Survey Report African American Struggle for Civil Rights in Rhode Island: the Twentieth Century Statewide Survey and National Register Evaluation

Survey Report African American Struggle for Civil Rights in Rhode Island: The Twentieth Century Statewide Survey and National Register Evaluation January 2020 This material was produced with assistance from the Historic Preservation Fund, administered by the National Park Service, Department of the Interior. Any opinions, findings, and conclusions or recommendations expressed in this material are those of the author(s) and do not necessarily reflect the views of the Department of the Interior Survey Report African American Struggle for Civil Rights in Rhode Island: The Twentieth Century Phase 2: Statewide Survey and National Register Evaluation July 2, 2019 Submitted to: RI Historical Preservation and Heritage Commission 150 Benefit Street Providence, RI 02903 Background and Purpose The Rhode Island Historical Preservation and Heritage Commission (RIHPHC), in partnership with the Rhode Island Historical Society (RIHS) and the Rhode Island Black Heritage Society (RIBHS), engaged the Public Archaeology Laboratory, Inc. (PAL) to complete a Statewide Survey and National Register Evaluation of sites relating to the Twentieth-Century African American Civil Rights Movement in Rhode Island. This project was Phase 2 of a three-phase project funded by the National Park Service’s African American Civil Rights Grant Program; Phase 1 was completed by RIBHS researchers in July 2018. This Survey Report for Phase 2 includes a methodology statement, a historical context statement, a summary of surveyed sites, and a bibliography. A list of the surveyed resources and corresponding maps are provided in the attached appendix. Methodology Statement The purpose of this project was to complete an intensive-level survey of extant cultural and architectural resources associated with the African American Civil Rights Movement in twentieth- century Rhode Island. The project goals were to produce RIHPHC Historic Property Data Forms for 75 properties identified in Phase 1 and a narrative report that includes a historical context statement, a map of surveyed properties, and National Register of Historic Places (National Register) eligibility recommendations. The list of properties to be surveyed was derived from the results of Phase 1 and discussion with representatives of the RIHPHC, RIHS, and RIBHS. The Phase 1 products included a comprehensive study of Rhode Island’s twentieth-century African American Civil Rights history and a list of approximately 220 associated historic resources, of which 117 are thought to be extant. In September 2018, RIHPHC staff ranked the extant properties according to priority: high, medium, or low. Properties that were clearly associated with a person, organization, or event important to the twentieth-century history of African American Civil Rights in Rhode Island and documented in readily available sources such as newspapers, directories, or other materials were assigned a high or medium priority. Properties with a lack of clearly defined associations with the civil rights movement in the twentieth century or of available historical information were assigned a low priority. The ranking also attempted to select a diversity of geographical locations within the state and of resource types (e.g., residence, civic building, landscape, etc.). Where individuals were 26 Main Street Pawtucket, RI 02860 Tel: 401.728.8780 Fax: 401.728.8784 www.palinc.com Survey Report African American Struggle for Civil Rights in Rhode Island: The Twentieth Century Phase 2: Statewide Survey and National Register Evaluation page 2 of 42 associated with multiple properties, the highest ranking was given to the property with the strongest associations (e.g., longest amount of time or location of most important activities). Project participants met on October 9, 2018, and concurred with the RIHPHC rankings, which resulted in a preliminary list of 82 properties assigned a high or medium priority. The final list of 75 properties to be surveyed was based on Phase 2 research and field survey and determined in consultation with the RIHPHC. For all the properties on the preliminary survey list, PAL reviewed existing historic documentation, including RIHPHC Historic Property Data Forms, RIHPHC survey publications, the Rhode Island State Register of Historic Places, and the National Register. Approximately one-third of the properties on the list were never previously surveyed. Existing RIHPHC inventory forms for the other properties primarily date from the 1970s, and most do not include information on a property’s associations with Rhode Island civil rights history. Almost two-thirds of the properties (47 out of 75) are already listed in the National Register individually or as part of a historic district but generally not for their civil rights associations, and the existing nominations for the most part do not acknowledge that aspect of the properties’ history. Fourteen properties are recommended potentially eligible for listing based on the results of this survey project. Phase 2 research and field survey was conducted between October 2018 and May 2019. General documentary research included a review of materials identified in the Phase 1 study, including the oral histories conducted as part of that work, and other scholarly publications on twentieth-century civil rights activities in Rhode Island and throughout the United States to develop the historical context statement. General and property-specific research was conducted in local, regional, and state library and archive collections including the Providence Public Library Rhode Island Collections and the Rhode Island State Archives. Property-specific research also consisted of keyword searches in digital newspaper archives including the Providence Journal, the Newport Sun, and the New York Age and in other online databases such as the Library of Congress American Folklife Center and Ancestry.com. Limited map and directory research was conducted to determine building construction dates where necessary. Field survey consisted of recording the physical attributes needed to complete the RIHPHC Historic Property Data Form for each identified property and photographically documenting each property using a high-resolution digital SLR camera in accordance with the Secretary of the Interior’s Standards. A web-based GIS map was used to locate each property in the field and interactively record field data. The physical attributes of each property were recorded on the front of the RIHPHC Historic Property Data Form. Brief narratives explaining the property’s associations with the African American Civil Rights Movement in the twentieth century was provided on the back of the form, along with pertinent bibliographic information. A purpose statement included before the narrative explained the objectives of this survey effort and noted that a surveyed property may also have associations with other historical contexts that were not discussed here. National Register eligibility recommendations for the resources included in this survey project were based on analysis of the available background information and the visual data collected during field survey against the National Register criteria (36 CFR 60). These criteria are the standards for evaluating the significance of resources as established by the National Park Service, Department of Survey Report African American Struggle for Civil Rights in Rhode Island: The Twentieth Century Phase 2: Statewide Survey and National Register Evaluation page 3 of 42 the Interior. The criteria are designed to guide the evaluation of potential entries for the National Register. The National Register criteria state that “the quality of significance in American history, architecture, archaeology, engineering, and culture is present in districts, sites, buildings, structures, and objects that possess integrity of location, design, setting, materials, workmanship, feeling, and association and: A. that are associated with events that have made a significant contribution to the broad patterns of our history; or B. that are associated with the lives of persons significant in our past; or C. that embody the distinctive characteristics of a type, period, or method of construction, or that represent the work of a master, or that possess high artistic values, or that represent a significant and distinguishable entity whose components may lack individual distinction; or D. that have yielded, or may be likely to yield information important in prehistory or history. These criteria were applied to each surveyed resource to determine first if the resource has historical significance within the context of the twentieth-century civil rights movement in Rhode Island (included in this survey report) and second if the resource has integrity. Significant civil rights-related properties may not retain integrity because of a combination of factors that include limited financial resources, neglect, and until recently a general lack of attention to underrepresented history. The recommendations in this report take into consideration the fact that for properties with significance under Criteria A or B (as opposed to Criterion C for architecture) integrity of design and materials is often less important than the other aspects of integrity. Historical Context Statement The following historical context is drawn from a variety of sources but relies on several in particular. The narrative produced in Phase 1 of this project by the RIBHS served as a starting point for defining the major themes and questions. The general

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