History

The history of Raleigh’s Black Main Street

The exterior of the closed Hamlin Drugs.

Hamlin Drugs operated for 100+ years. | Photo by RALtoday

During the 1920s, racial segregation pushed Black entrepreneurs and professionals to move their businesses to East Hargett Street in downtown. The stretch between Fayetteville Street and Moore Square developed as a commercial district that became known as Raleigh’s “Black Main Street.” A handful of the original buildings that housed these Black businesses, from doctors offices and pharmacies to retailers and social hubs, still remain.

The Delany-Evans Building — now a Raleigh Historic Property — was founded in 1926 by Dr. Lemuel Delany and Dr. George Evans, the second Black dentist in Raleigh. In 1935, Mollie Huston Lee, the first African American librarian in Wake County, established the Richard B. Harrison Library in the same building, making it Raleigh’s first public library to serve Black people. You may remember this building as the now-closed Remedy Diner.

Across the street is what was once Hamlin Drug Store, the oldest Black-owned pharmacy in NC and the oldest drug store in Raleigh. It was founded by James Hamlin in 1904 as People’s Drug Store before it relocated to East Hargett Street in 1921. It closed in 2017, shortly after its 100-year anniversary.

The GoRaleigh Station used to be the site of the Lightner Arcade Hotel. Built in 1921 by businessman Calvin Lightner, it became a social and cultural hub for Raleigh’s Black community, housing a barber shop, restaurant, newspaper, and at one point, Hamlin Drug Store. The building burned down in 1970.

Mechanics and Farmers Bank, now M&F Bank, opened its first branch in 1908, becoming an anchor of Durham’s “Black Wall Street.” It is one of the nation’s oldest and largest Black-owned financial institutions. The Raleigh branch opened on East Hargett Street in 1923 — it remains open today in its original location, across from The Raleigh Times.

Bonus: As you walk down East Hargett Street, look for sidewalk murals highlighting several Black businesses that once lined the street.

Click here to have your event featured.

Tuesday, March 7

Beer & Banjos | Tuesday, Mar. 7 | 6:30 p.m. | The Raleigh Times Bar, 14 E. Hargett St., Raleigh | Free | Grab a beer from the bar and listen to bluegrass tunes by The Loblollies.
Travel Smart | Tuesday, Mar. 7 | 6:30-8 p.m. | Virtual | Free | Join Wake County Public Libraries to get ready for your next adventure.

Wednesday, March 8

Cooking for the Kids: Round 2 | Wednesday, Mar. 8 | 6:30 p.m. | 1705 East, 1705 E. Millbrook Rd., Raleigh | $125-$875 | Josiah Halbohm of Young Hearts Distilling and Kyle Fletcher of Bodega Tapas will face off in the next round of this fundraising event.

Thursday, March 9

Big Night In for the Arts | Thursday, Mar. 9 | 7 p.m. | Virtual | Free | Tune in to this annual event that has raised more than $615,000 for arts programming in the Triangle.

Friday, March 10

Sidewinder w/ Big Bad Billys | Friday, Mar. 10 | 7 p.m. | Lincoln Theatre, 126 E. Cabarrus St., Raleigh | $15-$25 | Jam out during this tribute to Van Halen.

Saturday, March 11

Geek and Grub Market (Fantasy Edition) | Saturday, Mar. 11 | 12-4 p.m. | Fred Fletcher Park, 820 Clay St., Raleigh | Free | Shop from geeky vendors and play giant games.

Sunday, March 12

Holi Mela | Sunday, Mar. 12 | 2-6 p.m. | Cheeni Indian Food Imporium, 1141 Falls River Ave., Ste. 124, Raleigh | $40 | Celebrate the Indian festival of color and celebration of life with food, music, and dancing.

Plan Ahead

Tacos & Trivia at The Taproom | Thursday, Mar. 30 | 5:30-7 p.m. | Clouds Brewing Taproom, 1233 Front St., Raleigh | Free | Trivia buffs are encouraged to assemble their teams of 4-5 (registration required).*

We have a calendar filled with events and activities you can plan for in advance. Click the button below to bookmark ideas for upcoming date nights, family outings, and time with friends.

100+ MORE EVENTS

Meet WCU’s College of Engineering and Technology

Engineering professor Vlado Slavov works with students at college

Vladislav “Vlado” Slavov worked with electrical engineering students while also conducting research on artificial intelligence during his guest professorship. | Photo by Ashley T. Evans/Western Carolina University

Have a passion for engineering, technology, or construction management? Western Carolina University’s College of Engineering and Technology is known for its innovative undergraduate + graduate level programs that train students in emerging technologies and their everyday-life applications.

Demonstrating the collaborative spirit of what it means to Live Western, WCU welcomed its second Fulbright Visiting Scholar when CET hosted Vlado Slavov from the Technical University of Sofia in Bulgaria last semester.

Ready to blaze your own trail in engineering and technology?*

DISCOVER THE WCU DIFFERENCE

Weather

74º | Sunny | 6% chance of rain ☀️

Traffic

The intersection of Hillsborough Street at Blue Ridge Road will close today as work begins to improve the area’s safety for drivers and pedestrians. The closure will impact traffic to PNC Arena, the NC State Fairgrounds, and surrounding areas for several months. 🚗 (WRAL)

Cause

The Wake County Animal Center has issued its first urgent adoption plea of the year. The center is nearing maximum capacity and is asking the community to consider adopting to avoid having to euthanize for space. View adoptable pets.

Sports

The ACC men’s basketball tournament begins today, March 7 in Greensboro. No. 7 UNC first plays on Wednesday, March 8 at 7 p.m., followed by No. 6 NC State at 9:30 p.m. No. 4 Duke plays on Thursday, March 9 at 2:30 p.m. 🏀
If baseball is more your speed, single-game tickets are now on sale for the Carolina Mudcats. Opening night is on Tuesday, April 11 against the Salem Red Sox at 6 p.m.

Community

The Raleigh St. Patrick’s Day Parade is this Saturday, March 11, starting at 10 a.m. The parade will begin on North Wilmington Street near Freedom Park and end on South Salisbury Street near the Raleigh Convention Center. View the map. ☘️

Festival

The 24th annual HerbFest — the longest running herb festival in the US — will return to Wake Forest for two consecutive weekends, April 28-30 and May 5-7. There will be gardening, home, cooking, and healthy lifestyle vendors, plus a huge selection of organic herbs, vegetable plants, and perennials. 🌿

Ranked

WalletHub ranked Raleigh No. 22 overall on it’s list of 2023’s Happiest Cities in America. Oh, and our city ranked No. 13 in emotional and physical well-being. The rankings were determined based on several other metrics like income, environment, and more.

Wellness

Our go-to product to relieve tension and decrease under eye puffiness: an ice roller. Not to mention, it’s the perfect way to cool off your face after an intense workout or morning run. These ice globes are also a great skincare addition to help soothe and depuff. *

Content marked with an * is brought to you by our advertising partners and helps make this newsletter free.

Where is Raleigh’s best beer brewed? 🍺

RALtoday brewery bracket

Where can you find the best brew in Raleigh? | Graphic by RALtoday

Friendly competition, anyone?

With the NCAA Men’s and Women’s Basketball Tournaments just around the corner, we’re joining the fun of bracket competitions with a face-off of our own. Last year, y’all helped us name the best burger in the City of Oaks: MoJoe’s Burger Joint. This year, we need your help to decide Raleigh’s best brewery.

Round 1

A brewery bracket. — Help us decide who makes the best brews in Raleigh.

Thanks to 300+ submissions and the help of a random generator, we have the official lineup for our bracket.

Going head-to-head in the first round are:

Funguys Brewing vs. R&D Brewing
Neuse River Brewing vs. Raleigh Brewing Company
Crank Arm Brewing vs. Trophy Brewing
Wye Hill Brewing vs. Gizmo Brew Works

We will host several voting rounds within our newsletters and social channels to determine Raleigh’s best brewery. Who moves on is up to you. Vote for your favorites, and the brewery with more votes moves on. We’ll go until we have a champion, which will be announced in our Friday, March 31 newsletter. You will be able to vote once per round.

Want to fill out a bracket to see if you can guess who will win? Download and print the image above to take the competition up a notch. If your bracket is correct, send us a photo for a shoutout and bragging rights.

Round 2

We’ve got some passionate readers. After 1,100+ votes, here are the breweries moving on to the next round:

Funguys Brewing vs. Raleigh Brewing Company
Trophy Brewing vs. Gizmo Brew Works

Who will face off in the championship? Cast your votes now through Monday, March 27 at 10 a.m. Once we count all the votes, we’ll share an updated bracket and new poll in an upcoming newsletter.

Round 3

RALtoday brewery bracket. — Vote for your favorite brewery.

Things are heating up in the City of Oaks. With more than 1,500 votes in round three, Funguys Brewing and Trophy Brewing are going head-to-head in the final matchup of RALtoday’s Brewery Bracket.

See your pick to the finish by voting in our final poll now through Thursday, March 30 at 10 a.m. Once we count all the votes, we’ll share the winner in Friday’s newsletter.

Winner

The votes are in. After a close battle, Funguys Brewing has been named the best Brewery in Raleigh by our readers.

Congrats, Funguys. 👏

SUBMIT YOUR NOMINATION

THE WRAP

Today’s issue was written by Anne.

Editor’s pick: Have you heard? The cherry trees at Duke Gardens are currently in full bloom. The pink flowers are a magical sight and one of my favorite signs of spring. The gardens are free to visit and are open everyday from 8 a.m. to dusk. 🌸

Missed yesterday’s newsletter? Check out these 10 local events to celebrate Women’s History Month.

Connect with us.

Editorial: Cat George, Anne Tate, Erin McPherson, Emily Shea, Jessalin Heins-Nagamoto, Dayten Rose, Sarah Leonhardt, Katie Smith | Send us a scoop, question, or feedback.

Sales: Charis Painter | Advertise with us.

Content marked with an * was created in partnership with 6AM City’s advertising partners. Paid content helps keep this newsletter free. 6AM City may also receive a commission on purchases made through affiliate links in this newsletter.

ADVERTISE | SHOP | CAREERS | ETHICS

Did a friend forward this free newsletter to you?