The following are short descriptions of the places which have contributed to the shaping of African American history. These encyclopedia entries serve as a starting point for much more inclusive descriptions and discussions that appear in other sources. For additional information please consult the print or website sources cited in the entry.
Vanport, Oregon was the largest WWII federal housing project in the United States, and as such, attracted national attention to the region. At its peak, Vanport was home to over 42,000 residents, making it the second largest population center in the state. The housing project … Read MoreVanport, Oregon (1942-1948)
Bremerton, Washington became a major employment center during World War II when the Puget Sound Navy Yard expanded to meet wartime production demands. Nearly 80,000 workers were recruited to the yards, including 10,000 African Americans. Many of the first black arrivals were assigned to Sinclair Park, … Read MoreSinclair Park, Kitsap County, Washington (1943-1948)
Touted by the California Eagle as the “greatest undertaking ever put upon our people in America,” the Pacific Beach Club was to be the largest all-black recreational resort in the United States. Built on the shores of Huntington Beach, California between 1925 and 1926 (30 … Read MorePacific Beach Club (1926)
The Odessa Brown Children’s Clinic, which treats children throughout Seattle and King County, was developed cooperatively by the Seattle Model Cities Program, Children’s Orthopedic Hospital and Medical Center, and concerned citizens of the Central Area. It opened in 1970, at 2017 East Spruce Street and … Read MoreOdessa Brown Children’s Clinic
The Moulin Rouge opened in Las Vegas, Nevada, in 1955 and became the first racially integrated hotel-casino in the city. The new casino, built by white businessmen, attracted a sizable number of African American entertainers who realized they no longer would have to stay in segregated … Read MoreMoulin Rouge
This Seattle branch of the YMCA is located at 23rd Avenue and East Madison Street. The site was formerly used as a tennis club by members of the community. The property was owned by the Colman family, long-time supporters of the YMCA. Members of the … Read MoreMeredith Mathews East Madison YMCA
Denver, Colorado’s Five Points community originated in the 1880s as an upper middle-class neighborhood for professional and business men. The city built one of its first cable streetcar lines into the area and numerous neighborhood businesses emerged along its tracks. White residents initially occupied the … Read MoreFive Points, Denver, Colorado (ca. 1885- )
The Spokesman-Review of March 6, 1910 featured this headline: ‘Spokane Negroes Buy Land Tract to be Developed by Black Labor Only.’ The article continued, “For the purpose of giving the Negroes of Spokane an opportunity to demonstrate a fitness to survive in this northwest… a band … Read MoreDeer Lake Park, Deer Lake, Washington
Located in southwest Washington, the town of Centralia was founded by George Washington, an African American who came west in 1850 to escape discrimination. Washington first settled in Oregon Territory, but was barred from owning land there, so he moved north and eventually obtained a … Read MoreCentralia, Washington (1875– )
Denver women sponsored the formation of a Phillis Wheatley branch of the Young Women’s Christian Association in 1916, and in 1920 began sponsoring summer camps for the girls. Shortly after the turn of the century urbanites began sending their children to summer camps as a … Read MoreCamp Nizhoni (1924-1945)
