Historic Landmark Preservation
The City of Fayetteville has released the Historic Context Statement for the historic Black community situated along the western edge of East Mountain in Fayetteville, Arkansas. The cover features a powerful photograph from the 1950s depicting nineteen women and men gathered in the Fellowship Hall of the historic St. James Methodist Church in Fayetteville. Their presence speaks to a time of reflection and determination as they navigated the challenges of their era, including the ongoing erasure of their community. This image stands as a testament to the resilience, strength, and unwavering spirit that has sustained the community to this day.
Context Statement for the Historic Black Community in Fayetteville
Read the Statement
About the Fayetteville Historic Black Heritage Corridor
In the cityscape lies the Fayetteville Black historic district established since the late 1800s - an area that stands as a living tribute to the enduring heritage and rich cultural tapestry of Black communities in Northwest Arkansas, representing the landing place for those displaced across NWA as sundown townships took hold. The landscape is more than a collection of historic sites; it holds a narrative filled with resilience, perseverance, and cultural significance. As some of the earliest residents of the region, Black community members lived and labored to enrich others in, and beyond its city center.
Why Preserve?
Historic preservation is the cornerstone of communal memory and future inspiration. It fuels economic growth, fosters civic pride, and safeguards our collective history. By protecting churches, Green Book sites, schools, and sample iconic structures, and the lands from which municipalities removed them or the people, we not only honor the past but also forge a path for sustainable development.
Key Benefits Include:
In the cityscape lies the Fayetteville Black historic district established since the late 1800s - an area that stands as a living tribute to the enduring heritage and rich cultural tapestry of Black communities in Northwest Arkansas, representing the landing place for those displaced across NWA as sundown townships took hold. The landscape is more than a collection of historic sites; it holds a narrative filled with resilience, perseverance, and cultural significance. As some of the earliest residents of the region, Black community members lived and labored to enrich others in, and beyond its city center.
Why Preserve?
Historic preservation is the cornerstone of communal memory and future inspiration. It fuels economic growth, fosters civic pride, and safeguards our collective history. By protecting churches, Green Book sites, schools, and sample iconic structures, and the lands from which municipalities removed them or the people, we not only honor the past but also forge a path for sustainable development.
Key Benefits Include:
- Building a community of structures with an Afrofuturist vision
- Job creation and income generation
- Economic opportunities for small businesses
- Strengthened community identity and pride
Reclaiming & Revitalizing The Historic Black Heritage Corridor
Our Vision for the Future
Envision a district anchored by The Edge Museum, a hub that engages through education, artistic expression, enjoyment of the landscape, workshops and lectures, exhibitions, performances, historical archives, and diasporic foodways. The built and landscape environments generate feelings of safety, comfort, achievement, potential, beauty, and healthfulness.
Our Aspirations Comprise:
Envision a district anchored by The Edge Museum, a hub that engages through education, artistic expression, enjoyment of the landscape, workshops and lectures, exhibitions, performances, historical archives, and diasporic foodways. The built and landscape environments generate feelings of safety, comfort, achievement, potential, beauty, and healthfulness.
Our Aspirations Comprise:
- An Afrofuturist Museum as a nexus of inspiration and healing
- Affordable Housing to reinforce the district’s community ties
- Walkability and green-spaces for community enjoyment
- Public Schools that shared the center of Black living are anchors
- Green Book (safety for Black travelers) Houses
- Walking trails, riding lanes, and bridges to connect communities
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