About
Explore the vibrant history of the 150 year old African American community that surrounds Johnson C. Smith University
ABOUT THE PROJECT
The James B. Duke Memorial Library initiated this interactive map as part of a project funded by the National Endowment for the Humanities. The aim is to provide a platform for publishing location‐based content including historical photographs, documents, and oral histories that will tell the story of a vibrant 150 year old African American community that surrounds Johnson C. Smith University on the west side of Charlotte, North Carolina. The Historic West End is a network of neighborhoods that grew up around the historically black college, which was founded as Biddle Institute by Presbyterian ministers in 1867.