Delta Sigma Theta Sorority Inc Arts and Letters Commission 1990 Project Cherish

Mission1. Identify and Preserve the African

American Cultural Identity through2. The Beautification and Cherishing of

African-American Landmarks, Monuments and Historic Places

The Brooklyn Alumnae Chapter of Delta Sigma Theta Sorority, Inc. organized a committee to commemorate the African American Experience in Brooklyn.

The information in this presentation was compiled by the Project Cherish Committee

Soror Barbara Haynes Soror Rita Brakeen Soror Belinda Pedrosa

Brooklyn Alumnae Chapter of Delta Sigma Theta Sorority, Inc establishes The Project Cherish Committee

1992

2011For Our 60th Anniversary

The Heritage and Archives Committee was asked to present to BAC

Project Cherish as part of the celebration

Heritage and Archives Committee

Soror Yolanda Belcher Soror Barbara HaynesChairs

Updated in 2011 to reflect other significant sites to the African American Experience in

Brooklyn

The 60th Anniversary of The Brooklyn Alumnae Chapter of

Delta Sigma Theta Sorority Inc.

James Ash- First Known African American to Purchase property in Brooklyn 41 Hicks St

Site 1 41 Hicks St Corner of Hicks and Middagh Streets Brooklyn Heights

The development of African American communities in Brooklyn began in 1806 with the migration of African Americans from Manhattan (NYC).

James Ash purchased 41 Hicks St. He was the first known free African American to purchase property in Brooklyn. Mr. Ash paid $550.000 in cash for the property

Public School #8 is now erected on this plot of land

Public School #8 41 Hicks St

Brooklyn’s Black BeltFort Greene & Clinton Hill

Businesses and PeopleThroughout Fort Greene and

Clinton Hill

Successful Business Men-1906

Net worth over $100,000

Comprised of

Tailor Baseball Managers

Printers Funeral Directors

Restaurateurs Caterers

Grocers Furniture Dealer

Plus many other business ownersDr. Sharon Mckinney

205 Dekalb Ave

African Free Schools

Colored School 11. Erected in 1827 on

Nassau St.2. Founded by Henry C.

Thompson Response to students cast out of Brooklyn District Schools

3. 2nd Location was Raymond & Willoughby Sts.

4. 1883 Moved to North Elliot and Park Ave

5. Currently known as P.S. 67

Colored School 21. Established in 1839 in

Carrville2. Relocated to Weeksville

in 1847 on the corner of Troy and Dean St.

3. Eventually it was merged with Public School 83, a white school at Dean street and Schnectady Ave

Summary1. In 1843, The Brooklyn Board of Education was

founded but segregation of races was still perpetuated.

2. African American children were expected to attend “their schools”.

3. In 1845, the African Free schools were renamed Colored School #1 and #2

4. In 1867, schools were renumbered and included within the Public School system

5. CS #1 became P.S. 67 and CS #2 became P.S.686. P.S. 68 was eliminated

African Free Schools

1. CS #3 originally started in Williamsburgh before 1841

2. The School was adopted by the Williamsburgh Common School in 1844 and established in an old district building in North 1st St. between 3rd Ave(Berry St. and 4th Ave(Bedford Ave)

3. !n 1850 CS #3 moved to the Junction of Union & Keap, referred to as Tenth St. School or known as Bushwick District School #1

4. In 1855, incorporated into Brooklyn Board of Education as CS #3. In 1867, was renamed P.S. 69

Colored School #3-WilliamsburgUnion Ave. and Stagg St.

Colored School #3-WilliamsburgUnion Ave. and Stagg St

1. In 1879, a new building was erected on Union St. near Stagg. St.

2. Catherine T. Clow, the first African American female principle in Brooklyn, supervised the operations of the school.

3. The school eventually was closed in 1902.4. However, the Building Remains Intact.

Colored Schools 2 and 3 Colored School 2

Colored School 3

The Bridge St. African Wesleyan Methodist Church

1. The History begins in 1766 when a British Captain, Thomas Webb began holding open air services in downtown Brooklyn near Bridge and Sands Sts.

2. From these gatherings a congregation was formed. 23 whites and 12 African Americans, both free and slaves.

3. In 1794, the congregation purchased the land and

built a church.4. The Congregation became the Sand Street Wesleyan

Methodist Church. Slaves and Freed African Americans worshipped their, but only permitted to sit in galleries

The Bridge St. African Wesleyan Methodist Church

1. By 1810, membership increased to 1500 members so a new church was built and renamed The First Methodist Episcopal Church of Brooklyn

2. Between 1810 and 1817, the African American membership increased.

3. Whites, unhappy with the situation sought to impose a $10.00 quarterly fee to A.A. to worship in restricted galleries.

4. African Americans withdrew their membership and formed their own place of worship.

5. In February 1818, the African Wesleyan Methodist Episcopal Church was incorporated and in1819, land was purchased on High and Jay St. and a church was built.

Bridge Street African Wesleyan Methodist Episcopal Church

1. By 1854, the building of the First Congregational Church at 309 Bridge St. was purchased to accommodate the growing congregation. The church was now known as The Bridge Street African Wesleyan Methodist Episcopal Church

2. The Bridge Street A.W.M.E church operated as a station on the Underground Railroad, using the basement to house, feed, and care for escaping slaves.

3. The congregation moved to its present location in 1938.

Bridge St. AWME Then and Now

Concord Baptist Church of ChristSeveral Locations

1. The church was first located on Concord Street near Gold St and remained on the fringe of Fort Greene until 1873

2. The Concord Baptist Church of Christ was the first African American religious institution organized in the Fort Greene Ward. Rev. Sampson White formed this Baptist congregation until 1863

3. In 1873 it moved to Canton Ave near Park Ave. The Rev, William T. Dixon led the congregation for 46 years..

Concord Baptist Church of ChristSeveral Locations

1. The church moved again in 1890 to Duffield St. near Myrtle Ave.

2. It moved to its present location, Marcy Ave and Putnam Ave in 1939

3. The Rev. Gardner Taylor was Famous throughtout the world for his civil rights Participation and leadership.

Corcord Baptist Church Then and Now

833 Marcy Ave

Lincoln Settlement105 Fleet Street

1. The Lincoln Settlement was founded in 1915 by an African American Physician named Dr. Marton Jones and Marcy White Orvington. Ms. Orvington was a prominent white New Yorker who devoted herself to the improvement of all aspects of the African American Life in NYC.

2. The Lincoln Settlement Served “Brooklyn’s Black belt”-Fort Greene Area as a social service center

3. Main feature was its day nursery, The Prince St. Kindergarten, a salvation for working mothers

4. The day nursery eventually merged with the one established by Siloam Presbyterian Church.

5. In 1920, The Brooklyn Urban League merged with the Lincoln Settlement. The Lincoln Settlement was discontinued and the building site no longer exists.

Siloam Presbyterian ChurchCorner Jefferson and Marcy

1. Siloam Presbyterian Church was organized by James N. Gloucester in 1848 as a mission on Fleet St. In 1896, Siloam organized a free kindergarten for African American children

2. The Lincoln Settlement kindergarten was merged with this school in 1897. In 1919, it moved to 404 Lafayette Ave.

3. Siloam Presbyterian is also noted for being a stop on the Underground Railroad

4. In the 1950:s it rose to national recognition when the Rev. Milton Galamison led the city’s parents in a dramatic school boycott to achieve educational reform.

Siloam Presbyterian ChurchCorner Jefferson and Marcy

Siloam Today

Varick Memorial African Methodist Episcopalian Zion Church806 Quincy St

1. The Varick Memorial A.M.E Zion church began as The Zion A.M.E. It is the first know African American church in Williamsburg, incorporated in 1835.It was also know as the Williamsburgh A.M.E Zion Church

2. During its history, the church moved several times. The most stable location was the corner of South Third and Hooper St. from 1886 through 1919.

3. The Rev. Henry M. Wilson served as pastor from 1879 to 1883. He was also minister of Shiloh Presbyterian Church in NYC.

4. It has had several names throughout its history.. In 1894, it was the Union A.M. E. Zion Church, 1n 1908, it moved to Ralph near Bergen and renamed Ralph A.M.E.

5. The church finally settled at Quincey St and Patchen Ave

Varick Memorial African Methodist Episcopalian Zion Church806 Quincy St

Varick Today

Weeksville Society

1. The Weeksville area was named after James Weeks, a steward who purchased the land from the Lefferts family in 1839. The boundaries of Weeksville established in 1839 were Troy Ave, Herkimer St., Schnectady Ave and Dean St.

2. The Weeksville was discovered again in the 1960’s by Jim Hurley and Joe Haynes, two African American Pilots, flying over the area and sighted four small wooden frame houses in the neighborhood. The remaining structures of Weeksville included two churches, Bethel Tabernacle and Berean Baptist Church and the Hunterfly houses.

Weeksville Society

Then and Now

Weeksville Society

1. The children of P.S. 242 renamed their school the Weeksville school and first proposed to save these structures as a museum. The children raised the first funds designated for this preservation. In 1970, The Weeksville Homes received officially NYC landmark status.

2. The Weeksville Society, through the tireless efforts of renown Joan Maynard, the first Executive Director of the Weeksville Society, ... has grown and it in the midst of building a museum. Many hands have helped in Weeksville’s growth and development, including our own President, Soror Eleanor Rollins.

3. The Weeksville community has produced a number of leading citizens, including Susan Smith McKinney-Stewart-Brooklyn’s first African American female Doctor, born in Weeksville in 1847

Howard Colored Orphanage Asylum1550 Dean St

1. The Howard Colored Orphanage Asylum was founded in Weeksville in 1899 as the “Home for Free Children and Others”. The Home was started for freed African American women who came North with children and found themselves unable to obtain residences for themselves and their children. Originally they would try to take the children to the NYC Asylum, but were refused.

2. Initially a Mrs. Tilman housed children in her personal home located at 104 East 13th St. IN NYC

Howard Colored Orphanage Asylum1550 Dean St

1. General O.O. Howard (Howard University) and C.Y. Howard advised the removal of the youth to better housing quarters in Brooklyn. A building was rented in Brooklyn and in September 1868,the home was eventually incorporated as the “Brooklyn Howard Colored Orphanage Asylum with Mrs. Tilman serving as it’s Directress.

2. The school sheltered youth between the ages of 2 and 10..The home operated under this mission until 1918.

Howard Colored Orphanage Asylum1550 Dean St

1. In 1918, the Orphanage moved to King's Park Long island and changed the name to the “Howard Orphanage and Industrial School”.

2. From 1918 through 1956 the School’s mission was education and it emphasized industrial education for African American youth

3. In 1956, the organization became the “Howard memorial Fund”. The purpose of the Fund was to provide scholarships to aid needy children in their education pursuits, The fund is currently in existence and is managed by Dr, J.H.N. Waring

4. The original site of the Orphanage is currently used as a bus repair yard. ( Dean Street and Troy Ave)

Zion Home for Colored AgedDean St ( Albany and Troy)

1. Located on Dean Between Albany and Troy Ave2. The Zion Home for the Colored Aged was started

by Dr. Susan Smith Mckinney-Stewart, who was the first African female doctor in Brooklyn and the third African American female doctor in the nation

3. The Home was located in Weeksville on dean Street between Albany and Troy Ave. Booker T. Washington was the keynote speaker at its dedication ceremony. It currently survives as an institution named the”Brooklyn Home of the Aged” located on St. John’s Place and Kingston Ave

Citizens Union CemeterySt. Marks Ave to President St

1. The citizens Union Cemetery was incorporated in November 1851 by an integrated organization in response to white Christian cemeteries’ refusal to accept African Americans for burial. The cemetery covered 30 acres of land in the heart of Carrville, which extended from St. marks Ave to President Street and between Rochester and Ralph Aves,

2. The cemetery was demolished between 1869-1870 due to the extension of Sackett Avenue.

3. Sackett Avenue is now known as Eastern Parkway.

Crispus Attucks ParkFulton St and Classon Ave

1. The .934 acre was acquired by the city in 1926 for use as a public park. It is names for Crispus attucks, a free African American, who was the first martyr of the Revolutionary

2. The city named this playground without authorization. It opened on October 28, 1934. For many years the park was the only memorial named for an African American in Brooklyn.

First Baptist Church of Sheepshead Bay

2349 15th St 1. The Sheepshead Bay Racetrack and the role it played in the birth of the

African American Community and the establishment of the First Baptist Church of Sheepshead Bay. 

2. Race track workers originally met at homes and outdoor locations . Realizing that the fledgling congregation needed a permanent structure, in the winter of '99 Fisher along with Sister Mary Woods approached the owner of the race track, William Engeman.  Telling him "We have no church for our fold in Sheepshead Bay," she began to speak about the spiritual needs of the African-American community

3. Soon after, Maria Fisher received a letter from the racetrack owner giving the congregation the land at 2349 East 15th Street.  The one-story and basement church would be constructed for a cost of $2,870.00 by Theodore McKane, contractor.  Second-hand bricks were donated for the foundation, but they had to be transported.  Undeterred, Mother Fisher borrowed a wheelbarrow and carted the initial load to the site herself. 

4. The racing industry in this section of Brooklyn died in the early 1900's. Mother Maria Fisher passed away in 1930. But their legacy, born from the intersection of commerce, migration and religion lives on in the First Baptist Church of Sheepshead Bay.  The church has grown and prospered througout the years, and on May 16th, 2009, a portion of East 15th Street was renamed Mother Maria J. Fisher Way, in her honor.  The celebrations continued with the church celebrating its 110th anniversary the next day.

First Baptist Church of Sheepshead Bay2349 15th St

Celebrating over 110 years

BAC worshipped at the Church in the early 1990’s

Street named for the original founder of the Church

2011 More Past and Present African American Sites to Cherish

Elks PlazaLafayette Ave Presbyterian Church

MoCadaNkiru Center for Education

Prince Hall lodgeSkylight Galleries

Billie Holiday TheatreUnited Order of Tents

Akwaaba Mansion

Nkiru Center for Education and Culture

732 Washington Ave

1. African/American focused bookstore, formerly called Nkiru Books

2. Nkiru is the oldest black-oriented bookstore in Brooklyn. Its intimate setting and passionate owners linked generations of residents and enticed the community to read. The Store carried books you couldn’t find else where and its owners are a valuable resource and educator.

Elks Plaza1068 Fulton St

Home of the Improved Benevolent and Protective Order of the Elks

1. Elks Plaza. Built in the early 1910s, it was later home to the Black Elks fraternal organization and now serves as a rental hall.

2. Originally a single-family home, the current Elks Plaza building was expanded several times in the 1910s and 20s to create the current four-story building. In the 1940s, it became the Brooklyn home of the Black Elks, the African American branch of the Elks fraternal organization (the original Elks, founded in 1868, did not admit Blacks until 1973).

3. As Brooklyn Lodge No. 32 (the name still visible today on the building’s exterior) it grew to serve over 1,000 members and for many years was one of the few non-denominational sites in the area where blacks could congregate.

Lafayette Avenue Presbyterian Church85 S. Oxford St.

1. Church notable for its efforts in the anti-slavery movement, supporting women in the ministry, and on behalf of working people and immigrants

2. Founded in 1857, the Lafayette Avenue Presbyterian Church has a long tradition of social activism and community service. Still housed in its original 1861-62 Romanesque Revival building, the church offers space to a myriad of local organizations and plays a leadership role in many important local and national social justice issues

MoCADA80 Hanson Pl

1. Ms. Cumbo created MoCADA after writing her master's thesis on Bedford-Stuyvesant's ability to support a museum. Her thesis found a strong connection between church attendance and museum attendance. With over 80 churches, Bedford-Stuyvesant seemed like an ideal location for her institution, and, in fact, MoCADA's space is was originally leased from the Bridge Street AWME Church. As of 2004, the museum is in the midst of a capital campaign in order to move to a larger facility on Hanson Pl.

2. Founded in 1999, the Museum of Contemporary African Diaspora Arts (MoCADA) is committed to the work of contemporary artists of African descent. It is one of a handful of new cultural institutions that have located in Central Brooklyn in recent years, demonstrating the increasing cultural vibrancy of this community

Prince Hall lodge70 Pennsylvania Ave

1. This Masonic lodge is the home of the first Black lodge in the United States. It was founded by Prince Hall who was born in Barbados, West Indies which was then under British control.

2. It has a magnificent facade that dominates the block and the surrounding area which has gas stations and industrial buildings.

Skylight Gallery1368 Fulton St

1. The Bedford Stuyvesant Restoration Corporation’s Skylight Gallery was started in 1972 as a central component of the corporation's Center for Arts and Culture.

2. With a mission of showcasing emerging and established artists from Africa and the Diaspora, the gallery is part of a larger initiative to build community pride and capacity through the arts.

Billie Holiday Theatre1368 Fulton St. Begun in 1972 as a part of Bedford

Stuyvesant Restoration Corporation’s Arts and Culture Program, the Billie Holiday Theatre brings affordable, quality theater to a community with few venues for live performance.

Housed in the Restoration Plaza complex from its inception over 30 years ago, "The Billie" (as it is known locally) has made it a priority to reach out to its local community with accessible, low-cost, relevant entertainment. Its founding reflects the Bedford Stuyvesant Restoration Corporation's belief that arts and culture are as central to community redevelopment as social and economic services. And clearly there is strong community support for the theater--it now regularly attracts over 30,000 audience members during its 40-week season

United Order of The Tents58 MacDonough St

1. The building has been occupied since 1945 by The United Order of Tents, one of the oldest lodges for African-American women in the country.

2. The lodge was founded in Norfolk, Virginia by two slave women, Annetta M. Lane and Harriet R. Taylor; and two abolitionists, Joliffe Union and Joshua R. Giddings as a part of the underground railway, assisting slaves to escape to the north.

3. After the Civil War it was formally organized and publicly recognized as a lodge for African American women and dedicated to charity.

Akwaaba Mansion347 MacDonough StBrooklyn's Akwaaba Mansion opens in 1995

1. Their dream house was a dilapidated mansion that the kids in the neighborhood called "the haunted house." Friends and neighbors looked at the couple as if they had three eyes when they announced their plans to purchase the 1860s mansion, return it to its original grandeur, and operate it as an upscale inn. And they did have three eyes –  the third eye is the eye of vision: the ability to see the possibility. In 1995, Akwaaba Mansion opened to rave reviews. Guests come from near and far to stay in the elegant mansion offering unpretentious ease.

2. Monique and Glenn are the fifth owners of the Italianate structure, which features original details, such as 14-foot ceilings, ornate fireplaces, intricate parquet wood floors and gaslight fixtures, along with modern conveniences, such as a private baths in each guestroom with oversized Jacuzzi tubs. Monique and Glenn purchased the home from the Lilly family, a working-class African-American family who lived there for over 50 years after the parents and their eight young adult children pooled their money together to buy it as the family home.

Resources

1. Internet2. http://www.placematters.net3. http://www.propertyshark.com4. Site Websites5. Brownstoners Blog6. We have presented short histories, but the 7. in depth stories are fascinating and there are

so many more sites to explore. 8. We recommend that you explore our history

before the face of Brooklyn is changed forever.9. There are so many more sites to document.