Richard Fitzgerald’s family that moved to North Carolina after the Civil War to farm, teach and become early Durham entrepreneurs. Richard and his brother Robert began manufacturing bricks in Durham’s West End neighborhood in 1879 to meet the booming Bull City’s growing demand for building materials. Through shrewd investments and business leadership, Richard Fitzgerald became Durham’s first African American millionaire and a generous philanthropist.

Richard Burton Fitzgerald plaque and bench

 

---

Click map for directions to the History Grove