Oral history interview with Ledru Koontz

Wilbur Ledru Koontz, a white man born on March 26, 1902, and his family lived in Anacostia, where his father owned a store, the L. E. Koontz Hay and Feed Store. Koontz recalls many German immigrants in the neighborhood, residents using horses and wagons to get around, shopping with local merchants, and doing business with the Anacostia Bank. He talks about beginning his career at the Anacostia Bank in 1917 when he was 15 years old; what banking was like in Anacostia at that time (including serving both white and African American community members during the Jim Crow Era); and local businesses he frequented both as a banker and as a resident. Koontz discusses local businesses, such as Dr. Shipley's Pharmacy, as well as the business he did with different churches and congregation members when he worked at Anacostia Bank. Throughout the interview, he names prominent community leaders, such as Norman Dale, Irving Yochelson, and Helen King. Wilbur Ledru Koontz was interviewed by Cassandra Smith-Parker on November 18, 1975. Digital audio files include significant white noise and static; interviewee can be heard for some parts.