Photos from the Negro Recreation Section

Photos from the Negro Recreation Section

The Center for Local History's Photo Group 218, the Ernest E. Johnson Photograph Collection, 1948-1962, consists of images of the Parks and Recreation Department's Negro Recreation Section. The photographs show children and adult activities such as sports teams, dance recitals, plays, parades and award ceremonies. Ernest E. Johnson was the head of the Negro Recreation Section and then head of all county recreation centers after desegregation in 1962. He continued to serve Arlington until the 1980s.

While these photographs are not strictly limited to the Nauck/Green Valley neighborhood, these photos provide an important look into the history of Black Arlington. Parks Department facilities under segregation were limited-- Jennie Dean Park in Green Valley had the only outdoor play fields and tennis courts accessible to Arlington's Black citizens for much of this time, for example.

For this reason, even activities not strictly within the Nauck/Green Valley neighborhood are included, as it is likely that children from the neighborhood may have participated.