Jefferson Negro Store District in Absalom, Absalom! (Location)

Display Label: 
Negro Store District
Map Icon: 
Office/store
Authority : 
Context (text, as interpreted)
Other Texts Location Appears In: 
X: 
1210
Y: 
794
Description: 

When Charles Etienne Saint-Valery Bon comes into Jefferson, he is usually found "blind or violently drunk in the negro store district on Depot Street" (170). It's not clear what Faulkner means by "negro store" - whether these are businesses owned by Negroes, or just patronized by them. In other Yoknapatawpha novels the part of town where blacks live is variously called "Negro Hollow," "Freedman Town," and so on. The only other text that suggests the possibility of a cluster of black-owned businesses in Jefferson is "Uncle Willy," which mentions a commercial street named or perhaps just colloquially and offensively referred to as "Nigger Row." Absalom! doesn't describe this district, or say what stores it contains, but the name of the street suggests it's near the railroad station.

Role: 
Site of Event
Status: 
Continuous
Types: 
Negro District; Negro-owned Business

digyok:node/location/15244