22 10 894 People An individual. Metadata for a person provides detailed biographical information to describe the life of a historical figure. Dublin Core The Dublin Core metadata element set is common to all Omeka records, including items, files, and collections. For more information see, http://dublincore.org/documents/dces/. Title A name given to the resource The Neptune Inn Organizations and Institutions A group of individuals cooperating under similar beliefs to reach an agreed-upon goal. Metadata for organizations and institutions provides information for the basis of an investigation into the creation, purpose, beliefs, and actors involved in an organization and institution. Dublin Core The Dublin Core metadata element set is common to all Omeka records, including items, files, and collections. For more information see, http://dublincore.org/documents/dces/. Title A name given to the resource Englewood Anti-Communist League People An individual. Metadata for a person provides detailed biographical information to describe the life of a historical figure. Dublin Core The Dublin Core metadata element set is common to all Omeka records, including items, files, and collections. For more information see, http://dublincore.org/documents/dces/. Title A name given to the resource Patler, John People An individual. Metadata for a person provides detailed biographical information to describe the life of a historical figure. Dublin Core The Dublin Core metadata element set is common to all Omeka records, including items, files, and collections. For more information see, http://dublincore.org/documents/dces/. Title A name given to the resource Vaughn, Carmen and Leroy Description An account of the resource Leroy and Carmen Vaughn, African American parents in Englewood, became central figures in a landmark New Jersey Supreme Court case after they kept their daughter, Laurie, out of the fourth grade during the 1962 boycott of Lincoln School, which Black parents charged was racially segregated in fact. In a unanimous 7–0 decision, the New Jersey Supreme Court ruled that a parent’s opposition to school segregation did not constitute a valid legal defense for violating the state’s compulsory school attendance law, reinstating the Vaughns’ appeal but rejecting the argument that evidence of segregation could excuse truancy. The Court held that even where segregation existed, parents were still legally required to send their children to school, drawing a sharp distinction between permissible legal challenges to segregation and unlawful forms of protest. The ruling came amid one of the most bitterly contested civil rights disputes in the North and underscored a central tension of the Englewood struggle: although state officials later acknowledged Lincoln School’s racial imbalance and ordered corrective action, Black parents were nevertheless fined and prosecuted for using direct action to force desegregation. Dublin Core The Dublin Core metadata element set is common to all Omeka records, including items, files, and collections. For more information see, http://dublincore.org/documents/dces/. Title A name given to the resource Harrison, Augustus Description An account of the resource NJ State President of the NAACP. A leader of the Englewood Movement. https://archive.englewoodmakeshistory.org/files/original/c190c1803402aad8b26b13aaf41a87b6.png 93f0ebcb49ccaf911daed5515c278202 Event A non-persistent, time-based occurrence. Metadata for an event provides descriptive information that is the basis for discovery of the purpose, location, duration, and responsible agents associated with an event. Examples include an exhibition, webcast, conference, workshop, open day, performance, battle, trial, wedding, tea party, conflagration. Date Started May 3, 1914 Dublin Core The Dublin Core metadata element set is common to all Omeka records, including items, files, and collections. For more information see, http://dublincore.org/documents/dces/. Title A name given to the resource Booker T. Washington Speaks at the 1st Presbyterian Church and at the Armory. May 3, 1914. Source A related resource from which the described resource is derived Library of Congress Publisher An entity responsible for making the resource available wikipedia Date A point or period of time associated with an event in the lifecycle of the resource January 1, 1905 Description An account of the resource Booker T. Washington’s visit to Englewood was a major local event that brought one of the most prominent African American educators of the era directly into the civic and religious life of the town. During his stay, Washington spoke at two important Englewood venues, each representing different constituencies within the community. Washington first delivered an address at the First Presbyterian Church, where he spoke to a union meeting of white churches. Later the same day, he addressed a union gathering of Black churches at the Old Armory, which was located in Englewood’s Fourth Ward, within the predominantly African American neighborhood commonly known as Little Texas. The choice of venue underscored the importance of Black-controlled and Black-centered spaces in Englewood’s civic and religious life. At both locations, Washington emphasized education as the foundation of racial progress and social stability, frequently pointing to the work of Tuskegee Institute as a practical model for economic self-help and institutional development. The visit was organized by a local Englewood reception committee composed of leading Black residents and clergy. Contemporary accounts name the committee members as Rev. L. R. Mason, Dr. Willoughby, Rev. W. E. Griffin, G. H. Jonas, J. Campbell, and L. M. Cobb, who escorted Washington to his engagements and helped coordinate the events. Their involvement highlights the strength and organization of Englewood’s Black civic leadership during this period. Washington’s appearances drew large audiences and were widely noted within the community, reinforcing Englewood’s role as a place where national Black leaders engaged directly with local concerns. His time in Englewood also formed part of a wider New Jersey itinerary that included nearby cities such as Hackensack, reflecting the close ties among Black communities across Bergen County and the surrounding region. “Booker T. Washington to Speak Here Tonight.” The Record (Hackensack, NJ), April 28, 1914. “Booker T. Washington at First Reformed.” The Record (Hackensack, NJ), April 28, 1914. “Noted Colored Educator Coming: Booker T. Washington to Speak in State Street Auditorium.” The Record (Hackensack, NJ), May 4, 1914. “Sheltering Arms for the Colored Orphans of Bergen County.” The Record (Hackensack, NJ), May 4, 1914. “Noted Colored Educator Coming.” The Ridgewood Herald (Ridgewood, NJ), April 23, 1914. “Dr. Booker T. Washington Coming.” The Freehold Transcript and The Monmouth Inquirer (Freehold, NJ), May 1, 1914. “Booker T. Washington to Speak Here Tonight.” Passaic Daily Herald (Passaic, NJ), May 4, 1914. https://archive.englewoodmakeshistory.org/files/original/6880c0f3ab7d9eef32743cf7952ec146.png 93f0ebcb49ccaf911daed5515c278202 Event A non-persistent, time-based occurrence. Metadata for an event provides descriptive information that is the basis for discovery of the purpose, location, duration, and responsible agents associated with an event. Examples include an exhibition, webcast, conference, workshop, open day, performance, battle, trial, wedding, tea party, conflagration. Date Started March 16, 1902 Dublin Core The Dublin Core metadata element set is common to all Omeka records, including items, files, and collections. For more information see, http://dublincore.org/documents/dces/. Title A name given to the resource Booker T. Washington Speaks at the Lyceum. March, 1902. Description An account of the resource In mid-March 1902, Booker T. Washington—the nation’s most prominent Black educator and public intellectual at the turn of the twentieth century—visited Englewood, where he delivered a widely attended lecture at the local Lyceum. The event was held under the auspices of the Englewood Woman’s Club, reflecting the important role local women’s civic groups played in shaping Englewood’s intellectual and reform culture at the time. According to contemporary newspaper coverage, the Lyceum was crowded and Washington received a “warm reception,” signaling both his national stature and the strong local interest in questions of race, education, and social progress. In his address, Washington emphasized that the so-called “Negro problem” was not confined to African Americans alone, nor to the South as a region, but was a national responsibility created by the whole country and therefore requiring collective solutions. A central theme of his talk was education. Washington argued that both Black and white Southerners suffered from inadequate educational opportunities, and that progress depended on expanding access to schooling for all. He noted that in many cases poor white Southerners were as disadvantaged educationally as Black Southerners, and he stressed that communities with higher levels of white educational attainment tended to offer better opportunities for African Americans as well. Washington’s Englewood appearance fits squarely within his broader national lecture circuit, through which he sought to build interracial support for education, economic uplift, and social stability. Locally, the visit stands as an early example of Englewood’s engagement with leading figures in African American history and reform, highlighting the city’s role as a site where national debates about race, education, and citizenship were actively discussed in the early twentieth century. “Booker T. Washington in Englewood.” New York Tribune, March 18, 1902. Organizations and Institutions A group of individuals cooperating under similar beliefs to reach an agreed-upon goal. Metadata for organizations and institutions provides information for the basis of an investigation into the creation, purpose, beliefs, and actors involved in an organization and institution. Dublin Core The Dublin Core metadata element set is common to all Omeka records, including items, files, and collections. For more information see, http://dublincore.org/documents/dces/. Title A name given to the resource Spruill Agency Inc. People An individual. Metadata for a person provides detailed biographical information to describe the life of a historical figure. Dublin Core The Dublin Core metadata element set is common to all Omeka records, including items, files, and collections. For more information see, http://dublincore.org/documents/dces/. Title A name given to the resource Drakeford, Jack Description An account of the resource Jack Drakeford was one of the most influential public servants in Englewood’s modern history, a lifelong resident whose career reflected both the struggles and aspirations of the city he served for more than five decades. Born and raised in Englewood, Drakeford came of age during a period when segregation and racial discrimination still shaped daily life. Those early experiences deeply informed his lifelong commitment to fairness, effective government, and civic inclusion. Drakeford’s public service began with the Englewood Fire Department, where he developed a reputation for discipline, reliability, and leadership. From there, he moved into municipal government, serving in an extraordinary range of roles that reflected both his versatility and the trust placed in him by the community. Over the course of his career, he served as city clerk, acting director of public works, public safety director, city manager, and multiple terms as a member—and president—of the Englewood City Council. Elected to the City Council in the 1970s, Drakeford quickly became a central figure in local governance. He served as Council President in multiple decades (1976, 1999, 2002, and 2004), an achievement unmatched in Englewood’s history. Colleagues and residents alike came to refer to him as the “dean of the council,” a reflection of his institutional knowledge, political skill, and enduring influence. One of the defining moments of Drakeford’s career came with his appointment as Englewood’s City Manager in the 1980s. The appointment was controversial and legally challenged, reflecting broader debates over professionalism, race, and political power in municipal government. The courts ultimately upheld the appointment, and Drakeford became the first African American City Manager in Englewood’s history—and in New Jersey. As city manager, he played a pivotal role in modernizing city operations, strengthening fiscal management, improving public safety, and helping to reverse Englewood’s reputation for high taxes and crime. Much of this work, by his own preference, was carried out behind the scenes. After his tenure as city manager, Drakeford continued to serve Englewood in elected and appointed roles, including as president of the Englewood Board of Education and later returning once more to the City Council. Across generations of leadership, he remained a key mentor and strategist, valued for his deep understanding of people, politics, and the practical realities of governing. Beyond City Hall, Drakeford was active in regional civic life. He served on the boards of Bergen County Habitat for Humanity and the Bergen County Technical School District, and he represented Englewood in national and international exchanges connected to public service, including trips abroad late in his career. Jack Drakeford died at age 75, leaving behind a legacy defined by persistence, pragmatism, and an unwavering belief that local government could be a force for justice and improvement. Widely regarded as a foundational figure in Englewood’s late-20th-century transformation, he is remembered not only for the offices he held, but for the generations of leaders he guided and the city he helped shape. Event A non-persistent, time-based occurrence. Metadata for an event provides descriptive information that is the basis for discovery of the purpose, location, duration, and responsible agents associated with an event. Examples include an exhibition, webcast, conference, workshop, open day, performance, battle, trial, wedding, tea party, conflagration. Dublin Core The Dublin Core metadata element set is common to all Omeka records, including items, files, and collections. For more information see, http://dublincore.org/documents/dces/. Title A name given to the resource The "Negro Purge" 1933- Description An account of the resource In 1900, Englewood, New Jersey, had a population of 6,253. African Americans made up six percent of the population, totaling 383 residents. Of those, 58 percent lived in the 4th Ward, primarily in its northeast section—between Jay Street and Palisade Avenue (north to south), and Armory Street and Van Brunt Street (east to west). This area became known locally as “Little Texas.” Black residents lived alongside Catholic and Jewish immigrants from Eastern and Southern Europe. Forty-two percent of the city’s Black population lived in roughly equal numbers across the 1st, 2nd, and 3rd Wards. Many African Americans worked as domestics—maids, washerwomen, coachmen, and gardeners—on the wealthy white estates of the 1st and 2nd Wards, areas known as the “Hill” or “Queen City.” Others worked as day laborers throughout the city. While some Black families had lived in Englewood for generations, most were recent arrivals from the South. Fleeing the brutal conditions of Jim Crow—disfranchisement, debt peonage, lynchings, and racial pogroms—many sought refuge and opportunity in the North. One couple, John C. Bristow and his wife Priscilla (known as “Mom”), played a central role in this migration. They arrived in Englewood in 1903 from Bennettsville, South Carolina, with their seven children. John, Priscilla, and three of their children began domestic work immediately, while the other four enrolled in school. The Bristow’s eventually purchased two plots of land on School Street in the 4th Ward and built a two-family house. They lived in one unit and converted the other into Englewood’s first employment agency, complete with a telephone. Over the next 25 years, they helped hundreds of Black southerners find jobs in the Queen City estates, where employers preferred hiring Black workers because they could pay them $15 a month, compared to $30 for white workers. Growth and Community Building (1920s–1930s) Between 1900 and 1930, Englewood’s Black population grew exponentially—from 383 to over 2,500, accounting for 14% of the city's population by 1930. “Little Texas” evolved into a tight-knit, self-sufficient community with thriving Black-owned businesses, Lincoln School, the Memorial House community center, and a network of churches and social organizations. The community was served by leaders such as Dr. William Willoughby, Englewood Hospital’s first Black doctor and Bergen County’s first Black sheriff; Charles Hinton, the first Black elected official in Englewood (1914); and Reverend Thomas Harris, a key figure in Republican politics. The ward also produced cultural icons like Alexander Jackson, a Harvard graduate who co-founded Black History Month, and jazz legend Leroy “Slam” Stewart. National Black leaders, including Booker T. Washington, A. Philip Randolph, and Matthew Henson, visited the 4th Ward, and W.E.B. Du Bois offered his support to local efforts. The 1930s “Negro Purge” The Great Depression hit the Black community hard. In the early 1930s, white Republicans on the Hill launched a targeted campaign to “depopulate” Englewood’s Black residents. This so-called “Negro Purge” was driven by racist fears that the growing Black population posed a threat. Critics blamed the 4th Ward for crime, disease, and poor housing, and accused Southern Black migrants of exploiting New Deal welfare programs. The campaign gained support from estate owners who no longer needed domestic help due to the economic downturn. City officials enacted a brutal strategy described by the Bergen Record in 1938 as “simple, ruthless, and devastatingly efficient.” The Health Department would condemn, evict, and demolish homes of Black tenants who fell behind on utility bills. Properties were torn down unless owners could quickly afford repairs or pay off tax liens. According to 4th ward Democratic leader William Butler, under Police Commissioner—and future mayor—Albert Moskin, police aggressively harassed Black residents, targeting minor infractions like loitering. The Health Department subjected Black domestic workers to demeaning exams, and residents caught housing any southerner collecting welfare were removed from assistance rolls. Survival, Political Change, and Cultural Flourishing Despite this, the purge failed. The Black population continued to grow, particularly in the 3rd and 4th Wards. For decades, the Republican-controlled City Council continued efforts to displace Black residents. That changed in 1967, when the Democratic Party gained control of the council for the first time in 70 years. The new council passed an Urban Renewal Plan that prioritized Englewood’s working-class Black residents. They built three affordable housing developments—Rock Creek, King Gardens, and Park View—which helped the Black community thrive. By 2000, over 40% of Englewood’s population identified as Black. This era saw the rise of successful and influential figures from Englewood, including: . Joe Echols and Vince Lombardi (integrated the NFL) • The Isley Brothers • Clarke Peters • Sugar Hill Gang • Regina Belle • Bernard Belle • Bill Willoughby • William E. Brown • Josephine English • Freddie Perren • Larry and Alphonse Mizell . John Travolta (a product of the 4th ward black community)