Jack Britt is named after an African American politician and educator in Fayetteville, North Carolina. Britt was a successful businessman and political leader who brought electricity to Fayetteville, established the city’s water and sewer system, and later served as the first elected mayor of Fayetteville.
The area that is now the Jack Britt neighborhood was originally a portion of the larger Braggtown community. The name was changed to Jack Britt after the current mayor, Jack Britt.
The Braggtown neighborhood began as a stagecoach stop for travelers in the 1800s. The small community was known for its general store, which sold food and supplies to travelers and new settlers. Over time, Braggtown’s population grew until the 1940s when Calvary Episcopal Church purchased a five-acre parcel of land and built a school for African American children. After that, the church began building housing for families.
The development of Jack Britt began in the late 1960s. The African American community organized themselves and purchased the land east of I-26 between Woodrow Avenue and Leighton Avenue. The families who lived on the area’s streets were sometimes evicted when white landowners bought land to build subdivisions.
Jack Britt is known for the Braggtown Mall, a shopping center with various stores accessible by walkers, bikers, and cars. The mall has a grocery store, a 7-Eleven convenience store, restaurants, and a variety of other stores that also offer haircuts and nail care services.
The Neighborhood Civic Center is the prominent meeting place for Kenilworth Friends Church and serves as a community center. The building is located on the southeast corner of Woodrow Avenue and Britt Road. The center hosts a variety of community events and activities.
There are a handful of parks in Jack Britt, including Brownlee Park, Hogg Park, and Hillside Park. Brownlee Park is located at Woodrow Avenue and Leighton Avenue intersection, adjacent to Braggtown Mall.
The neighborhood is home to approximately 800 families, divided among the 100 houses located in the community. Most people who live in Jack Britt are African Americans, with a small minority of white people. Although Jack Britt is located in Fayetteville, it is not considered a part of the Fayetteville Westside (a term used to refer to the city’s west side neighborhoods.
There are no single-family homes or apartment complexes in Jack Britt.
The Jack Britt neighborhood is residential, with some businesses located along Leighton Avenue. The area is located at I-26, and the community is adjacent to other neighborhoods in Fayetteville, particularly Braggtown.
If you want to explore another historic neighborhood in Fayetteville, check out Grays Creek.
225 Green St, Ste. 303, Fayetteville,
NC, United States