Products

Nestled between the Chesapeake Bay and the Patuxent River, this tiny peninsula county is home to one of the oldest African American communities, established when the first settlers arrived.

Located just south of Washington, D.C., Calvert County's African American community can be traced back to the county's beginning in the 17th century. From a time when Calvert County's black population grew to approximately 60 percent of the populace to its present-day residents representing the national average of 12 percent, Calvert's African Americans have attempted to hold on to many of their rich cultural traditions. Although their livelihoods as farmers and watermen have mostly ceased to exist these days, they continue to maintain strong ties to the land and an unwavering commitment to family values and community. The beautiful photographs and documents in this volume give a glimpse into the past of these proud people who continue to flourish while holding onto their distinctive identity.

Nadine McIlwain and Geraldine Radcliffe reveal the celebrated legends, unsung heroes and historic firsts of African Americans residing in the Canton community.

From Canton's earliest days, the black population has contributed to the city's, and even the nation's, prominence and prosperity. During World War II, nineteen-year-old Harold White joined the famed Tuskegee Airmen of the Ninety-Ninth Fighter Squadron. Only a few years later, Dorothy White persevered through prejudice to become Canton's first black teacher, paving the way for a long line of dedicated teachers stretching to the present day. Renowned R&B group the O'Jays formed in Canton, and professional golfer Renee Powell is just one of many local athletes to reach the heights of her profession.

Learn and discover how African-Americans have held a prominent place in the history of Chattanooga dating back to the 16th century.

Did you know that Chattanooga is the hometown of the first African-American appointed to lead counsel on a Supreme Court case? The home of the nation's oldest student, who learned to read at age 116? The home of the African-American blacksmith who put shackles on the "Andrew's Raiders" after the Great Locomotive Chase? The site of one of the first integrated police departments in the South? Author Rita Lorraine Hubbard chronicles the ways African-Americans have shaped Chattanooga, and presents inspirational achievements that have gone largely unheralded over the years - and so much more!

For generations, African Americans have enriched South Carolina's history, and the black families of Chesterfield County are no different.

During slavery, many African Americans in Chesterfield County were forced to provide domestic services and labor to build the towns in which they were never considered citizens. Many slaves mastered their crafts and used those skills to start a new life for their families after the Civil War. The images in African Americans of Chesterfield County are a testament to the contributions of black families who lived in the county from the 1800s to the mid-1900s, including entrepreneurs, educators, entertainers, farmers, ministers, and other individuals who assisted in making their county a better place to live. Most of the photographs were provided by private collections and archives in hope of preserving the black history of Chesterfield County.

African Americans are greatly responsible for the impressive growth of Durham County in North Carolina, once known as the "Capital of the Black Bourgeoisie".

Durham County, North Carolina, once called the "Chicago of the South" and the "Capital of the Black Bourgeoisie," has long occupied an important place in the hearts and minds of those who called Durham County home. African Americans have played a vital role in the growth and development of the region over the years, from antebellum times to Reconstruction to the Civil Rights era and in the present. The African American citizens of this historic Tar Heel county share an impressive story marked by determination, economic achievement, and resilience, and they have made a difference in all walks of life - educational, religious, civic, and commercial. This pictorial history reflects upon the rich and vibrant role that African Americans played in the area following emancipation. In its earliest stages, residents in such neighborhoods as Hayti, Hickstown, Crest Street, Pearsontown, the West End, the East End, and Walltown each created sturdy surviving communities that have shaped Durham.

African Americans of Fauquier details the perseverance the African American population of this town had through centuries of slavery and segregation.

Fauquier County, in Northern Virginia, was established in 1759. It was formed from Prince William County and was named for Virginia lieutenant governor Francis Fauquier. In 1790, there were 6,642 slaves in Fauquier County. By the eve of the Civil War, there were 10,455. From 1817 to 1865, the county was home to 845 free black people. The African American population declined at the end of Reconstruction, and by 1910, the white population was double that of blacks. The population imbalance continues today. Through centuries of slavery and segregation, Fauquier County's African American population survived, excelled, and prospered. This minority community established and supported numerous churches, schools, and businesses, as well as literary, political, and fraternal organizations that enhanced the quality of life for the entire county.

African Americans of Harrisburg documents the history of the African American community in this town.

Harrisburg served as a refuge and passageway for many African Americans fleeing the South via the Underground Railroad and moving north in search of freedom and a better way of life. African Americans of Harrisburg opens the door to this culturally diverse city of the wealthy, middle class, and poor with every possible race, religion, ethnicity, and lifestyle, which makes the fabric of the community so rich.

Aptly named for the area's rich land, Lower Richland County encompasses approximately 360 miles in the heart of South Carolina's geographic center.

Discovered by Virginia settlers over 250 years ago, this fertile swath of land, with the Wateree River in the east and the Congaree River bordering the south, the area immediately attracted settlers eager to make their fortunes. They became wealthy planters and accumulated large land tracts, creating plantation systems that sustained the economy built on cotton crops and the labor of enslaved Africans. The area became some prosperous that the state legislature voted to move the state capital from Charleston in 1786 to the city that would become Columbia, South Carolina's capital to this day.

From the Siege of Petersburg to the struggle for civil rights, the history of Petersburg's African American community is detailed in this volume.

The city of Petersburg has distinguished itself as a special place for African American history. African Americans in Petersburg have overcome racial and political obstacles placed in their paths. The city was the site of one of the largest free black populations in the South leading up to the Civil War, and more black soldiers participated in the Siege of Petersburg than in any other Civil War engagement. The city is the location of First Baptist Church, the nation's oldest black church; has produced trailblazers in political life, including Virginia's first black mayor; and is the site of the famous Halifax Triangle, a thriving black business district. This diverse and poignant collection of photographs reveals a heritage rich in entrepreneurial spirit, devotion to church life, and unshakable courage in the struggle for civil rights.

See why and how Pine Bluff/Jefferson County has been one of the Arkansas Delta's most culturally-rich areas since its inception in 1829.

Serving as a haven for runaway slaves during the late years of the Civil War, the Pine Bluff/Jefferson County area attracted droves of African-Americans throughout the Delta and south Arkansas. Brimming with talent and expectations, they and their descendants traveled a road full of extremes. Although they endured what appears to have been the largest mass lynching in United State history in 1866, they also attained one of the largest per-capita concentrations of black wealth in the entire South by 1900.

As the hands that labored in the area's boundless cotton fields and sawmills joined with the hands that held books at the state's only historically black public college, astonishing accomplishments were churned out in every imaginable field. Naturally, Pine Bluff/Jefferson County's Delta roots made its blues, jazz, and gospel contributions a source of pride, with native or area-affiliated artists receiving multiple Grammy awards and nominations, as well as other distinctions.

This volume pays homage to religion, work, service, education, and the human touch that brought families through undeniably difficult times.

Spotsylvania County, Virginia, was established in 1721, but it was not until after the Civil War that the names of approximately 4,700 African Americans born and/or living in the county were recorded for the first time. More than 150 African Americans were over the age of 70 as recorded in the 1870 census report. The county is best known as the namesake of its dynamic governor, Alexander Spotswood, and for its bloody Civil War battles. The African American community emerged from the ravages of war after more than 140 years of slavery. The community formalized the institutions they developed for survival during those years and charted a path for their growth.