Evolution of a Community Part 1 Narration

Object Details

Local Numbers: ACMA AV003121 ACMA AV003122 ACMA AV003123 ACMA AV003124 ACMA AV003126 ACMA AV003127

Creator: Anacostia Neighborhood Museum
Names: Anacostia Community Museum; Anacostia Neighborhood Museum; Birney Elementary School; Douglass Hall (Washington, D.C.)
Collection Creator: Anacostia Community Museum

Place: Anacostia (Washington, D.C.); Barry Farms (Washington, D.C.); Washington (D.C.); United States

Topic: African Americans; Communities; Neighborhoods; African American neighborhoods; Churches; African American churches; Schools; Education; Employment; Recreation; Race; Segregation; Business enterprises; African American business enterprises; Police; Police-community relations; Social history; Museum exhibits

See more items in: Evolution of a Community: 1972 Exhibition Records; Evolution of a Community: 1972 Exhibition Records / Series ACMA AV03-040: Evolution of a Community Audiovisual Records

Sponsor: Funding for partial processing of the collection was supported by a grant from the Smithsonian Institution's Collections Care and Preservation Fund (CCPF).

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.

Citation: Evolution of a Community Part 1 Narration, Exhibition Records AV03-040, Anacostia Community Museum Archives, Smithsonian Institution.

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.

Scope and Contents: 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.

Series Restrictions: 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.