Augusta County Historical Society talk describes Valley during, just after Jim Crow

Once “For Colored” signs were common in Staunton and Augusta County. They’re gone now…  along with segregated schools and parks, the “colored” balcony at the Strand Theater and designated water fountains at the courthouse.  Local historian and author Laten Ervin Bechtel has captured the memories of local African Americans who lived those things in interviews for her new book In Their Words: Growing Up In Segregated Staunton and Augusta County, Virginia.

On Thursday, February 2, the Augusta County Historical Society will host a presentation by Bechtel on her book and the experiences of local African Americans during and immediately after the Jim Crow era. The presentation will be at 7 p.m. in the second-floor lecture room of the Smith Center for History and Art. The book will be available following the program with proceeds going to the Augusta County Historical Society. There will be a reception following the meeting and the author will sign copies of the book.  The presentation and reception are free and open to the public.

Bechtel interviewed 30 local African Americans who experienced the “before and after” of segregation in Staunton and Augusta County.  She recorded their stories of living as second-class citizens and enduring racial discrimination, and how they responded and lived as that era faded.

Those who lived those years of segregation are vanishing now, and Bechtel began her interviews to record this important aspect of local history before it was lost.  Indeed, several of those interviewed have passed away since she began her work – including former Staunton City Council member Rita Wilson who began her career as a domestic.

“These interviews reveal the strength of human character and courage in the face of adversity,” said Bechtel of the 300-page book. “The ability of the people who were interviewed to survive, grow, and prosper, as well as the confidence they had to transform their community, was largely due to the values of faith and self-worth instilled in them by family, teachers, churches, and community. These are their stories.”

The ACHS was founded in 1964 to study, collect, preserve, publish, educate about, and promote the history of Augusta County and its communities. More information is available online at www.augustacountyhs.org.