Additional information
by Sarah Wesley (Author), Linda Jayne Clark (Author), Catherine C. Quillman (Author)
So named because this book covers the business community of West Chester, PA., which was "uptown" from historic black neighborhoods, Walking the "Uptown" was designed to be both a scholarly resource and a walking tour documenting the lives of 19th-century black entrepreneurs and the many "firsts" in the 20th century black business community. The 90-page book also includes an extensive appendix with profiles of the early residents who were part of the northern migration of free blacks and former slaves before and after the Civil War. A particular focus is on those members of the black business community who operated oyster bars and catering businesses "Uptown," but who were eventually forced to relocate to the "East End," the town's historic black community. The book also documents the Civil Rights era. West Chester native Bayard Rustin formulated many of his tactics of nonviolent action in West Chester.
Author Biography
Catherine Quillman is a former Arts journalist at the Philadelphia Inquirer. She was able to complete her research with the help of a Leeway Foundation grant and work by Sarah Wesley, the co-author of the 2012 book, Walking the East End: an historic African-American community in West Chester, Pennsylvania. The book earned the 2013 Preservation Service Award from the West Chester Downtown Foundation.
