The 500 block of East Nash Street is justly remembered as the 20th century epicenter of Wilson’s African-American-owned businesses. However, in the late 1800s and early 1900s, Black entrepreneurs and tradespeople also operated across the tracks. As Wilson’s downtown experiences a resurgence, let’s rediscover and celebrate these pioneering men and women.
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By 1910, Wayne County native Columbus E. Artis operated a small grocery store in Stantonsburg. Less than two years later, he had set up an eatery in a narrow brick building on South Goldsboro Street. (Alexander D. Dawson, having closed his fish and oyster stall in the city market, ran a rival eatery across the street. The directory listed eight eating houses — all downtown, all African-American-owned.)
In the 1912 Hill’s Wilson, N.C., city directory: Artis Columbus E eating house 214 Goldsboro h 304 Jones.
By 1915, Artis had gone into business as an undertaker and in time would establish a funeral home that rivaled Darden & Sons. He did not completely abandon the restaurant business, though, as, in 1917, Will Barnes reported on his draft registration card that he was a cook for C.E. Artis, and the 1922 city directory lists Artis as proprietor of The Delicatessen at 559 East Nash Street.
Photo by Lisa Y. Henderson, February 2024.