Black History
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African American heritage in
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A Black History bibliography
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A Black History bibliography
Learn more about the history and heritage of African Americans in King County through the following sources
available at your local public library or some bookstores.
- Cayton, Horace. Long Old Road, (New York: Trident Press, 1965). Memoirs of a
pioneer newspaperman.
- Diaz, Ed, (ed), Horace Roscoe Cayton: Selected Writings - Vol. 1, (Seattle: Bridgewater-Collins, Pub, 2003).
- Diaz, Ed, (ed), Horace Roscoe Cayton: Selected Writings - Vol. 2, (Seattle: Bridgewater-Collins, Pub, 2003).
- Diaz, Ed, Reexamining the Past: A Different Perspective of Black Strikebreakers in King County's Coal Mining Industry, in More Voices, New Stories: King County, Washington's First 150 Years, edited by Mary C. Wright (Seattle: Pacific Northwest Historians Guild, 2002).
- Henry, Mary T. Tribute: Seattle Public Places Named for Black People, with drawings by
Marilyn H. Henry (Seattle: Statice Press, 1997), a guide to Seattle's public parks and buildings named for black people, with brief biographical sketches and illustrations. Tribute was published with the
support of the King County Landmarks and Heritage Commission.
- Moore, Ernest with Gloria Phelps, The Coal Miner Who Came West, (Seattle: Moore Publishing Co., 1982).
Documents experiences of Black coal miner family of Franklin, Washington.
- Mumford, Esther Hall, Calabash: A Guide to the History, Culture and Art of African Americans in Seattle and King County, Washington (1993: Ananse Press, Seattle). This compendium of people, places and events is organized by geographic location,
and allows the reader to take a tour of sites of significance in the African American life of the region. With helpful maps, travel directions, and photos. It was published with the support of
the King County Landmarks and Heritage Commission.
- Mumford, Esther Hall, Seattle's Black Victorians, 1852-1901 (Seattle: Ananse Press, 1980). A history of the community's 19th century African American residents.
- Mumford, Esther Hall, Seven Stars & Orion: Reflections of the Past, (Seattle: Ananse Press, 1986). A series
of oral histories with community elders.
- Taylor, Quintard, The Forging of A Black Community: Seattle's Central District from 1870 through the Civil Rights Era (Seattle: University of Washington Press, 1994) a comprehensive study of Seattle's largest black community from its first
few residents in the 1870s to 1970.
- Williams, De Charlene, History of Seattle's Central Area, Vol. I, (Seattle: Central Area Chamber of Commerce, 1991). Historical sketches and biographical notes.
The following pamphlets and papers are available at some public libraries:
- Campbell, Robert A. Blacks and the Coal Mines of Western Washington, 1888-1896, (Pacific Northwest Quarterly, Vol. 73 No. 4, October, 1982). An important study
of Black coal miners at Franklin and other coal mining towns.
- Hanscom, John C. Company Coal Town: Franklin and the Oregon Improvement Company (Auburn, 1988). A paper describing the coal mining community of Franklin, which was distinguished by its large
African American population. Pamphlet available for photocopying at Cultural Resources.
- Hayes, Ralph. Northwest Black Pioneers: A Centennial Tribute, (Seattle, Bon Marche, 1987).
A short history of the earliest African American settlers of the state.
The following public library resources are available:
The Seattle Public Library maintains an Afro-American Collection at the Douglass-Truth Library,
which houses a special collection of books, periodicals, pamphlets and records dealing with African American history. In addition, the Seattle Public Library publishes several bibliographic guides for further research, including "African American Genealogical Research: A Selected Bibliography" and
"Blacks and King County's Building Treasury" (with text by Esther Hall Mumford).
And more: The Museum of History and Industry (MOHAI) (external link) has partnered with the Black Heritage Society of Washington State to preserve the history of African Americans in our region. For further information on the museum collection and hours, call (206) 324-1126.
Also see: Dr. Martin Luther King, Jr., Historical Paper No. 10, which provides
background on the life and principles of Dr. King, the namesake of King County.
It also includes information about landmarks, public art, museums, educational
resources and publications relating to Dr. King.
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