#1. Swimming and diving at the public pool. This is from a photograph by Howard Curry. The young man diving is Alfred Howard, Jr. and the young man standing at the pool is Charles Byrd. From "Roots Run Deep" this was known as the Harris Pool, in honor of W.N.P. Harris and his 36 years of teaching. Harris Pool cost $25,000 to build and funds came from the city and the Cavalier Club.
#2. Green Book House in Harrisonburg: This house was a boarding house that served Black travelers from 1912 to 1962. The house is the only property remaining in the city that was on the Negro Motorist Green Book. First published in 1936, the Green Book served as a guide to help African Americans travel safely across the country during the time of Jim Crow laws and segregation.
#3. Girls' Church Choir. Church was an important part of life, as was music. The girls' choir is shown in this panel.
#4. Women's Basketball Team. The women's basketball team of 1943 was victorious over all local teams, earning a trip to Richmond where they defeated St. Francis Catholic School for Girls. The photographs from which I worked were in black and white. I needed to know the color of the uniforms and Dale MacAllister (author of "Lucy Simms") found the answer from his contacts: blue because the unifor
#5. Bethel AME Church. From Doris Allen's book "The Way It was…": "Everyone went to church. Sunday was a day of praise and thanksgiving to all Newtown residents. Church was fully attended regardless of denomination. All churches had three services on Sunday and prayer meeting on Wednesday." This panel depicts the Bethel AME Church at 184 Kelley Street. The Northeast Neighborhood Association su
#6. May Day Celebrations. May Day was celebrated by the entire community with food, games, and a king and queen of May Day.
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