Carver-VCU partnership oral history collection
Series of interviews conducted in 1999-2000 as part of a Carver-VCU Partnership project documenting the history of the African American Carver neighborhood in Richmond, Virginia.
More About This Collection
Contributor to Resource
Carver-VCU Partnership, James Branch Cabell Library. Special Collections and Archives
Publisher
Richmond, Va. : VCU Libraries
Date of Original
1999/2000
Subject
Richmond Redevelopment and Housing Authority
African American neighborhoods--Virginia--Richmond
Community development--Virginia--Richmond
City planning--Citizen participation
City planning--Virginia--Richmond
Housing authorities--Officials and employees--Interviews
Interviews
People
Abernathy, Barbara, 1941-
Austin, Marguerita
Crawley, Waverly R.
Davis, Trina
Finger, Duane
Gordon, Frances
Haggins, Barksdale W., 1932-
Haggins, Irving, 1934-
Hawley, Carolyn, 1959-
Hill, Jim
Hill, Kathryn Colwell
Hudson, Brenda
Kleffner, Doug
Knight, Allen, 1926-
Lucas, Lucy Anne
McBride, James
Plybon, Laura
Robinson, Viola
Schobitz, Rick
Taylor, Selma
Waller, Sheila
Weatherless, Nellie
West, Roy A.
Wood, Charles, 1907-
Wood, Mrs. Charles
Location
United States, Virginia, City of Richmond, 37.55376, -77.46026
Medium
sound recordings
oral histories (literary works)
Type
Sound, Text
Description
The oral history interviews presented here are part of the ongoing Carver-VCU Partnership that began in 1996. The Partnership's stated goal is to "create a shared urban community with a commitment to improving the neighborhood's quality of life." Carver is situated in Richmond, Virginia, just north of VCU's Monroe Park campus, and is primarily a working-class African American neighborhood, home to some 1,500 residents. The Carver name is derived from the neighborhood school named for George Washington Carver (1864-1943). The area was once called Sheep Hill because of its proximity to early stockyards.
These fifteen oral histories were conducted in 1999 and 2000 as part of a project funded by a grant from the Virginia Foundation for the Humanities and Public Policy. The project, described as a "Living Newspaper," produced a play entitled "Sheep Hill Memories — Carver Dreams." Those interviewed include longtime residents, including Barbara Abernathy, former president of the Carver Area Civic Improvement League, and Dr. Roy A. West, former mayor of Richmond, as well as newcomers to the community and those who have moved away from the neighborhood. The documentary play, which used information collected from the oral histories and other sources, focused on the history and survival of the Carver neighborhood.
Language
eng
Contributing Institution
James Branch Cabell Library. Special Collections and Archives
Rights
