The Graves House
"Many know the Graves house in Oberlin Village, but what do we know of the it’s namesake?
Willis Graves (ca. 1856-1942)
Born into slavery in Mississippi shortly before the Civil War, Willis Graves became a brickmason in Raleigh. Graves and his wife Eleanor were early pillars of Raleigh's largest Freedmen's community, called Oberlin, in the mid-to-late 1880s.
Like many builders after emancipation, Graves took a leadership role in the community.
He was named a justice of the peace, served as an election official, and twice ran for State House.
"Many know the Graves house in Oberlin Village, but what do we know of the it’s namesake?
Willis Graves (ca. 1856-1942)
Born into slavery in Mississippi shortly before the Civil War, Willis Graves became a brickmason in Raleigh. Graves and his wife Eleanor were early pillars of Raleigh's largest Freedmen's community, called Oberlin, in the mid-to-late 1880s.
Like many builders after emancipation, Graves took a leadership role in the community.
He was named a justice of the peace, served as an election official, and twice ran for State House.
His second run for office was in 1898, amidst scattered acts of racial violence in Raleigh and just before the Wilmington Massacre.
He lost the election.
For a decade, Graves chaired Raleigh's annual Emancipation Day celebration. Family recollections indicate that he worked as a mason on several of the early buildings on the NC State University campus, where he would likely have been working alongside or supervising prison laborers.
He left North Carolina with his son's family in the mid-1930s and lived in New York City until his death.
The Graves' eldest son, Lemuel, attended Cornell University and was the first student initiated into Alpha Phi Alpha fraternity.
Lemuel's son, Lem Jr. (Gene), saw action in World War II as an accredited war correspondent and became one of the first three Black journalists to travel in a presidential entourage (with President Harry Truman).
Gene worked in Paris for the State Department and was appointed by President Kennedy to head Voice of America in Latin America.
Willis, Jr. (Bill) received a law degree from Howard University. He and his law partner led the fight against racially restrictive covenants in Michigan.
They worked with Thurgood Marshall on the 1948 landmark civil rights US Supreme Court case, Shelley v. Kraemer, which made racially restrictive covenants unenforceable.
After the case, people of color could legally "live anywhere".
Photo collage description:
Left: The Willis Graves house in Oberlin Village, Raleigh, NC.
Bottom left: Willis Graves eldest son, Lemuel.
Top right: Willis, Jr. (Bill)
Bottom right: Lemuel’s son, Lem Jr. (Gene) with President Harry Truman.
Source: Friends Of Oberlin Village, Raleigh, NC
The Hawley Museum is passionately committed to uncovering and sharing the fascinating family stories that have influenced our state's and nation's history. We believe that every family has a unique story to tell, one that adds depth to the rich tapestry of North Carolina and U.S. History.
We encourage you to reflect on your own family narrative—did your ancestors play a pivotal role in these historical events? We invite you to become a part of our family curator team by sharing your family's history, whether it be through photos, videos, articles, or documents.
Let’s work together and weave a more comprehensive narrative that honors the roles families have played in our collective past to inspire future museum visitors.
The Hawley Museum is passionately committed to uncovering and sharing the fascinating family stories that have influenced our state's and nation's history. We believe that every family has a unique story to tell, one that adds depth to the rich tapestry of North Carolina and U.S. History.
We encourage you to reflect on your own family narrative—did your ancestors play a pivotal role in these historical events? We invite you to become a part of our family curator team by sharing your family's history, whether it be through photos, videos, articles, or documents.
Let’s work together and weave a more comprehensive narrative that honors the roles families have played in our collective past to inspire future museum visitors.