Chapel Hill Nine Memorial, Chapel Hill
The memorial commemorates the lunch counter sit-in at Colonial Drug Store that initiated the direct action Civil Rights movement in Chapel Hill. The memorial consisting of a single panel on a stone base was envisioned by Durham artist Stephen Hayes as a mix between public art and a historical monument. Each side features documentary photography from the era as well as a smaller panel. The front side holds the names and ages of the Chapel Hill Nine and the back side panel describes the event. The marker base, of flat stones and masonry, was intended to emulate the rock walls of the Northside neighborhood of Chapel Hill where the teens grew up and the sit-in was first planned. The approximate size is three feet high by four feet in length.
Images (by Natasha Smith):
Chapel Hill Nine memorial on Franklin Street |
Front side of the memorial |
Left panel of the front side |
Overlooking Franklin Street from the front side of the memorial |
Historic photo (center panel) of the front side |
Side view of the memorial |
Back side of the memorial |
Overlooking Franklin Street from the back side of the memorial |
Left panel of the back side |
Metal plack describing the event |
Historic photograph (center) on the back side |
Right panel of the back side
Inscription, front face: THE CHAPEL HILL NINE / WILLIAM CURETON, 18 / JOHN FARRINGTON, 17 / HAROLD FOSTER, 18 / EARL GEER, 16 / DAVE MASON JR., 17 / CLARENCE MERRIT JR., 17 / JAMES MERRIT, 16 / ‘CLYDE’ DOUGLAS PERRY, 17 / ALBERT WILLIAMS, 16
Inscription, back face: ON THIS SITE, / FEBRUARY 28, 1960 / NINE LINCOLN HIGH SCHOOL / STUDENTS IGNITED / THE DIRECT ACTION / CIVIL RIGHTS MOVEMENT / IN CHAPEL HILL / WITH THE FIRST SIT-IN / AT COLONIAL DRUG.
Chapel Hill
February 28, 2020
35.910770 , -79.062400
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Grubb, Tammy. “Franklin Street Marker Will Tell Story of Chapel Hill Teens Who Launched a Movement,” The News & Observer (Raleigh, NC), February 29, 2020, (accessed February 13, 2022) Link
Inge, Leoneda. "Chapel Hill Nine to Get Marker on Franklin Street,” WUNC, February 27, 2019, wunc.org, (accessed February 13, 2022) Link
Kehres, Elle. “Historical Marker Honoring Chapel Hill Nine to Be Added to Franklin Street,” Chapelboro.com, February 17, 2020, (accessed February 13, 2022) Link
Moyer, Dakota. “Photo Gallery: Chapel Hill Nine Memorial Marker,” Chapelboro.com, February 28, 2020 (accessed April 24, 2022) Link
“Chapel Hill Nine Marker Dedication,” Chapelhillarts.org., (accessed April 24, 2022) Link
“The Chapel Hill Nine Story,” Town of Chapel Hill, chapelhillhistory.org, (accessed February 13, 2022) Link
“The Chapel Hill Nine,” The Historical Marker Database, HMdb.org, (accessed February 13, 2022) Link
Yes
Stone, masonry, metal, mixed media art
Town of Chapel Hill
The marker dedication was held on the 60th anniversary of the Colonial Drug sit-in. Featured speakers included Esphur Foster, sister of Chapel Hill Nine member Harold Foster, Chapel Hill Mayor Pam Hemminger, Town Manager Maurice Jones, Chapel Hill Poet Laureate, CJ Suitt and Dr. Reginald Hildebrand who was responsible for documenting the history of the sit-in. The four living members of the Chapel Hill Nine were present for the dedication.
On February 28, 1960 nine male students from Chapel Hill’s all-black Lincoln High School organized a sit-in at the Colonial Drug Store on Franklin Street. They were arrested after taking seats at the lunch counter and refusing to leave. The students became known as the “Chapel Hill Nine” and their protest initiated a decade of civil rights demonstrations in Chapel Hill. The group consisted of Harold Foster, William Cureton, John Farrington, Earl Geer, David Mason Jr., Clarence Merritt Jr., James Merritt, Douglas Perry, and Albert Williams. The marker was a result of work by the Chapel Hill Civil Rights Commemoration Task Force formed by Mayor Pam Hemminger in 2017.
The memorial is located in front of 450 W. Franklin Street which once housed the Colonial Drug Store, in Chapel Hill, NC.
The memorial stands on the paved side walk.
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