Lynchburg Living

Departments

By Donna Dunn

“Faith is taking the first step even when you don’t see the whole staircase” —Martin Luther King, Jr.

The first of those to travel what is now Fifth Street in Lynchburg were pioneers, heading West. The Kentucky Hotel and Western Hotel provided lodging as early as the 1700s for those journeying to West Virginia and Kentucky—frontier lands.

A century later, other pioneers would populate Fifth Street — dentists, funeral home directors, pharmacists and barbers, forging new lives and businesses. These African Americans formed what would become Lynchburg’s black business district from the turn of the 20^th century until the 1960s.

When integration pulled businesses and patrons to other parts of the city, Fifth Street began to empty. No longer did it pulse with movie-goers, diners and shoppers.

But today, a new vision has emerged for this important corridor. As construction continues to improve the infrastructure and streetscape of Fifth Street and a historic designation draws near, public and private organizations are working to preserve and revitalize this pioneering place.

A slice of American history

The history of Fifth Street in many ways reflects the larger story of America. From the early days when Thomas Jefferson likely passed this way to the 1960s when the realities of racial segregation and then integration changed our nation, Fifth Street has evolved as our nation has changed.

W. Scott Smith, principal of HistoryTech, which has served as consultant on efforts to have Fifth Street receive state and national historic designations, points to the corridor being home to two of the three remaining taverns built before 1820.

“[Fifth Street] was a very important transportation link through the 1800s,” he said.

During the Civil War, Virginia Military Institute cadets were brought in from Lexington to support Confederate troops. The VMI cadets marched up Fifth Street and were said to have spent the night among the headstones in the Methodist Cemetery, now the Old City Cemetery, said Smith.

Then, from the turn of the century until the 1960s, Fifth Street experienced a business boom. Following the Civil War and into the 1900s, African Americans moved into professional life but were often restricted by segregation. Primarily black business districts such as Fifth Street offered opportunity and services not offered to people of color in other areas of the city.

“It was a place where people could become professionals in whatever field they chose without fear of being discouraged or worse by the rest of the community,” Smith said.

Pat Price, director of the Lynchburg College Center for Community Development and Social Justice (CCDSJ), said, “Fifth Street was and is still a very important aspect of African American life in Lynchburg. It was home to many of the black businesses in the city and it served as the cultural epicenter for black people for many years.”

Not only did Fifth Street foster African American businesses, but also civic leaders. M.W. “Teedy” Thornhill, Jr., who owned Community Funeral Home on Fifth Street, was Lynchburg’s first African American mayor. He served on City Council from 1976 to 1992. Carl Hutcherson, Sr., of Hutcherson’s Funeral Home, established in 1939 on Fifth Street, was the first African American on the Lynchburg City School Board.

In some cases, Fifth Street was the most convenient and comfortable place for black residents to do business. In other cases, it was the only place.

“Everything you needed was on Fifth Street,” explained Lynchburg historian Nancy Marion, who contributed to “Remembering Tinbridge Hill,” published in 2011 by the Southern Memorial Association. The Tinbridge Hill neighborhood was bordered by Fifth Street.

“In its heyday in the 1940s and early 1950s, three dozen African American businesses and professional offices lined Fifth between Federal and Monroe. By 1940, all but one of the city’s black physicians and all four black dentists had offices on Fifth Street; the city’s two African American lawyers had their offices there as well,” according to the book.

Additionally, by 1940, there were three black savings and loans in Lynchburg, all located on Fifth Street. Fifth Street also included barbershops and beauty parlors, insurance companies, funeral homes, fraternal lodges, social clubs, a hotel, movie theater, service station, shoe shop, cab stand and the town’s only black-owned pharmacy.

Teeming with life

Fifth Street was not only an African-American business hub, but also a social hub. The Harrison Theatre, which showed films and hosted live acts, opened in 1935. The New Era Hall, owned by Fred and Jim Shelton, had an auditorium, basketball court, dance hall and dining room. Neighbors enjoyed gathering at Sallie’s Tea Room and the Teenage Canteen. Fifth Street Baptist Church, which began in 1895, also provided an important point of community for those on and around Fifth Street.

Harry Reid ran the drugstore first called Bacchus & Reid, which became one of the most successful in the state.

“‘Dr.’ Reid mixed and labeled his own medicines, and the sight of him on his motorcycle was familiar in many Lynchburg neighborhoods. Tinbridge children and teenagers enjoyed eating ice cream sundaes at his drugstore’s marble-topped tables,” according to “Remembering Tinbridge Hill.”

In the book, Dunbar High School band member, Marvin Stevens, remembered the excitement of marching down Fifth Street.

“That was always a fun, happy time, marching up and down Fifth Street, seeing the people get excited because Dunbar was coming …” he stated in the book. “We would march from Fifth and Church to Twelfth and Church, all the way down to Twelfth and Main and back up to Fifth and Main. Sometimes we would come all the way up Fifth Street on out there near E.C. Glass. People would be lined up to see Dunbar…’”

As part of the “Mindin’ Our Own Business” exhibit at Lynchburg’s Legacy Museum, Carl Hutcherson, Jr., told a story about Fats Domino, who was in Lynchburg for a 1950s show. While here, Domino fell ill and visited Dr. Ralph Boulware on Fifth Street. After getting some medicine, he came to Hutcherson’s Funeral Home to take a nap—on a funeral bier. Then, feeling better, Domino performed that night at the City Armory.

Many of Fifth Street’s patrons could walk to the businesses from their homes. Some businesses were established to make it easy for neighbors to find needed goods. As early as the 1890s, Fifth Street Coal Company was established by John Franklin, Sr., to provide convenient fuel for residents.

“People used to walk to work, so you’d see your neighbors. If you didn’t see them on the street, you saw them on the front porch,” Marion said.

That sense of community built strong ties among residents.

Aubrey Barbour, in “Remembering Tinbridge Hill,” said, “The people could go to different ones’ houses and it was just like you being at home. That’s the way that the people were. They knew that people were there for you at any time that you needed.”

Laura Dupuy, executive director for the Lynchburg Neighborhood Development Foundation (LNDF), said this spirit of community is one of the reasons many cities have preserved areas like Fifth Street.

“Cities throughout the country have captured this history and celebrated it,” she said.

A Change in Course

Yet, the spirit and traffic around Fifth Street began to change significantly after 1970. Buildings slowly emptied and deteriorated until the 1990s when efforts began to revitalize the area.

Smith said it’s important to note that changing traffic patterns impacted the area as early as the mid-century. Fifth Street, which was once the main corridor through the city, was bypassed by truck traffic when the U.S. 29 Expressway was completed. Then, unrealized plans to change downtown traffic patterns deterred some business investors. In fact, only two buildings were constructed on Fifth Street after 1971.

However, Smith said, the greatest impact on Fifth Street came through integration. Both owners and patrons were no longer limited by where they could shop or see a movie or eat a meal.

“Once there was integration, you didn’t have to go to Fifth Street anymore,” Marion added.

What was once a dense business district began to lose tenant after tenant. Buildings sat vacant. Then, in the 1990s, business owners, residents and public officials began to come together to make a change. Community planning meetings, called charrettes, were held and a master plan developed.

The Fifth Street Master Plan, developed by the City of Lynchburg and the Fifth Street CDC, outlines its vision for the corridor. This includes the area from Church Street to the Martin Luther King, Jr. Memorial Bridge and is surrounded by the neighborhoods of Tinbridge Hill, Garland Hill, College Hill and the Riverfront/Downtown Area.

“It is the goal of the Fifth Street Master Plan to recognize and celebrate the history and heritage of Fifth Street while expanding opportunities to include new and expanded businesses. Fifth Street can and will be a vibrant commercial area, that is pedestrian friendly and supports the needs of surrounding residents and the entire City,” according to the City of Lynchburg’s website.

Dupuy has been involved in several of the charrettes and her group, LNDF, has been active in the neighborhoods around Fifth Street. LNDF helped to renovate a former automotive building into what is now the Johnson Health Center at 407 Federal Street.

“We don’t have to be the only developer on Fifth Street, but we’re the first developer to be consistent with the Master Plan,” she said. “It’s under development … but good partnerships have to form.”

She hopes earning historic designations will help lure more investment.

The Fifth Street nomination for historic district designation is expected to be decided by both state and federal organizations by early 2012. The designations will open the door for developers to receive tax credits for renovating old buildings there.

“It can mean that if the property owner does the work properly, they can get 40 percent of what they spend on the project back in tax credits. We think that will make some of the buildings more attractive and viable,” said Smith. “If people slow down and look, there’s really a lot of interesting architecture from federal … to modern.”

At the same time, the city is now in the second of three phases of construction on Fifth Street. The first phase saw the installation of a roundabout to improve traffic flow. Phases 2 and 2A include installation of water lines, which will replace lines approaching 100 years in age. Other improvements include storm sewer systems and streetscape additions such as sidewalks, trees, lighting and brick paver crosswalks. The entire length of Fifth Street will be repaved. The project is expected to be complete in May 2013, according to the city.

The Future

Billy Hansen, a commercial real estate appraiser, sees the potential in Fifth Street and has put his money there. He bought a building that was once a garage and hopes to turn it into artist studios.

“I loved the building. … There’s really rich history on Fifth Street,” he said.

Hansen, who is from Charlottesville, said he’s been impressed with how that city reinvigorated its downtown. He hopes Fifth Street will similarly prosper.

“The local government is investing and individuals are investing. I think people want to see it happen,” Hansen said. “I think it’s got a positive future, but it’s going to take investment and time.”

Dupuy echoed this sentiment, “It is a key corridor into downtown and very important to the city. … Lynchburg can’t really grow out anymore. So we need to make use of available property. I think we’re at a turning point.”

That’s a positive for Fifth Street.

“It will catch on,” Dupuy said. “We see it as an area worth investing in largely because of the people there and the potential.”

The future of Fifth Street is yet to be known. But, just as pioneers of the past have ventured along Fifth Street, challenged by the unknown but believing in a better future so do today’s entrepreneurs and planners.

“The history of Fifth Street clearly demonstrates a desire of Lynchburg’s citizens’ willingness to work together to improve life for all,” said Price, whose center at Lynchburg College has helped in Fifth Street community development initiatives. “The hope for the future is that the corridor once again will be reflective of the diversity of Lynchburg’s citizenry and that it will serve as an important generational link to the future.

Timeline of African American Business on Fifth Street

(from “Mindin’ Our Own Business”)

1868: John Shuemaker and Squire Higginbotham found a mortuary service in Lynchburg. The business becomes Community Funeral Home (located on Fifth Street) in the 1940s.

1890: Lindsey Gilbert starts a blacksmith business on Fifth Street.

1894: John Franklin, Sr., opens a coal and wood business on Fifth Street.

1896: Plessy v. Ferguson creates legal doctrine of “separate but equal.”

1897: Upholsters William H. Folkes and J.L. Edley start their business on Fifth Street.

1919: “Dr.” Harry Reid opens his pharmacy on Fifth Street.

1920s: C.V. Wilson opens funeral home; Silver Slipper restaurant opens on Fifth Street.

1936: Ruby Lewis Copeland opens a beauty shop at Fifth and Polk streets.

1939: Carl Hutcherson, Sr., establishes Hutcherson Funeral Home on Fifth Street.

1954: Brown versus the Board of Education ends “separate but equal.”

1963: Louis L. Watson opens the Virginian Restaurant on Fifth Street.

1960s: Lorenzo Parks opens a funeral home on Fifth Street.