Charleston WV Triangle District archival footage
Channel: Nathan Tauger
Date: 2019-10-06

The Triangle District was a predominantly African American section of Charleston, West Virginia. From the mid 1960s to the early 1970s, a combination of interstate development, urban renewal, and a private water company demolished the Triangle, displacing hundreds of residents and fraying a formerly tight-knit community. 

This video explores the Triangle District's role as a "Tenderloin" or vice area in Charleston, the conflicting positions of city officials and emerging African American activists, the tight housing market and issues surrounding relocation, and the context of civil rights and black power struggles in American cities. 

This video was produced by Nathan Tauger with help from Alex and Erik Abrahams. The archival footage was compiled by Richard Fauss of the West Virginia Culture and History Center. 

If you recognize anyone in the video, please comment with the timestamp and the person's name and a short description of who they were/are.

This is part of a project supported by financial assistance from the West Virginia Humanities Council. Any views, findings, conclusions or recommendations do not necessarily represent those of the West Virginia Humanities Council.

@1:46 -- Mayor John Shanklin 
@2:09 -- Mayor Elmer Dodson 
@2:19 -- MOTOBU Founder Emerson Reed 
@2:42 -- City Councilman Dr. Virgil Matthews 
@2:57 -- OEO Housing Specialist Norman Kilpatrick 
@3:18 -- Governor Arch Moore
@3:39 -- "Tent City" in the cleared and vacant water company property in the Triangle 
@5:44 -- Rev. Moses Newsome 
@6:00 (pictured) Richard Payne, Clayborn Tillman, Willard Brown 
@9:50 -- Felix Black 
@10:47 Rabbi Samuel Cooper
@11:40 William Hobson