This oral history project presents the history of Raleigh’s Fourth Ward community, as told by its former residents.

The Fourth Ward was a Black neighborhood that was systematically destroyed during the City of Raleigh’s urban renewal efforts in the late 1960s and early 1970s. Through their stories, residents recall the once flourishing community, bustling with businesses, churches, and families who maintained generations-long ties to the land - a stark contrast to city officials’ descriptions of the area as “deteriorated.”

Experience the story of the Fourth Ward through photographs, residents’ lived experiences, and records, and uncover the oft-ignored history of one of Raleigh’s Black neighborhoods.