Ntozake Shange’s for colored girls who have considered suicide/when the rainbow is enuf

In 1974, poet and playwright Ntozake Shange debuted her groundbreaking work, For colored girls who have considered suicide/when the rainbow is enuf, at The Bacchanal, a women’s bar in Albany, California. Using an innovative form she defined as a “choreopoem”—a ...

Doorway façade from the Baxter Terrace Housing Project, Newark, New Jersey

With the population of urban areas swelling through the first half of the 20^th century, middle and low-income families had trouble finding adequate housing. Only with the 1937 passage of the Wagner-Steagall Housing Act, did the federal government accelerate and ...

Cattle Branding Iron Used by the Bell Family

This cattle branding iron is more than a tool for marking livestock. In 1878, African American cattle rancher Calvin Bell registered his brand with the state of Texas, making it one of the first African American-owned brands registered there. Bell’s ...

Camera and Photo of Rev. H.C. Anderson's Photo Studio

Through the lens of this camera, Henry Clay “H. C.” Anderson captured images of segregated life among Greenville, Mississippi’s African American population. Seen through Anderson’s lens, Greenville is a place of spirit and resolve—a community where the black middle class ...

Tanyard Creek Park, Memorial Park & The Battle of Peachtree Creek

In the fourth year of the Civil War, as the Union Army continued to surge into Confederate territory their victory seemed assured. With General William Sherman leading the Union march towards Georgia, it appeared as if no Confederate forces ...

General Walker’s Monument, the end of the Battle of Atlanta’s Night March

In the final year of the American Civil War, having fought their way through Georgia, the Union faced Confederate defenses in Atlanta. Both sides understood that the fall of Atlanta would mean a major turning point in the war.

The Death of General McPherson

General James Birdseye McPherson was one of the most beloved generals of the American Civil War. His death caused “sincere sorrow” to Confederates and Union soldiers alike. One of his colleagues described his death outside modern-day Decatur during the ...

Union Gold Bluffs Placer Mine

In 1881 John Chapman and one other party owned and operated the Gold Bluff mines. Chapman and his men watched the beaches closely, and when the "gray sands" began to go out, it constituted a signal to commence operations.

Meanwhile, ...

Gold Bluffs

In spring of 1850, J. K. Johnson and several companions headed north from Trinidad to look for the mouth of the Trinity. In passing up the beach, they saw gold grains in the sand. On their return, only gravel was ...

White Chief Mine

During 1876 the company three times assessed its stockholders. Each time, if the assessment was not paid, the stock was repossessed and resold by the company. The local prospectors who had traded their claims for stock soon found themselves being ...