Jackson Ward
From Wikipedia, the free encyclopedia
Jackson Ward is an historically African-American neighborhood in Richmond, Virginia, USA. It is located less than a mile from the Virginia State Capitol. It sits to the west of Court End.
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[edit] Center of black commerce, entertainment and religion
After the American Civil War, previously free blacks joined freed slaves and their descendants and created a thriving African-American business community, and became known as the "Black Wall Street of America." Leaders included such influential people as John Mitchell, Jr., editor of the Richmond Planet, an African American newspaper, and Maggie L. Walker. Ms. Walker was the first woman to charter and serve as president of an American bank, all the more remarkable an accomplishment as she was both African-American and was mobility-impaired. The Maggie L. Walker National Historic Site at her former Jackson Ward home is operated by the National Park Service. The house was designated a National Historic Site in 1978 and was opened as a museum in 1985. The center of the neighborhood is dominated by the former Armstrong High School, now the Richmond Public Schools Adult Career Development Center. Armstrong's sports field is now Abner Clay Park, which has a bandstand, football field, basketball court and tennis facilities.
Notable historic churches in Jackson Ward include the Hood Temple African Methodist Episcopal Church, Ebenezer Baptist Church and Sixth Mount Zion Baptist Church. Sixth Mount Zion is known as the home of African-American evangelist John Jasper, whose famous "Sun Do Move" sermon brought him fame[1]. Notable residents included Addolph Dill and Max Robinson and brother Randall Robinson. Early on, the neighborhood held a mix of German, Jewish, English and African American residents building in the Greek Revival and Italianate styles.
As a center for both black commerce and entertainment, Jackson Ward was also called the "Harlem of the South". Venues there were frequented by the likes of Duke Ellington, Ella Fitzgerald, Bill "Bojangles" Robinson, Lena Horne, Cab Calloway, Billie Holiday, Nat King Cole and James Brown. Jackson Ward is home to the historic Hippodrome Theater. Robinson's statue is at the center of the neighborhood at the intersection of Brook Road and West Leigh Street.
[edit] Decline, renewal
During the mid and late 20th century, as black Virginians became more widely integrated into Richmond's other business and residential areas, Jackson Ward as a center of black commerce and entertainment became less prominent. Some older structures became deteriorated, as had also occurred in other areas of the city of similar eras. Then, during the construction of the Richmond-Petersburg Turnpike in the 1950s, Jackson Ward was split in two, much to the detriment of the neighborhood.
However, in the last quarter of the 20th century, restoration of many older homes became quite frequent. Construction of the Greater Richmond Convention Center and Visitors Bureau at the western edge of Jackson Ward also brought a renewed vitality to the historic neighborhood. However, the construction of the convention center destroyed a number of houses in the neighborhood, and separated it from much of downtown. The neighborhood is on the National Register of Historic Places and is much of it is also a Richmond Old and Historic District. Numerous houses in the neighborhood have been targeted in Richmond's Neighborhoods in Bloom program.
In some areas, the progress of renovation has been slow, most notably with the First Virginia Volunteers Battalion Armory, best known as the Leigh Street Armory. It is owned by the city, but remains empty[2].
