African American Business District
Danville, Boyle County, Kentucky
Marker Inscription
African American Business District. In this block a thriving African American business district stood for over 100 years. Restaurants, barber and beauty shops, medical and dental offices, and retail shops drew patrons from Boyle and nearby counties. Until razed by urban renewal in 1973, the district was a center of local African American social and economic life. (Reverse) Doric Lodge No. 18 (F. & A.M.-P.H.A.) - Danville's Doric Lodge No. 18 was founded 1888 as Boyle Association and moved to this site in 1920. For 50 years, the lodge was a cultural and social center of the African American community of Boyle County. Donations of $1,000 by each of ten members of the brotherhood secured a loan enabling construction of building in 1920. Over.
Erected by Kentucky Historical Society
The Story
For more than a century this Danville block was home to a thriving African American business district—restaurants, barber and beauty shops, medical and dental offices, and retail stores that drew customers from Boyle and neighboring counties—until it was razed by urban renewal in 1973. At its heart stood Doric Lodge No. 18 (F. & A.M.–P.H.A.), founded in 1888 and moved to this site in 1920, where ten members each contributed $1,000 to secure a construction loan. For half a century the lodge served as a cultural and social center of the county's Black community.
Why it matters
The district's rise and demolition capture both the self-sufficiency of segregation-era Black communities and the widespread destruction of such neighborhoods by mid-century urban renewal.
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Related events
- · Urban renewal demolition of 1973
Themes & tags
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