Kris Nelson Community Based Research Program
…a program of the Center for Urban and Regional Affairs (CURA)
The Rondo Neighborhood & African American History
in St. Paul, MN: 1900s to Current
***
A Survey of Selected Sources
Prepared in partnership with
Rondo Avenue Inc.
Prepared by
Alisha J. Volante
Research Assistant
University of Minnesota
2015
KNCBR # 1402
This report is available on the CURA website:
http://www.cura.umn.edu/publications/search
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The Rondo Neighborhood & African American History in Minnesota:
1900s to Current
A Survey of Selected Sources
Executive Summary & Research Goals ……………… [3]
Rondo Neighborhood Sources
Repositories and Abbreviations …………………… [4]
Rondo Inc. Archive and Ephemera ………………… [5]
Newspaper and Specific Articles ……………………[8]
Oral Histories ……………………………………… [10]
Archival and Manuscript Collections ……………… [23]
Sound and Visual Collections ……………………… [25]
Maps ………………………………………………. [26]
Historical Periodicals ……………………………… [26]
Book, Book Chapters & Articles …………………… [27]
Thesis and Unpublished Papers …………………… [32]
Websites …………………………………………… [33]
Going Forward ……………………………………………[34]
Project Partners:
Marvin Anderson, Rondo Neighborhood Inc.
Noel Nix, Principal Assistant to Commissioner Toni Carter
Professor Chris Wells, Environmental Studies, Macalester College
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Executive Summary & Research Goals
Rondo Avenue Inc. (RAI) is a local Saint Paul Minnesota organization dedicated to the
promotion and preservation of the cultural legacy of the historic Rondo neighborhood. In the last couple
of years Rondo Avenue Inc. has been working to create the Rondo Commemorative Plaza and Gardens,
a public space bringing the community together and celebrating Rondo history. In collaboration with
the Center for Urban and Regional Affairs (CURA), RAI has requested a comprehensive bibliography
of historic Rondo neighborhood information to act as an archive for the organization itself, but
potentially to inform the Rondo Commemorative Plaza.
Rondo Community Interpretive Space Predesign
Historically, St. Paul’s Rondo neighborhood drew in
many African Americans migrating north from southern
states throughout the twentieth century. Prior to the 1956
construction of highway 94 the Rondo neighborhood held
a burgeoning working class community connected by
men and women’s social clubs, many religious
denominations, and community centers like Hallie Q.
Brown. The construction of Highway 94 cut Rondo’s
neighborhoods in half, an act that threatened to dissolve
the community; families were forced to move from their
homes, entrepreneurs forced to shut down businesses, and
community centers forced to relocate. The memory of Rondo from the 1960s to today has depended on
community members, among the most involved are Marvin “Roger” Anderson and Floyd Smaller, to
imagine an organization that would take seriously not only the preservation but also the celebration of
Rondo from “Cornbread Hill” to “Oatmeal Valley.” In 2013, RAI celebrated their 30th Anniversary of
Rondo Days, a yearly celebration of both St. Paul and broader Minnesota African American history. In
a City of St. Paul Proclamation recognizing July 12th-21st, 2013 as “Rondo Days Festival,” St. Paul
Mayor, Chris Coleman exclaimed that “after 25 years, Rondo Avenue continues to be a symbol of
strong community pride, celebrating the best and brightest of Minnesota’s African-American stories,
achievements and culture.”
This survey of selection sources pertaining to the Rondo neighborhood in St. Paul and its large
African American community has been gathered as a continued effort to celebrate the achievements of
African Americans in Minnesota. The bibliography forthwith was a collaborative effort of scholars at
Macalester College and the University of Minnesota, Rondo Avenue Inc., community members, family
and friends.
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Repositories and Abbreviations
Rondo Ave, Incorporated. (RAI)
1360 University Ave West, Ste. #140
Saint Paul, Minnesota 55104
651-315-7676
Minnesota State Archives
Minnesota Historical Society (MHS)
345 Kellogg Boulevard West
Saint Paul, Minnesota 55102
Wilson Library
John R. Borchert Map Library (JRB)
University of Minnesota
309 19th Ave South
Minneapolis, Minnesota 55455
Ramsey County Historical Society (RCH)
323 Landmark Center
75 W. 5th Street
Saint Paul, Minnesota 55102
Southern Minnesota Historical Center (OMankato)
Mankato State University
Mankato, Minnesota, 56001
Dedication of the Red Cap Room at the St. Paul Union Depot program
cover. July 2013. Courtesy of Marvin Anderson.
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A Survey of Selected Sources
Rondo Inc. Archive Pamphlets and Ephemera
Rondo Neighborhood Inc., has several articles, papers, and special ephemera
items housed at their offices. This list contains items that may or may not be found
in outside libraries and collections. It is the hope of all RAI organizers to have a
permanent physical location to continue building a repository of historical Rondo
neighborhood items.
1956
“Western Redevelopment Project, UR Minn. 1-2: Revisions to Redevelopment Plan
and Supporting Documents.” St. Paul, Minn: Housing and Redevelopment
Authority of the City of Saint Paul, 1956. Minnesota Historical Society.
1957
“The Proposed Freeways for Saint Paul.” Saint Paul, MN: City Planning Board of
Saint Paul, June 28, 1957.
1959
“Renewal Program for Saint Paul.” Saint Paul, Minn: Housing and Redevelopment
Authority of the City of Saint Paul, 1959. Minnesota Historical Society.
“The Proposed Selby-Dale Renewal Plan: A Study of and Recommendations for
Community Rehabilitation and Conservation.” Saint Paul, MN: Housing and
Redevelopment Authority of the City of Saint Paul, 60 1959. Minnesota Historical
Society.
1961
Johnson, Robert J. R. “Progress through Low Income Housing and Urban Renewal.”
Housing and Redevelopment Authority of the City of Saint Paul, 1961. Minnesota
Historical Society.
1962
Davis, F. James. “Freeway Exodus; Experiences in Finding Housing as a Result of the
St. Anthony-Rondo Freeway Displacement from Western to Lexinton Avenues in
St. Paul; a Research Report, August 1, 1962.” Hamline University, August 1962.
James J. Hill Library. Minnesota Historical Society.
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1966
“Summit-University: A Community in Crisis.” St. Paul: Housing and Redevelopment
Authority of the City of Saint Paul, 1966. Minnesota Historical Society.
Torstenson, Joel S. “Summit-University: Profile and Prospectus of an Inner-City
Community.” Mineapolis, MN: Augsburg College, Social Science Research
Center and Housing and Redevelopment Authority of the City of Saint Paul, 1966.
Minnesota Historical Society.
1967
“Relocation Report: Early Land Acquisition Program, Summit-University Urban
Renewal Project.” Saint Paul, Minn: Housing and Redevelopment Authority of the
City of Saint Paul, 1967. Minnesota Historical Society.
“Urban Renewal Programs of the Housing and Redevelopment Authority of the City
of Saint Paul, Minnesota.” Saint Paul, MN: St. Paul: The Authority, 1967.
Minnesota Historical Society.
1971
Wickstrom, David, and John Holdridge. “Black Business in Minneapolis & St. Paul"
A Comparative Study of Black and White Owned Businesses.” Minneapolis, MN:
Minneapolis Urban League, March 1971.
1983
“Remembering Rondo,” An Original Play by Alexs Pate, 1983. 74p. Unpublished.
Produced for the ‘In commemoration of the Remember Rondo Celebration.’
1983 Remembering Rondo illustrated program for July 1-3, 1983.
1994
Weaver, Abram H. “The Sterling Club, Inc., 1919-1994: A Historical Review,” 1994.
2008
“Researching African-American Family History at the Minnesota Historical Society
Library and Archives.” Saint Paul, MN: Minnesota Historical Society, 2008.
2013
“ A Short History of the Saint Paul Union Depot Red Caps,” Marvin Anderson, 2013.
“Calling All Red Caps: Dedication of the Red Cap Room,” Illustrated program.
Dedication at St. Paul Union Depot, July 12, 2013.
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“Red Cap Room Dedication Remarks,” Speech by Marvin Anderson. St. Paul Union
Depot: Red Cap Room Dedication, July 12, 2013.
2013 Rondo Days Festival Illustrated Program. 57p.
Undated Sources
“Notes on the Newspaper Collector of Estyr Bradley Peake,” written by, Marvin
Anderson.
“(Unknown Title: Summary of I-35E Proposal).” Unknown Government agency, n.d.
Copy at Rondo Neighborhood Inc. archive.
1983 Rondo Days, Remember Rondo, pamphlet cover courtesy of Marvin Anderson.
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Newspapers and Specific Articles
Listed newspapers can be located on microfilm or on the digital newspaper hub for MHS
which can be accessed at the Downtown St. Paul, MN Historical Society building or
online at newspapers.mnhs.org
Minneapolis Spokesman: Black Newspaper, 1934-2000. Weekly.
MHS holdings: 1:1 (Aug 10, 1934) – 65:29 (Dec. 30-Jan. 5, 2000)
Minnesota Messenger: Minneapolis, Minn, 1920-1924. Weekly.
MHS holdings: May 7, 1920 – Feb. 1924
Northwestern Bulletin: Saint Paul, Minn, 1922-1924. Weekly.
This publication merged with the Appeal creating Northwestern bulletin-appeal.
MHS holdings: Feb 1922 – Jan. 4, 1924
Northwestern Bulletin-Appeal, 1924-1925. Weekly.
MHS holdings: Jan 12, 1924 – Aug 15, 1925
Northwest Monitor, Black Newspaper, 1930-1931. Weekly.
MHS holdings: May 10, 1930 – Feb. 3, 1931
St. Paul Recorder: Black Newspaper, 1934- (2000?). Weekly.
This publication merged with the Minneapolis Spokesman to form the Minnesota
spokesman-recorder.
MHS holdings: 1:1 (Aug 10, 1934) – ceased Jan. 2000?
St. Paul Pioneer Press, 1909-1985. Daily.
MHS holdings: 56:356 (Dec 22, 1909) – 136:450 (Jan 1, 1985)
Saint Paul Sun, Black Newspaper, 1941 - 1976. Weekly.
MHS holdings: May 7, 1941 – Apr 28, 1976.
The Saint Paul Echo: Black Newspaper, 1925-1927. Weekly.
MHS holdings: 1:1 (Nov 7, 1925) – 2:34 (June 25, 1927)
Twin City Herald: Black Newspaper, 1927, 1932-1940. Weekly.
MHS holdings: 1:1 (Apr. 30, 1927) – 14:10 (July 20, 1940)
Twin Cities Leader: Black Newspaper, 1940-1941. Weekly.
MHS holdings: July 20, 1940 – ceased 1941
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Twin Cities Observer, Black Newspaper, 1943 – 1976. Weekly.
MHS holdings: May 7, 1943 – (ceased?) May 1979.
Twin City Star: 1910-1919, Weekly.
MHS holdings: 1:1 (June 2, 1910) – 8:45 (Jan 25, 1919)
“Living with Our Skins,” Editorial, St. Paul Echo, October 9th, 1926.
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Oral Histories
All of the oral histories included here focus on African American Minnesotans with an
emphasis on the history of the Rondo neighborhood. Descriptions are courtesy of the
Minnesota Historical Society website when available.
Minnesota Black History Project, 32 Interviews, 1970-1975.
INTERVIEWERS: David V. Taylor (principal interviewer), Musa Foster, Seitu
Jones, Ethel Ray Nance, Malik Simba and Steven Trimble. MHS. In 1974 the Minnesota Historical Society used funds provided by the Northwest Area Foundation to
collect and organize materials germane to the history of blacks in Minnesota. During two summers
the staff of the Minnesota Black History Project, under the direction of David V. Taylor, collected
records of organizations, institutions, clubs and churches, as well as personal papers, genealogies,
photographs and oral interviews. The series includes the oral history interviews conducted for this
project as well as some earlier interviews Taylor undertook in doing research for his doctoral
dissertation. A more complete description of these interviews and of other material in the Society's
collections relating to blacks is contained in Blacks in Minnesota: A Preliminary Guide to Historical
Sources compiled by David V. Taylor and published by the Society in 1976.
John L. Banks (1907 - ) 1974. 1.5 Hours. 16p.
Mr. Banks was born in Dyersburg, Tennessee on May 20, 1907, moved to Northfield, Minnesota in
1923 and then to St. Paul in 1926. He is a retired employee of the Ford Motor Company, where he had
been employed since 1935. SUBJECTS DISCUSSED: Mr. Banks discusses his family background, the
black community in Northfield 1923-26 and social and civic activities in the St. Paul black community.
Ione Brown (1903 - ?). 1974. 1 hour. 11p.
Mrs. Brown was born in Alexandria, Minnesota in 1903 and was raised by her grandparents, Mr. and
Mrs. Austin Hobson (?). SUBJECTS DISCUSSED: Mrs. Brown recalls family history, particularly of
her grandparents, Mr. and Mrs. Hobson. They migrated to Beloit, Wisconsin after the Chicago fire of
1871 and from there they moved to Alexandria, Minnesota, possibly during the 1890s. For years they
were the only black family in Alexandria. Mr. Hobson was a barber and Mrs. Hobson was a laundress.
Mrs. Brown discusses life in Alexandria as a black person, other communities of blacks near there and
life in the black community in St. Paul/Minneapolis, where they lived later.
Adina Adams Gibbs, 1970. 2 Hours. 50p.
Mrs. Gibbs is the daughter of Ella and John Q. Adams (1848-1922). Her father was the publisher of the
Western Appeal, her uncle (Cyrus Field Adams, 1857- ), is the editor of the Chicago Appeal, and her
grandfather (Henry Adams) was a famous Baptist minister in Kentucky. She lived in Minneapolis all her
life. SUBJECTS DISCUSSED: Mrs. Gibbs refers to Willima Trotter (editor of the Boston Guardian),
Booker T. Washington, Roy Wilkins and others apparently known by her father and uncle and the
Adamses' concerns for the image of blacks. She also recalls the St. Paul black community at the turn of
the century.
S. Edward Hall, (1878-1975). 1970. 2 Hours. 26p.
Mr. Hall was born in Batavia, Illinois in 1878 and died in 1975. He came to St. Paul in 1900 and
operated a barbershop there for 62 years. He was an active Republican, and a founder of the St. Paul
Urban League and the Hallie Q. Brown Community Center. SUBJECTS DISCUSSED: The 1970
interview has information on John Q. Adams and his newspaper, blacks in the state legislature, the
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NAACP, the Afro-American League, the Niagara movement, interracial marriages in the early 1900s,
discrimination in St. Paul hotels and stories of customers and friends.
James Richard Lynn, (1883 - ?), 1974. 3 Hours. 39p.
Mr. Lynn was born in Waterview, Kentucky on November 15, 1883 and in April of 1908 he moved to
St. Paul. He worked for some years there as a janitor in the Maxfield Elementary School. SUBJECTS
DISCUSSED: Mr. Lynn discusses family history, community life in St. Paul, including the role of
fraternal lodges, the NAACP, the Urban League, and black businesses in the early 20th century.
Stephen L. Maxwell, (1921 - ), 1974. 1.5 Hours. 18p.
Stephen L. Maxwell was born in St. Paul on January 12, 1921. He received a JD from the St. Paul
College of Law in 1953, was a Republican candidate for the US Congress in 1966, assistant Ramsey
County Attorney in 1967, judge of the St. Paul Municipal Court in 1967-68 and judge of the Minnesota
District Court 1968-. SUBJECTS DISCUSSED: Judge Maxwell discusses his family background in St.
Paul and personal history.
Louis Moore Sr. (1890 - ?), 1974. 3 Hours. 65p.
Mr. Moore was born in New Richmond, Ohio in 1890 and moved to St. Paul in 1898. His wife, Cora,
was born in New York City in 1897 and came to St. Paul in 1910. They were married in St. Paul in 1915
and have been prominent citizens of the St. Paul for over 50 years. SUBJECTS DISCUSSED: Mr.
Moore recalls family history and discusses early community life, including various social clubs,
institutions and business of the black community and the Summit Avenue area of St. Paul. Mrs. Moore
also talks briefly about the St. Paul black community.
Ethel Ray Nance, (1899 - ?), 1974. 1.5 Hours. 42p.
Ethel Ray Nance was born April 13, 1899 in Duluth, Minnesota. She has been the assistant head resident
of the Phyllis Wheatley House (1920s), the first black policewoman in Minneapolis (1926), the first
black stenographer in the Minnesota legislature, a member of the Minnesota Negro Council and an
associate editor (with Cecil Newman) of the Timely Digest. SUBJECTS DISCUSSED: Mrs. Nance
discusses her family background, the Duluth black community in the early 1900s, the 1920 lynchings in
Duluth, the Moose Lake Fire Relief Commission (1918) and her work experiences.
Eva Bell Neal, (1888 – 1974), 1971. 1 Hour. 19p.
Mrs. Neal was a lifelong resident of St. Paul. She was born in 1888 and believes herself to be the first
black child to be born in the Western-Selby neighborhood. She is the daughter of E. J. Bell and Amanda
(Lee) Bell. Her parents had been shop owners in St. Paul since 1886. Mrs. Neal died in 1974.
SUBJECTS DISCUSSED: Mrs. Neal discusses family history and community life in St. Paul, including
the visits of famous blacks.
Fredrick L. Parker (1890 - ?), 1974. 3 Hours.
Mr. Parker was born in St. Paul, Minnesota on January 7, 1890. He was the only son of Frederick
Douglass Parker and Emma DuBois. His father was the first editor of the Western Appeal, a black
weekly published in St. Paul between 1885 and 1923. Mr. Parker was a graduate of the University of
Minnesota in 1913, and shortly thereafter he moved to Chicago, where he has lived since. SUBJECTS
DISCUSSED: Mr. Parker recalls family history and discusses his father's editorship of the Western
Appeal and the black community in the Twin Cities. The second half of the tape deals with his own life
and work in Chicago.
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Grace Ross (1877 - ?), 1974. 1.5 Hours.
Mrs. Ross was born in St. Paul on August 11, 1887. Her father, Mr. Starks, was from Como,
Mississippi. SUBJECTS DISCUSSED: Mrs. Ross recalls family history and black community life
around 1900.
Maceo Simmons (1901 - ?), 1974. 1 Hour. 15p.
Mr. Simmons was born in Greensboro, Georgia on June 2, 1901. He came to St. Paul in 1919 and joined
the Memorial Baptist Church (located at Fuller and Rice Streets) that year. He was a charter member (in
1922) of the St. Paul Baptist Church, which became the Mount Olivet Baptist Church. SUBJECTS
DISCUSSED: Mr. Simmons discusses the history and growth of the Mount Olivet Church and its
relationship to the black community of St. Paul.
Anita Bracy Tucker (1928 - ?), 1974. 1 Hour. 16p.
Anita Bracy Tucker was born in Chicago, Illinois on September 3, 1928. Her father was Francis Wright
Bracy (from Murfreesboro, Tennessee, born in 1897) and her mother was Hattie Robinson Bracy (from
Typtonville, Tennessee, born in 1908). Mrs. Tucker came to St. Paul in July of 1950 and began working
at the Hallie Q. Brown Community Center in 1953. She was the director of the teen age program there
from 1953 to 1963. SUBJECTS DISCUSSED: Mrs. Tucker discusses the Center and its programs. She
also discusses the effect the highway construction had upon its constituents.
Rondo Oral History Project, 34 Interviews, 1997-1998, 2003-2004.
INTERVIEWERS: Kateleen Cavett (principal interviewer), Manny Anderson, John
Biewen, Christina Bonkowske, Sarah Brandt, Tony O. Dosen, Bettina Heiss, Krissy
Kopp, Kent Shifferd, Buelah Baines Swan and Kimberly Zielinski. (MHS and RCH) Subjects discussed by the interviewees include life in the Rondo community, including the role of
music, church, and social clubs; resistance and reaction to the highway construction; eviction from
Rondo Avenue and trying to find housing elsewhere, transitioning from predominantly black schools to
predominantly white schools, and discrimination outside Rondo; racism; employment opportunities
during World War II and the subsequent loss of opportunities after the war; military experiences during
the war, including in the Tuskegee Airmen and in a Navy band; activities at the Hallie Q. Brown
Community Center and the Sterling Club; work experiences of both men and women of the community;
obstacles to achieving success; and both male and female service in the St. Paul Police Department.
Benjamin L. Alexander, 2004. 1.5 Hours. 39p.
Benjamin Louis Alexander is originally from Illinois; he moved to Minnesota to pursue Mortuary
Science at the University of Minnesota. During World War II, Mr. Alexander served as a Tuskegee
Airman. He was attending Langston University when he first met his wife, a student from Minnesota at
the same university. SUBJECTS DISCUSSED: Experience as a Tuskegee Airman; member of a
traditional black fraternity, and a student at the University of Minnesota; starting a new business; history
of the Sterling Club and the discrimination that led black men to have their own club.
Three-Fours Girls Club, 2004. 1.5 Hours. 48p.
The Three-Fours Girls Club was formed when two ten-year old girls asked their mothers for a club. The
club for girls, created and taught by mothers, continued for about three years. However, the friendships
and sense of extended family has lasted a lifetime. Five alumni are interviewed: Vanne Owens Hayes,
Mary Kalleen Murray Boyd, Paula Thomason Mitchell, Carol Dawson and Linda Griffin Garrett.
SUBJECTS DISCUSSED: Memories and reflection of their experiences; learning life skills; support and
inspiration learned from each other's parents; how this extended family helped create strong and
successful professional women.
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Marvin R. Anderson, 2004. 1.5 Hours. 44p.
Marvin Anderson has been known by different names at different times in his life: Roger, Marvin, and
Androck. He shares the joy of the close group of friends, Crazy Eights, which he had during his high
school years. His father led a hard life as a railroad waiter and his mother, to him, was a powerful black
women. They both influenced him greatly. SUBJECTS DISCUSSED: How the men in the community
conducted business with all the class and decorum of any businessman; influence of his parents; loss of
property for his family in Rondo and Chatsworth due to the I-94 construction; letter from a retired public
works employee that defines why the freeway destroyed the Rondo community.
Mary Murray Boyd, 2004. 1.5 Hours. 73p.
Mary K. Boyd's parents settled in Saint Paul after attending traditional black colleges in the South. They
raised her along with foster children and provided a home for extended family as well. Her father
worked at the post office and was a professional musician. She participated in Tomorrow's Scientists
and Technicians Club and the Junior Red Cross. She later served in the junior branch of the NAACP,
eventually becoming its president. Boyd attended college in Arizona where she faced discrimination.
She trained and worked for the civil rights movement and went on to an accomplished career as a school
administrator. SUBJECTS DISCUSSED: Gaining insight of the village community in Africa that led her
to believe she grew up in the Rondo village; the Rondo village landscape with the Hallie Q. Brown
Community Center and the churches; the Three-Fours Girls Club, a finishing school for girls in the
village; being the object of discrimination at college in Arizona; work she did for the civil rights
movement.
Melvin W. Carter Sr., 2003. 54p.
At age 79, Melvin Carter, Sr. describes the Rondo Avenue of his childhood. He shares his father's
history of playing in circus bands before coming to Minnesota and how his father began musical groups
for the youth in the community, inspiring several to become professional musicians. He played in a
Navy band during World War II and later played in musical groups for local social clubs. After the
decline of the railroad business, Carter moved to the Saint Paul School District. He went on to become
the first black to achieve a Chief Engineer License and worked as the head engineer at Humboldt High
School for the last five years of his service. SUBJECTS DISCUSSED: Childhood in the Rondo
community; experience playing in a Navy band during World War II; postwar musical scene in local
social clubs; treatment of blacks when he worked as a redcap at the railroad station; music in his life and
community; twenty-seven years of service to Saint Paul School District.
William L. Collins Sr., 2004. 1.5 Hours. 50p.
Billy Collins grew up in the Rondo community. The youth organizations and mentors provided there
made a positive influence in his life. Billy's role model during his teen years was his father even though
he spent the majority of his time away from home working as a waiter on the railroad. SUBJECTS
DISCUSSED: Rondo community and the youth organizations and mentors there; his role model during
his teen years; racism experienced outside the Rondo community and in Central High School in the
1960s; his driving motivation to serve the black community; Rondo teenage social scene and The Pivot
malt shop.
Anisah Hanifah Dawan, 2003. 42p.
Eighty-two year old Anisah Dawan grew up as Elizabeth Payne. She lived in an orphanage in Owatonna,
Minnesota, after her biological mother died. She was adopted by Martha and Albert Payne at age two or
three and lived on Carroll Avenue in the Rondo Corridor. She later moved to Iowa to marry and set up
her first home. She also converted to Islam. SUBJECTS DISCUSSED: Living in an orphanage; Rondo
landscape of her childhood; depression that disrupted her family's lifestyle; community events and
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sewing her formal dresses for dances at the Hallie Q. Brown Community Center and Welcome Hall;
change in friends in high school; getting married in Iowa and settling there; working fulltime as a
seamstress at Butwin Sportswear; conversion to Islam; making a pilgrimage to Mecca.
Wilbert J. Dugas Jr., 2003. 1.5 Hours. 56p.
Wilbert Dugas was born in 1949 and lived on the lower end of Rondo in Cornmeal Valley. He grew up
being influenced by the Gopher Elk’s Drum and Bugle Corps. The Ober Boys Club and Hallie Q. Brown
Community Center were key components of the community that, through sports and mentors, gave him
a foundation in life. SUBJECTS DISCUSSED: Experience of growing up in Cornmeal Valley; harmless
rivalries formed between Cornmeal Valley and "the bourgeois side of town" known as Oatmeal Hill;
importance of the group Gopher Elk’s Drum and Bugle Corps in the community; his experience in the
music scene in the late 1960s after the I-94 interruption of the Rondo community.
William K. Finney, 2003. 70p.
William Kelso "Corky" Finney was the only child of Maceo Alexander Finney and Lola Vassar Finney.
He grew up on Rondo Avenue. He was sickly and asthmatic as a child which prevented him from
participating in sports. His father was a role model to him and his mother an authoritarian. Corky grew
up in the neighborhood with his mother's business, Mrs. Finney's Beauty Shop, and a family of close
Vassar cousins. SUBJECTS DISCUSSED: Memories of Cornmeal Valley and Oatmeal Hill of the
Rondo neighborhood; his perception of the integrated part of Saint Paul; being forced to move when
eminent domain took their property for I-94; decision to stay in the black community.
Teresina Carter Frelix, 2004. 1.5 Hours. 35p.
Teresina C. Frelix grew up in the Rondo neighborhood where she felt a sense of comfort that was taken
away due to the I-94 project. Teresina attended a community school at Saint Peter Claver and went on to
attend Central High School in ninth grade. SUBJECTS DISCUSSED: Powerful childhood memories of
fear and confusion when the freeway broke up the Rondo neighborhood; loss of security and extended
family due to being moved by the freeway project; difficult transition from attending a predominantly
black school to a predominantly white public school.
Willie Lee Frelix, 2004. 1.5 Hours. 47p.
Eighty-nine year old Willie Frelix worked as a Pullman porter and later as a construction worker.
Working as a Pullman porter, he traveled to many places in America and loved his job of supporting the
soldiers during World War II. SUBJECTS DISCUSSED: Experience of working as a Pullman porter;
facing discrimination and the disrespect he received from the Pullman Company; comparing Saint Paul
with life in the South; he also communicates his commitment to not being physically abused by a white
person.
Kathryn Coram Gagnon, 2004. 3 Hours. 91p.
Kathryn Coram Gagnon grew up in the Rondo community. She was a light skinned black person and
experienced discrimination in Minnesota. Kathryn attended the University High School and participated
in sports at the Hallie Q. Brown Community Center and Saint Philips Episcopal Church. She graduated
from Mount Holyoke College, received several masters degrees, and was a successful school
administrator. SUBJECTS DISCUSSED: Experience of growing up in the Rondo neighborhood; facing
discrimination in Minnesota; opportunity to attend University High School and go on to college; musical
scene in Rondo.
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Barbara Vassar Gray, 2004. 1.5 Hours. 53p.
Barbara "Petey" Vassar Gray grew up as a "Vassar Girl" in the Rondo neighborhood. After graduating
from Mechanic Arts High School, she went on to attend the University of Minnesota and received a
Master’s Degree from the College of St. Catherine. She went on to become the assistant director of a tri-
county library system near Detroit, Michigan. SUBJECTS DISCUSSED: Her upbringing in the Rondo
neighborhood; relation with Saint Philips Episcopal Church in her personal and social life; experience in
Mechanic Arts High School as a student; working as an assistant director in Detroit; her internal
strength, power and willingness to not accept less than she deserves.
James S. Griffin, 1998. 38p.
James Stafford Griffin was born at 587 Rondo. He grew up in this racially integrated neighborhood in
the 1920s. His father was a dining car waiter for the Northern Pacific. He went to college in West
Virginia and later worked for the Saint Paul Police Department. SUBJECTS DISCUSSED: Growing up
in the Rondo; difference between a railroad employee and a Pullman car employee; experiencing
discrimination of "Jim Crow" life while traveling to West Virginia; history of blacks in the St. Paul
Police Department from the 1930s; discrimination he faced in applying for employment. COMMENTS
ON INTERVIEW: This is a portion of an oral history interview done for the Saint Paul Police
Department.
Mary Bradley Hamilton, 2004. 1.5 Hours. 54p.
Mary Chambers Bradley Hamilton was 100 years old at the time of the interview and grew up in the
Rondo neighborhood. She lost her father when she was 12 years old and lived with her mother and six
sisters in Rondo. She graduated from Neill School and went on to Mechanic Arts. After three years in
Mechanic Arts, she got married and later had five children. SUBJECTS DISCUSSED: History of the
movement of bodies from early cemeteries until the establishment of Calvary and Oakland cemeteries;
history of the Cathedral and other Catholic churches in St. Paul; life as a single young mother raising her
children in the Rondo neighborhood; her pleasure in being senior royalty for the Winter Carnival three
times.
Melvin T. Henderson, 2003. 1.5 Hours. 62p.
Mel Henderson grew up in the Rondo neighborhood. His father worked as Pullman porter and his
grandparents had a farm in Hugo, Minnesota. It was a tightly knit community and the police beat officer
looked after the neighborhood children. He became a star athlete at Central High School and went on to
attend the University of Minnesota on an athletic scholarship. He retired after serving as Dean at the
Metropolitan State University. SUBJECTS DISCUSSED: Memories of growing up in the Rondo
community; learning to be a strong athlete; influence of The Emeralds, a rock-and-roll singing group,
after junior high school; significance of his church, St. James AME Methodist Church, and its music in
his life.
Nathaniel Abdul Khaliq, 2004. 1.5 Hours. 89p.
Nathaniel [Davis] Abdul Khaliq was born and raised in Minnesota. Growing up in the Rondo
neighborhood he was provided with a deep sense of nurturing and protection as a child. His
grandparents raised him with the help of a supportive extended family; they were some of the last to be
evicted from Rondo Avenue in 1956. He later became a community activist and a member of the Nation
of Islam. SUBJECTS DISCUSSED: History of his family coming to Minnesota; geography of the
Rondo neighborhood; his role models; devastating impact the eviction had on his grandfather; the
youth's reaction to the change in the community; his reaction to the pain of the senior generations;
finding biological brothers and sisters at adulthood; experience of police racism throughout his teenage
and adult years; his journey to becoming a community activist and a member of the Nation of Islam.
COMMENTS ON INTERVIEW: Volume of interview is extremely low.
15
Gloria Lindstrom Lewis, 2003. 1.5 Hours. 49p.
Gloria Lewis was seventy-five years old at the time of the interview. During her early marriage she and
her family lived in Lower Rondo or Cornmeal Valley. SUBJECTS DISCUSSED: Life as part of a young
struggling family raising children; challenges of a bi-racial relationship; reflection on the racial
discrimination that her family endured after the loss of the Rondo corridor; her husband's upholstery
career; creation of a successful business in St. Paul.
Richard M. Mann, 2004. 1.5 Hours. 45p.
Richard Morris Mann became a member of the Sterling Club in 1949. He owned a bar in the Rondo
neighborhood that became a gathering place, and a nightclub outside of Rondo that featured live black
music and catered mainly to college students. His bar business was directly impacted by World War II
and the neighborhood’s economic shift after the war. SUBJECTS DISCUSSED: The economics and the
business community of Rondo; creation of better employment opportunities for blacks during the war
and the loss of that employment after the war; his grandfather's barber shop catering to rich white
patrons; his own bar business in Rondo and nightclub outside of the neighborhood; the history of the
Sterling Club, founded in 1919.
Gloria Presley Massey, 2003. 3 Hours. 62p.
Gloria Massey grew up in the Rondo community with her family and extended family. Her parents
raised their children with values for the community and respect for authority. Her gang of friends
walked everywhere together in all weather during her teenage years and she was extensively involved
with activities at the Hallie Q. Brown Community Center. SUBJECTS DISCUSSED: Experiences of her
early work life and then going to business college; working at all levels of civil service; teenage life and
her gang of friends in the Rondo; importance of family and extended family; sense of security in the
community; knowledge she learned from her first supervisor at the Saint Paul Public Library.
Yusef Mgeni, 2003-2004. 3 Hours. 73p.
Yusef Mgeni was born in 1948. He was raised in the Rondo neighborhood as Charlie Anderson. His
family has a rich history as civic and community leaders. He was influenced by the national figures that
visited Minnesota and his experience reading his grandfather's extensive library of black authors.
SUBJECTS DISCUSSED: St. Paul's black history; family's rich history as civic and community leaders;
strength of the community and its oral tradition that kept Saint Paul blacks connected to black
communities around the country; the resistance from the community to I-94 being built; the devastating
effect of the freeway dividing the community.
Gladys Clemons Miller, 2003-2004. 40p.
Gladys Versie Clemons Miller cared for her elderly parents while her brothers worked to support the
family. She worked in sales at downtown department stores and helped her husband get a position at the
Twin Cities Army Ammunition Plant. She put her money into the family grocery store and belonged to
social clubs in the community. SUBJECTS DISCUSSED: Her family history and how they came to
Minnesota; challenges working in sales at downtown department stores; employment challenges black
men faced even with a college degree; investment in the family grocery store; belonging to social clubs
and cooking for Cameo Social Club meetings; importance of the Pentecostal Church in her life;
frustration and disappointment when the I-94 project left her family at a disadvantaged position with the
loss of property.
Debbie G. Montgomery, 2004. 3 Hours. 78p.
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Debbie Montgomery lived in the Rondo neighborhood and has maintained life long friendships while
living a few blocks from her childhood home. She was a tomboy raised by her grandparents, loved
athletics and challenged the boys with her abilities. She was the first woman to pass the test and attend
the same academy as men in the St. Paul Police Department. She served as a police officer for twenty-
eight years. She was the first youth to be elected to the NAACP National Board and went on to become
the first black woman to be elected to St. Paul's City Council. SUBJECTS DISCUSSED: Experience in
her neighborhood and childhood home; importance of the church in the community for her and her
friends; diversity in her neighborhood and attending a primarily white elementary school; experience of
discrimination and how she early on became interested in civil rights causes.
Ora Lee Patterson, 2004. 1.5 Hours. 61p.
Ora Lee O'Neal Patterson grew up in the Rondo neighborhood and attended activities at the Hallie Q.
Brown Community Center and Pilgrim Baptist Church. She attended primary schools with
predominantly white classmates. Her mother was an active homemaker and her father was active in the
Brotherhood of Sleeping Car Porters, the Pullman porters' union. SUBJECTS DISCUSSED: Tales of
daily life in Rondo; attending activities at the Hallie Q. Brown Community Center and Pilgrim Baptist
Church; attending a predominantly white school and her experience there that prepared her for the larger
community and politics; her love for classical music.
Dr. Constance Price, 2003. 4.5 Hours. 93p.
Connie Jones Price shares how her grandfather was routinely fired for not being part of a union but he
was not allowed to join the union because he was black. Her grandmother worked at the packing plants,
one of the few places blacks could work. She grew up with all black neighbors who have college
degrees and was raised with a definitive sense of quality in her education and possessions. Dr. Price
went on to receive her PhD in her adult life but faced discrimination in finding employment that
represented her abilities. SUBJECTS DISCUSSED: Difficulties she and her grandparents faced
throughout their lifetime due to discrimination; growing up with all black neighbors who had college
degrees; landscape of Oatmeal Hill and daily life of her youth; participation in community centers and
church; being raised with emphasis on education; finding employment that represented her abilities.
Ventress Roberson, 2003. 1.5 Hours. 46p.
Ventress Roberson's childhood in the Rondo neighborhood consisted of a friendly atmosphere with
various businesses in the area. Her father worked as a Pullman porter and her mother was very active in
the community and in her church, Pilgrim Baptist. Ms. Roberson was a member of the Golden Agers
club at the Hallie Q. Brown Community Center. SUBJECTS DISCUSSED: Her father's work as a
Pullman porter; the activities at the Golden Agers club at the Hallie Q. Brown Community Center; the
Rondo neighborhood of her childhood.
Floyd G. Smaller Jr., 2004. 1.5 Hours. 67p.
Floyd G. Smaller lived in the Rondo neighborhood and in the South. He came home to be a teacher and
a coach. He was a member and commander of the Gopher Elk’s Drum and Bugle Corps. He went to a
traditional black college in Arkansas. SUBJECTS DISCUSSED: Living outside Rondo and then moving
into the Rondo corridor as a young child; the music scene in Rondo; the teen scene when the freeway
was destroying a community; challenges he surmounted to earn a college degree and become a high
school teacher and athletic coach.
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Floyd Smaller Jr. & Marvin Anderson, 2004. 25p.
The idea to have a parade and celebrate commemorating Rondo started when Marvin and Floyd
remembered all the fun things that happened to them on Rondo. Two friends who shared this
neighborhood and their commitment to giving life to Rondo's beautiful memories began the process,
calling their first meeting for July 4, 1982 and announcing a dream to meet after one year. After this, the
project became a huge success as more people got involved and worked to make this celebration a
reality. SUBJECTS DISCUSSED: How the Rondo Celebration idea initially began; the people that were
involved and the fundraising procedure that made this celebration a success; its conflict with the Taste of
Minnesota. COMMENTS ON INTERVIEW: Focus here is on the creation of Rondo Days, a community
festival.
Buelah Mae Swan, 2003. 1.5 Hours. 39p.
Buelah Baines Swan was born in 1927 at Ancker Hospital in St. Paul. She is the eldest daughter of
Walter and Nina Baines. Her father had a business, W. B. Baines, Sr. Coal and Wood, on Rondo
Avenue. Mrs. Swan helped her father as a child at his business. SUBJECTS DISCUSSED: Challenges
of being hired as a young black woman; outline of how the Urban League used her outstanding
stenographic skill to help break the color line to employ blacks; her successful employment history; not
being elected to National Honor Society nor honored as a valedictorian because of her race.
David Vassar Taylor, 2003. 50p.
Dr. David Vassar Taylor was brought up in a strong family with extended family for support. His first
journalism experience was with a neighborhood newspaper that he and friends published weekly. The
Black Episcopal Church played a critically important role in his life. SUBJECTS DISCUSSED: Being
brought up in a strong family and the Rondo community; his first journalism adventures; his adolescent
life after the destruction of the Rondo neighborhood; the richness of the community, with role models
who encouraged him to further his education.
H. Janabelle Taylor, 2003. 1.5 Hours. 70p.
Janabelle Murphy Taylor was born in 1920 at Ancker Hospital in St. Paul. She is a member of the
Credjafawns Social Club and a lifelong member of Pilgrim Baptist Church. She was very active in youth
activities at the Hallie Q. Brown Community Center as a child and, after receiving her degree from the
University of Minnesota, she became a Girls' Worker and later the Program and Camp Director.
SUBJECTS DISCUSSED: Experience of living in the Rondo community and her involvement in the
clubs; information about her parents, grandparents, and the challenges of married life; her insights into
herself: what she refers to as her "authoritarian" personality, her love for people, and the ability to laugh
at herself.
Bernice Wilson, 2003. 57p.
Bernice Wilson was eighty-two years old at the time of the interview. She moved to St. Paul from
Chicago in 1949. SUBJECTS DISCUSSED: Lack of respectable employment opportunities in 1949; the
social clubs that existed in the black community; community support when Wilson's husband and son
passed away; her love for traveling. Wilson's daughter Patricial Wilson Crutchfield comments on her
involvement in the church and her experience being raised in St. Paul.
Don. G. Wilson, 2004. 3 Hours. 66p.
Don Gaugh Wilson was seventy-four years old at the time of the interview and a recent widower with
three offspring. He had been married for fifty-five years and retired at the age of fifty-eight in 1987. He
18
grew up as a foster child; his foster mother Mrs. Josephine influenced him very much, teaching him how
to take care of himself. He had a successful career as a boxer but later moved on to menial jobs and then
worked for Honeywell, where he earned the Tempo Award for work achievement. In the 1970s he did
management seminars called Minority Group Dynamics, helping government agencies address issues of
"colorism". SUBJECTS DISCUSSED: Experience of growing up as a foster child in the Rondo
neighborhood; people who have influenced him and inspired him to succeed; darker side of Rondo
neighborhood and its affect on his adult life; his decision to distance from the community; his feelings
for his wife and his gratitude for the support she gave him during his fifty-five years of marriage;
inspiration he found in studying Islam.
Gloria Gilbreath Wilson, 2003. 1.5 Hours. 48p.
At the time of the interview Gloria Gilbreath had lived most of her seventy-seven years in one little
oblong from Dale Street to Chatsworth and from St. Anthony to Iglehart. Her father worked as redcap at
the Union Depot for forty-one years and her mother, a trained beautician, worked mostly as a matron at
Donaldson, a manufacturing company. She grew up in the Rondo community and loved to play
basketball and dance. Gloria began working as a matron at the downtown train depot at age thirty-one
and had her family's home taken away to make way for a bridge to be built over the freeway.
SUBJECTS DISCUSSED: Her philosophy dealing with experiences of racism as a child; landscape of
Rondo and the community she grew up in; her enthusiasm for basketball and dance; her work at the
downtown train depot as a matron; change in the community after World War II and with the
construction of the freeway.
Our Gathering Places Oral History Project, 21 Interviews, 1997-1998.
INTERVIEWER: Daniel Bergin, Philip Kretsedemas, Kari Morehouse, Nora
Murphy, Mary Murphy-Gnatz and David Vassar Taylor. (MHS) Most of these interviews were conducted to obtain background material for an exhibit at the Minnesota
History Center about the African American community in Minnesota. Those done by Mary Murphy-
Gnatz and her colleagues were conducted to prepare curriculum materials for fourth graders. The
interviews primarily focus on neighborhood activities, barbershops, and beauty shops, although several
musicians were interviewed and also some people who grew up outside metropolitan area.
Roberta Davis, 1997. 2 Hours. 22p.
Roberta Davis is a jazz singer. SUBJECTS DISCUSSED: Experiences with racism and discrimination;
influence of music on her life; work as a singer and gospel choir director; jazz greats; life in Rondo
neighborhood; work as an activist for the Poor Peoples Campaign; travels; health insurance and physical
ailments; her parents.
James Griffin (1917 - ?), 1998. 3 Hours. 47p.
James Griffin was born in St. Paul, Minnesota in 1917 and educated there as well. He attended West
Virginia State College. He worked for the National Youth Administration. He began his career with the
St. Paul police force in 1941 and served for many years. He also served one year of military duty in
1945. SUBJECTS DISCUSSED: Family history; experiences growing up in St. Paul: neighborhood,
schools, youth activities, discrimination, community centers and organizations; work history; Navy
experiences; importance of connections and personal contacts within the community; how he became a
policeman; unions; fire fighters; Affirmative Action; school board service; misconceptions held by black
community about itself.
David Harper, 1997. 1 Hour. 16p.
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David Harper, a barber, has owned and run the Lexington Hair Shop in St. Paul, Minnesota since 1974.
SUBJECTS DISCUSSED: His childhood memories of haircuts and how he became a barber. The
barbershop as a social hub. Differences between modern day shops and shops back in the 1950s and
1960s. His schooling and mentors. Equalizing function of a shop. Barber shops and black culture. His
involvement in community activities. Women clientele. Changeover to appointments. Discussing
political and social issues in a shop. A scattered black population and coming together. Thoughts on
self-reliance.
Lottie Neal, 1997. 1 Hour. 14p.
Lottie Neal was born in Arkansas. She and her husband, Bishop Neal, lived on Rondo Avenue in St.
Paul and owned a building that housed various businesses and some apartments. Her husband also
worked for the railroad. Mrs. Neal worked in a grocery store they owned and later for the school system.
SUBJECTS DISCUSSED: Life on Rondo Avenue; property they owned; favorite places on Rondo
Avenue; how neighborhood has changed; how people have changed; how the freeway changed the
neighborhood; reactions to the freeway; work managing the building and the grocery store; work with
public school; activities for children before the freeway was built; murder and suicide on their property
and its impact on her husband.
Art Rinehart, 1997. 1 Hour. 9p.
Art Rinehart was born and educated in West Virginia. He worked as a barber in his own shop for about
forty years. SUBJECTS DISCUSSED: Difficulties of getting barber's license. Changing men's hair
styles. Various black barbers. Moving from West Virginia to Minnesota. Type of clientele. Segregation.
Changes in the Rondo area. Ministers and community leaders. Maxfield School relocation. His haircuts
by father. Barbershop talk when children present. Philosophy of respect. Different hairstyles. Why and
how he came to be a barber. Mentoring. Personal reflections.
Charles Rogers, 1997. 1 Hour. 18p.
Charles Rogers was born and educated in Missouri. His background is in education. He came to
Minnesota in the early 1950s as the first industrial relations secretary for the St. Paul Urban League. He
was formerly assistant principal at Central High School in St. Paul. He was the first black male teaching
in St. Paul elementary public schools. SUBJECTS DISCUSSED: Work at St. Louis munitions plants as
personnel director; work and accomplishments as Urban League labor relations secretary; improving job
opportunities for blacks; college graduates and job exclusion; Cecil Newman and threatened boycott of
arsenal plant; barbershops’ role as employment referrals and information exchanges; barbershops of
Hall, Martin, Howard and Dick Smith; subjects discussed in barbershops; Maxfield Elementary School;
McKinley Elementary School; Murray High School; Central High School walkout over lack of black
teachers; difficulties in his move to Central; tensions in the black community in the 1960s; Pilgrim
Baptist Church as focal point of black community; inability of blacks to move out of area; realtors;
mortgage companies; Fair Employment Practice Law; Owens, Crump, Hall, Barry, Mobley, Crouch,
Godet, Wigington, and Weber as leaders; barbershop provided role models.
DeVaughnia Simmons, 1997. 1 Hour. 12p.
DeVaughnia Simmons moved to St. Paul in the early 1920s. Her family ran a series of businesses
including a restaurant, grocery store and tavern until her father's death in the mid-1930s. During World
War II, she became the first black woman to work at International Harvester, where she made machine
guns. She also worked at a mattress factory for more than 30 years. SUBJECTS DISCUSSED: The
Rondo neighborhood; changes because of the freeway installation; people moving out of area; specific
people who lived in the neighborhood; physical changes in the neighborhood due to the freeway; the
Credjafawns social club and activities for younger people; work at International Harvester during World
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War II; other jobs; colored people in unions; surviving the Depression; loss of community; Ringling
Brothers circus; the credit union.
David Vassar Taylor, 1998. 2 Hours. 32p.
David Vassar Taylor was born and educated Minnesota. He received a Ph.D. from the University of
Minnesota and at the time of the interview seved as Dean of the General College there. SUBJECTS
DISCUSSED: Family background; expectations and responsibilities as a child; activities at Hallie Q.
Brown Community Center; neighborhood sports; community stratification based on skin color; church
activities; elementary school education; starting a newspaper in fifth grade; learning family genealogy;
civil rights struggle; civil disobedience at school; changes brought about by the civil rights struggle;
meeting Martin Luther King, Jr.; urban racial violence in Minneapolis in 1968; Minnesota's role in the
national struggle; importance of education; University of Minnesota General College; problems with
current secondary education schools; the need to train people to be urban educators; the state of civil and
human rights today for African Americans; applying one's skills, abilities and attributes to makes the
difference in the world; getting around the community (transportation); personal influences; community
organizations and creative play as a child.
Pauline Young & Sylvester Young Jr., 1997. 2 Hour. 32p.
The barbering career of Sylvester "Chubby" Young, Sr. is discussed by his wife, Pauline Young and son,
Sylvester Young, Jr. Chubby was one of five brothers who worked as barbers in St. Paul and
Minneapolis in their own shops or those owned by their siblings. He grew up in St. Paul. Pauline Young
is from Mexico, Missouri. Chubby worked from home giving haircuts, then went to barber school in
1945. He first worked in Brownie's shop (south side) and Reverend Walter Battle's shop, then opened
his own shop, Young Brothers Barbershop. Pauline Young later went to beauty school and opened her
own shop, the Satin Doll Beauty Salon. The two of them then combined the two shops in one location at
Nineteenth and Plymouth Avenue North. They stayed there from 1971 to 1991. SUBJECTS
DISCUSSED: Chubby Young's background. History of black barber shops, services provided. Changes
in clientele, shop locations, hairstyles. Community changes over time. Cohesion of small group. Life in
the Projects when they were new. Community gathering places: community centers, black owned
businesses, churches. Problems starting a business. Welfare. 1960s riots. Streetscape before and after
Humphrey's mayoral term. Sylvester Young, Jr.'s experiences as a musician. Finding and keeping
housing. Wetland Project.
Pauline Young, 1997. 1 Hour. 5p.
SUBJECTS DISCUSSED: Job hunting experiences at black and white run salons. Going into business
with her son. Why she chose beauty school as career in later life. Experiences setting up businesses and
getting a loan. Mr. Young's shop. The Satin Doll salon.
Oral History Interview with Nettie Sherman, September 17, 1974. 1 Hour 17 Min.
21p. Interviewer: Lila Johnson Goff. (MHS) the atmosphere of the Prohibition era nightclubs in St. Paul, law enforcement and her familiarity with
underworld notables such as Dillinger and Baby Face Nelson; anecdotes of her associations with
socially and politically prominent people from both St. Paul and Minneapolis, including the Towle
family, Hubert Humphrey, Milton Rosen, James J. Hill, Floyd B. Olson, and others;
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Oral History Interviews with S. Edward Hall, 1972 and 1974. 8 hours 53 min. 25p.
Interviewer: Ethel Ray Nance. (MHS) S. Edward Hall was born in Batavia, Illinois, in 1878. He came to St. Paul in 1900 and operated a
barbershop downtown for sixty-two years. He was active in St. Paul community life and was a founder
of the St. Paul Urban League. Hall died in October of 1975. In the interviews Hall mainly discusses
black family life and the black community in St. Paul.
“I am Rondo,” poem by Dennis A. Presley, Sr., printed in the 2013 Rondo Days Celebration
booklet. Courtesy of Marvin Anderson.
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Archival and Manuscript Collections
Many of these listings can be found at the Minnesota Historical Society and the
Ramsey County Historical Society. Descriptions for collections are courtesy of the
Minnesota Historical Society website.
David Vassar Taylor: An Inventory of his Minnesota Black History Project
Materials, 1902-1983. Reports, brochures, newspaper articles, correspondence and related
materials from educational institutions, churches, organizations, government agencies, individuals,
and other sources documenting the Black community in Minnesota. The materials were compiled
by David V. Taylor, director, and his assistants for the Minnesota Black History Project, a program
of the Minnesota Historical Society in 1974 and 1975. Also included are the David V. Taylor
papers.
Hallie Q. Brown Community House: An Inventory of its Records, 1921-1996
(bulk 1940-1967). Records of an African American community center located in the Summit-
University neighborhood in St. Paul.
James S. Griffin: An Inventory of his papers, 1920-1998 (bulk 1945-1991). A member
of the Rondo community in Saint Paul, MN. Newspaper clippings, articles, general correspondence,
and subject files documenting the career of a member of the St. Paul police force, the city's first
Black deputy police chief, and St. Paul School Board member.
Martin O. Weddington: An Inventory of his papers, undated and 1921-2001.
Biographical, subject files, and photographs of Martin O. Weddington, an active member of the
African American community in the Twin Cities for over 70 years. This collection documents his
activities at Mechanic Arts High School, the Phi Beta Sigma Fraternity, Pilgrim Baptist Church, the
Sterling Club, the American Legion, and the Prince Hall Masons.
Marvin R. Anderson: An Inventory of Rondo Neighborhood Photographs, 1900-
1969. (Rondo neighborhood, Saint Paul, MN). Photographs of families, individuals, and social
activities in the Rondo neighborhood.
Mount Olivet Baptist Church: An Inventory of its records, 1922-1998. Minutes,
membership information, subject files, and other records of an African-American church located in
the Frogtown neighborhood of St. Paul.
Ramsey County: St. Paul: City Council, Proceedings, 1863- [ongoing]. (12 Boxes). Formal proceedings, printed and bound, of the St. Paul City Council and its predecessor, the St. Paul
Common Council, including ordinances, resolutions, and orders. Ramsey County: St. Paul: City Council,
Journals (minutes), 1854-1978.
Ramsey County: St. Paul: City Planning Board, Land use plan maps, July 1958.
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Ramsey County: St. Paul: Housing and Redevelopment Authority, 1951-1977 (4
microfilm reels) – newspaper and magazine articles related to the functions and programs of the St.
Paul Housing and Redevelopment Authority (HRA) and related urban development and renewal. There
is some gap in the documentation between the years 1972-1974.
Ramsey County: St. Paul: Housing and Redevelopment Authority Project
Photographs (master list), 1918-2005.
Ramsey County: St. Paul: School Records: Independent School District No. 625:
An Inventory of its Miscellaneous School Materials, 1865-1996. Photographs,
histories, dedication programs, design development proposals, correspondence, reports, newsletters,
handbooks, scrapbooks, and other assorted materials documenting over 100 St. Paul elementary,
junior high, high, and special schools.
Rondo Avenue, Inc. (Saint Paul, Minn.): An Inventory of its Records, 1974-2010
(bulk 1983-2010). Annual reports, articles, bylaws, board minutes, and a few photographs.
Transportation Department: An Inventory of its audio-visual materials, 1907-
1990. Photograph prints and negatives and movie reels depicting highway construction and repair
projects; road-building equipment and technology; road crews and field camps; dedication
ceremonies for completed transportation projects; project sites prior to road construction, showing
neighborhoods, commercial buildings, residences, and bridges; historic site markers; and
miscellaneous Transportation Department activities.
Transportation Department: An Inventory of its Negatives, [various listings].
Includes views of Highway Department buildings and personnel, Trunk Highways, bridges, right of
way parcels, road construction, awards, safety meetings, charts and tables, and aerial scenes.
Transportation Department: Planning and Programming Division- Regional
Planning Section, 1967-1993 (57 boxes) Transportation Department. Transportation and
Planning Studies done in 1961-1972.
Union Gospel Mission: An Inventory of its records, (Saint Paul, Minn), 1902-
1992. Minute books, financial records, and subject files of a St. Paul evangelistic and social service
organization that was established in 1902 and provided religious services, meals, and shelter for
transient and homeless men. Includes articles of incorporation, newspaper clippings, handbills,
brochures, correspondence, and a few photographs.
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Sound and Visual Collections
McGee, Rose. “Rondo Oratorio: Re-Living Rondo’s History Through Song (Program).”
Buetow Music Hall, Concordia University, Saint Paul, Minn, September 24, 2005.
KSTP-TV Archive, 1948-1993. MHC holdings. Of these the holdings the following clips show
African Americans in Minneapolis and St. Paul from 1951-1964. This is not an exhaustive list.
http://www.mnhs.org/collections/kstp/
“Xmas party negro Santa Hallie Q Brown house,” Jan 1, 1951.
“Negro Home,” Apr 10, 1958.
“St. Paul Negro raid,” Sept 7, 1959.
“1960 Civil Rights Events,” Jan 1, 1960.
“Negro Pickets St. Paul,” Apr 9, 1960.
“St. Paul negro Riot,” Aug 22, 1960.
“Oxford colored parade,” May 30, 1963.
“Colored meeting,” June 25, 1963.
“Hallie Q Brown – Negro in Highland,” Oct 1, 1963.
“Rev. Denzel Carty- Negro Housing – YWCA,” Oct 21, 1963.
“Woman – Negro for city council St. Paul.,” Jan 9, 1964.
“St. Paul City council – Negro housing,” Aug 13, 1964.
Walker West Music Academy. Rondo Oratorio: Re-Living Rondo’s History Through
Song. Concordia University, Saint Paul, MN: Buetow Hall, 2005. (RAI)
Cover of the Re-Living Rondo’s History
Through Song program, 2005. Courtesy of
Marvin Anderson.
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Maps
The John R. Borchert Map Library, located on the basement level of the Wilson library, contains an
extensive collection of St. Paul maps. Borchert librarians a very knowledgeable about maps
pertaining to the Rondo neighborhood and have worked with the Ramsey County library to that
end. Maps include transportation, environmental, agricultural, political, demographic,
entertainment, etcetera.
Burbank, Richard H. “Map of the City of Saint Paul, Capital of the State of Minnesota:
Done in the Old Style for Your Education and Enjoyment, Showing All Points of
Interest.” Saint Paul Association of Commerce, 1931. (JRB)
Hudson Map Company. “Map of the City of Saint Paul.” H.M. Smyth Printing Co., 1926.
(JRB)
Historic Periodicals
Boyd, Frank. “Reply to George Shannon of the Industrial Relations Board.” The
Messenger, August 1927.
Caldwell, Paul L. “Our Local Struggle to Organize St. Paul, Minnesota.” The
Messenger, January 1927.
———. “The Brotherhood of Sleeping Car Porters: Activities of the Month -Twins
Cities District.” The Messenger, November 1927.
———. “The Brotherhood of Sleeping Car Porters: Twin Cities District.” The
Messenger, November 1927.
———. “The Brotherhood of Sleeping Car Porters: Twin Cities District.” The
Messenger, June 1928.
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Books, Book Chapters, and Articles
Altshuler, Alan A. Community Control: The Black Demand for Participation in
Large American Cities, 1970.
———. “The Intercity Freeway.” In The City Planning Process, A Political
Analysis, 17–83. Cornell University Press, 1965.
Anderson, Carol. Bourgeois Radicals: The NAACP and the Struggle for Colonial
Liberation, 1941-1960. Cambridge University Press, 2014.
A Study of Interstate Highway 94 from Pillsbury to Aldine Streets, Saint Paul:
Merriam Park Area. Saint Paul, MN: Minnesota Department of Highways,
1961.
Beer, Tom, and Tom O’Connell. “Father Francis Gilliagan and the Struggle for Civil
Rights.” Minnesota Historical Society 62, no. 6 (Summer 2011): 204–15.
Commission, Minnesota Governor’s Interracial. The Negro and His Home in
Minnesota. First Edition edition. Minnesota Governor’s Interracial
Commission., 1947.
Davis, F. James. “The Effects of a Freeway Displacement on Racial Housing
Segregation in a Northern City.” Phylon (1960-) 26, no. 3 (33 1965): 209.
Delton, Jennifer A. “Labor, Politics, and American Identity in Minneapolis, 1930-
50.” Minnesota Historical Society 57, no. 8 (Winter 2002 2001): 418–34.
———. Making Minnesota Liberal: Civil Rights And The Transformation Of The
Democratic Party. Univ. Of Minnesota Press, 2002.
Drake, R. M. “Making a Middle Landscape. By Peter G. Rowe. Cambridge,
Massachusetts: MIT Press, 1991.
Dregni, Michael. Minnesota Days. Stillwater, MN: Voyageur Press, 1999.
Fairbanks, Evelyn. Days of Rondo. St. Paul: Minnesota Historical Society Press,
1990.
27
Frase, Richard S. “What Explains Persistent Racial Disproportionality in
Minnesota’s Prison and Jail Populations?” Crime and Justice 38, no. 1 (January
2009): 201–80.
Goetting, Jay. Joined at the Hip: A History of Jazz in the Twin Cities. 1 edition. St.
Paul, MN: Minnesota Historical Society Press, 2011.
Green, William D. Degrees of Freedom: The Origins of Civil Rights in Minnesota,
1865-1912. Univ Of Minnesota Press, 2015.
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33
Going Forward
In many of my conversations with Marvin Anderson, the driving force behind this project, he
expressed his unrelenting urge to collect the most robust inventory of Rondo’s historical
sources. His excitement and tenacity was inspiring. In addition to this survey of sources, local
scholars and
organizations are
also at work
informing
community of lesser
known African
American history. St.
Paul Model Cities
plans to build a
reading room themed
after the women and
men who helped to
organize the local
branch of the
Brotherhood of
Sleeping Car Porters,
the union for the
mainly black railway
porters, organized in
the 1920s. Professor
Chris Wells,
Environmental Historian at Macalester College, currently offers courses that explore the
environmental impact of I94 on the historic Rondo neighborhood. Professors Yuichiro Onishi
(AA&AH), Kevin Murphy (History) and David Chang (History) are amongst a wave of scholars
actively teaching local public history courses at the University of Minnesota. Each semester is a
new opportunity to both share local stories and explore the archives and repositories. Rondo
Community Interpretive Space (pictured above), will be a welcome environment for community
and scholarly discussions about Minnesota history. This survey of sources will help to inform a
variety of media platforms projected to be installed at the site.
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