Plumber, carpenter and electrician to Orange and Chatham County’s African American Community, Walter Riggsbee owned the building at 111 South Merritt Mill Road with wife Molly, now named “Walt’s Grill.” In the late 1980s 111 South Merritt Mill Road served as a temporary men’s shelter.  Prior to that, it was a church, restaurant, grocery store, and beauty parlor. It is …

The Rev. Dr. Louis H. Hackney was an 1892 graduate of Shaw University, later being honored with a Doctorate degree. Around the age of 21, he became pastor of the Rock Hill Baptist Church, now known as First Baptist Church. Worship services were previously held in several locations and buildings within Chapel Hill. Rock Hill Baptist Church, the first significant …