Anna Mae Sampson (1923-2017): Biographical Information and Family History, Transcript 8/27/08 (26 pp.), Transcript 11/15/08 (21 pp.). The August transcript is edited with handwritten notes. Sampson lived at 4550 Newberry Terrace; her parents purchased the home in 1947 after living at 4025 Enright. Her brother, Robert Harris ( -2006), owner of Harris Cab Company, married a white woman in Illinois and purchased 41 Lewis Place in 1943. In the August interview, she described the neighborhood in the 1940s, noticed changes around 1965, named prominent residents, discussed Ranken’s role in the neighborhood, explained her community activities, and provided background on her parents. In the November interview, Sampson explained her personal history including her birth at the family home on Enright Avenue; the racial climate when she attended Sumner High School; growing up on Enright; more information about her family members; her community activism beginning with the PTA, block units, the board of the Union Sarah Economic Development Corporation, Weed and Seed; and her hopes for the neighborhood and why she stayed for over 60 years. Interviews and releases signed., 2008 Aug 27, Nov 15

File — Box: 1, Folder: 7

Staff Only

Scope and Contents

From the Collection:

The collection is comprised of ten oral history interview transcripts for interviews with nine individuals conducted by historian Gwen Moore of the Missouri Historical Society for the Lewis Place Oral History Project. The video interviews were conducted between September 2008 and January 2009. The transcripts are arranged alphabetically by name of interviewee. Moore began each interview with questions about the interviewees’ backgrounds (family history, education, etc.), which revealed St. Louis’s segregation history. Some other topics included reasons for moving to Lewis Place or to the neighborhood, reasons for remaining in the neighborhood, causes and effects of the neighborhood’s decline, and the pros and cons of Lewis Place being a private street. Five of the individuals interviewed lived on Lewis Place (Buchanan, Goldston, Johnson, Renner, Talley); two lived on neighboring Newberry Terrace (Hill, Sampson); and one lived on Lewis Place as a child (Kennedy). John Wood was vice president for education at Ranken Technical College. Several of the interviews discussed the role of Ranken Technical College in the Lewis Place neighborhood. In 1909, David Ranken, Jr. located his School of Mechanical Trades on Cook Avenue near Lewis Place. The school later changed its name to Ranken Technical College. Ranken did not admit African Americans until 1963, which affected its relationship with the surrounding area. In the 1990s, Ranken began working in the community to build homes with community input.