Goodnight, Raleigh!

The intersection of Edenton and West, with the Clarion Building standing in the background.

Not too long ago I posted a photo with a view of the court house facing Fayetteville St. Here is a more magnified view of the facade.

If you are not a new reader of this blog, you may have noticed that I have a fondness for railroad related items. Raleigh has a rich history with railroading, and it shows in some of the artifacts around town.
I can’t say that I know the purpose of this dilapidated structure. My guess is that it was a direct route in to the warehouse to the last building on West Martin St..

A few notes from their web site:

• The congregation which formed St. Paul’s Church was originally the slave membership of Edenton Street United Methodist Church.
• In 1853, White Methodists bought the Old Christ Episcopal Church, where the Blacks had been worshipping since 1846. The congregation worshipped under other names, but it was in 1848 that “St. Paul Church” was formally established
• In 1854, the Black membership moved the old church to the corner of Harrington and Edenton Streets
• The Black congregation remained under the guidance of the Methodist Episcopal Church, in the South, until Emancipation
• In 1865, the membership severed its ties with Edenton Street Methodist Church and joined the African Methodist Episcopal Church Conference, a Black denomination founded in 1787 by Richard Allen and organized in 1816
• The birth of the current structure was the result of a long building campaign which began in 1884. The church formally opened in 1901
• The record bears that St. Paul was built by the “first independent Black congregation” formed in Raleigh. It is the oldest Black church in Wake County, North Carolina

The Derelickt Diva herself, Jojo, seen here laughing

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More continuation of the art show. I have to say that I did not notice the mannequin heads while I was there, only now as I see in the photos.

This past Sunday I traveled to Hargett St., to check out the Derelikt Diva art show. It was an art show, spoken word, and hip hop event with DJ Ski Daddy. The event was held in Club Kirocos, which is above Two T’s. For more on Two T’s, please see earlier blog posts.
The event was a lot of fun, and had a great vibe. Jojo (the derelikt diva) put the event on herself, which is even more impressive. To find out more about her artwork, visit her myspace page.

This is the island that is sandwiched in between Hillsborough St., West St., and Edenton St. I’ve often driven by and been puzzled as to why there is a chain link fence around a section of it. I’ve even walked by on a few occasions and poked around, and I didn’t see any evidence as to what the fence is currently or was formerly protecting. The only thing on the island is a sign that says something like “parking for sight and sound only”.
Does anyone know what used to be here? It seems a bit out of place currently.

Rob the bartender, with my martini in the foreground.

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Jason, Glen, and Mike

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Perhaps one of Raleigh’s best hidden treasures is The Rockford. I am sad to say I have never had lunch or dinner here, but I have stopped off for a martini on many occasions. If you are in the mood for a martini in a casual but not too casual environment with good music playing, this is the place to be.
Voted best martini and best atmosphere by Goodnight, Raleigh!. Located at 320 1/2 Glenwood Ave, but don’t look for a sign. There isn’t one.

One of the first few posts on this blog was a few of the images I took of downtown Raleigh in 2004, when I first moved here from Asheville. The first image is of the back side of the Oyster Bar, and this image is the side near the rail road tracks.