Enterprise (High Point, NC), February 4, 1951, Page 7A, www.newspapers.com; YWCA News: Weekly News Calendar,” in News of Interest to Colored People (column), High Point Enterprise (High Point, NC), February 10, 1952, page 8B, www.newspapers.com; Federation Meets in Durham,” in News of Interest to Colored People (column), High Point Enterprise (High Point, NC), May 25, 1952, Page 8B, www.newspapers.com;  A History of the Negro in High Point, North Carolina, 1867-1950, compiled and edited by the High Point Normal and Industrial Club (High Point, NC: Self-Published); “Shaw Alumni,” in News of Interest to Colored People (column), High Point Enterprise (High Point, NC), March 2, 1952, Page 4C, www.newspaper.com; Glenn R. Chavis, Our Roots, Our Branches, Our Fruit: High Point’s Black History, 1859-1960 (High Point, NC: High Point Historical Society, Inc., 2010), 152-153; Jordan Green, “Last Days of the Kilby Hotel?” Yes! Weekly, November 6, 2013, https://yesweekly.com/LAST-DAYS-OF-THE-KILBY-HOTEL-a20696/.
  8. Marion Martin McElrath Death Certificate, North Carolina Deaths, 1931-1994, www.familysearch.org; L.W. Cates, “Notable Families of High Point-John and Nannie (Pinnix) Kilby,” September 22, 2008, “Hotels--Kilby” Vertical File, Heritage Research Center, High Point Public Library; “Funeral Services for John Kilby This Afternoon,” in News of Colored People (column), High Point Enterprise, March 8, 1940, Page 5, Binder: New of Interest to Colored People 1940, Heritage Resource Center, High Point Public Library; “News Items of Interest to Colored People: J.K. McElrath,” High Point Enterprise (High Point, NC), April 17, 1951, page 12, www.newspapers.com; Beth L. Savage, Carol D. Shull, National Register of Historic Preservation United States, National Conference of State Historic Preservation Officers, and Preservation Press, African American Historic Places, (New York: Wiley, 1996), 377; Jordan Green, “Last Days of the Kilby Hotel?” Yes! Weekly, November 6, 2013, https://yesweekly.com/LAST-DAYS-OF-THE-KILBY-HOTEL-a20696;  Joseph Alfred Martin, Jr. Death Certificate, North Carolina Deaths, 1931-1994, www.familysearch.org; Glenn R. Chavis, Our Roots, Our Branches, Our Fruit: High Point’s Black History, 1859-1960 (High Point, NC: High Point Historical Society, Inc., 2010), 73, 99.
  9.  Ronald Jordan, “Landmark Under Siege,” Winston-Salem Journal, July 1, 1993, Page B1, accessed “Hotels--Kilby” Vertical File, Heritage Research Center, High Point Public Library; Heather Fearnbach, “Washington Street Historic District,” National Register Nomination, North Carolina State Historic Preservation Office, January 2010, https://files.nc.gov/ncdcr/nr/GF2290.pdf;  Jordan Green, “Last Days of the Kilby Hotel?” Yes! Weekly, November 6, 2013, https://yesweekly.com/LAST-DAYS-OF-THE-KILBY-HOTEL-a20696/. 
  10.  Jordan Green, “Last Days of the Kilby Hotel?” Yes! Weekly, November 6-12, 2013, Vol. 9, No. 45, accessed “Hotels--Kilby” Vertical File, Heritage Research Center, High Point Public Library; Ronald Jordan, “Landmark Under Siege,” Winston-Salem Journal, July 1, 1993, Page B1, accessed “Hotels--Kilby” Vertical File, Heritage Research Center, High Point Public Library; Jordan Green, “Last Days of the Kilby Hotel?” Yes! Weekly, November 6, 2013, https://yesweekly.com/LAST-DAYS-OF-THE-KILBY-HOTEL-a20696/.