The Pope House Museum, built in 1901, is a restored home once owned by Dr.
Manassa Thomas Pope, a prominent
African-American
African Americans (also referred to as Black Americans and Afro-Americans) are an Race and ethnicity in the United States, ethnic group consisting of Americans with partial or total ancestry from sub-Saharan Africa. The term "African American ...
citizen of
Raleigh, North Carolina
Raleigh (; ) is the capital city of the state of North Carolina and the List of North Carolina county seats, seat of Wake County, North Carolina, Wake County in the United States. It is the List of municipalities in North Carolina, second-most ...
. The Pope House is listed on the
National Register of Historic Places
The National Register of Historic Places (NRHP) is the United States federal government's official list of districts, sites, buildings, structures and objects deemed worthy of preservation for their historical significance or "great artistic v ...
in 1999, It was an official project of the
Save America’s Treasures
Save America's Treasures is a United States federal government initiative to preserve and protect historic buildings, arts, and published works. It is a public–private partnership between the U.S. National Park Service and the National Trust fo ...
Program and the city of Raleigh took over management of it, offering tours for the first time in 2012.
History
Since the early 19th century, the area where the Pope House is located has gone through many transformations. When the original governor’s
mansion
A mansion is a large dwelling house. The word itself derives through Old French from the Latin word ''mansio'' "dwelling", an abstract noun derived from the verb ''manere'' "to dwell". The English word '' manse'' originally defined a property l ...
was built at the end of
Fayetteville Street
Fayetteville Street is a major street in downtown Raleigh, North Carolina, Raleigh, North Carolina, United States of America. It is a north-south thoroughfare that connects the North Carolina State Capitol, State Capitol to the Raleigh Convention ...
on the site of the present
Memorial Auditorium, it was thought that fashionable residences would be built nearby. Although a few substantial homes were constructed by white families, when Reverend
Henry Martin Tupper
Henry Martin Tupper (April 11, 1831 – November 12, 1893) was an American Baptist minister who founded Shaw University in Raleigh, North Carolina. Beginning with bible and literacy classes in December 1865, it was the second university establi ...
moved
Shaw University
Shaw University is a private Baptist historically black university in Raleigh, North Carolina. It is affiliated with the American Baptist Churches USA. Founded on December 1, 1865, Shaw University is the oldest HBCU to begin offering courses in ...
to the neighborhood in 1870, many new African-American residents drawn to Raleigh after the
Civil War
A civil war or intrastate war is a war between organized groups within the same state (or country).
The aim of one side may be to take control of the country or a region, to achieve independence for a region, or to change government policies ...
settled in the area. Pope attended
Leonard Medical Center at Shaw University before beginning his medical practice.
Black professionals began to build homes in the area known as the Third Ward, which included the 500 block of South Wilmington Street. In 1901, Pope decided to build his house in this area. Pope’s neighbors included other prominent African Americans, including another doctor and a
pharmacist
A pharmacist, also known as a chemist (Commonwealth English) or a druggist (North American and, archaically, Commonwealth English), is a healthcare professional who prepares, controls and distributes medicines and provides advice and instructi ...
. His home was located near his office on
East Hargett Street, which at the time was the heart of the black business district.
Pope installed the latest technology in his home, including combination gas and electric fixtures, a kitchen with running water, a full bathroom on the second floor, coal burning heating stoves, and a telephone. He also installed a call bell system, with buttons in each room and an annunciator in the back hall. Pope began to see patients in the house during the 1920s and 1930s, when his health began to fail. The small area at the rear of the back hall, adjacent to the kitchen, was configured to include a small hand sink and built-in cabinet for
instruments
Instrument may refer to:
Science and technology
* Flight instruments, the devices used to measure the speed, altitude, and pertinent flight angles of various kinds of aircraft
* Laboratory equipment, the measuring tools used in a scientific lab ...
.
After Pope married Delia Haywood Phillips in 1907, the couple added a garage and wired the home for electricity. In the 1920s, the original front porch was removed, and the current sleeping porch constructed on brick piers. In the 1940s, the northern half of the first floor space below the porch was enclosed with brick, as it remains today. They eventually had two children, Evelyn and Ruth. After the deaths of their parents, Evelyn and Ruth maintained the family home, though they lived in
Durham Durham most commonly refers to:
*Durham, England, a cathedral city and the county town of County Durham
*County Durham, an English county
* Durham County, North Carolina, a county in North Carolina, United States
*Durham, North Carolina, a city in N ...
and
Chapel Hill Chapel Hill or Chapelhill may refer to:
Places Antarctica
* Chapel Hill (Antarctica) Australia
*Chapel Hill, Queensland, a suburb of Brisbane
*Chapel Hill, South Australia, in the Mount Barker council area
Canada
* Chapel Hill, Ottawa, a neighbo ...
respectively.
Although the Pope House remains in the neighborhood, the area around it has dramatically changed. Older homes and businesses were replaced with office buildings, parking lots and newer homes. The most evident change was the construction of the Raleigh Convention Center directly across the street from the house. Today, the house is in the shadows of skyscrapers that were built in the 1980s and 1990s.
The Pope House was officially listed on the National Register of Historic Places on November 22, 1999. The following month the trustees of the Pope Charitable Foundation decided to begin the process of turning the house into a museum. One month later, The Pope House Museum Foundation was incorporated as a
non-profit organization
A nonprofit organization (NPO) or non-profit organisation, also known as a non-business entity, not-for-profit organization, or nonprofit institution, is a legal entity organized and operated for a collective, public or social benefit, in co ...
. The extensive family papers were sorted and catalogued, and donated to the
Southern Historical Collection
The Southern Historical Collection is a repository of distinct archival collections at the University of North Carolina at Chapel Hill which document the culture and history of the American South. These collections are made up of unique primary mat ...
at the
University of North Carolina at Chapel Hill
A university () is an institution of higher (or tertiary) education and research which awards academic degrees in several academic disciplines. Universities typically offer both undergraduate and postgraduate programs. In the United States ...
. In 2011 due to financial concerns, the Pope House Museum approached the city of Raleigh about purchasing the Pope House Museum to ensure its survival. Since the purchase, the Pope House Museum has been managed by Raleigh Parks and Recreation which has opened the Pope House Museum for regular tours for the first time.
See also
*
Further reading
References
External links
*
''An American Success Story: The Pope House of Raleigh, NC,'' a National Park Service Teaching with Historic Places (TwHP) lesson plan
{{DEFAULTSORT:Pope, Dr. M.T., House
Houses on the National Register of Historic Places in North Carolina
National Register of Historic Places in Raleigh, North Carolina
African-American history in Raleigh, North Carolina
African-American museums in North Carolina
Houses completed in 1901
Museums in Raleigh, North Carolina
Houses in Raleigh, North Carolina
Historic house museums in North Carolina
Biographical museums in North Carolina
African-American historic house museums