There Went The Neighborhood: The Closing of Jones School
As part of Ann Arbor 200, the Ann Arbor District Library and 7 Cylinders Studio (7CS) have produced a documentary film about the closing of Ann Arbor's Jones School. In 1965, the Board of Education closed the majority-Black school. Ann Arbor joined a nationwide trend of school desegregation during the Civil Rights Era. But for these young students, the loss of a neighborhood school foreshadowed changes to their close-knit community. Gentrification came to Ann Arbor on the heels of desegregation.
In the making of this film, 7CS filmmakers and AADL archivists interviewed over thirty former Jones students and Black community leaders. They shared memories of Jones School and "The Old Neighborhood"—the areas now known as Kerrytown and Water Hill. A filmed walking tour, studio interviews, and historical photos form the core of the film. Run time is approximately 40 minutes.
The AADL Archives has many additional materials to explore relating to these topics, including a history of Jones School and dozens of Ann Arbor News articles that appear in the film:
Ellis Fondren, City Council Hopeful, Dies
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Reverend Lyman S. Parks, Pastor of Bethel AME Church From 1954 to 1964
Year:
c.1964
AACHM Oral History: Alice Brennan-Key
Alice Brennan-Key was born in Ann Arbor in 1953. Her parents met in Florida after her father immigrated from the Bahamas, and they moved to Ann Arbor in the 1940s. Brennan-Key grew up on Gott Street, next door to her current residence. She has seen the neighborhood change over the years due to gentrification. She went to Michigan State University as an undergraduate and received her master’s in social work from the University of Michigan. She spent most of her career working with developmentally disabled and mentally ill residents of Washtenaw County. She raised her daughter Khyla in Ann Arbor.
Apartments, 632 N Fourth Ave, formerly Bethel AME Church, North of Kerrytown Neighborhood, September 13, 2021 Photographer: Steve Jensen
Year:
2021
Bethel Toy Club Founder Succumbs
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Anthony, Nannie B.
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Doris Albriton, Curtis Johnson Say Vows In Bethel AME Church
Bethel African Methodist Episcopal Church on North Fourth Avenue, July 1958 Photographer: Duane Scheel
Year:
1958
Ann Arbor News, July 3, 1958
Caption:
LANDMARK CHURCH: One of the oldest churches in Ann Arbor is the Bethel African Methodist Episcopal Church at 632 N. Fourth Ave., built in 1891. Funds for building the church were contributed by city businessmen and the labor was furnished free by the church members.
Apartments, 632 N Fourth Ave, North of Kerrytown Neighborhood, September 1, 2015 Photographer: Steve Jensen
Year:
2015