Arsenal Hill in Columbia in Richland County, South Carolina — The American South (South Atlantic)
Harriett Cornwell Tourist Home
1. Harriett Cornwell Tourist Home Marker
Inscription.
Harriett Cornwell Tourist Home. . This home’s first owner was John R. Cornwell, an African American business man and civic leader who owned a successful barber shop on Main St. After his death, Cornwell’s wife Hattie and daughters Geneva Scott and Harriett Cornwell lived here. From the 1940s until after the Civil Rights Act of 1964 they ran the house as a “tourist home” for black travelers. Harriett also taught at Waverly Elementary School. ,
(Continued on other side). , Reverse
(Continued from other side). During the Jim Crow era, segregation gave African American travelers very few choices for restaurants or lodging. Many chose to stay in a network of private houses located across the South and nation. These tourist homes often relied on word-of-mouth, but many were also listed in guides such as The Negro Travelers’ Green Book. This house was listed in the National Register of Historic Places in 2007.
This home’s first owner was John R. Cornwell, an African American business man and civic leader who owned a successful barber shop on Main St. After his death, Cornwell’s wife Hattie and daughters Geneva Scott and Harriett Cornwell lived here. From the 1940s until after the Civil Rights Act of 1964 they ran the house as a “tourist home” for black travelers. Harriett also taught at Waverly Elementary School.
(Continued on other side)
Reverse
(Continued from other side)
During the Jim Crow era, segregation gave African American travelers very few choices for restaurants or lodging. Many chose to stay in a network of private houses located across the South and nation. These tourist homes often relied on word-of-mouth, but many were also listed in guides such as The Negro Travelers’ Green Book. This house was listed in the National Register of Historic Places in 2007.
Erected 2014 by Richland County Conservation Commission. (Marker Number 40-184.)
is in Columbia, South Carolina, in Richland County. It is in Arsenal Hill. Marker is on Wayne Street. Touch for map. Marker is at or near this postal address: 1713 Wayne Street, Columbia SC 29201, United States of America. Touch for directions.
Dr. Reggie Scott, the nephew of Harriet Cornwell, grew up in the house and calls it home now.
Credits. This page was last revised on February 16, 2023. It was originally submitted on September 19, 2018. This page has been viewed 586 times since then and 64 times this year. Photos:1, 2. submitted on October 5, 2018. • Andrew Ruppenstein was the editor who published this page.
Editor’s want-list for this marker. Photo of reverse side of marker. • Can you help?
