Uptown District in Greenville in Pitt County, North Carolina — The American South (South Atlantic)

Early Black Health Professionals

— African American Cultural Trail —

Photographed by Dave W, June 17, 2023

1. Early Black Health Professionals Marker

Inscription.
In October of 1923, Miss Frances Hopkins, a well-known black nurse in Greenville opened her home at 114 N. Washington Street as a unit of Pitt General Hospital for colored patients. She began with two patients in a room in her house.

In early 1924, the Greenville Kiwanis Club began to work to open a black hospital in Greenville. They rented the Old Bernard House near the corner of First and Evans Streets and hired Miss Hopkins, a graduate nurse and Greenville native to manage it. The Kiwanis Club approached both white and black churches for donations and the Pitt General Hospital agreed to share their sterilizing plant, operating rooms, X-ray and pathological laboratories. Thus, the St. Frances Hospital for Colored People opened on September 1, 1924 with 15 beds and a staff of 2 graduate nurses and a few nurses in training.

Erected by Greenville - Pitt County.

Topics. This historical marker is listed in these topic lists: African Americans • Science & Medicine • Women. A significant historical month for this entry is October 1923.

Location. 35° 36.861′ N, 77° 22.335′ W. Marker is in Greenville, North Carolina,

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in Pitt County. It is in the Uptown District. It is at the intersection of West 2nd Street and Evans Street, on the right when traveling west on West 2nd Street. Touch for map. Marker is at or near this postal address: 110 Evans St, Greenville NC 27858, United States of America. Touch for directions.

Regionally, this marker is in North Carolina’s Coastal Plain. It is also in the American South,

specifically in the Upper South,

and on the Eastern Seaboard. 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: Town Common & Urban Renewal (about 400 feet away, measured in a direct line); In Patriotic Commemoration (about 400 feet away); Pitt County Supreme Sacrifice and Veterans Memorial (about 500 feet away); Sycamore Hill Missionary Baptist Church (about 600 feet

Photographed by Dave W, June 17, 2023

2. Early Black Health Professionals Marker

away); Neighborhood Unity and Community Pride (about 600 feet away); a different marker also named Sycamore Hill Missionary Baptist Church (about 600 feet away); Thomas J. Jarvis (about 700 feet away); United in Faith (about 700 feet away). Touch for a list and map of all markers in Greenville.

Also see . . . African American Cultural trail site. Brief descriptions of each stop that also includes oral histories

The African American Cultural Trail of Greenville-Pitt County was created to celebrate the rich history and recognize the many contributions that African Americans made to the growth and development of our city and county. The trail allows you to experience the lives, stories, and history of our area’s early black educators, medical professionals, cultural leaders, and residents.

(Submitted on June 18, 2023, by Dave W of Co, Colorado.)

Credits. This page was last revised on June 19, 2023. It was originally submitted on June 18, 2023, by Dave W of Co, Colorado. This page has been viewed 481 times since then and 29 times this year. Photos: 1, 2. submitted on June 18, 2023, by Dave W of Co, Colorado. • Bernard Fisher was the editor who published this page.