Gone are the days of maps being static pieces of paper. Map apps now tell us everything from where to get the best breakfast to whether the bus is running behind.
Maps can also take us back in time.
Interactive Black History Tour maps for both Holly Springs and Fuquay-Varina incorporate audio and video clips from community members to preserve their stories and their voices.
“One piece of advice that I would give to the youth today is get to know your history,” says Orlean Burt Newton.
She tells story of Fuquay’s Burt Cafe, which her father opened during segregation to give Black workers at the local tobacco redrying plant a hospitable place to eat lunch and dinner. In addition to opening the cafe, her father brought the first African American physician to town, established a drop-off site to help community members who couldn’t afford expensive clothing, and supported the community in numerous other ways.
Listen as David Prince, who attended Holly Springs Elementary beginning in 1959, describes growing up hearing about the assassinations of JFK and Martin Luther King Jr.
Hear Parrish “Ham” Womble reflect on his nearly three decades on the Holly Springs Board of Commissioners, during which he pushed the Town to purchase 46 acres that now embody Womble Park.
Along with other residents, they tell stories conveying celebration and hardship, community and division — real experiences from lives lived in the towns we call home.
Listen to what they have to say.
Click here to access the Holly Springs tour.
Click here to access the Fuquay-Varina tour.
