Black Montana
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Although it is now the least Black state in the nation, Montana once boasted a substantial, interconnected and widespread African American community, the core of which lay in the state’s capital, Helena. There, despite prevalent structural racism and white supremacy, a flourishing group of tightly-knit families and individuals built, and cohered around, a stable foundation of community businesses and institutions that endured for decades. Dr. Hagen's research into the history of Montana’s Black community documents its establishment in the 1860s, its heyday (ca. 1877-1910), and its subsequent decline (through the 1960s).
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"The fullest, richest account of African American history in Helena and much of the rest of Montana that I have seen anywhere . . . narrative history at its best."
Dr. Quintard Taylor, Jr., Scott & Dorothy Bullitt Professor of American History University of Washington |
Dr. Hagen’s work is a core component of a larger, collaborative Montana Historical Society project documenting the state’s black history, ie. a place-based study of Montana’s African American Heritage (winner of the 2018 Leadership in History Award from the American Association for State and Local History and the 2019 Buchanan Award from the Vernacular Architecture Forum). That project is funded in part by the National Park Service, through its Underrepresented Community (URC) Grant. Hagen's work on the history of black Montana earned her the 2018 Excellence in Consulting Award from the National Council on Public History.
Portions of this research serve as the basis for:
A forthcoming article (invited contribution) in Perspectives, the online magazine of BlackPast.org.
African American Heritage Places in Helena, MT, a National Register of Historic Places Multiple Property Documentation that examines the history of Montana's African American community through a focus on Helena, the state capital and the heart of Black Montana.
The Dorsey Grocery and Residence, a National Register of Historic Places Nomination that traces the history of one of Helena’s most prominent Black families—the Walter and Almira Dorseys— and the residence and store they built. Their home housed several generations of extended Dorsey kin, while the store was the most visible and substantial Black-owned business in town. As such, it not only served African American and other customers but also functioned as a focal point of the local Black community, an exemplar of Black achievement and an independent space owned by, and supportive of, African American residents.
The Crump-Howard House, a National Register of Historic Places Nomination that narrates the story of two of Montana’s earliest and most prominent Black residents—James and Clarissa Powell Crump—and three generations of their descendants.
Site histories of properties associated with the historic African American community in Helena, Montana.
Portions of this research serve as the basis for:
A forthcoming article (invited contribution) in Perspectives, the online magazine of BlackPast.org.
African American Heritage Places in Helena, MT, a National Register of Historic Places Multiple Property Documentation that examines the history of Montana's African American community through a focus on Helena, the state capital and the heart of Black Montana.
The Dorsey Grocery and Residence, a National Register of Historic Places Nomination that traces the history of one of Helena’s most prominent Black families—the Walter and Almira Dorseys— and the residence and store they built. Their home housed several generations of extended Dorsey kin, while the store was the most visible and substantial Black-owned business in town. As such, it not only served African American and other customers but also functioned as a focal point of the local Black community, an exemplar of Black achievement and an independent space owned by, and supportive of, African American residents.
The Crump-Howard House, a National Register of Historic Places Nomination that narrates the story of two of Montana’s earliest and most prominent Black residents—James and Clarissa Powell Crump—and three generations of their descendants.
Site histories of properties associated with the historic African American community in Helena, Montana.