q2K BHP
Black History Portal
THE BHP WIRE —
HIDDEN TRUTHS
GREENWOOD / BLACK WALL STREET WILMINGTON 1898 LITTLE ROCK NINE TUSKEGEE STUDY ROSEWOOD 1923 THE TUSKEGEE AIRMEN SENECA VILLAGE BLACK TOWNS GREENWOOD / BLACK WALL STREET WILMINGTON 1898 LITTLE ROCK NINE TUSKEGEE STUDY ROSEWOOD 1923 THE TUSKEGEE AIRMEN SENECA VILLAGE BLACK TOWNS
What's New!
THE JOURNEY THROUGH TIME
BHP HOME BEFORE AMERICA 1800–1936 1937–1957 1958–1980 1981–2000 2001–PRESENT

Explore Black History

Explore the people, places, events, achievements, struggles and stories that shaped our journey.

✊🏾

Civil Rights

Movements, leaders, victories and the continuing fight for equality.

⚙️

Black Inventors

Innovation, patents, science, technology and world-changing contributions.

🏆

Sports

Pioneers, champions, Negro Leagues, records, activism and excellence.

♟️

People

Meet the people whose lives, choices and achievements shaped the journey.

📍

Places

Black towns, communities, institutions and places where history happened.

📜

Events

Moments that changed communities, movements, institutions and the nation.

Enter a person, place, event, or topic.
MY'STORY

The MOVE Fire

This is a personal recollection on the Move fire on May 13, 1985 Philadelphia police fired thousands of rounds at the MOVE house, city officials approved dropping an explosive device on the roof, the resulting fire was allowed to burn, 11 people—including five children—died, and 61 homes were destroyed. Philadelphia City Council later called it a “brutal attack carried out by the City of Philadelphia on its own citizens” and acknowledged that no individual faced criminal consequences for the bombing. One timeline correction worth preserving for the BHP record: the major previous MOVE-police confrontation was August 8, 1978, about seven years before the bombing, not a year or two earlier. Officer James Ramp was killed, other police and firefighters were wounded, nine MOVE members were later convicted, and television cameras recorded police beating Delbert Africa during his arrest. The 1985 MOVE Commission later specifically criticized city planners for failing to adequately use lessons from that 1978 confrontation. And that actually strengthens the point you’re making: 1985 did not happen without precedent or institutional memory. There had already been a deadly confrontation with MOVE, years of conflict, negotiations and police involvement before Osage Avenue.

MORE →
BLACK FACTS
The Truths They Never Taught You...

Wilmington 1898 — An American Coup

Wilmington, North Carolina once had a thriving Black middle class and an elected interracial government. In 1898 white supremacists used violence to overthrow that government, kill Black residents and drive many others from the city.

MORE →
BHP gathered finds from its connected research sources. Showing the 3 strongest Black History matches.
← BACK TO RESULTS
NMAAHC

Carte-de-visite portrait of Willy Hall

Date
ca. 1860
Photograph by
Unidentified
Subject of
William Woodhull Hall, American, 1853 - 1864
Owned by
Emily Howland, American, 1827 - 1929
Description
Carte-de-visite of William Woodhull "Willy" Hall in full-length standing portrait. Hall wears a round-brimmed hat with a feather and buckle on the front of the band, a white and black zigzag patterned scarf tied around his neck, a plaid inverness coat that falls mid-thigh, white mittens, long dark pants, and dark shoes with round toes. His left hand hangs at his side, while his right is held in front of his chest. He faces the camera but is looking off to his right. There is a double-lined border printed in gold ink surrounding the outside edges of the card mount.
The photograph is housed in the album 2017.30. The album page has a triple-lined, gold border framing the print. Handwritten in graphite in the bottom of the printed frame of the window on the album page with this photograph is the text "Willy Hall died 1864 / at Camp Distribution Va."
Place depicted
Virginia, United States, North and Central America
Topic
African American
Antislavery
Children
Photography
U.S. History, Civil War, 1861-1865
See more items in
National Museum of African American History and Culture Collection
Collection title
Emily Howland Photograph Album
Classification
Slavery and Freedom Objects
Photographs and Still Images
Credit Line
Collection of the National Museum of African American History and Culture shared with the Library of Congress
Data Source
National Museum of African American History and Culture
Object number
2017.30.2
Type
cartes-de-visite
albumen prints
portraits
Restrictions & Rights
Public domain
Proper usage is the responsibility of the user.
Medium
albumen and silver on photographic paper on card mount
Dimensions
H x W (Image): 3 1/2 × 2 3/16 in. (8.9 × 5.5 cm)
H x W (Image and Mount): 4 × 2 3/8 in. (10.1 × 6.1 cm)
Title
Object Name • Carte-de-visite portrait of Willy Hall
Record ID
nmaahc_2017.30.2
Museum
NMAAHC
Title Sort
CARTE-DE-VISITE PORTRAIT OF WILLY HALL
Source
National Museum of African American History and Culture
Metadata Usage
CC0
Date
1850s • 1860s
Name
Howland, Emily • Hall, William Woodhull
Place
United States • North and Central America • Virginia
Topic
Photography • U.S. History, Civil War, 1861-1865 • Children • Antislavery
Culture
African Americans
Geo Location
State • Virginia • Country • United States • Continent • North and Central America
Type
Portraits • Photographs • Visiting cards
Online Media Type
Images
Online Media Rights
No Known Copyright Restrictions

Media

Source: National Museum of African American History and Culture, Smithsonian Institution. Rights and restrictions shown above are supplied by the Smithsonian record.

NMAAHC

Carte-de-visite portrait of Willy Hall

Date: Date

Description

MORE →
No preview image
NMAAHC

Le Journal Illustré No. 50

Date: Date

Description

MORE →
No preview image
NMAAHC

Photograph of the lynched bodies of four men

Date: Date

Caption

MORE →
TOPIC OF THE DAY

Greenwood / Black Wall Street

Before the 1921 destruction of Tulsa’s Greenwood District, Black residents had created a remarkable center of business and community life. The district included stores, professional offices, entertainment venues and homes owned by Black citizens. Understanding Greenwood means learning what was built—not only what was burned.

MORE →
TRIVIA QUESTION OF THE DAY

What prosperous Tulsa district became widely known as “Black Wall Street”?

The Greenwood District.