African American Historic Places [Paperback]

National Register of Historic Places (Author), Beth L. Savage (Editor)

Book Description

Publication Date: October 1, 1994

Culled from the records of the National Register of Historic Places, a roster of all types of significant properties across the United States, African American Historic Places includes over 800 places in 42 states and two U.S. territories that have played a role in black American history. Banks, cemeteries, clubs, colleges, forts, homes, hospitals, schools, and shops are but a few of the types of sites explored in this volume, which is an invaluable reference guide for researchers, historians, preservationists, and anyone interested in African American culture. Also included are eight insightful essays on the African American experience, from migration to the role of women, from the Harlem Renaissance to the Civil Rights Movement. The authors represent academia, museums, historic preservation, and politics, and utilize the listed properties to vividly illustrate the role of communities and women, the forces of migration, the influence of the arts and heritage preservation, and the struggles for freedom and civil rights. Together they lead to a better understanding of the contributions of African Americans to American history. They illustrate the events and people, the designs and achievements that define African American history. And they pay powerful tribute to the spirit of black America.

Editorial Reviews

Amazon.com Review

This engaging resource contains information about 800 black historic sites in 42 states, Puerto Rico, and the Virgin Islands. Often, they are places where people lived, such as the Paul Laurence Dunbar House in Dayton, Ohio; or the Blanche K. Bruce house in Washington, D.C., home of the second black man who served in the U.S. Senate. But there are also schools, hospitals, clubs, colleges, forts, cemeteries, and more. The listings (organized alphabetically by state), include brief descriptions and addresses, making this useful for those curious about black historic sites in their town or state or for anyone planning a vacation tour of historic sites.

From Booklist

After decades of neglect, the places associated with African American history are becoming the subject of reference works. Indeed, librarians have a bounty of titles to choose among. First there was George Cantor's Historic Landmarks of Black America (Gale, 1991), a travel guide to more than 300 sites in 45 states and Ontario, followed by Henry Chase's In Their Footsteps (Holt, 1994), another travel guide. Chase identifies more sites than Cantor; he covers 46 states, Ontario, and Nova Scotia. Both books note access policies, hours, admission cost, location, and phone number. Cantor tells motorists how to reach sites open to the public.

Significance as judged by the compilers was the primary consideration in selecting sites for Chase's and Cantor's books. In African American Historic Places, the significance of sites has been certified by their inclusion in the National Register of Historic Places, a standard that necessarily limits coverage to the U.S. The criteria whereby more than 62,000 sites have been listed in the National Register are explained briefly in the introduction. From these were selected some 800 that relate to African American history. All three guides organize sites by state. However the other two employ a regional progression, suitable to trip planning. African American Historic Places organizes 41 states (plus the District of Columbia, Puerto Rico, and the Virgin Islands) alphabetically. As in its parent publication, the two-volume National Register of Historic Places (U.S. Department of the Interior, 1976), state sections are organized by county. Site descriptions are somewhat more thorough than the thumbnail sketches in the National Register. Because it is designed as an identification tool rather than as a trip planner, African American Historic Places lists only addresses and does not note telephone numbers, access policies, or admission charges. The introduction, however, notes that approximately three-fourths of the properties are privately owned and not open to the public. Black-and-white photographs are provided for some of the sites.

Eight introductory essays provide context for understanding the historical significance of the sites. Representative sites include Brown Chapel African Methodist Episcopal Church in Selma, Alabama, which figured prominently in the 1965 voting-rights campaign; the Chicago home of the founder of the Chicago Defender newspaper; and Langston Hughes' house in Harlem. There are indexes by state and city, by occupations, by names of individuals or organizations, and by subject. Since the National Register of Historic Places does not single out sites related to African American history, this is a very useful tool. Given its strict criteria for inclusion of sites, African American Historic Places complements Cantor's and Chase's travel guides. --This text refers to an out of print or unavailable edition of this title.

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Product Details

• Paperback: 624 pages
• Publisher: Wiley; 1 edition (October 1, 1994)
• Language: English
• ISBN-10: 0471143456
• ISBN-13: 978-0471143451
• Product Dimensions: 10 x 7 x 1.3 inches
• Shipping Weight: 2.3 pounds (View shipping rates and policies)
• Average Customer Review: 5.0 out of 5 stars  See all reviews (2 customer reviews)
• Amazon Best Sellers Rank: #1,097,159 in Books (See Top 100 in Books)

Customer Reviews

Most Helpful Customer Reviews

1 of 1 people found the following review helpful:

5.0 out of 5 stars excellent, May 26, 2009

By 

Joya S. Hardaman - See all my reviews
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This review is from: African American Historic Places (Paperback)

i am thankful for the book. thank you very much. it is more than i expected.

5.0 out of 5 stars Treasure trove of information, many photos of Historic Places, a valuable Resource, January 25, 2012

By 

Char - See all my reviews

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This review is from: African American Historic Places (Paperback)

A 623-page compendium featuring articles, photographs, and documentation of more than 800 American places in 42 states and two territories which reflect importance in the areas of African American social history, community development, education, science, medicine, theater, literature, women's history, military events, and civil rights. Compiled by the National Park Service, Department of the Interior, which maintains the National Register of Historic Places, with contributions by numerous experts and agencies of historic preservation, this collection affords an opportunity to learn about and appreciate the African American experience in American culture.

As noted in the Introduction by Carol D. Shull, "The articles use listed properties to illustrate significant historic contexts on the role of communities, migration, women, the arts, the struggles for freedom and civil rights, and heritage preservation. They pay powerful tribute to the spirit of African Americans in our past and provide stimulating dialogue for our future contemplation."

Over 76% of the listing are privately owned and not all of them can be visited, but some of these are in historic districts where visitation is offered.

Of note, Shull states, "This book is part of an ongoing effort to make information about historic places available to the public to encourage their protection and interpretation and to enhance the study of the diverse cultural groups that have built our nation. THE NATIONAL PARK SERVICE URGES ALL AMERICANS TO USE THE NATIONAL REGISTER AND TO RECOMMEND PLACES FOR INCLUSION. IT BELONGS TO ALL OF US."

Although the book is copiously illustrated, the greyscale photographs are not high quality reproductions, but they are a cut above newspaper photographs. There are many pictures of interesting and attractive buildings including private residences, schools, churches, and business places. There are some photographs of people, too.

The indexes are a fabulous feature of this book: They are by City, Occupation, Names of Individuals and Occupations, Subject, and by National Register Listing Name.

A treasure trove of information, and a visual wonder-world. Very enjoyable. Not very expensive (especially if you buy it Used). I'm really finding it to be a revelation of heretofore unknown places and history.