Hargraves Community Center

The land where the center would be constructed was purchased by the Town of Chapel Hill on September 8, 1939. It was deeded to the town on July 29, 1940, on the condition that it be used as a community center for black people. The center's construction was primarily funded through the Works Progress Administration, a New Deal agency.[4][5]

During the early 20th century, public gatherings for black people were routinely deemed public nuisances and were often shut down. Additionally, sundown practices were enforced which confined Black people to certain neighborhoods after dark, leaving no safe spaces for activities and socializing. To combat this, the Negro Civic Club became the key advocacy group for Chapel Hill's Black community in the 1920s-40s and proposed the idea of a recreation center in 1935.[4]

However, in 1937, a race riot occurred which caused police to become more heavily armed. Despite this setback, the government approved the building of the Negro Community Center in 1938, and Black stonemasons and carpenters began building in 1940. Construction officially began on January 9, 1941.[4] However, funding from the WPA fell short in May 1941 due to the war, causing the project to stall until the Navy's B-1 Band arrived. The band needed somewhere to stay, so the project was halted and the Navy preflight school was placed on the University of North Carolina at Chapel Hill's campus.[3]

Picture of the Navy B-1 Band during their position at the Hargraves Center in Chapel Hill, NC.

After the war, the Navy gave the center back to the town in 1945. In 1947, the local organizers held the first meeting of the Chapel Hill NAACP, providing another experiment in community organization that differed from the church and the school. Marcellus Barksdale noted in his article "Civil Rights Organization & the Indigenous Movement in CH NC 1960-65" that the mere presence of an NAACP chapter in town increased thought and talk of civil rights.[6]

Finally, in 1951, the first paid director of the center, Lucille Caldwell, was hired. She was North Carolina's first black professional recreation administrator.[4] Today, the Hargraves Community Center stands as a symbol of the resilience and perseverance of Chapel Hill's Black community in the face of adversity.

Many additions have been made to the Center since its initial construction was completed in 1945. In 1948, Frank Robinson and Edwin Caldwell, Jr. met with the president of UNC in an attempt to gain access to the university's pool for black children at least one day a month. The meeting resulted in all children being banned from the university's pool. Shortly after this, an anonymous donor funded the construction of a pool at the Community Center.[4] In 1959, spurred by a $40,000 donation from Cornelia S. Love, a swimming pool project was completed in dedication of A.D. Clarke by 1960. In 1978, the Town of Chapel Hill's acquisition of land south of the Center led to the construction of tennis courts. Two years later, the Center building underwent renovation and expansion, including the creation of a 1,500 sq. ft. auditorium.[7] In 1996, with a Special Use Permit, $1,035,000 was directed towards construction of a gymnasium located between the center and the outdoor fields.[3] Today, the center offers a wide range of recreation facilities including a baseball/softball field, indoor & outdoor basketball courts, meeting rooms, picnic areas, and a playground.[1]

May 9, 1960: Dr. Martin Luther King Jr. spoke at various locations about racial justice through passive resistance within Chapel Hill, such as the university and the then-named African American Center.[8] His visit was prompted by the “Chapel Hill Nine,” which were 9 African American students from Lincoln High who initiated a sit-in at the Chapel Hill restaurant, Colonial Drug Co., in which patrons must be white if dining-in.[9]

U.S. Navy B1 Band: The first U.S. naval regiment composed of African Americans at ranks above messman in the modern era. Due to ongoing segregation, the B-1 Band was excluded from the UNC campus, which did offer residence to the naval preflight training program at the time. The most talented players within the state of North Carolina participated in the group. 33 of the 44 ensemble members came from North Carolina A&T, with James B. Parsons selected as the director. Stationed in Chapel Hill at the community center between the years of 1942 and 1944 until they were transferred to Manana Barracks at Pearl Harbor. Band members were unable to attend the Navy's School of Music, unlike other Navy Band musicians, due to segregationist practices. After the war, most of the band members attended North Carolina A&T, many choosing to enter the education sector. After his quality tenure as band director, James B. Parsons was appointed as the first African American to serve in the U.S. District Court system as a federal judge by then-president John F. Kennedy in 1961[10][11]

Fred Battle: Known as the “icon of the local freedom movement,” former director Fred Battle was a well respected member of the Chapel Hill community.[12] Growing up in the Northside neighborhood and attending Lincoln High School, Battle became a figurehead of the civil rights effort in the area. His involvement included being council member of the town of Chapel Hill, president of the town's NAACP chapter, along with the director of the Hargraves Community Center.[13]