Documenting Extant Green Book Sites in South Carolina
Ruth’s Beauty Parlor on Pine Street in Columbia, SC, was listed in the Negro Motorists’ Green Book from 1939 to 1941. Property is privately owned.
The WeGOJA Foundation is conducting a detailed survey of the extant buildings that once housed businesses listed in the Negro Motorists’ Green Book, a directory of safe places for traveling African Americans. Roughly 200 Black-owned businesses and other institutions in South Carolina were listed in the guide between 1939 and its final edition published in 1967.
This survey will research, document, photography and catalog extant sites in six South Carolina counties – Richland, Charleston, Chesterfield, Greenville, Florence and Marion – as an important next step in our campaign to preserve these historic spaces. Researchers will conduct primary and secondary source research and use photographs taken during field visits to develop brief historical narratives about each site, complete State Historic Preservation Office (SHPO) survey cards, and enter relevant information into the ArchSite GIS system to establish a permanent record. Future plans call for materials to assist teachers in classroom instruction.
