ANN ARBOR, MI — From the Black-owned businesses that lined Ann Street to the Dunbar Community Center and Colored Welfare League on Fourth Avenue, what’s known today as downtown’s Kerrytown district was once a major hub of life for Ann Arbor’s Black community.
In partnership with the African American Cultural and Historical Museum of Washtenaw County, the Ann Arbor District Library is now offering the public a chance to take a trip back in time with a walking tour of the historically Black neighborhood.
As part of the Living Oral History Project, which interviews Black residents about their memories of life in the Ann Arbor area, the library has created a map focusing on eight locations, with historical information about each and links to other resources, including old photos and oral histories.
“It includes stories and memories of those who lived here,” said City Council Member Linh Song, former AADL board president, encouraging people who like to explore downtown and historical neighborhoods to check it out.
Members of the public can download a PDF map and information pamphlet to take the self-guided tour and learn what the area was like in the early- and mid-1900s — up until the 1970s when many Black-owned businesses closed and the former Jones Elementary School, which was an anchor of the historically Black neighborhood, reopened as Community High School.
The new walking tour map was finalized in September and the library’s plan is to offer it digitally and print hard copies for people who want to pick up a packet, said AADL spokesman Rich Retyi.
In addition to the Black business district and other landmarks mentioned above, other stops on the tour include the Seeley house and Second Baptist Church on Beakes Street, and the old Bethel AME Church on Fourth Avenue.
There’s also a broader map of both historical Black neighborhood areas now known as Kerrytown and Water Hill, where Black populations have significantly declined as the areas have gentrified.
Ann Arbor’s neighborhoods were largely racially segregated until the 1960s, the walking tour pamphlet notes.
“North Fourth and Fifth Avenue, Beakes Street, Depot Street, and Fuller Street had nearly all Black residents, and several families lived on Kingsley Street,” it states. “The neighborhood also ran up the hill to include Felch, Hiscock, West Summit, Pearl, Sunset, Daniel, Spring, Fountain, Hillcrest, Miner, Gott, and Brooks streets. This area had about 80% Black residents.”
The phase-eight release of the Living Oral History Project is coming up Nov. 14, including interviews with 10 new participants, Retyi said, adding the library is getting the videos ready now, while an illustrator is doing portraits of the participants.
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Researchers map Ann Arbor’s racist history of housing discrimination
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