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Last Updated: Dec 31st, 2008 |
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A Cultural History of African Americans in Hopewell, Virginia
A compact
collection of historic sites and personal stories illuminate life for
African Americans in the city of Hopewell. Its location, at the
confluence of the Appomattox and James Rivers, twenty-four miles
southeast of Richmond, enabled its predecessor, City Point to become a
thriving trade center. Hopewell's history spans 400 years and includes
Algonquian-speaking Indians, Europeans and Africans. Despite wars,
disasters, the influx of enslaved people, military personnel and
immigrants, City Point and later the city of Hopewell has endured and
in fact embodies the pursuit of the American Dream. This study
illustrates how a disfranchised and discriminated group of people have
continually pushed themselves and others to actualize and enjoy all
that the American Dream has come to symbolize. In 2004 the Hopewell
city council commissioned the African American oral history project.
During the spring and summer of 2005, the author, Lauranett Lee, Ph.D.,
interviewed twelve citizens ranging from former students and teachers,
school administrators and ministers, as well as parents and community
volunteers who shared their stories. In addition, eight state and
nationally recognized historic landmarks highlight Hopewell's cultural
history. They are: Kippax Plantation Archeological Site, Appomattox
Manor, Weston Manor, City Point National Cemetery, City Point Historic
District, Downtown Hopewell Historic District, Beacon Theatre, and
Hopewell Municipal Building. Two maps, one of the precinct wards and
another of the historic sites, as well as an index enable readers to
easily locate boundaries, markers and subject matter. In addition to
images of the interviewees, twenty-eight photographs enliven the
text. The endnotes and bibliography provide information for further
study.
In the city of Hopewell, Making the American Dream Work can be purchased at the following outlets:
Historic Hopewell Foundation, Inc., Weston Manor Gift Shop
400 Weston Lane
(804) 458-4682
Monday through Saturday from 10-4:30 and Sunday 1-4:30
The Hopewell Visitor Center
4100 Oaklawn Boulevard
(804) 541-2461 or 1 (800) 863-8687
Monday-Sunday from 9-5 am
John Randolph Medical Center Gift Shop
411 West Randolph Road
(804) 541-7720
Monday-Saturday from 9-4:30 and Sun 12:30- 4:30
Various online booksellers also carry Making the American Dream Work: A Cultural History of African Americans in Hopewell, Virginia
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