10th and Bond Street is where it all began, 100 years and two weeks ago. I went back and snapped these photos on the exact anniversary of some of the worse racial violence in US history. The oldest areas of… Continue Reading
For the old “it’s just a building” crowd, I offer the following exhibits. First is the “Sherman House,” which was gutted by fire, started by burning embers from the Clemens Mansion on Helen Street. The fire could have easily spread… Continue Reading
Under no circumstance should you get close the Clemens Mansion; the walls are far too unstable. I captured these images with a zoom lens. But you don’t need to worry about getting access if you want to risk your life;… Continue Reading
As I walked west on Cass Avenue, towards the smoldering ruins of the Clemens Mansion, the sound of water trickling as it ran out of pipes and gutters reached my ears. The firefighters had to engage in some massive forestry… Continue Reading
I find myself drawn back to these old wood frame shotgun houses in the Ville, dating back probably to as early as the 1870s, when this was a rural village named Elleardsville. The African-American middle class was shoved into these… Continue Reading
These Second Empire beauties continue to sit vacant, owned by slumlords “who are doing their best to fix them up–lay off.” Right. Now, the one on the end was struck by arson, and only saved by the bravery of firefighters.… Continue Reading
I was just remarking in June what a “nice warehouse” this was, so I was flabbergasted to hear that it has just been gutted by fire. Such a waste. It was actually a couple buildings. The warehouse was a frequent… Continue Reading
The house behind this little house went up in flames only a couple of days after this photograph was taken. I remember thinking what a neat house it was. Hopefully the arsonist who has been terrorizing this neighborhood for years… Continue Reading
Update: Completely destroyed by suspected arson in the early morning hours of July 12, 2017. At this rate, the Clemens Mansion is going to be a pile of rubble in a few years. Offers to help or even buy the… Continue Reading
We drove through the Ville neighborhood last week, and I was disappointed to see that the neglect and deterioration has continued. Once the isolated “suburban” town of Elleardsville, the Ville became the center of the middle class in the African-American… Continue Reading