Title: Alton Harris

Identifier: DAO50509   (https://digital.lib.ecu.edu/50509)

Description: Photographs of Alton Harris taken at the Town Common, Greenville, N.C., accompanied by an oral history interview, for the Beyond Bricks and Mortar project. Harris was born on Reade Street and attended Sycamore Hill Missionary Baptist Church. He describes the downtown area he remembers from childhood, including the close-knit neighborhood as well as the thriving businesses that furnished everything for the black community. The playground supervised by Eleanor Hagan is also remembered fondly. Brown describes the effects of segregation and racism on the downtown community and on his childhood. He recalls three significant fires (the church, C.M. Eppes, and Greenville High School) and discusses the possible connections between them. He has painful memories about the redevelopment process, recalling that many of the community's elderly people died from the stress caused by displacement. Interviewer: Heather White.