Landmarks & Legacy: bus tour of African American Heritage and History

Starting at the Riley House, the bus tour on the heritage of African Americans in Tallahassee took us in a variety of places. Among them were Smokey Hollow, FAMU, the Civic Center, the old City Cemetery, Frenchtown, Alabama Street, Miracle Hill, FSU and finally Goodwood. Each place had something to tell us about the history of the African American community in Tallahassee. For instance, the Old city cemetery was and still is a segregated cemetery. Its West part is only for African Americans (important and/or wealthy ones only); the East side is reserved for white Caucasians. The two sides are quite different in appearance, the West being much simpler, less inhabited. Miracle Hill was the first nursing home for African Americans in Tallahassee, and was started by a Black Primitive Baptist Church back in the 1940s. FSU might have been created in 1851, but it was only in 1961 that the first black students got the opportunity to study in this institution. One of the now-administrative building of FAMU used to be a hospital for the African American community. And where the Civic Center now stands, there used to be a flea market, which was a meeting ground for the African Americans in Tallahassee.
One of the interesting moments of the tour was driving through the part of Tallahassee called “Frenchtown”. Maybe it is because I speak French and people keep thinking I am French (but no, I’m Swiss, and not Swedish either), but I have always been curious about that part of town. I had heard things about it, but – after one year in town – still had no idea where it was and what it looked like. I had heard that it was not such a good part of town at one point, but that things have been improving over the years. It certainly looked like it. Even though the neighborhood still seems pretty diverse, it was interesting to observe what they call the “revitalization” process. Frenchtown used to be the center of the city for the African American community. It used to have Lincoln Academy, a movie theater, different stores and public places. The neighborhood seems to have changed a lot, but now there is a plan to bring it back to life, making it more attractive again. The project is laudable per se, but its consequences not so much. Indeed, the plan is to build new residential houses that look exactly like the old and original ones still standing there. That is a good example of integration, to keep the unity of a neighborhood or district. However, there is a glitch in the picture. Indeed, those new houses might be identical copies from the original ones, but they are so much more expensive. The consequence is that the original inhabitants can no longer afford the new neighborhood. That reminded me of Mike Wallace’s Mickey Mouse History and Essays on American Memory, in his chapter about the history of Historic Preservation in the United States. At one point, Wallace explains how historic districts are being restored and revitalized – which is good – but that as a result, the original community living in that area has to move out, because prices become too high. Wallace is very strongly opinionated, and yet he seems to have a point that I had not fully realized when first reading him. I thought he only felt the need to relate everything to class struggles and unfairness. Once again, I thought he was just making too much of a fuss. But having seen Frenchtown, and having actually witnessed what Wallace was referring to, helped me understand what his general concern was. I will not go as far as agreeing with all of his critiques, but the underlying issue is much more obvious now: should a district be restored and revitalized to the detriment of its original inhabitants? Isn’t it too much of a paradox that bringing back a neighborhood to what it used to be implies getting rid of its “historic community”? Shouldn’t preservation try to take into consideration both the buildings and the communities? I am not quite sure to what extent such a project could be possible, but some steps can be surely taken towards that direction.
Visiting Goodwood was also an interesting experience, because of the amazing preservation and restoration work that has been performed, and also because the place is unique. Protected by majestic live oaks, this early-nineteenth century residence has been brought back to what it looked like in the 1920s. Its furniture is all original and reflects the different owners of the house. Goodwood was originally a plantation, and therefore surely had slaves working out in the fields. The owners also surely had servants around them, for it is a very big house that needs taking care of. However, that history is very much left on the side, the visit focusing on the different landlords and landladies. This is very much understandable, because the history on that aspect is already so very rich, and this is mostly what the house tells us about itself. However, I wondered in retrospect how our visit to Goodwood could be related to the rest of our tour, how to include this part of history in the history we had mostly been focusing on: the African Americans in Tallahassee.
Leaving books and classes, going on a bus tour to discover the history of a city and of one of its community was a fascinating experience. History was right there, through buildings, cemeteries, and neighborhoods. It was something reachable, not just something you have to imagine or conceptualize while sitting quietly at your desk. And as I am writing this, I cannot help but remember what Adam said on the bus: “Could you imagine what such a field trip would be like in Washington?” Once again, this reminded me of Europe and makes me imagine a public history or historic preservation field trip in Paris, Rome, or even Berne. It would not be just school-book history anymore, and it would not be simply walking in the street, observing very old buildings and different monuments and respecting them just because of their age or meaning. It would be a combination, using what books have taught us to discover further and experience the heritage that all those cities carry; not just architectural, but also social and economical.