Thornton's Teenage Casino

Thornton’s Barber Shop & Teenage Club was listed in the Green Book in 1950 as “Thornton’s—507 Allen St.” under “Barber Shops” in Goldsboro and from 1951-1955 as “Thornton’s Teenage—507 Alvin St.” under “Shaving Parlors” in Goldsboro.¹

Eugene Alphonso Thornton, a barber, established Thornton’s Barber Shop & Teenage Club (also known as “Thornton’s Teen-age Casino and Shaving Parlor) for “fun and recreation” in the late 1940s. The barber shop and teenage hangout were both located at 507 Alvin Street, with the barber shop on one side and the club - an open space for dancing and socializing - on the other. Locals held parties and other events at the club. The club also hosted special events, such as an annual college prom for high school and college students held over the Christmas school break. Thornton, a representative for The Carolinian, wrote several features related to African American life in Goldsboro for the newspaper, including a regular article entitled “Teen-Age Casino Topics.” The feature functioned like a society page for teenagers, detailing parties, events, visitors, and goings-on at Thornton’s club.²

Thornton was born in 1901 in Johnston, North Carolina. He served in the Student Army Training Corps as a student at NC A&T University during World War I. Thornton married Addie P. Gilham in 1931 and the couple settled in Goldsboro. He worked as a barber, as a government worker, and as the director of the Colored Community Center on Leslie Street prior to opening Thornton’s Barber Shop & Teenage Club.³

Eugene Thornton passed away in 1955.⁴

Essay by Brandie K. Ragghianti

Notes

1. Victor Green, 1950 Green Book, 62; Victor Green, 1951 Green Book, 54; Green, 1952 Green Book, 54; Green, 1953 Green Book, 53; Green, 1954 Green Book, 53; Green, 1955 Green Book, 53.
2.  Marty Tschetter, email to Lisa Withers, February 13, 2019; E. A. Thornton, “This Week in Goldsboro,” The Carolinian, November 4, 1950, 18, accessed from https://newspapers.digitalnc.org;  “Thornton’s Teenage Casino Topics,” The Carolinian (Raleigh, NC), December 17, 1949, digital image 10, accessed from https://newspapers.digitalnc.org; Hill’s 1952-1953 Goldsboro City Directory, 328 (alphabetical listing), 531 (street listing); Hill’s 1950-1951 Goldsboro City Directory, 11 (classified listing), 218 (alphabetical listing).
3. Eugene Alphonso Thornton, Service No. 4453091, Goldsboro, North Carolina, US Headstone Applications for Military Veterans, 1925-1970, accessed from www.ancestry.com; Hill’s 1930 Goldsboro City Directory, 281, street listing; Eugene Thornton and Addie P. Gilham, April 20, 1931, Johnston County, North Carolina, US Marriage Records, 1741-2011, accessed from www.ancestry.com; 1940 United States Federal Census, Goldsboro, Wayne County, North Carolina, digital image s.v. “Eugene Thornton,” accessed from www.ancestry.com; Eugene Alphonso Thornton, October 11, 1901, Goldsboro, Wayne County, North Carolina, US World War II Draft Cards Young Men, 1940-1947, accessed from www.ancestry.com; Hill’s 1945 Goldsboro City Directory, 277 (alphabetical listing); 1950 United States Federal Census, Goldsboro, Wayne County, North Carolina, digital image s.v. “E. A. Thornton,” accessed from www.ancestry.com.
4. Eugen Alphonsa [sp] Thornton, October 26, 1900, Goldsboro, Wayne County, North Carolina, US Death Certificates, 1909-1976, accessed from www.ancestry.com.