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In 1884, John H. Davis represented the Ninth
District at the Readjuster-Republican State Convention in Richmond. He was elected to attend that National Republican Convention in Chicago, but did not attend. By May 1884, he unsuccessfully ran for city council as a Republican in Roanoke's Second Ward. A
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He constructed Davis Hall, a noted meeting place for black social activities. It was a wooden frame building of four floors, with rented commercial space and meeting rooms and also included a grocery and restaurant. He also constructed the Davis Hotel, a two-story frame building. "By 1893 Davis also
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After the crash in 1893, John Davis developed stomach cancer, and died in 1896. His body lay in state at the Davis Hall, and his "handsome casket" was supplied by the Oakey & Woolwine funeral home. His obituary said, "Deceased did not belong to any church, although he was partial to the
Baptist
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The newspaper was a fierce opponent to lynching and unequal sentencing of blacks in the courts. It supported the
Republican Party in Roanoke, and demanded better schools. However, the newspaper also wrote about restraint. In an editorial that appeared in an early issue, the paper advocated the sort
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John Davis began the
Roanoke Weekly Press in 1891 along with Dr. Robert J. Boland, lawyer Thomas T. Henry, who helped write and edit the newspaper. This was the first black newspaper in Roanoke, and possibly southwestern Virginia. There is only a single edition preserved in the
46:. He was born in Lynchburg around 1831, and he was listed as "mulatto," or mixed-race, on census records. Although it is unclear whether he was ever a slave, by the end of the Civil War he had taught himself to read and write and set off for Big Lick, where land was cheap."
81:, one of the most distinguished African American newspapers in the nation, and March 29, 1892, when the final mention of the Roanoke Weekly Press paper appears in the Roanoke Times. The Roanoke Weekly Press likely ceases operations in the next several months.
39:. Little is known about his early years. However, by the end of the Civil War he had taught himself how to read and write, and in 1869 he owned some property. His wife, Ann Eliza Stuart, and he probably had no children.
23:. "He was shrewd and was quite successful in business, and accumulated a considerable sum of money, which he invested in real estate and continued to prosper. … He did all he could for the up-building of his race."
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was constructed in 1961, it is possible that John and Ann Davis were re-interred at Coyner
Springs, "which used to be a city owned cemetery for indigent residents." Today he and his wife's grave site is unknown.
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neighborhood into a thriving commercial center. He had purchased land fairly cheaply before Big Lick was incorporated, renamed and turned into
Roanoke, and afterwards the value of his properties had soared.
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An early land speculator, he acquired over 30 pieces of property with at least one in every ward in
Roanoke, and was worth about $ 50,000.00 to $ 75,000.00, and probably more. He helped turn the
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year later, in May 1885, he unsuccessfully ran for city council as a
Republican in Roanoke's Second Ward after black leaders nominated him despite lack of support from white leaders.
102:, who later became a prominent physician and pharmacist." Dr. Burrell later bought the Davis Hall in 1896, and continued his drugstore at that location until it burned down in 1900.
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The short live newspaper was printed between May 9, 1891, when the first notice of the existence of the
Roanoke Weekly Press appears in the
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was operating a drugstore, one of the earliest black-owned establishments of its kind in southwestern
Virginia, and had employed
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and business district was so well-known that even white-owned businesses advertised in his paper, the Roanoke Weekly Press."
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He was then buried in the Davis Family Cemetery next to or near the public cemetery in the Gainsboro neighborhood. When the
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John Davis was probably born in the 1820s, or possibly as late as the 1830s, and was listed as a
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Dotson, R. Roanoke Weekly Press. (2015, January 29). In Encyclopedia Virginia. Retrieved from
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Dotson, R. Roanoke Weekly Press. (2015, January 29). In Encyclopedia Virginia. Retrieved from
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Berrier, Ralph. 2017. Roanoke Times. "Self Made Beacon of Black Success."
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Berrier, Ralph. 2017. Roanoke Times. "Self Made Beacon of Black Success."
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Berrier, Ralph. 2017. Roanoke Times. "Self Made Beacon of Black Success."
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Berrier, Ralph. 2017. Roanoke Times. "Self Made Beacon of Black success."
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Davis was active in local politics. He was both a member of the
118:. He ran for Roanoke's City Council twice in 1884 and 1885.
230:"Roanoke Weekly Press publisher was leader of black Roanoke
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http://www.EncyclopediaVirginia.org/Roanoke_Weekly_Press
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http://www.EncyclopediaVirginia.org/Roanoke_Weekly_Press
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365:African-American people in Virginia politics
293:Gunter, John W. "John H. Davis (d. 1896)"
267:Gunter, John W. "John H. Davis (d. 1896)"
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350:People from Campbell County, Virginia
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390:19th-century American businesspeople
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232:." Roanoke Times. February 22, 2015.
180:." Roanoke Times. February 22, 2015.
167:." Roanoke Times. February 22, 2015.
355:Politicians from Roanoke, Virginia
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323:. August 2017. Pages 74-77.
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