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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.

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BLACK FACTS
The Truths They Never Taught You...

The Violence That Helped Spark the NAACP

In August 1908, a white mob attacked Springfield, Illinois’s Black community, destroying homes and businesses and lynching two Black men. National outrage over the violence helped spur the movement that created the NAACP the following year.

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BHP gathered finds from its connected research sources. Showing the 4 strongest Black History matches.
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NMAAHC

Writing desk with bookcase hutch from the Rock Rest Tourist Home

Date
mid 20th century
Manufactured by
Unidentified
Owned by
Clayton Sinclair, American
Hazel Sinclair, American
Subject of
Rock Rest Tourist Home, American, 1948 - 1976
Description
A writing desk with bookcase hutch from the Rock Rest Tourist Home. The narrow desk and bookcase hutch are constructed with medium tones of reddish-brown wood. The desk is rectangular in shape with straight, elongated sides. The desk has a slightly darker brown wooden drawer with two, molded, clear plastic drawer pulls. The drawer front is embellished with a repeating carved rose pattern. Below the drawer is a carved band with a repeating foliate pattern that is also carved vertically along the front side edges. Under the drawer tabletop is a cubby with a flat base. Beneath the cubby are short, squared legs that terminate in small, metal, wheel casters. The front two legs are concealed behind two wedge shaped pieces of wood. The bookcase hutch is stacked over the back of the desk’s tabletop. It is primarily constructed from medium tone wood and features two open shelves, a mirror back, and a carved wooden crown. The crown has a carved, sun palm leaf at the center that is framed with vines. The crown is topped with seven, round, wooden beads. On either side of the crown, extending along the left and right sides, are short, carved guardrails. The back of the desk and top edge of the bookcase hutch are plain, stained wood. The back of the hutch is a silvered, rectangular mirror back held in place with three wooden tabs along the bottom edge. The hutch is attached to the desk with two L-brackets at the front and back.
Place collected
Kittery, York County, Maine, United States, North and Central America
Topic
African American
Black Enterprise
Black interiors
Business
Recreation
Segregation
Travel
See more items in
National Museum of African American History and Culture Collection
Collection title
The Rock Rest Tourist Home Collection
Classification
Furnishings, Housewares, and Décor
Credit Line
Collection of the Smithsonian National Museum of African American History and Culture, Gift of Portsmouth Black Heritage Trail, Inc.
Data Source
National Museum of African American History and Culture
Object number
2011.12.16
Type
bookcases
writing desks
Restrictions & Rights
No known copyright restrictions
Proper usage is the responsibility of the user.
Medium
varnish on wood with reflective glass, metal and plastic
Dimensions
H x W x D: 65 × 26 × 12 1/2 in. (165.1 × 66 × 31.8 cm)
Title
Object Name • Writing desk with bookcase hutch from the Rock Rest Tourist Home
Record ID
nmaahc_2011.12.16
Museum
NMAAHC
Title Sort
WRITING DESK WITH BOOKCASE HUTCH FROM THE ROCK REST TOURIST HOME
Source
National Museum of African American History and Culture
Metadata Usage
CC0
Date
1930s • 1970s
Name
Sinclair, Clayton • Sinclair, Hazel • Rock Rest Tourist Home
Place
United States • Maine • North and Central America • Kittery • York County
Topic
Description and travel • Black Enterprise • Black interiors • Recreation • Segregation • Business
Culture
African Americans
Geo Location
City • Kittery • County • York County • State • Maine • Country • United States • Continent • North and Central America
Type
Bookcases • writing desks
Online Media Rights
No Known Copyright Restrictions

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

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NMAAHC

Writing desk with bookcase hutch from the Rock Rest Tourist Home

Date: Date

Description

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NMAAHC

Photographic print of Louis S. Hayes, Jr. in uniform sitting at desk and writing

Date: Date

Description

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NMAAHC

Indoor Photo of a Man Sitting at a Desk Writing

Date: Date

Description

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NMAAHC

Indoor Photo of a Man Seated at a Desk Writing

Date: Date

Description

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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.

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TRIVIA QUESTION OF THE DAY

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

The Greenwood District.