Catherine Zipf described to a rapt audience of over seventy her research into the dozen or so “Tourist Homes” advertised in the “Negro Green Book” of the mid-1900’s. The presentation was sponsored by Newport Middle Passage as part of it’s summer lecture series.
Particularly after World War II, during the “Great Migration,” when many black Americans sought work in northern states, Newport’s torpedo station provided many government-related jobs. Many relied on guides like the “Green Book” to find services from lodging to beauty salons as they visited or migrated.
The property at 26 Brinley St., advertised as the Glover Hotel by Thomas Glover and his wife Susan from 1913-1931 and again from 1938-1939. In its earliest years, this was the only hotel in Newport aside from the Biltmore, and the only one accommodating African-Americans. Later up to eight “Tourist Homes” were advertised to those seeking non-segregated accommodations.
The rare original copies of the Negro Motorist Green Book have been digitized and made available to the public at the New York Public Library website. The 1938 edition lists “Glover, Brindley & Center Sts.” as the only entry in Newport. The building at this address can also be seen in the Sanborn Map of 1921, which has been digitized by Brown University. The owner is listed as “T. Glover”.
