SC Green Book Hubs
Map It
Use this map to explore notable sites featured in the Green Book throughout the Carolinas. Each hub highlights a group of locations that were still standing when this project began in 2020. Unfortunately, ongoing construction projects across the state have resulted in the demolition of some of the Green Book sites listed below. If you discover that a site has been demolished, please notify the commission at ncaahc@dncr.nc.gov.
Entertainment
Including amusement parks, beaches, bowling alleys and skating rinks country clubs and golf courses, lakes and ponds, music clubs and nightclubs, regional parks, summer camps, swimming pools, and theaters
Foodways
Eating habits and culinary practices of people, regions, or historical periods.
Lodging and Hospitality
The term lodging describes a wide range of accommodation types (hotels, B&Bs, resorts, hostels, motels etc.) that provide shelter or a place to stay overnight. It is used to describe locations away from home and the quality of the place can vary from a small island hut or a tent to a five star all-inclusive resort.
Service Center
Service Centers: a store or other place where you can have products, equipment, or vehicles checked and repaired and where you can buy parts; The Standard Oil Company of New Jersey, known today as ExxonMobil, was the only major retail distributor of the Green Book through its network of Esso stations, which welcomed Black travelers and also provided business opportunities for Black franchisees.
Beauty parlors and barber shops
These have been places not only to get hair care services but locations where black people could be vulnerable and talk about issues of importance in the community. These were spaces where customers played games such as chess, cards, and dominoes, while having conversations about local gossip, politics, and community affairs.
South Carolina Green Book Sites
The Negro Motorist Green Book was not the only literary prize of Charleston, South Carolina. In the 20th century, the Dart Hall Library on Kracke Street served the Black population for nearly forty years, offering a home to copies of the Green Book for local patrons to peruse. In fact, the institution still houses a few copies to this day. This public institution was not the only site of safety in Charleston; the city offered between four and five tourist homes, taverns, and hotels. Many of these offerings were just family homes willing to open their doors to those in need.
Much like its native son Dizzy Gillepse, Cheraw, South Carolina was quite the show-stopper. Indeed, folks frequented the small-but-mighty stopover for its fourteen Green Book entries, including the College Inn Restaurant, where Gillespe himself once grabbed a bite. Cheraw was featured more often than even the South Carolina capital, demonstrating how communities rally together regardless of size. From 1947 until the Green Book stopped circulating in 1966, Cheraw was fully present and accounted for.
While few of Columbia’s original Green Book sites still stand, the city is still imbued with the legacy of community care offered by generations of residents. Today, visitors can still see a few pieces of history including the Cornwell Tourist Home. The boarding house opened its doors to Black travelers in need of lodging for nearly thirty years, aiding countless souls in need of safe harbor. There are a few opportunities in Columbia to view Green Book entries from a formerly thriving Black business sector and currently, the city persists in preserving its history for future engagements
Florence’s North Dragan St. was home to pharmacies, eateries, and other institutions that thrived under Black ownership. This area boasts a historical marker that shares the impact of the historic district. One such institution was Ebony Guest House, operated by Mrs. Mary Holmes, named to speak directly to its Black American audience. Travelers were drawn to this safe haven during the Jim Crow era, but as the only extant site in Florence, South Carolina, it still carries a present impact