WINSTON-SALEM, N.C. (WGHP) — Now is the time to tell your grandparents’ stories.
The Historic Resources Commission in Winston-Salem put together an online website that shows historical sites listed in the Green Book, but they need your help.
There are 18 businesses in Winston-Salem that are listed in the historical Green Book but no stories to tell what it was like in the 1930s inside these businesses.
That is the history that experts want to tell and shed light on now that most of these buildings no longer exist.
“It’s a story worth telling, and it’s a story that deserves to be told,” said Historic Resource Officer-Project Planner Heather Bratland.
Heather worked for months to unravel buildings mentioned in the historic Green Book in Winston-Salem.
It was a book that let African American people know where to travel in the South between 1938 to 1967, which is also known as the Jim Crow era.
“People should remember the bravery and the strength of these families, these men and women who owned and managed the businesses,” Heather said.
Those businesses are now gone and erased from where they used to be.
All that is left are photos showing what it was like. Now, the city wants to hear the memories that go along with the pictures.
It could be a story your grandfather told you that could be preserved for generations to come.
“Tell the stories of these men and women who were prosperous leaders in their community. They were civically engaged and what they were able to do and build economically for themselves and their families,” Heather said.
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All of this history is accessible in the new Historic Resources Commission Online Tool.
That could help you identify if any of your families have any stories to share about these places.
You can also reach out to Heather to tell your stories at (336) 747-7054.
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