70:. The club itself has been gone for years. The south side of the motel was torn down in September 2016, but as of August 2017, plans called for improvements to the north side of the motel that would make it look like it did years ago. Businesses, meeting space and a gift shop would go in another area. A documentary by Betsy Newman of
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In 2015 Riley asked the city to buy the former motel in order to turn it into a museum. The Carver Street neighborhood that used to be considered Black
Hollywood had become rundown, beginning with the end of segregation when Black people could go where they wanted. The site of Charlie's Place was
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police officer, was killed, and the club's jukebox was shot. Fitzgerald threatened "bloodshed" and later, while holding a gun to protect his property, was dragged away and beaten and his ear was marked. "Shag" Harrell and two others were seriously injured. Frank
Beacham, who wrote a book about
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Charlie's Place, said the Klan acted "to kill the rise of Black music." White people stayed away from the club after that. Fitzgerald was believed to have died July 4, 1955, at age 49, and his wife Sarah
Fitzgerald took over. The club operated until the late 1960s and was torn down.
93:. Fitzgerald was so respected he lent money to white people, and was believed to have eaten in white restaurants and sat in the white section of the Broadway Theater. A few white people visited the club and learned dances which they also did at the
154:, museum space and a police substation. The incubator program began in 2021 and as of June 2022 Naomi Productions had units occupied. A business license was required as well as a commitment of one year.
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Charlie
Fitzgerald was one of the richest Black people in Myrtle Beach. Herbert Riley said Fitzgerald (aka Lucious Rucker) made sure the venue was as nice as anyplace in Myrtle Beach, except for
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just a grass lot beside the motel. The city wanted to revitalize the entire area. The Myrtle Beach
Colored School already had an exhibit about Charlie's Place.
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Charlie
Fitzgerald and his wife Sarah opened Charlie's Place in 1937. After he died in 1955, she continued to run the place for about ten years.
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Whites and blacks could listen to music together and dance with no problem, but opponents considered the practice "dangerous" and the
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Williamson, Caroline (June 22, 2022). "New businesses get a fighting chance at Green Book historic site in Myrtle Beach".
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neighborhood of Myrtle Beach, also called "The Hill". Little Club Bamboo and the Patio Casino were also located there.
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dance originated at
Charlie's Place. Cynthia Harrell, who worked there, was nicknamed "Shag".
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Unlike many
African-American establishments of the time, said Dino Thompson in his 2014 book
248:"From school houses to Charlie's Place, they fight to preserve Myrtle Beach's Black history"
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370:"Booker T. Washington residents hope for police substation in Charlie's Place renovation"
344:"The night KKK attacked Charlie's Place, Myrtle Beach's melting pot during segregation"
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warned that this should not be happening. On August 26, 1950, about 60 members of the
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from the 1930s to the 1950s, and it was torn down in the 1960s. It was listed in the
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Fitzgerald owned the
Fitzgerald Motel opened in 1948 at 1420 Carver Street in the
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222:"Residents hope history of Carver Street lives on through proposed museum"
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fired 500 rounds of ammunition into
Charlie's Place. One Klan member, a
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In October 2017, the second row of motel rooms was to be converted to
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309:"Marker unveiled at Charlie's Place in Myrtle Beach"
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368:Megan, Tomasic (October 24, 2017).
275:"'Charlie's Place' wins Emmy award"
307:Morgan, Janet (October 26, 2018).
220:Prabhu, Maya T. (March 30, 2015).
177:Johnson, Chloe (August 17, 2017).
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16:Historic Myrtle Beach supper club
54:performed. The club was on the
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24:Myrtle Beach, South Carolina
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314:The Myrtle Beach Herald
30:on Carver Street where
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34:entertainers such as
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44:Otis Redding
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379:October 26,
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68:segregation
36:Ray Charles
28:supper club
420:Categories
161:References
64:Green Book
348:The State
253:The State
26:, was a
120:sheriff
82:History
128:Conway
60:South
381:2017
355:2021
322:2021
289:2020
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99:Shag
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