Ebony Guest House
National Register Listing
Street Address:
712-714 Wilson St., Florence, SC (Florence County)
NRHP Nomination
NRHP Maps
Record Number:
S10817721027
Description and Narrative:
The Ebony Guest House is an historically Black lodging establishment located at 712 and 714 Wilson Street in the North Florence neighborhood of Florence. The tourist home is located at 712 Wilson Street and was operated by the local Holmes family, who lived in the adjacent property to the north at 714 Wilson Street. It is significant for its role as a Jim Crow-era tourist home for African Americans. Opened in 1950 and in operation until 1972, the Ebony Guest House exemplifies the sort of alternative spaces that African Americans created and maintained for their communities in a society defined by segregation. For Black locals and others who traveled through Florence, Ebony Guest House offered convenient lodging and a safe haven from the humiliations and potential physical danger that accompanied codified and customary racial discrimination. Knowledge of the Ebony Guest House circulated by word of mouth and its listing in the Negro Travelers’ Green Book, the publication and widespread use of which testified to the deep social value of the services offered by the businesses listed on its pages. Ebony Guest House is the only known extant property in Florence to have provided such service as an African American tourist home, serving Black travelers for over two decades. Listed in the National Register January 14, 2021.
Period of Significance:
1950 – 1972
Level of Significance:
Local
Area of Significance:
Ethnic Heritage: Black;Social History
National Register Determination:
listed
Date of Certification:
January 14 2021
