St. Louis: Disappearing Black Communities

By John A. Wright Sr.

Since the founding of St. Louis, African Americans have lived in communities throughout the area. Although St. Louis 1916 Segregation of the Negro Ordinance was ruled unconstitutional, African Americans were restricted to certain areas through real estate practices such as steering and red lining. Through legal efforts in the court cases of Shelley v. Kraemer in 1948, Jones v. Mayer in 1978, and others, more housing options became available and the population dispersed. Many of the communities began to decline, disappear, or experience urban renewal.

• Language: English
• Publisher: Arcadia Publishing
• Release date: Jan 19, 2005
• ISBN: 9781439631539

John A. Wright Sr.

John A. Wright Sr., Fulbright Scholar, educator, and historian, has compiled a visual and narrative record of African Americans in Downtown St. Louis that, for the first time in a single book, documents the pivotal role this area and its residents played in shaping the nation from the time of the Civil War to the era of Civil Rights.

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INTRODUCTION

Prior to the turn of the century African Americans could be found in almost every section of the city and county in single households and small communities. Today many of these neighborhoods and communities that were once thriving have now disappeared or they are fast moving into extinction. While some came about through natural growth, the vast majority came about through segregation. As some communities began to grow many whites began to feel the need to contain them. Around 1913 a committee of white citizens was formed that called for the Legal Segregation of Negroes in St. Louis. A study conducted by the committee found that African American communities extended their boundaries through natural growth. It was felt that this caused friction with white residents and both the blacks and whites would be better off segregated from each other. To stop the growth of black communities, the committee placed a segregation ordinance on the ballot in 1916. Although many blacks and whites opposed the ordinance, it passed. After the U. S. Supreme Court later ruled the ordinance unconstitutional, white citizens escalated the use of race restrictive covenants to prohibit property owners from selling to minorities. This practice and the use of steering by real estate agents provided the basis for the development of many of the African American communities. The use of restrictive covenants continued until 1948 when the U.S. Supreme Court ruled they were unconstitutional in the St. Louis case Shelley v Kraemer. However, segregation continued in the selling of homes by developers until 1968 when the U.S. Supreme Court ruled in the St. Louis case of Jones v. Alfred H. Mayer Co. that all citizens had the same right, in every state and territory, as enjoyed by white citizens. . . . The issue of fairness appeared again in 1979 when the U.S. Eighth Circuit Court of Appeals ruled that the City of Blackjack in St. Louis County was in violation of the 1968 Fair Housing Act when it incorporated and rezoned some property to deny low-income families better housing.

With the passing of such laws as mentioned above that freed and opened up options and zoning changes, African Americans began to move away from many of the once thriving communities that provided them shelter from the storm and a safe harbor during segregation. Many of the communities that have attempted to exist have been forced into extinction or they are now on the verge of disappearing because of development.

This book will look at a few of these disappearing communities and the people who called them home. For easy reference in identifying the communities names, they have been put in bold text throughout.

Musick Baptist Church and cemetery at 790 Fee Fee Road in Maryland Heights is all that remains of the black population that once lived in the area. The church was organized in 1895. (Photo courtesy of John A. Wright.)

One

FOUNDATIONS FOR DEVELOPMENT

In early St. Louis, a number of African Americans owned land, although the exact number is unknown. As early as 1793, a free mulatto woman named Esther petitioned the Spanish government and received a land grant at what is now 723 N. Second Street. Land ownership by African Americans increased throughout the area as their numbers increased. Many were able to purchase land through their savings while others were given land by their former owners. As time went by African Americans began to settle in communities throughout the area and later found themselves locked into restricted areas for racial reasons. (Photo courtesy of John A. Wright.)

In 1913 a group of white citizens in the City of St. Louis formed a committee to bring about The Legal Segregation of Negroes in Saint Louis. The committee conducted a study and stated they found that blacks mostly moved into areas already inhabited by other blacks and that when they moved into an adjacent white block the white’s property values went down. The committee felt this could be stopped if a law was passed to legally segregate the black community. (Flyer courtesy of the St. Louis Public Library.)

Although many black and white citizens opposed the 1916 segregation ordinance, it passed by a more than 2-1 majority. However, the U.S. Supreme Court later ruled the ordinance unconstitutional. This decision paved the way for the increased use of race restrictive covenants to prohibit white property owners from selling to minorities. This practice lasted until 1948, when the Supreme Court ruled the practice unconstitutional. (Flyer courtesy of the St. Louis Public Library.)

In order to find decent housing many blacks resorted to a number of methods such as the use of straw parties, legal maneuvers, and even passing for white. The use of straw parties and passing for white by some led to the breakdown of the restrictive covenant in Lewis Place, pictured here in the 1940s. From 1910 to 1945, 378 such covenants were in effect in St. Louis excluding blacks from many neighborhoods. (Photo courtesy of John A. Wright.)

The need for housing became a major issue in the black community. Black families were locked into a limited number of neighborhoods which in many cases had poor housing and over-crowded schools. To seek relief for their family, James (left) and Lottie (right) Buchanan purchased a home at 4717 Lewis Place through a straw party, a method used by a number of blacks to obtain housing. They are pictured here with their children, Lillian Ellis, James Harry Jr., and Nellie Charlotta. (Photo courtesy of Nellie Buchanan Watkins.)

The use of