Pauli Murray Family Home facts for kids
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Pauli Murray Family Home
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Front of the house
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 Location in North Carolina
Location in the United States
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| Location | 906 Carroll St., Durham, North Carolina |
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| Area | less than one acre |
| Built | 1898 |
| NRHP reference No. | 100000866 |
Quick facts for kids Significant dates |
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| Added to NRHP | December 23, 2016 |
| Designated NHL | December 23, 2016 |
The Pauli Murray Center for History and Social Justice is a group that works to keep the story of Pauli Murray alive. Pauli Murray (1910–1985) was a very important person who fought for the rights of African Americans in the 20th century.
The center is located at the Pauli Murray Family Home at 906 Carroll Street in Durham, North Carolina. This is the house where Pauli Murray grew up. In 2015, the house was named a national treasure. In 2016, it became a National Historic Landmark, which means it's a very important historical place.
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About the Pauli Murray Home
The Pauli Murray Center is in the West End area of Durham. The house sits on a small piece of land, set back from the street. It's a simple, 1.5-story wooden house. People used to call it "a story and a jump" because its second floor was small with low ceilings. The outside of the house has a special type of wooden siding. A small roof covers the front entrance, which has a porch. It's a modest home, not built with fancy designs.
The History of the House
Pauli Murray's grandparents, Robert and Cornelia Fitzgerald, bought the land in 1898. The house was built soon after. Pauli Murray was raised here by her grandparents and aunts from the age of three, after her mother passed away.
Education was very important in this home. Pauli Murray grew up to have an amazing career. She was a civil rights activist, a writer, and even an Episcopalian priest. She worked to get into colleges that were segregated (separated by race) in the 1930s. She also tried out peaceful protests against segregation in the American South. These ideas later became key parts of the successful civil rights movement in the 1950s and 1960s.
Pauli Murray wrote important legal papers that helped shape civil rights laws. She also wrote a major book that explained all the segregation laws in different states. Even United States Supreme Court Justice Ruth Bader Ginsburg said that Pauli Murray helped her with legal work to advance women's rights.
Pauli Murray wrote about her memories of the house in her 1956 book, Proud Shoes: The Story of An American Family. She shared that her grandfather, Robert Fitzgerald, was blind after the Civil War. He supervised the building of the house by touch. She wrote that the house "was more than a home; it was a monument to Grandfather's courage and tenacity."
Bringing the House Back to Life
Work to restore the Pauli Murray home began in July 2015. The Pauli Murray Center received money to study the house's history and plan its repair. This study helped them figure out how to turn the house into a historic center.
Later in 2015, a company called Iron Mountain gave more money to the center. This funding helped them start fixing the house's foundation and making repairs to the outside. The house had been damaged by water and neglect.
By 2016, the restoration was well underway. More money was used to make the outside of the house look like it did in old photos from 1898 to 1906. Missing parts, like doors, the front porch, and windows, were rebuilt to match the originals. The house was also lifted up to fix its foundation. The outside color was changed from white to a blue-gray, matching how it looked in 1910.
In 2017, the National Park Service gave the Pauli Murray Center a large grant. This money is being used to fix up the inside of the home.
Plans for a Museum
The Pauli Murray Center for History and Social Justice plans to open the restored house as a museum. This museum will be a community center for learning about history and social justice.
Because the house is small and the center only owns one item from Pauli Murray (her address book), it won't be a typical museum. Instead, it will use text panels and interactive displays to tell Pauli Murray's story. The center will also host many community events and programs.
See also
