Wilmington in New Hanover County, North Carolina — The American South (South Atlantic)

Community Boys Club, Inc.

Dedicated 2009

Photographed by Duane and Tracy Marsteller, November 24, 2024

1. Community Boys Club, Inc. Marker

Inscription. Across the street in 1937 was established the Community Boys Club, the first such facility for African American boys in the city of Wilmington.

Erected by City of Wilmington, NC.

Topics. This historical marker is listed in these topic lists: African Americans • Charity & Public Work. A significant historical year for this entry is 1937.

Location. 34° 13.8′ N, 77° 56.164′ W. Marker is in Wilmington, North Carolina, in New Hanover County. It is on South 10th Street 0.2 miles south of Ann Street, on the right when traveling south. Marker is in Robert Strange Park. Touch for map. Marker is at or near this postal address: 496 S 10th St, Wilmington NC 28401, United States of America. Touch for directions.

Regionally, this marker is in the Coastal Plain and on the Cape Fear Coast.

It is also in the American South,

specifically in the Upper South,

in the Tidewater,

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,

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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: Williston High School (about 400 feet away, measured in a direct line); New Community Hospital and School of Nursing (about 500 feet away); Community Hospital (about 600 feet away); World War II German Prisoner of War Main Camp (approx. 0.2 miles away); William B. Hill House (approx. 0.2 miles away); Farrior-Taylor House (approx. 0.2 miles away); William M. Creasy House (approx. ¼ mile away); Bellamy-Carnes House (approx. ¼ mile away). Touch for a list and map of all markers in Wilmington.

Regarding Community Boys Club, Inc.. The club's first home was the Domestic Science building at Williston Industrial High School (now Williston Middle School). The first two members were Floyd A. Johnson (who died in 2017 at the age of 83) and Adelpha "Adolph" Richard (who was 90 when he died 2024). Future members would include Meadowlark Lemon and Michael Jordan. Early financial struggles forced the club's closure in 1940, but community grants

Photographed by Duane and Tracy Marsteller, November 24, 2024

2. Community Boys Club, Inc. Marker

allowed it to reopen three years later in the former Gregory School. In 1947, the club moved into the former African-American USO building, its home for the next seven decades. The club won the 1960 Boys Club of America's national chip-up championship, a feat mentioned in Sports Illustrated. By 1994 the club had begun accepting girls and changed its name to the Community Boys and Girls Club of Wilmington, NC, Inc. In 2023 it merged with the Brigade Boys & Girls Club, a predominately white organization founded in 1914, to form the Boys & Girls Clubs of Southeastern North Carolina.

Credits. This page was last revised on January 26, 2025. It was originally submitted on January 26, 2025, by Duane and Tracy Marsteller of Murfreesboro, Tennessee. This page has been viewed 110 times since then and 30 times this year. Photos: 1, 2. submitted on January 26, 2025, by Duane and Tracy Marsteller of Murfreesboro, Tennessee.