The Black Presence in Portland
The history of Portland’s Black community began in the years following the Civil War as people from rural parts of Kentucky and the South migrated to this bustling port city on the Ohio River. Portland’s industries and transportation offered African Americans jobs and the opportunity to establish roots, build organizations, and raise generations of families.
From the late nineteenth century through the first half of the twentieth, Lytle Street was the center of Portland’s Black community, anchored by two cherished institutions: the Portland Memorial Baptist Church and the Portland Colored School directly across the street. Tracing the Black presence in Portland illuminates a network of closely knit individuals, families, and clubs, often with deep ties to the houses of learning and worship.
The following oral histories, some collected from the archives of Portland Museum and some conducted by Filson Club Community Scholar Edward R. White, provide a glimpse into lives of the multi-generational yet underheard Black residents of Louisville’s Portland neighborhood.
Archival Interviews:
Full Oral Histories:
Recording Date: July 29th, 1988
Interviewer: Jane Halliday
Recording Date: August 4th, 1988
Interviewer: Jane Halliday
Recording Date: November 17th, 1988
Interviewer: Jane Halliday
Recording Date: December 3rd, 1976
Interviewer: William T. Rich
New Interviews:
Full Oral Histories:
Presented here is just a sampling of the rich, interconnected family stories that native Portlander Ed “Nardie” White has begun to collect and preserve. We hope the Roots on the River project will continue to grow!
Interested in sharing your Black Portland family history? Contact Ed White at NardieDrum@gmail.com.