Quick Update: Maps and Royal Ice Cream

It's a veritable Durham History day in the N&O today

First is a set of maps accompanying the Durham Rising article - including a small version of a really cool map of Durham in 1865 that was hand-drawn ~20? years later from memory. The original is absolutely cool - I hope to have it scanned/photographed at some point.

The second is an article by Jim Wise about the Royal Ice Cream sit-in - one of the south's first sit-ins - which occurred 50 years today. Those reading last summer may recall that I chronicled the destruction of the sit-in site by Union Missionary Baptist, a traditionally African-American church. They have torn down much of that block for a proposed school.

The project manager, Charles Stanback, with UMB, is highlighting the nearly forgotten history of the sit-in. Jim Wise gives a good recounting of the event in his article, touching on the interesting report that the African-American establishment did not support the sit-in - perhaps why it faded into near obscurity.

Stanback's line at the end of the article is bothersome to me, given my perspective: "We're going to get something nice on that corner to let folks remember what was there."

Not destroying the building would have been a far more effective way to do that.