The Future of Telling Stories Part II: Tours

In 1862 a man named Charles Stuart traveled to the Washington City Hall building on Indiana Avenue and turned in a set of important and valuable papers. The papers documented 10 people that were enslaved by Stuart. Enslaved — in the past tense. On April 16th, 1862 President Abraham Lincoln signed the District of Columbia Emancipation Act, freeing all enslaved people in the District of Columbia.

This was a full 8 months before the Emancipation Proclamation freed enslaved people in the rebellious southern states. In DC, there were 10,000 Black people living within the borders of the capital in 1862, but only about 3,100 were enslaved. Most Black people in DC were free. Those enslaved Black people became free under this act of Congress. However, enslavers in DC were given reparations for loss of their “property.” Enslavers like Charles Stuart could petition the government to get up to $300 per enslaved person they “lost” under the act. Each enslaved person could receive up to $100, but only if they engaged in "voluntary emigration,” i.e., leaving the United States for countries such as Liberia or Haiti. I discuss all of this and more on a tour titled Eyes on Emancipation: Black History on Pennsylvania Avenue.

The buying and selling of people, the compensation of enslavers, and the related histories are not fun facts to be relayed on a walking tour. However, these stories give context and meaning to the sites we see on tour. And these enable a better understanding the 150 years of political and cultural development that occurred here in DC post-emancipation. 99% of my guests understand this. They understand that the history of the United States is fraught. There are gruesome parts, frustrating parts, repellent parts, and dismal parts. There are also stories of triumph, inspiration, revolution, advancement, and preservation. All of those moments are part of the historical fabric of this nation and of this District. Can I cover it all on a 90 minute tour? No, of course not. But I trust my guests to let my storytelling be a guide to how they reckon with the present by way of understanding the past. Each person does it in their own way and I always plan to connect with different learners in different ways. 

What we must not be forced to do as educators is to edit the historical content of programs because of so-called “divisive” topics. I have no doubt that the principle behind the recent Executive Order concerning Smithsonian museums (I wrote about last week) will make its way to other educational venues. Of course K-12 classrooms come to mind, out-of-school learning programs, colleges & universities, and beyond. 

There is a fine line between worrying too much about a theoretical, potential scenario and actually preparing for what is likely to come. In that vein, I am prepared for walking tours and other informal teaching spaces to be challenged. The 250th anniversary of our nation, by way of the Declaration of Independence, is upon us. People from around the world will look not just to Washington, DC, but all corners of the United States as we reflect on, well… how we’re doing at the quarter millennium mark as a nation. Part of the reflection is learning about the problematic and tough parts of our shared history.

I can not edit those parts out of the narrative. I do not delight in telling the Charles Stuart story, but if did happen. Slavery was an institution. But then it came to an end here in DC, and later the U.S. This was partially due people like Charles Stuart complying and also due to the steadfast bravery of the United States Colored Troops, which we also teach about on tour.

Does discussing these topics "...degrade shared American values?" Does shining a light on the USCT "...divide Americans based on race?" Does explaining compensated emancipation "...promote programs or ideologies inconsistent with Federal law and policy?" In my view, of course not. I believe most of my guests agree. The day may come when tour guiding and other forms of speech & teaching are challenged on these grounds. In the meantime, I will continue to keep learning, updating current tours, and introducing new tours all about DC and how we got from there to here and then to now. The future of telling stories is good.

True Reformers: From Alabama to U Street

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Even before Industrial Bank or Southern Aid Society provided capital, financial services, and insurance plans for Black businesses on U Street, a fraternal organization by the name of True Reformers arrived from Richmond, Virginia to help lay the foundation of what would become Black Broadway.

By the time this building at 1200 U Street NW was dedicated in 1903, the Grand Fountain of the United Order of True Reformers was already one of the most successful Black owned enterprises in the United States.

The origins of the Three Reformers date back to temperance and William Washington Browne. Browne born as an enslaved person in Georgia. During the Civil War, he fought for the Union and after the war became a teacher. He grew to believe that alcohol was the great hindrance to Black wealth and vitality. Not surprisingly, even temperance organizations were segregated. Browne attempted to join the all white Alabama temperance society, Good Templars in 1874. They refused, but helped Browne charter Black chapters across the state under the name Grand Fountain. Browne became the leader of Grand Fountain and grew the chapters throughout and then beyond Alabama, fairly quickly.

Browne was invited to start a similar group in Richmond, Virginia in 1876. There, the mission evolved and expanded. By 1880, the Reformers group in Richmond had become much more than a temperance society. It had evolved into a self-help and mutual benefit organization with the goal of enabling Black members to live without help from the White community. That meant creating Black-focused services such as banking, insurance, and others restricted, segregated industries.

The Savings Bank of the Grand Fountain of the United Order of True Reformers opened in 1888 and was the first Black owned and Black operated financial institution to be chartered in the nation. It was so successful that during the Panic of 1893, they were the only Richmond bank that continued to honor checks. From there, Grand Fountain expanded their financial services offerings over the next quarter century to become arguably the most influential institution for Black commerce nationwide. Browne passed away of cancer in 1897, but by then the True Reformers was a self-sustaining organization with membership in the thousands.

In 1903 the True Reformers’ newly opened structure in Washington at 1200 U Street NW was America’s first to be solely owned by, financed by, designed by, and constructed by African Americans since Reconstruction. They offered a multitude of amenities and services to Black people in DC. Conference rooms, leased office space, a performance hall, and street level retail were all part of the vast offerings beyond financial services.

One of the first businesses to lease space on the ground level was Fountain Pharmacy, opening in 1905. For 12 years, the Fountain was operated by Dr. Amanda Gray who started her own business after graduating from Howard University and working as a pharmacist at the Woman’s Clinic, a care facility located, at the time, near 13th and T Streets NW.

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Medical directory produced by Fountain Pharmacy. (Library of Congress)

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Article about Dr. Gray in Pharmaceutical Era journal c. 1912. (Library of Congress)

Dr. Gray is thought to have been the first Black woman to own and operate a pharmacy in the city. Her store in the True Reformer building offered additional services such as laundry, mail, and even housed a telegraph office. Dr. Gray also produced a directory of emergency medical services in the city. Dr. Gray ran the Fountain Pharmacy until the death of her husband and fellow pharmacist Arthur in 1917.

During the fledgling first few years of what would become the “Black Broadway” era on U Street, the True Reformer building became known for hosting jazz concerts popular with both youth and adults.

In 1916 a young Duke Ellington played some of his first shows for money inside the rooms of True Reformer Hall, as it was colloquially known, thereby making him a professional musician. Just a year later in 1917, the True Reformers sold the building to the Knights of Pythias, who officially renamed it Pythias Hall, but the old name persists to this day.

Somewhat fittingly, the building is now home to the Public Welfare Foundation, a grant-making organization focused on social justice issues in the United States.

For more weekly DC history posts, photos, inside access to tour development, and more, support us on Patreon. Plans start at just $3/mo.

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True Reformer building c. 1990s with its sole tenant, a Duron Paints store. (Library of Congress)

Busy U Street in late 2019.

Read more:
William Washington Browne and the True Reformers of Richmond, Virginia | JSTOR
A Family of Pharmacists | Library of Congress
William Washington Browne | Library of Virginia
Public Welfare Foundation | Public Welfare Foundation

A Story in a Photograph [Patreon Preview]

During these initial few weeks of establishing content on Patreon, we will share a few of the posts usually only available to Patrons. You can support our work and become a Patron here: Attucks Adams on Patreon

Enjoy!
-Tim

Converting a live, in-person walking tour into an online "virtual tour" or "virtual field trip" experience wasn't as straightforward as I initially imagined. The lesson planning, the presentation, even the content have all required drastic change. I've been forced to rethink what themes and important messages I want to get across, and what media I need to illustrate those narratives.

Of course, photographs are key to illustrating an historical narrative, especially when I can't just point to a building and reference history against it in real time. On the flip side, being forced to rethink how I present information has allowed me to even further back up some of the stories I have used on tour with even more nuance.

Looking at the first photograph here: What do you see?

What is the setting? Who are these guests? What are they doing?

As part of the U Street tour (Art & Soul of Black Broadway), I tell a story about Ahmet Ertegun. Ahmet was son of the Turkish Ambassador to the United States. As such, he lived in the Turkish Embassy with his family. Ertegun and his brother Nesuhi were heavy into jazz music and became nuanced fans of the genre. They spent time on 7th Street NW, the "Black Broadway" of Washington, DC at the time, including Howard Theatre and Waxie Maxie's record store.  

At the time (early 1940s) Washington, DC was severely segregated like much of the United States, and in most places jazz or any other musical performance would not be played publicly with black and white artists together.

However, the Erteguns had another vision. Ahmet and his brother Nesuhi often hosted salons and jazz concerts with the top artists of their time, specifically inviting Black artists into the embassy, so much so that their neighbors in the all white Sheridan Circle neighborhood questioned why Black folks were allowed to enter the embassy through the front door. Along with the performances and jazz sessions, the Etergun's had all the artists gather over a meal, usually lunch.

This photo is from one of the lunches in the 1940s. Included in the photo are Nesuhi Ertegun, Adele Girard, Joe Marsala, Zutty Singleton, Max Kaminsky, an unnamed person, Ahmet M. Ertegun, Sadi Coylin, and (likely) Benny Morton. 

Ahmet Ertegun went on to graduate studies at Georgetown University and while there, started a small record label for DC r&b and gospel artists. He later enlisted an investment and partnership from friend Herb Abramson. By 1947 they had incorporated Atlantic Records in New York City. Atlantic Records became one of the most influential labels in jazz, soul, pop, rock, and other genres.

Most of this information won't make it into the 90 minute tour, but on occasion I have guests who are big on Turkish history, American diplomatic history, long shuttered DC record stores, jazz in America, or any number of tangential topics to the tour. Being able to go just one level deeper into the narrative creates value for guests, and opens a door to further learning for me as the storyteller.

I'll continue to post photos, images, and objects that won't ever make it into a tour, but that drive my research and tour building. I’m grateful for this new outlet!

The photo in this post is from the Library of Congress William P. Gottlieb Collection. 

Exhibition Spotlight: Americans

Americans is a new, long term exhibition at the National Museum of the American Indian. I was floored by this exhibition. In a good way! It's on my must-see list for Washington, DC museum-goers for this summer.

Americans features 300 objects, still images, moving image clips, and historical artifacts across a 9,000 square foot gallery. There are interactive digital touch tables and a reflection room with excellent questions to get you thinking and writing. In addition to the images and objects, three mini-galleries trace the long lasting impacts of the legacy of Pocahontas, our changing memories regarding Battle of Little Bighorn, and the implementation of Indian Removal Act.

The exhibition highlights the ways in which American Indians, and specifically Indian imagery have been part of our national identity from 1600s until the present. Some of the images are difficult to look at, some complex, some took me by surprise, and some were very familiar.

From vehicle names, to fashion, to machines of war, to sports, we've co-opted American Indian imagery for commercial, political, and propagandic purposes. Often times we have done this in prejudicial, careless, and harmful ways. Other images were seemingly benign or sought to honor or pay homage. Seeing it all presented here in mostly a matter-of-fact manner was affecting and educational. I was moved and reflective after the experience.

Americans is located on the 3rd floor of the National Museum of the American Indian (4th St and Independence Ave SW). It will be on display until the year 2022.

Learn more:

Americans exhibition interactive website (FYI - has sound).
National Museum of the American Indian official website.
The Invention of Thanksgiving short film/video (featured in the exhibition).
Exhibition review by the Washington Post.
 

Raymond Kaskey's American Storyboard

One of the most compelling elements of the National World War II Memorial is a series of bas-relief panels lining the north and south sides of the Memorial near 17th Street NW. DC-based sculptor Raymond Kaskey created the panels (and all other bronze sculptural elements in the memorial).

The 24 panels illustrate how World War II permeated every aspect of American life from the battlefields to living rooms, farms, and factories. They run in chronological order from east to west and are divided into the themes of Pacific front and Atlantic front, including scenes from life in the United States during the war.

Mr. Kaskey was inspired by the 1,200 foot wrap-around bas-relief frieze on the National Building Museum and used World War II era photographs housed at the National Archives to inform artwork on the panels . Here are a few close ups of these amazing depictions: