Oral History Interview with Florine Smith McLendon

Florine Smith McLendon, an African American woman born around 1896, discusses growing up in and around Anacostia with her brother, Stanley Smith. McLendon talks about the geographic segregation of white and African American residents, the Anacostia Bank (now the Anacostia National Bank), the Hillsdale Civic Association and the Barry Farm Civic Association, and Douglass Hall. Other topics of discussion include the building of the community center and low-income houses, the work of the community leaders, such as John Henry Dale Jr. and James Smoot as well as their families, and the changing presence of the police force. She ends the interview talking about the sanitation, transportation, and newspapers available when she was younger. Florine Smith McLendon was interviewed on December 5, 1970, by an unnamed volunteer or staff member at the Anacostia Neighborhood Museum (now the Anacostia Community Museum). Digital audio files include white noise and static; interviewee can be heard clearly for most parts.