Evolution of a Community Part 1 Narration presents a short history of Uniontown/Anacostia and Barry Farms from 1680 until a few years after World War II for the exhibition Evolution of a Community Part 1. The walking tour showcases replicas of Douglass Hall (black shopping center), Old Birney School, a black home, and a black church representative of Anacostia from 1910-1935. Narration and sound clips from interviews of residents reminiscing about living in Anacostia describe Birney Elementary School; Douglass Hall; social, religious, and recreational roles of the churches in the community; family life in the home; communal water pumps, privies, and garbage maintenance; employment; African American businesses; segregated recreation areas; transportation options; political issues of the early 1900s; race relations; police officers; community-police relations; formation and development of Anacostia including the drawing of Washington, D.C. lines; planning of Barry Farms; and land divisions and their effects on race relations.
Narration. Part of Evolution of a Community Audiovisual Records. AV003125: introductory narration for exhibit. Undated.
Biographical / Historical:
Evolution of a Community, an exhibit at the Anacostia Neighborhood Museum from January 1972 though December 1972, presented the history of Anacostia from post-World War II to the present through photos, text, drawings, video tape programs, and a slide/tape show. Evolution of a Community Part II, also known as Anacostia Today, was on display at the Anacostia Neighborhood Museum from March 1973 though July 1973. The exhibitions developed as a result oral histories collected from Anacostia residents.
Use of the materials requires an appointment. Some items are not accessible due to obsolete format and playback machinery restrictions. Please contact the archivist at acmarchives@si.edu.
Collection Rights:
Collection items available for reproduction, but the Archives makes no guarantees concerning copyright restrictions. Other intellectual property rights may apply. Archives cost-recovery and use fees may apply when requesting reproductions.
Evolution of a Community Part 1 Narration, Exhibition Records AV03-040, Anacostia Community Museum Archives, Smithsonian Institution.
Sponsor:
Funding for partial processing of the collection was supported by a grant from the Smithsonian Institution's Collections Care and Preservation Fund (CCPF).
