Oral History Interview with Esther Johnson

Esther Johnson, an African American woman who lived in Anacostia since 1922, talks about growing up in this tight-knit community. She recalls the various places and activities the community had to offer, including Birney Elementary School, a community center, the Anacostia Bank (now the Anacostia National Bank), the Frederick Douglass Home, and Lombardy Dance Hall. She talks about other landmarks, such as Mason's Funeral Home, Curtis Brothers Furniture, and the Bethlehem Baptist Church, as well as newer additions to the neighborhood, including St. Philip's Episcopal Church, apartment complexes, and Suitland Parkway. She touches on how many of the places she knew as a child are now gone, such as the woods near her house that people used to cut through to get home, a small community graveyard, Dr. Shipley's Pharmacy, the Sayles Coal Yard, and a local strip of stores on Nichols Avenue. Johnson describes her time working at the Joint Base Anacostia-Bolling as a secretary and a warrant officer and later working for the Girl Scouts. She includes information about a local civic association she is a part of, Southeast Neighborhood Action Board, which helps to build a strong mental health program in Anacostia. She remembers the leaders in the neighborhood when she was growing up, including the Dale family, Dorothy Sayles, and Martha Ellis. Johnson concludes the interview talking about how World War II changed the neighborhood by bringing in stores, theaters, and recreation halls but by the mid-1970s, most of those businesses closed. She discusses her worries about the infrastructure and economy of the neighborhood, which brings up other problems in the neighborhood with transportation and the police force. Esther Johnson was interviewed in the spring of 1971 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.