Harrisonburg researchers and community leaders preserving a historic boarding house have found a trove of documents and photographs that make up a rich archive of Black entrepreneurial life in the early to mid-20th century. WMRA's Randi B. Hagi reports.
In a time when racial segregation in public accommodations was the law of the land, the Ida Mae Francis Tourist Home in Harrisonburg's Northeast Neighborhood welcomed Black scientists, musicians, and travelers of all kinds from around 1912 to 1962. It stands today as a time capsule to its proprietor, her family, and their community.
In the foyer, a hanging, red orb lamp casts an otherworldly glow – it's a relic from the old Kavanaugh Hotel. The shelves of china cabinets are dotted with dainty, painted teacups hanging inside. A large mantlepiece with spirals of dark wood and carved animal heads commands most of one wall – possibly a souvenir from Ida’s grandson's Army service in Germany.
DEANNA REED: For me, it feels like a huge responsibility to make sure that this house lives on.
Harrisonburg Mayor Deanna Reed is leading the preservation of the property, with the help of local historians, archaeologists, and archivists. Ida's grandchildren, Lois and Henry Rouser, were close with Reed's family. When Lois died in 2022 with no immediate family left, she gave the house to Reed's father, William. William and Deanna, with a few other family members, went to the house one day to organize the Rouser's belongings.
REED: It was just drawers and drawers of paper and documents and receipts and newspapers, everything. Pictures. So they threw away nothing.
MARK METZLER SAWIN: From what William says, for example, when Mary died, they didn't clean out her room or anything. They just closed the door.
Mark Metzler Sawin, who leads the history and political science program at Eastern Mennonite University, is part of the preservation team.
SAWIN: It became known as the place to stay if you're Black and traveling through the area. … When George Washington Carver came through here in 1928, he stayed here.
The house is now included in state and national historic registries. Back in the day, it was listed in the "Green Book" – a wayfinder for Black travelers from the 30's to the 60's looking for businesses that would serve them. The National Park Service cites architectural historian Jennifer Reut, who estimates that fewer than 20% of those places exist today.
In addition to the house itself, its contents paint a vibrant picture of the family's life. Sawin points to a black and white photo of a stoic-looking young man wearing a suit with a Knights of Pythias fraternal organization badge. He believes this is Henry Francis.
SAWIN: ... married Ida Mae Banks … It's a really great story because these are both prominent entrepreneurial Black families in the area. Ida Mae's dad was the big barber in town who cut all the white elites' hair. Owned his own business. … Henry Francis, he was a shoemaker.
Henry died of pneumonia in 1912, leaving Ida to provide for their young daughter, Mary, who went by the nickname "Pete." Other historic documents in the house include ration cards from World War II; a ledger book from the First Baptist Church dating back to 1889; the first volume of The Chatterbox, a Black newspaper published by the Effinger Street School in 1935; and a business card.
REED: Uncle Lou's Restaurant, that's actually my uncle, Leo M. Howard, Jr.
SAWIN: … Look at that callout here too. What does that say here –
HAGI: "Featuring the latest sounds from Buddy's Beat."
SAWIN: Buddy's Beat was the local Black music radio show.
HAGI: Oh, cool!
SAWIN: That ran in the early '50s.
REED: Yeah, Buddy Tolliver.
SAWIN: … His show actually shows up in Billboard Magazine as one of the first rock-and-roll shows that is happening in Virginia.
Ida's daughter Mary, a.k.a. Pete, put together a book of Brownie camera photos starting around 1920. They feature loved ones wading into Rawley Springs, coming home from church, and kissing on the running boards of a car.
SAWIN: This is Mary's Instagram account from 1920, right? [laughter] It has all these amazing pictures – Black youth life in the 1920s. … It's a true scrapbook like, "he loves me, he loves me not." There's a picture of young women and she has it labeled "flappers." … You rarely see images like this.
James Madison University archivists have already conducted a rough catalog of all the documents and photos. They'll eventually be housed at Carrier Library, which is currently under renovation.
This property is notable not just for what's left within it, but in contrast to what was taken from this neighborhood – it sits at the literal corner of two urban renewal projects where city leaders seized and demolished Black homes and businesses in the 1950s and 60s, and replaced them with commercial and municipal properties.
REED: It's real heavy for me at times, even the part of me being on city council and the mayor, because we know during that time, when urban renewal and all that happened, that was local city government. …It's a huge responsibility, and I really want to make sure we get it right. I really want to make sure that we are honoring the wishes of the family, that we're telling this incredible story, and it lives on.
The Ida Francis Tourist Home was recently granted 501(c)(3) status, and is currently fundraising through The Community Foundation to acquire and continue preserving this testament to ingenuity and hospitality.
