Historic Eureka Schooll

Green Book Audio Tour

 

Green Book History

The Negro Motorist Green Book by Victor Hugo Green

Commonly known as the Green Book, it was an essential travel guide for African Americans during segregation in the United States.

Victor Hugo Green

Victor Hugo Green was born in Manhattan, New York on November 9, 1892. He spent his childhood in Hackensack, New Jersey with his parents and two younger siblings. At age 21, Green began working as a postal carrier, a career he maintained until retiring in 1952. In 1917, he married Alma Duke, and the couple established their home in Harlem, New York.

During World War I, Green served as a Supply Sergeant in the 350th Field Artillery of the 92nd Division (also known as the Buffalo Soldiers). After the war, he returned to postal work, and saw firsthand the struggles Black Americans faced while traveling the United States.

In response, Green published The Negro Motorist Green Book in 1936. The guide aimed to provide Black travelers with vital information on where they could find safe and welcoming accommodations, dining, and other services while traveling across the country, in a time when racial discrimination and segregation were widespread. The first edition, just 15 pages long, focused on safe places for Black travelers in New York. Over the next few years, it expanded to include other states, and eventually covered all states and U.S. territories. The guide listed hotels, restaurants, gas stations, and other businesses that welcomed Black customers. This helped Black travelers avoid sundown towns and other dangers of segregation.

The Green Book grew through reader contributions, with over 2 million users, and partnerships with companies. For example, it was sponsored by Esso, now Exxon Mobil, which distributed copies nationwide. The final edition was published in 1967, just three years after the Civil Rights Act outlawed segregation. The guide played an important role in helping African American families, entertainers, and professionals travel with some degree of comfort and security during a time of widespread racial discrimination.

The Green Book was a directory of safe places for African-American travelers, including hotels, motels, tourist homes (the homes of private individuals who were willing to offer a room for the night), restaurants, beauty and barber shops, service stations, garages, road houses, taverns, and nightclubs.

The Green Book Audio Tour is narrated by Dr. Clarence Magee and highlights the following businesses that were
Green Book sites in Hattiesburg, MS

A. Crosby Tourist Home

Alice Duckworth Crosby was born on December 9, 1893, in Collins, Mississippi. By 1920, she had married Cicero Crosby, and the couple lived in Ward 4, Forrest County, Mississippi. Although Crosby’s formal education ended after her first year of high school, she went on to achieve remarkable success as a businesswoman. In 1927, at the age of 34, she and Cicero owned a restaurant at 521 ½ Mobile Street, while residing at 413 East 6th Street. By 1935, Crosby had acquired a second restaurant located at 511 Mobile Street.
In 1939, Crosby was listed as a cook working from her home on East 6th Street in the city’s directory. That same year, she began listing her residence at 413 East 6th Street in the Green Book, offering African American travelers a safe place to stay while passing through Hattiesburg, Mississippi. Crosby also contributed to the local USO that served as a “home away from home” for African American soldiers. She was an active member of the Mt. Carmel Baptist Church in Hattiesburg.

By 1940, Crosby divorced Cicero, becoming the head of her household. She rented rooms to three lodgers and appears to have rented out additional properties in the Mobile-Bouie District. In 1952, Crosby served as co-chair of the business district for the Red Cross. Despite facing personal challenges, she continued to grow her career and support herself through her businesses.

In 1946, Crosby opened the Waffle Cafe, followed by the Union Barber Shop in 1948. Although the Waffle Cafe was no longer listed in city directories after 1948, the Union Barber Shop remained open until 1954. By 1956, she had expanded her business ventures to include the Crosby Hotel, located at 512 Mobile Street. That year, she also began listing the hotel in the Green Book alongside her residence. In 1959, she opened the Roof Garden Cafe at her home, which became another successful business in Hattiesburg.

Crosby kept both her home and the Crosby Hotel listed in the Green Book until its final publication in 1967. She passed away on April 30, 1975, but her legacy endures in the Mobile-Bouie neighborhood, where her contributions to the community and her entrepreneurial spirit are still remembered.

W.A. Godbolt Tourist Home

William Aaron Godbolt was born on March 16, 1897 in Brewton, Escambia County, Alabama; near the Alabama-Florida border. When he was three years old, his family relocated to Perry County, Mississippi, approximately 24 miles from Hattiesburg. By 1910, at the age of 13, the Godbolt family had moved again and settled in Beat 4, Forrest County, Mississippi. As he entered adulthood, Godbolt’s life took a dramatic turn when he was drafted into World War I in 1917 at the age of 21. Three years later, in 1923, Godbolt married Laura J. Godbolt and the couple established their home at 409 East 7th Street. They would then go on to publish their home address in the Green Book starting in 1937.

In the early 1920s, Godbolt worked as a laborer and a railroad flagman. By 1927, Godbolt had transitioned to working as a switchman. This was a specialized railroad job that involved operating track switches, moving railcars, and managing tasks within a railroad yard or terminal. Two years later, in 1929, he began working as a brakeman. He remained in this role for over a decade. In the 30s, Godbolt worked as the choir director at Mt. Carmel Baptist church. In 1941, with the outbreak of World War II, Godbolt once again served his country. At the age of 44, he was drafted for a second time. After the war, he continued working in the railroad industry while also serving as an air raid warden for his ward. Organized by N.R. Burger, this group was responsible for planning safety evacuations, conducting fire drills, and studying emergency routes for the area. Their meetings and training sessions were held at Eureka High School. He was also involved with the “Negro Civic Welfare Association” where members of the community worked to better Black neighborhoods in Hattiesburg. In 1949, he was a huge help in opening a new Black church in the area, East Jerusalem Baptist Church. He kept his home listed in the Green Book until 1967, when the publication ceased printing.

From his small-scale publishing house in Harlem, Green distributed the books by mail order, to Black-owned businesses, and at Esso (Standard Oil) service stations—a rare gasoline distributor that franchised to African Americans. He sold copies at Black churches, the Negro Urban League, virtually anywhere that African Americans were bound to encounter them.

Sallie “Mama” J. Vann

Sallie “Mama” J. Vann, was born Sallie J. Portis in 1872 in Sumter County, Alabama.  She married Jefferson A. Vann in 1894 at the age of 21.  The couple had three children: Eugene A. Vann, Clara Mae Vann and Jessie M. Vann. While the exact date of her family’s move is unclear, by 1920, Vann was a widow living in Ward 4, Hattiesburg, Forrest County, Mississippi.

From 1923 until 1956, Vann worked as a domestic worker in her home at 636 Mobile Street. Beginning in 1939, she listed her home in the Green Book to provide a safe place for African American travelers passing through Hattiesburg.

In 1956, the city directory identified her as the owner of a restaurant, and it is likely that she was affectionately known as “Mama,” a nickname reflected in her obituary. Sallie “Mama” Vann passed away on November 16, 1956, at the age of 84, making her one of the oldest residents of Hattiesburg at the time. She had lived in the city for 56 years and was a founding member of the St. James C.M.E. Church.

Vann’s legacy continued long after her passing. Nine years later, church services were still dedicated in her remembrance, and in 1981, St. James C.M.E. Church honored her memory by naming a missionary circle in her name. She is buried at the Scott Street Cemetery in Hattiesburg. After Vann’s death, her daughter, Clara Blalock (formerly Vann), kept the family home listed in the Green Book until 1967, when the publication ceased its print run.

The Crosby Hotel

The Crosby Hotel, officially established in 1956 by Alice Ducksworth Crosby, was a lively place of refuge for Black travelers in segregated Hattiesburg, Mississippi.

Located at 512 Mobile Street, the Crosby was more than a hotel, it was a hub for Black business and community life. Before officially listed as the Crosby Hotel, the building housed multiple businesses such as the Waffle Cafe and the Union Barbershop. Both operated within the hotel, offering essential services to both travelers and locals.

Crosby, a determined entrepreneur, had already established herself as a business leader in the Mobile-Bouie District before opening the Crosby Hotel. She owned multiple businesses and properties. Crosby rented rooms out of her home on 6th Street, which was also listed in the travel guide,  The addition of the hotel solidified her role in providing safe accommodations for Black visitors to Hattiesburg.

The Crosby Hotel remained in The Green Book until 1967, when the travel guide ceased publication.

The Lantern Tourist Home

The Lantern Tourist Home, more widely known as the Woods Guest House, provided safe lodging for African American travelers during segregation. The “Lantern Tourist Home” was listed in the Green Book from 1959 to 1961. The building was constructed between 1895 and 1900. It was owned and operated by J.B. Woods and his wife, Lenon Earnestine Wood.

The guest house was more than just a place to stay—it was also a thriving business. The first floor housed a grocery store and a restaurant, while the second floor served as a boarding house. During the 1940s and 1950s, it was one of the few accommodations available to Black travelers in the area. Though it was only listed in the Green Book from 1959 to 1961, many guests were welcomed by recommendation. The establishment also attracted famous musicians, including B.B. King, Bobby “Blue” Bland, and Gladys Knight.

Beyond hospitality, the Woods Guest House played a key role in politics and civil rights. J.B. Woods was a prominent political figure, serving as chairman of the Sixth Congressional District of the Republican Party from 1924 to 1940. In 1940, he made history as the first African American delegate from Mississippi to attend the Republican National Convention. The guest house frequently hosted political meetings and events.

By the 1960s, the building became a hub for the Civil Rights Movement. It served as an office for the Council of Federated Organizations (COFO), a coalition of civil rights groups in Mississippi. It also housed a Freedom School and a Freedom Library, providing education and resources for activists. Civil rights leaders such as Jesse Jackson, Medgar Evers, Dr. Martin Luther King Jr., and Stokely Carmichael were known to have visited the site.

After J.B. Woods’ passing in 1944, his wife, Lenon Earnestine Woods, took over ownership of the guest house. She ran the hotel, grocery, and civil rights meeting space until her passing in 1966. The ownership would again be transferred to her nephew, George Harper and his wife Earnestine Harper. George was an educator and businessman, teaching radio and television courses while operating Harper’s Radio and Television Service in Hattiesburg out of the old Lantern Tourist Home. He was also active in the Civil Rights Movement and held leadership roles in the Jesse L. Brown Lodge. He retired in 1975 and passed away in 1993, leaving behind his wife Earnestine Harper.

The Woods Guest House/Lantern Tourist Home ceased operating as a hotel in the early 1970s, but its legacy endures. The building still operated as a TV and radio repair shop, photo shop, and pool hall until the building burned down in a fire in 1998. It remains an important part of Hattiesburg’s history, celebrated for its contributions to African American business, culture, and the fight for civil rights.

Sunlight Restaurant

Believed to have been located at 909 ½ Dabbs Street. Very little is known about this site. It appeared in the Green Book in 1956.

Attributions

  • Victor Hugo Green – By Anonymous – The New York Age, 23 August 1958, Saturday, page 32
  • The Negro Motorist Green-Book – By Victor Hugo Green – Scan of cover (New York Public Library copy)
  • Crosby Hotel – Hattiesburg American (Hattiesburg MS)
  • Lantern Tourist Home / Woods Guest Home – Hattiesburg American (Hattiesburg MS)