Reuben Stone was the original owner of 1306 Fayetteville St. He bought the land from notable Durham businessman and brickmaker, Richard Fitzgerald. He deeded the property to his nephew, William Henry Jones, and his wife, Martha H. Jones in 1955. The Joneses were living with and taking care of Reuben, at 1925 Cecil, and William helped run the store at 1306 Fayetteville. William expanded the 1306 Fayetteville property into the College Inn Restaurant multiple times, 1938-1939, 1940-1941, and in 1942. The College Inn Restaurant was in business until the late 1960s, with the last listing in the Green Books, travel guides dedicated to sharing safe and welcoming spaces for African-Americans, in 1967. It was listed as a tavern in the 1948 and 1949 Green Books, and then was listed as both a tavern and a restaurant until 1967.
The College Inn was frequented by many Durham community members, including “young couples, old timers, NCC students and served as an ‘unofficial men’s club to male residents all over the city." Many celebrities visited the College Inn while visiting Durham, including James Brown, Ruth Brown, Duke Ellington, Ike and Tina Turner, Malcolm X, and Cab Calloway. It was lauded throughout the Carolina Times as one of the landmarks in Durham, an area where the Hayti community gathered and socialized. They also sold tickets for NCCU football games, further indication of their close ties to the NCCU community.
William Jones passed away in 1959. Martha Jones eventually remarried in 1964 to Carl Easterling. Easterling worked at Hillside High School as a faculty member and the head basketball and tennis coach. Martha and Carl donated meals from the College Inn to the basketball teams he coached.
Martha also owned Jones Florist at one point and was a Habilitation Specialist with Voca Corporation after she retired. When Martha passed away in 2014, her daughter, Valjeanne Jones Williams, took over the property.
1306 Fayetteville St is now New Visions of Africa. A non-profit organization, Believers United for Progress, runs New Visions of Africa. BUFP started donating free meals to the community in 2004 and was incorporated as a non-profit in 2007. They opened New Visions of Africa as a means to give away food to the local Durham community.
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From the Stokesdale National Historic District Nomination
This one-story, front-gabled commercial building has a three-bay aluminum storefront with a door flanked by large picture windows. The building has a brick veneer with vinyl siding in the front gable and vinyl trim. The shed-roofed front porch is supported by large decorative metal braces and shelters a terra cotta-covered stoop. A picture window remains toward the front of the south elevation; the corresponding window on the north elevation has been bricked-in. There are small windows toward the rear of the side elevations and a full-width, shed-roofed rear ell. A grocer and blacksmith are listed at this address as early as 1925; however, the current building was likely constructed around 1935. The College Inn (confectioners and restaurant) was listed here from 1935 through 1950. It is currently the New Visions of Africa restaurant.
The College Inn was listed in Victo Hugo Green's Green Book between 1948-1963. The Green Book was an African American traveler’s annual guide for navigating Jim Crow America while on business trips and vacations. Within its pages, readers could find entries – listed by city – for restaurants, lodging, gas stations, beauty parlors and barber shops, and other service providers, such as tailors, who would gladly take their business in an otherwise potentially unfamiliar and hostile environment.
https://digitalcollections.nypl.org/items/9c454830-83b9-0132-d56a-58d385a7b928#/?uuid=a158c550-83b9-0132-6661-58d385a7b928
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Submitted by Melva Rigel on Wed, 1/27/2021 - 1:37pm
The College Inn was still in operation until the late 1960s. The original owners were William H. Jones and his wife, Martha Jones. According to their daughter, Valjeanne Jones Williams, who still owns the property, her father William Henry Jones was given the property by his uncle Rueben Stone who owned a large number of properties in Durham. And Rueben Stone had bought it from Fitzgerald when Durham was still a part of Orange County. They enjoyed celebrated customers including blues singer Ruth Brown, band leader Duke Ellington , R&B singers James Brown and Ike & Tina Turner and Civil Right Activist Malcolm X. Malcolm visited the restaurant after her father died but he would come and have long conversations with my mother and step-father, Carl L. Easterling. Mr. and Mrs. Easterling also provided free meals to the Hillside High School Basketball team who were coached by Mr. Easterling.
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