Gainsboro in Roanoke, Virginia — The American South (Mid-Atlantic)

Oliver White Hill Sr.

(1907-2007)

Photographed by Cosmos Mariner, October 3, 2019

1. Oliver White Hill Sr. Marker

Inscription. Oliver White Hill Sr., Presidential Medal of Freedom honoree, worked to dismantle Jim Crow laws in the United States. Over his nearly seven-decade career as a civil rights attorney, Hill challenged inequities in education, employment, and public facilities. With law partner Spottswood W. Robinson III, Hill argued Davis v. Prince Edward County, one of four cases consolidated into the 1954 U.S. Supreme Court decision Brown v. Board. Hill lived here at 401 Gilmer Avenue NW with Lelia and Bradford Pentecost from 1913-1923. After completing high school, college, and law school In Washington, DC, he returned to Roanoke's Gainsboro community in 1934 to practice law. Hill settled in Richmond in 1939.

Erected 2008 by Virginia Department of Historic Resources. (Marker Number K-91.)

Topics and series. This historical marker is listed in these topic lists: African Americans • Civil Rights • Law Enforcement. In addition, it is included in the Virginia Department of Historic Resources (DHR) series list. A significant historical year for this entry is 1907.

Location. 37° 16.618′ N, 79° 56.806′ W. Marker is in Roanoke, Virginia.

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It is in Gainsboro. It is on Gilmer Avenue Northwest just west of 4th Street Northwest, on the right when traveling west. Marker is located beside the sidewalk directly in front of the subject house, near the southwest corner of the property. Touch for map. Marker is at or near this postal address: 401 Gilmer Avenue Northwest, Roanoke VA 24016, United States of America. Touch for directions.

Regionally, this marker is in the Mountain Region

and in Southwest Virginia.

It is also in the American South

and specifically in the Upper South.

Globally, it is in the North Atlantic Region,

North America,

the Western Hemisphere,

the Western World,

and the Anglosphere.

Historically, it finds itself in what was once the territory of the Mississippian Culture,

one of the original Thirteen Colonies,

one of the Confederate States of America,

and the Antebellum South.

Other nearby markers. At least 8 other markers are within walking distance of this marker: Childhood Home of Oliver White Hill, Sr. (a few steps from this marker); Amoco Oil ARA III Tank Car AMOX #9465 (approx. ¼ mile away); Trailer Train Flatcar #470534 and Sea-Land Containers

Photographed by Devry Becker Jones (CC0), April 24, 2021

2. Oliver White Hill Sr. Marker

(approx. ¼ mile away); Depressed Center Flatcar APWX #1002 (approx. ¼ mile away); Norfolk Southern Research Car #31 (approx. ¼ mile away); Virginia Central Porter Rod Driven Locomotive #3 (approx. ¼ mile away); Whitcomb 30DM31 Diesel Switcher (approx. ¼ mile away); Norfolk & Western ALCO C630 Diesel-Electric #1135 (approx. ¼ mile away). Touch for a list and map of all markers in Roanoke.

Also see . . . Oliver White Hill. After earning his Bachelor of Arts degree at Howard University, he graduated in 1933 from Howard University Law School, second in his class only to his friend Thurgood Marshall. In Richmond, Hill founded his first law firm, Hill, Martin and Robinson, and joined with Charles Hamilton Houston on the National Association for the Advancement of Colored People’s (NAACP) legal team. In addition to his civil rights litigation, Hill served as an officer or on the board of many national, state, and local organizations, including the NAACP and the National Bar Association. On August 11, 1999 President Bill Clinton awarded Hill with the Presidential Medal of Freedom. (Submitted on October 4, 2019, by Cosmos Mariner of Cape Canaveral, Florida.)

Oliver White Hill Sr. Childhood Home(<i>southeast corner view</i>) image. Click for full size.

Photographed by Cosmos Mariner, October 3, 2019

3. Oliver White Hill Sr. Childhood Home(southeast corner view)

Credits. This page was last revised on February 1, 2023. It was originally submitted on October 3, 2019, by Cosmos Mariner of Cape Canaveral, Florida. This page has been viewed 942 times since then and 17 times this year. Photos: 1. submitted on October 3, 2019, by Cosmos Mariner of Cape Canaveral, Florida. 2. submitted on April 30, 2021, by Devry Becker Jones of Washington, District of Columbia. 3. submitted on October 4, 2019, by Cosmos Mariner of Cape Canaveral, Florida.