John McCarroll
section: Interviews
Mr. John McCarroll is a longtime leader in the African American community in Charlotte, North Carolina. Born November 28, 1918 in Williamston, South Carolina he moved to Charlotte and the Brooklyn neighborhood in 1936 to become active in the funeral home business. Mr. McCarroll has worked at Grier Funeral Services since 1936 and is now currently the president and manager of the publicly owned business. Within this interview Mr. McCarroll discussed different businesses, schools, and churches that were located in the Brooklyn community and other black neighborhoods in Charlotte. The substandard housing that people in African American neighborhoods lived in before integration and Urban Renewal was also discussed. Finally, the overall impact of Urban Renewal on the entire black community was addressed.
Part I
Part II
Tape Log
Tape Log: Oral History Interview with John McCarroll
Interviewed by Tamara Dial
| Time | Description of Interview Contents |
|---|---|
| 0.0 | Beginning of Interview. |
| 6.0 | Personal background information. Family information. Reasons for moving to the Charlotte area in 1936. |
| 10.0 | Describes black funeral homes in Charlotte and how affected by Urban Renewal. |
| 22.0 | Other businesses and housing located in Brooklyn and other black neighborhoods. Lists names, locations, and owners and operators. How affected by Urban Renewal. “People lived in alleys.” |
| 29.0 | Occupations blacks in Charlotte held before integration and mismanagement of funds. Discusses reasons blacks didn’t speak out against Urban Renewal. |
| 34.0 | Brooklyn businesses that still exist today. |
| 39.0 | Churches in Brooklyn. Names, locations, and where some are located now. Discusses businesses that “had to go” because of Urban Renewal. |
| 42.0 | Issues of race, integration, business, and schools in Charlotte. Impact of Urban Renewal. Tape One, Side Two |
| 0.0 | Beginning of Side Two |
| 5.0 | Urban Renewal and integration’s impact on black schools in Charlotte. Names and locations mentioned. |
| 12.0 | Black communities in Charlotte before integration. No taxis, service stations, or many black owned businesses. |