NEWS OF DUKE HOMESTEAD
Spring 2018
Volume 40, Issue 1
GOLD LEAF
Inside this issue:
prominent and working class, to ensure his vision would become reali-ty. He also had to secure support and funding from the affluent white community.
Dr. Aaron Moore confronted the lack (Continued on page 4)
I’m Khadija McNair. I’m a part timer at Duke Homestead and I’m also pursuing my Master’s Degree in History at North Carolina Central University. For my thesis topic I am researching Washington Duke’s involvement in the establishment of Lincoln Hospital, the first black hospital in Durham. I aim to reorient the narrative from a sole focus on the philanthropic Dukes to the members of the bustling African American community who played equally important roles in the beginnings of the hospital. These community members negotiated with Washington Duke and his sons to meet a dire need for healthcare, and I’m excited to share the story of Lincoln Hospital from this perspective.
Lincoln Hospital, completed in July 1901 with funding from the Duke family, was the first and only African American hospital in Durham. Locat-ed on the corner of Proctor Street and Cozart Avenue in Durham, North Carolina, it was the product of years of fund raising and support-building steeped in racial struggles. Dr. Aaron McDuffie Moore was born on a small farm in Elkton, NC in 1863. He was a studious child and would go on to graduate from Shaw University with a medical and law degree. In 1898 he relocated to Durham where he was the only black physician at the time. Moore immediately recognized the need for healthcare for the ever-growing African American population in the county, and sought the help of other African Americans, both
Lincoln Hospital, By Khadija McNair
1, 4
Financial Report, Upcoming Events
2
From the Site Manager’s Desk
3
Duke Homestead Junior Interpreters
3
Team Updates, Save the Date: Vintage Baseball Game
5
Membership Form
6
Jewelry Ad
7
Lincoln Hospital Contributors, image from the 38th Annual Report 1939
Lincoln Hospital
By Khadija McNair About GOLD LEAF
The Duke Homestead Education and History Corpo-ration publishes GOLD LEAF. The Corporation is a non-profit organization dedicated to the develop-ment of the Duke Homestead State Historic Site and Tobacco Museum. The museum is open Tuesday through Saturday, from 9 a.m. until 5 p.m. Visit the website, dukehomestead.org, for more information. This newsletter is published semiannually and is available free of charge for digital subscribers. A paper copy can be received for $5.00 a year.
For more information, write:
Duke Homestead Education and History Corp.
2828 Duke Homestead Road
Durham, NC 27705
Or e-mail: duke@ncdcr.gov.
DHEHC President: Thomas Shaw
GOLD LEAF Editor: Caitlin Avinger
Printing: Sir Speedy
Financial Report
Mary Bell
Treasurer
The funds of the Duke Homestead Education and History Corporation as of April 10, 2018 are as follows:
General Fund Savings: $14,383.60
General Fund Checking: $8,689.53
TD Ameritrade Account: $56,512.60
Total Assets: $79,585.73
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Upcoming Events
Stay tuned to dukehomestead.org for details on upcoming events!
Mythbusting Day—Historic Houses May 19
Family Days June 16, July 28, September 8
Pork, Pickles & Peanuts July 14
Mythbusting Day—Tobacco August 18
Harvest & Hornworm Festival August 25
Halloween Phantasmagoria
October 26
Family Phantasmagoria
October 27
Christmas By Candlelight
December 7 & 14 Page 3
VOLUME 40, ISSUE 1
From the Site Manager’s Desk
Hello, Duke Homestead friends and followers! We are anxiously waiting for spring to stick around and usher in another tobacco growing season. Spring also means that we are educating young minds visiting on field trips, and looking ahead to summer events. This year we will host seven family-friendly events free of charge between May and September.
Another focus for Duke Homestead’s staff in 2018 will be gathering feedback on the Tobacco Museum. Duke Homestead will hold a listening session for DHEHC members in the fall of 2018, and will send an invitation via email
and/or mail. If you are not able to attend in person, we will send instructions on how to participate remotely or write-in. We want to hear what you like, areas for improvement, what you want to know more about, or comments about other museums you have really enjoyed visiting. What is
important about tobacco history? What does it mean to you? This listening session will be the time to share. Please take this opportunity to renew your membership and update your contact information so we are sure to include you!
Are you interested in becoming more involved with Duke Homestead? If you have the passion we can provide the training. Give tours, greet visitors, lead field trip programs, assist with special events, sew a historical costume, maintain our grounds — we have a lot of fun and would love for you to join the team! Call or email if interested.
Wishing you a happy spring, and hope to see you soon!
Duke Homestead Junior Interpreters
It has already been a busy year for our Junior Interpreters. This year there are 14 Junior Interpreters ranging in age from 8-13. The program aims to engage young interpreters with hands-on activities ranging from 19th century lifeways to the ins and outs of being a museum professional.
This year the Junior Interpreters have cooked fritters on the 1870s stove in the historic house and created their own museum displays using objects from Duke Homestead and Bennett Place’s education collections. Up next they will be making lye soap in the tradition of mid-19th century homesteaders, like the Dukes.
Do you know someone who would like to be a Junior Interpreter in 2019?! Go to our website dukehomestead.org and fill out an application located under the “Get Involved” tab and “Volunteer” section. Email duke@ncdcr.gov for more information. of healthcare for African Americans in the Durham community, determined to fix it. In 1910, the death rate among African Americans was over 30% higher than the white commu-nity and on the rise, with an even larger disparity in infant mortality. African Americans were exposed to diphtheria, influenza, tuberculosis, and many other diseases at a higher rate than whites. George Watts, who built the whites-only Watts Hospital, was considering the addition of an African American wing. Moore staunchly opposed this proposal. He was not convinced that allowing white doctors to treat black patients would ensure adequate care, or that one wing would provide enough space for the growing black commu-nity. Moore also understood that if a black wing were added to Watts Hospital, the management would not hire black physicians. Moore saw the only solution to the need for healthcare as an independent black hospital. Moore went into action and employed the help of his good friend and business partner, John Merrick.
Merrick, born enslaved in 1859 in Sampson County, moved to Chapel (Continued from page 1)
Hill at the age of twelve and became a brick layer. Eventually he would work as a bootblack in a barbershop where he would soon become a barber himself. Merrick moved to Durham in 1880 and grew to own five barbershops, three whites’ only barbershops, and two for African Americans. By the time Moore start-ed campaigning for a black hospital, Merrick had founded North Carolina Mutual and Provident Association (1898), later North Carolina Mutual Life Insurance. Moore and Merrick worked together to support the fledgling company. Due to his pro-fession as a barber, Merrick became close friends with many influential white businessmen in Durham in-cluding the Watts, the Carrs, and the Fullers. Additionally, he was Washington Duke’s personal barber. Moore knew of this connection and persuaded his friend, Merrick, to inquire if Washington Duke was interested in funding the hospital.
Moore had several other connec-tions to Duke, both black and white, wealthy and working class. These included Duke’s in-home cook, but-ler, and personal physician. Moore asked each to talk to Duke about the importance of healthcare for
African American Durhamites. Addie Evans, Duke’s cook, explained to Duke that sickness had no race. African Americans cooking his food and working in his tobacco factories could propel the spread of disease if they did not receive proper healthcare. Dr. A.G. Carr, Washing-ton Duke’s physician, and W.H. Arm-strong, his butler, also encouraged Duke to invest in the future Lincoln Hospital. Moore admitted that “Dr. Carr and Mr. Merrick were more largely responsible for the generous gifts we received.”
My research on this topic and my work as an interpreter at Duke Homestead have raised interesting questions about Lincoln Hospital’s origins. What were Washington Duke’s original intentions for the money that ultimately went toward Lincoln Hospital? Who among Washington, Benjamin, and James B. Duke chose to fund Lincoln? These answers shed light on the underlying themes of race relations and racial accommodation in Durham at the turn of the 20th century, and will be the focus of the next Gold Leaf issue.
Lincoln Hospital, cont.
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VOLUME 40, ISSUE 1
Team Updates
We welcome our new Maintenance Mechanic, Steven Tietgen to the team! Steven will take the lead on keeping our historic grounds and machinery operating smoothly. He comes to us from Historic Oak View Park where he had experience as a part-time maintenance crewmember.
That means that we have a fully staffed team. Please stop by any time to say hello!
Vintage Baseball Game
Duke Homestead Education and History Corporation is partnering with the Durham Bulls to hold a vintage baseball game this summer! Mark your calendars, you won’t want to miss an afternoon of baseball, history, beer, local food trucks, and the opportunity to support Duke Homestead! This event is made possible through the gener-ous sponsorship of the Durham Bulls and Bull Durham Beer Company. Please contact Dale Coats if you would like to learn more about sponsorship and volunteer opportunities for this event at adalecoats@gmail.com.
We are saying good-bye to one of our volunteers! Lauren May has volunteered with Duke Homestead for a year. We are excited to announce that Lauren will be moving to Ashville where she has accepted the Assistant Site Manager position at Vance Birthplace State Historic Site. While we are sad to see her go, we know that she will do wonderful things in her new position!
Our longtime Maintenance Mechanic An-drew Long accepted a new position with-in Craft Services. We will miss seeing him here at Duke Homestead on a day to day basis. However, he has not gone too far away as he is still part of the Department of Natural and Cultural Resources team. We wish him the best of luck in his new position.
What: Vintage Baseball Game
Where: Durham Bulls Athletic Park
When: Saturday, August 11, 2018 @ 4PM GOLD LEAF
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Duke Homestead Education and History Corpora-tion
Duke Homestead State Historic Site
2828 Duke Homestead Rd.
Durham, NC 27705
Duke Homestead Education and
History Corporation
2828 Duke Homestead Road Durham, NC 27705
Phone: 919-627-6990 (new) E-mail: duke@ncdcr.gov We are now vendors for Elk Creek Jewelry Studio’s beautiful line of tobacco-inspired fine jewelry. Every purchase supports Duke Homestead. Place your order through Duke Homestead and your items will be delivered 4-8 weeks later.
Contact us for a catalog and price sheet. Each piece is handmade in the USA. Custom orders are welcome, just ask!
SHOP TO SUPPORT DUKE HOMESTEAD