In the past, the "East End" of this small Chester County, Pa. town was not exactly an ideal residential community. From the mid-1800s and into the 20th century, the majority of black residents lived alongside noisy work yards including that of lumber, coal, brick, and wheelwrights, as well as dangerous gas works, tar manufacturers, round-the-clock machine shops, ice storage facilities, and busy freight loading docks and the central rail terminus for passengers traveling to and from Philadelphia. Still, the story of the East End is one of independence-one that began when the community was settled by free black men, veterans of the Civil War "colored" troops, and southern families who moved north to raise their children among the sympathetic Quakers. Now in its second edition, this scholarly resource (and walking tour) is illustrated with numerous photographs, many of them offering a rare glimpse into the lives of early black entrepreneurs. The book also documents the Civil Rights era: Bayard Rustin, famous as the chief tactician of nonviolent action and the organizer of the March of 1963, was born and raised in the East End. Rustin also formulated many of his ideas of political action in West Chester, at first testing out strategies in the borough's restaurants and stores, and later leading outright protests at the court house. This second edition includes an extensive appendix that includes biographical material and data from early census records.
In the past, the "East End" of this small Chester County, Pa. town was not exactly an ideal residential community. From the mid-1800s and into the 20th century, the majority of black residents lived alongside noisy work yards including that of lumber, coal, brick, and wheelwrights, as well as dangerous gas works, tar manufacturers, round-the-clock machine shops, ice storage facilities, and busy freight loading docks and the central rail terminus for passengers traveling to and from Philadelphia. Still, the story of the East End is one of independence-one that began when the community was settled by free black men, veterans of the Civil War "colored" troops, and southern families who moved north to raise their children among the sympathetic Quakers. Now in its second edition, this scholarly resource (and walking tour) is illustrated with numerous photographs, many of them offering a rare glimpse into the lives of early black entrepreneurs. The book also documents the Civil Rights era: Bayard Rustin, famous as the chief tactician of nonviolent action and the organizer of the March of 1963, was born and raised in the East End. Rustin also formulated many of his ideas of political action in West Chester, at first testing out strategies in the borough's restaurants and stores, and later leading outright protests at the court house. This second edition includes an extensive appendix that includes biographical material and data from early census records.
