Visit Us at 7328 Carroll Avenue
Upcoming Events
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Mr. Lee: His Life, Influence, and ActivismAuditorium, Takoma Park Community Center (7500 Maple Avenue)Sunday, February 232 pm - 4 pm
This special program focuses on the life of Lee A. Jordan, an iconic figure for Takoma Park, whose values and contributions still resonate in our community today. He was a legendary coach and mentor to generations of Takoma Park youth - both black and white - and tireless advocate for the African American community in Takoma Park.
Explore his legacy with the family and community who knew him best, including film clips from Historic Takoma's ongoing “Oral Histories from the African American Community” project, partly funded by the City of Takoma Park.
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Why We Wore WhiteSlideshow / Salon + ReceptionSaturday, February 292 pm - 4 pm
Artist Marty Ittner will talk about the stories behind “Women in White.”
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How to Search House HistoriesSunday, March 82 pm - 4 pm
Back due to popular demand!
Join us for a presentation and workshop on researching you house history. Local resident Jim Douglas will present detailed step-by-step instruction on how to search property histories in Maryland along with tips on when houses were built and learning about the people that lived in them. Bring your laptop and a pencil and notebook to work directly with Jim on researching your house's history.
Now available
Newspapers:
Historic Takoma's collection of historic Takoma Park newspapers is now online! Several different papers from the late 19th Century through the mid-20th Century are available here.
House History Resources:
Presentation and Handout from workshops on How to Search House Histories.
TUNE IN to TAKOMA RADIO – 94.3 FM or streaming at takomaradio.org
Music and talk 24/7 with a local focus.
Save the Date!
House & Garden Tour 2020
Sunday, May 3, 1-5 pm
This year's theme is “Old Poplar” and will feature a mix of late 19th Century homes together with early 20th Century homes including Sears kit houses in the American Craftsman style.
Tickets are $30, with advance tickets on sale in early April.
“Mr. Lee“
The Man Behind Lee Jordan Field
To understand why the name of Lee Jordan still elicits reverence in Takoma Park more than 30 years after his death, start with the day in 1937 when Jordan, then a 27-year-old janitor at the old Blair High school, was called in to fix a broken window in the gym.
Upon learning it was teenage boys who had broken in because they wanted to play basketball, he asked for their names. Never mind that they were white and he was African-American. He recognized they needed an outlet and he took it upon himself to make sure they got one.
Every Saturday afternoon from then on, he'd show up at Blair on his own time to open the gym for any white students waiting to play. And before long he got permission to leave it open in the evening for "colored" basketball games, never mind that these boys were no legally entitled to attend Blair.
That gesture set a pattern for decades to come, cutting across the color line.
Jordan's idea was simple: give kids something to do and they stayed out of trouble. But the larger impact was the chance for kids of all races to get to know each other. For decades, he tirelessly rounded up kids to get to the field or gym and back home again. They called him Mr. Lee, a name that reflected their friendly rapport but also emphasized his dignity.
In 1950 he helped organize the only racially integrated Boys Club in Montgomery County, fielding basketball, football and baseball teams. When the Supreme Court ordered school integration in the wake of Brown v. BOE, many of the black and white students who began sharing classrooms in Takoma Park already knew each other thanks to sports. Girls were given their chance too, making it the Boys and Girls Club.
In 1981, the community recognized his legacy, naming the sports field next to Takoma Park Middle School "Lee Jordan Field." Twenty five years later, Mr. Lee Jordan was inducted into the Montgomery County Civil Rights Hall of Fame. Join us on February 23 at 2 pm to learn about about "Mr. Lee."
(Adapted from an article by Diana Kohn in the December 2005 Takoma Voice)
| Street Address: 7328 Carroll Avenue Takoma Park, MD 20912 |
Mailing Address: P.O. Box 5781 Takoma Park, MD 20913 |
When visiting Historic Takoma, please walk, bike or take public transportation. Metered parking is available either in the City lot adjacent to the TPSS Coop, or in front of the Carroll Avenue businesses.