History lives in the walls of a 116-year-old home in Greenville’s Southernside neighborhood.
The two-story house at 212 Asbury Ave. once served as a safe harbor for Black travelers visiting Greenville during the Jim Crow era. It was listed as the Mrs. W. H. Smith Tourist Home in the 1954 edition of “The Negro Travelers’ Green Book,” a travel guide detailing Black-owned lodgings, restaurants and businesses across the United States.
The Mrs. W. H. Smith Tourist Home has since fallen into disrepair and sits vacant on Asbury Avenue, formerly John Street. A $1.8 million project aims to restore the historic structure and bring its longtime property owner back home.
History lesson
Traci Lake represents the third generation of her family to own the Mrs. W. H. Smith Tourist Home. The American Foursquare-style home was built by her maternal grandparents, William and Lurleen Smith, for their daughter in 1910. Lake said her family has welcomed travelers into the home for as long as it has existed…