Historical Photos Of Henry Street In Roanoke VA (Parade)

Here is a set of some of the photos J.w. Holcomb has recently found (rescued) from a dilapidated home in NW Roanoke VA. These pictures show a rare view from above the Henry Street Parade in Roanoke VA.

Henry Street Historic District is a national historic district located at Roanoke, Virginia. It encompasses four contributing buildings constructed between 1917 and 1951. They were developed as the central business and entertainment district for the African-American neighborhood of Gainsboro in Northwest Roanoke. They are the Hotel Dumas (1917), The Strand Theatre (1923), Dr. Lylburn Downing office (c. 1945), and a commercial building (1951). It was listed on the National Register of Historic Places in 2004.The buildings are also included in the Gainsboro Historic District. (Wikipedia)

 Here is a snippet from TheRoanoker (TheRoanoker.com) magazine talking about Henry Street. 

At its heart was Henry Street, known as “The Yard;” home to the Morocco (later called The Ebony Club), the 308, and the Dumas Hotel—all entertainment hot spots for folks living on “the other side of the tracks.”

From “Henry Street,” a 1980s Mill Mountain musical production:

“Henry Street…buzzed like a busy hive of bees; it blazed like a billion hearts on fire; it rocked as though eternity waited just around the corner. To Henry Street came plain folks, fancy folks, and all those in-between folks, in every conceivable shade of ebony, tan and ivory. Henry Street was their meeting ground, their courting ground, their stomping ground, their Harlem, their Beale Street, their Catfish Row…On Henry Street there was no shortage of soul food, soul talk or soul folks.”