Recreation without humiliation : Black leisure in the twentieth-century south / Mary Stanton.

Format:

Book

Author/Creator:

Stanton, Mary, author.

Language:

English

Subjects (All):

Leisure--Southern States--History--20th century.

Leisure.

African Americans--Southern States--Social life and customs--History--20th century.

African Americans.

Recreation--Southern States--History--20th century.

Recreation.

African Americans--Southern States--Social conditions--History--20th century.

Amusement parks--Social aspects--Southern States--History--20th century.

Amusement parks.

Southern States--Race relations--History--20th century.

Southern States.

Physical Description:

xiv, 264 pages : illustrations ; 24 cm

Other Title:

Black leisure in the twentieth-century south

Place of Publication:

Athens, Georgia : University of Georgia Press, [2024]

Summary:

"Recreation without Humiliation is the first comprehensive study of Black amusement venues established by Black Americans for Black Americans. Mary Stanton's extensive research on African American amusement parks in America explores not only segregation, class, and social barriers but also the notion of the 'pursuit of happiness' as an inalienable right for all races and classes of people. Inspired by summers spent on Coney Island, where Stanton became curious about the existence of African American amusement parks in America, Stanton's research uncovered more than fifty such venues, most of which operated during the late nineteenth and early twentieth centuries. These were parks, theaters, juke joints, country clubs, summer colonies, baseball diamonds, and arenas. Although these venues provided much needed recreational services to an underserved Black population, many were threatened by whites, and some destroyed by them. Through her study of these sites of recreation, Stanton illuminates the history of African Americans who strove to create and maintain safe and satisfying entertainment despite segregation. In her research, Stanton also found class divisions among Black American entertainment venues. At the pinnacle of Black society in this era were the upper class, who could afford exclusive Black summer cottages and country clubs. General entertainment for Black working-class families consisted of dancing and drinking in juke joints or patronizing small amusement parks, playgrounds, movie theaters, church-sponsored functions, and Black county fairs. African Americans in the twentieth century, especially in the South, transformed segregation into what historian Earl Lewis calls "congregation." Congregation implies choice, and this congregation "provided space and support for establishing new amusements, entertainments, music, and dance" without interference or oppression"-- Provided by publisher.

Contents:

Preface: the limitations of memory

Introduction: whites only

Washington, D.C.: Suburban Gardens, Deanwood

Black minstrel and vaudeville shows

The Theatrical Owners Booking Agency

"Black Broadway," Greater U Street

Maryland: Highland Beach, Anne Arundel County

Washington Park, Prince George's County

Brown's Grove, Rock Creek

Edgewater Beach Park, Turner Station

Carr's and Sparrow's Beaches, Annapolis

Wilmer's Park, Prince George's County

The Chitlin Circuit

Virginia: Seaview Beach Resort and Amusement Park, Norfolk

North Carolina: Shell Island Resort, Wilmington

Sea breeze and Bop City, New Hanover County

Chowan Beach, Winton

South Carolina: Mosquito Beach, James Island

Atlantic Beach, Horry County

Tennessee: Church's Park, Memphis

Greenwood Park, Nashville

Kentucky: Frederick Douglass Park, Lexington

Georgia: the Atlanta Cotton States and the International Exposition

King's Wigwam Country Club, Kennesaw

Sweet Auburn/ Atlanta's Stroll

Florida: Overtown, Miami-Dade County

Manhattan Beach and Jacksonville's Movies

Butler's Beach, St. Augustine

American Beach, Anastasia Island

Paradise Park, Silver Springs

Mississippi: Gulfside Assembly, Hancock County

Farish Street, Jackson

Alabama: Tuxedo Junction, Ensley

Black Mardi Gras, Mobile

The Ben Moore Hotel and the Laicos Club, Montgomery

Lousiana: Congo Square and Storyville, New Orleans

Seabrook and Lincoln Beaches, East New Orleans

Arkansas: Wiley Jones Park and Race Track, Pine Bluff

Bathhouses and Spring Training, Hot Springs

Missouri: Deep Morgan, St. Louis

Fairground Park Pool, St. Louis

Texas: County line/ Upshaw, East Texas

The Victory Grill, East Austin

Black rodeos and trailblazers, West Texas

State and county fairs and national parks: Colored state and county fairs

The National Park Service

Epilogue: litigation, white flight, and theme parks.

Notes:

Includes bibliographical references and index.

Other Format:

Online version: Stanton, Mary. Recreation without humiliation

ISBN:

9780820367668

0820367664

9780820367675

0820367672

OCLC:

1434093949