Pottersfield

Pottersfield (also spelled "Potter’s Field") was a large historically Black neighborhood located in downtown Chapel Hill, North Carolina. It was originally built over a hundred years ago to be a home for those working at the University of North Carolina at Chapel Hill. These workers included the stonemasons that constructed the famous stone walls encircling the University’s campus and those that carried water from the Old Well to students in dorms. By the mid 1950s, Pottersfield and its adjacent neighborhood, Sunset, had together come to be known as the Northside neighborhood.

Pottersfield Northside
Neighborhood
Map of Pottersfield, 1944
Country	United States
State	North Carolina
County	Orange County
City	Chapel Hill

History

Early 20th century and connection to Chapel Hill

The original Orange County Training School

Pottersfield began as a labor settlement for the enslaved persons that worked on loan as stonemasons and in other service and maintenance roles for the then-new University of North Carolina at Chapel Hill. It consisted of small homes and farms within walking distance of the University, maintained by their descendants on the emerging west end of the city and distinguished by a tight community consisting of homes, schools, churches, and businesses. Transitioning into the 20th century, the time of Jim Crow laws, the University became the largest employer of Black people in the area and switched from borrowing enslaved Black people to paying Black people to maintain and build its structures. This allowed for some Black landowners to retain their land and others to build homes in the community with the wages from the University. In the 1930s, Pottersfield residents became labor leaders, and civil rights leaders in the 1960s. They established a "Janitorial Association" in 1939, and a mechanic shop for the University in the 1940s.

Late 20th century and Civil Rights era

Teenagers joined the struggle for civil rights and, in 1969, civil rights activists helped Howard Nathaniel Lee become elected mayor in a majority-white city. In doing so, he became the first African-American since the Reconstruction era to be elected to a notable political position. Additionally in the 1960s, urban renewal planners attempted to buy the land in Pottersfield, but residents came together to seek federal funding to improve old homes and build new homes. Chapel Hill’s first sit-in was led by students from Lincoln High School.

Later in the 1970s, the United States Department of Housing and Urban Development attempted urban renewal once again, but residents fought back to keep many of the homes that were meant to be demolished and negotiate improvement and construction for others in the neighborhood.

Early 21st century and continued university relationship

In 2004, after creating a neighborhood watch system, Pottersfield residents worked with the town to make Pottersfield a Neighborhood Conservation District.

In the modern age, the university continues to work with the residents of Pottersfield, with student and non-profit organizations dedicated to building homes and acquiring properties for current and retired employees of the University. In addition, the Northside Neighborhood Initiative was launched on May 9, 2015, to further strengthen ties between the community and the university. A notable partnership, it connected residents of the neighborhood, UNC-Chapel Hill, other organizations including Self-Help, the Marian Cheek Jackson Center, the Town of Carrboro, and the Town of Chapel Hill in order to honor the history of the area. To promote development of the neighborhood, the University additionally offered an interest-free three million dollar loan to create the Northside Land Bank.

Northside Neighborhood Memorial, placed at the intersection of Pottersfield and Sunset neighborhoods

In 2017, to commemorate the civil rights protests that happened in Pottersfield, the Freedom Fighters Gateway monument was established in the community.

Geography

Pottersfield was located north of West Rosemary Street and west of Columbia Street. Nearby neighborhoods included Sunset, Tin Top, Pine Knolls, and Windy Hill, all of which were historically Black neighborhoods. East of Columbia Street was the all-white neighborhood, Pritchard’s Field.

Education

Lincoln High School students

Chapel Hill-Carrboro City Schools were segregated until 1966. Hackney’s Educational and Industrial Institute, which opened in 1912, served Orange County’s Black students. Financial difficulties led to the school being combined with a Quaker school to form Orange County Training School. Many residents of Pottersfield attended Orange County Training School, and other schools that came to occupy the space. Orange County Training School was established in 1916 on Caldwell Street and stood there until 1922, when the school burned down. Residents were then taught in other locations until a new Rosenwald school was built in the same location in 1924. The school was renamed "Lincoln High School" in 1948 when the name "Orange County Training School" was opposed by Black students and families. A new Lincoln High School was built on Merritt Mill Road in 1951. Many Pottersfield residents continued to attend Lincoln High School until 1962, when it was closed and Chapel Hill High School was integrated. From 1951 to 1966, the location on Caldwell Street became Northside Elementary. The building was used as office space until 2013, when it reopened as Northside Elementary. Until the desegregation of schools in 1966, most Black students in the area attended these schools, and many walked to school.

Frank Porter Graham Elementary School opened in 1962 to serve the community’s Black children. When students aged out, they went to Lincoln High School. As the integration process went on, students also attended Glenwood Elementary School, Estes Hills Elementary School, or Carrboro Elementary School, and Chapel Hill High School.

Culture

Originally, Pottersfield started out as a tight-knit community of workers where most residents were related. Some of the families in the neighborhood have lived there for several generations. Due to its connection to the University of North Carolina at Chapel Hill, its culture has shifted to include more University students and other outside residents. This shift also brought a change in demographics, as the originally all-Black neighborhood gained a growing population of young, white student residents. Neighbors work to preserve the traditions and culture of the original neighborhood alongside residing students and faculty of the University.

There have been debates regarding the use of the original name of the neighborhood, “Potter’s Field”, and the use of the name "Northside." The name "Northside" is believed to encompass a greater area including other neighborhoods around West Franklin Street and Carrboro. The name "Northside" is said to be a reclamation of power and a symbol of community by some residents, and a replacement of the area’s history by others.

Notable figures

• Marian Cheek Jackson was born on February 12, 1925, to Pearl Cotton and Kennon Cheek (founder of the Janitors’ Association). She attended Orange County Training School, and later went on to graduate from St. Augustine’s College in 1946. After graduation, she began working at North Carolina Mutual Life Insurance Company in Durham. Later in life, she worked at N.C. Memorial Hospital’s Blood Bank, Bynum Weaver Funeral Home, Granville Towers Dining Services, and Knott’s Funeral Home. Mrs. Jackson also served as the historian at St. Joseph C.M.E. for many years. Due to her passion for preserving local history and building community, she is the namesake of the Marian Cheek Jackson Center.
• James T. Foushee, born in 1941, was a prominent Northside Civil Rights activist. While attending Lincoln High School, he played a major role in organizing students’ sit-ins, demonstrations, and marches. He also went on an eight day hunger strike in protest. James T. Foushee was awarded the Rebecca Clark Staff Award for Moral Courage for his achievements and efforts.

Valerie Foushee

• Senator Valerie P. Foushee, the oldest of six children, is from the Northside neighborhood. She is the daughter of James T. Foushee (above). Valerie Foushee received her undergraduate degree from the University of North Carolina at Chapel Hill, after which she went on to work for the Chapel Hill Police Department as an administrator. She previously served on the Chapel Hill-Carrboro City School Board and was the first African-American female elected to the Orange County Board of Commissioners. She also served in both the North Carolina House of Representatives and the North Carolina Senate. Valerie Foushee currently represents North Carolina's Fourth District in the United States House of Representatives.

The Chapel Hill Nine Marker at the former site of the Colonial Drug Company

• The Chapel Hill Nine, a group of nine male students from Lincoln High School, are best known for their protest that kicked off ten years of civil rights demonstrations in Chapel Hill. On February 28, 1960, Harold Foster, William Cureton, John Farrington, Earl Geer, David Mason Jr., Clarence Merritt Jr., James Merritt, Douglas Perry, and Albert Williams staged a sit-in at the local Colonial Drug Company on West Franklin Street. Inspired by the Greensboro sit-in four weeks earlier, the Chapel Hill Nine refused to get up from the counter at Colonial Drug until they were served. The Chapel Hill Nine were charged with trespassing and Colonial Drug would not be desegregated until 1964, with the passing of The Civil Rights Act of 1964, despite numerous protests over the years. Today, a historic marker dedicated to the Chapel Hill Nine has been erected at what was once the site of the Colonial Drug Company. 

Transportation

Currently, transportation in Northside is a mix of private automobiles, public transit, walking, and biking. The community has an extensive network of roads and sidewalks, and public transportation options, such as buses, that connect Northside with other parts of Chapel Hill and the surrounding areas. Biking has also gained popularity, with the development of bike lanes and trails to promote active transportation and reduce dependence on cars. These efforts have been made to promote alternative modes of transportation, such as walking, biking, and public transit, with the aim of reducing traffic congestion, improving air quality, and promoting healthier lifestyles.

Current situation

Northside Neighborhood Initiative celebration attendees holding a signed stud for a new Habitat For Humanity home

In 1980, Pottersfield, which was now known as Northside, was flooded with college students. As there was a large shift to rental properties, many longtime residents of Pottersfield could not afford to live in their homes. By 2010, more than 450 Black residents had left Pottersfield. This was a 40% decrease since 1980. On May 9, 2015, The Northside Neighborhood Initiative was started in order to honor the history of the neighborhood and to keep the diversity and unity strong. The initiative was worked upon and had the support of the neighborhood residents, UNC-Chapel Hill, Self-Help, the Marian Cheek Jackson Center, the Town of Carrboro, and the Town of Chapel Hill. Along with the initiative, The University of North Carolina at Chapel Hill helped to preserve the neighborhood by giving an interest free three million dollar loan to create the Northside Land Bank. Since 2020, the Northside Neighborhood Initiative (NNI) has been successful in various endeavors, such as promoting market equilibrium, educating student tenants, retaining multi-generational families, and attracting new homeowners who wish to live in close-knit, connected communities with pride. As a result, there has been an increase in the number of Black residents, the creation of 40 affordable housing units, children playing in the streets and yards, the return of displaced neighbors, and the revitalization of important traditions that are vital to preserving the future of these communities.

See also

• University of North Carolina at Chapel Hill
• Chapel Hill, North Carolina