Historic Five Points District  

NBHS Historian/Claudia Houston

Whether you are new to the City of New Bern or a long-time resident, you have probably heard of the area known as Five Points. However, many ask, where exactly is it and what is its historical significance?

New Bern’s Five Points is just west of the Downtown Historic District and encompasses the area of the intersection of Broad, Roundtree, and Queen Streets. It originally served as a commercial area for both Black and White farmers. In the early 1900s, with the political disenfranchisement of Blacks, Five Points became the hub for Black-owned businesses that had been displaced from downtown. By the 1940s, there were more than three dozen stores and businesses, making this area a “second downtown” for New Bern. On Broad Street, one could find Hill’s Five Points Drug Store, the Five Points Soda Shop, Bishop Rivers Funeral Home, Barkers Seafood and Produce, and many other enterprises. One of the more popular places was Dowdy’s Café, located at 1026 Broad Street and owned and operated by George Washington Downing. Per local resident Louis Foy, he noted that “residents remembered George Dowdy’s café as one of the elite Negro restaurants, a cultural center where people met to communicate.” (In several business directories, the Café is listed as Downing’s Café). On nearby Queen Street, you could find Barkers Seafood and Produce, Vail’s Barber Shop, and Peter KIenan’s Shoe Repair, among other businesses.

Walter A. Godette, originally from north Harlowe in Carteret County, was listed as a farmer on every census tract through 1950. However, he also owned Godette and Son Funeral Home at 126 West Street, and was a partner in another Broad Street business, the Palm Garden at 192 Broad Street, with George Downing who owned Dowdy’s café.  The Palm Garden, a popular Tavern, was listed in the New Bern business directory from 1937-1949.

The Palm Garden had the added distinction of being listed in the Negro Motorists Green Book. The Green Book was published annually from 1936-1966 and served as a guide for Black motorists to assist them in locating safe places to eat, sleep, obtain gas, and various travel-related services during the widespread discrimination of the Jim Crow Era. Two other locations in New Bern were also in the Green Book: the Rhone Hotel at 42 Queen Street, and the H. C. Sparrow House at 68 West Street, both listed as a Tourist Home. Both of these buildings are still standing today.

The Palm Garden was demolished in 1950 when a Federal Highway project widened Broad Street to accommodate US Highway 17. This road construction caused much destruction in the business district of Five Points. Throughout challenging parts of our history, Five Points has remained the center of Black businesses in New Bern. In the past decade, there has been a strong resurgence of historical, cultural, tourism, and business presence in the Five Points area. Today, you will find vibrant wall murals, informative historical markers, the African American Heritage Trail, the Juneteenth Bear, barber shops, bakeries, coffee shops, take-out food establishments and more. It is evident that New Bern is proud to showcase the resilience of Five Points District as a community gathering place and the “Gateway to the City!”