Shively in Jefferson County, Kentucky — The American South (East South Central)

Civil Rights Struggle, 1954 / Wades: Open Housing Pioneers

Civil Rights Struggle, 1954 Marker image. Click for full size.

Photographed By Duane and Tracy Marsteller, November 27, 2020

1. Civil Rights Struggle, 1954 Marker

Inscription. Click to hear the inscription.

Civil Rights Struggle, 1954 Louisville suburbs were racially segregated when African Americans Andrew and Charlotte Wade moved to Rone Court on May 15, 1954, two days before the Supreme Court condemned school segregation. Neighbors burned a cross and shot out windows, and the Wades endured harassment until June 27, when the house was dynamited.
Presented by African American Heritage
Foundation and Clyde Drive Neighbors.
Wades: Open Housing Pioneers Amid Cold War fears, the Wades’ civil rights were ignored. Focus shifted to alleged communism of whites Anne and Carl Braden, who had bought, then transferred house after no one would sell to the Wades. A sensationalized sedition trial ensued; street was renamed Clyde Drive; culprits were never prosecuted. By 2000, however, this neighborhood was multiracial.

Erected 2004 by Kentucky Historical Society and Kentucky Department of Highways. (Marker Number 2144.)

Topics and series. This historical marker is listed in these topic lists: African Americans

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• Civil Rights • Law Enforcement • War, Cold. In addition, it is included in the Kentucky Historical Society series list. A significant historical year for this entry is 1954.

Location. 38° 11.653′ N, 85° 49.694′ W. Marker is in Shively, Kentucky, in Jefferson County. Marker is at the intersection of South Crums Lane and Clyde Drive, on the right when traveling east on South Crums Lane. Touch for map. Marker is in this post office area: Louisville KY 40216, United States of America. Touch for directions.

Other nearby markers. At least 8 other markers are within 4 miles of this marker, measured as the crow flies. Youngland (approx. 2.1 miles away); Fort Southworth (approx. 2.6 miles away); Algonquin Park / Dirt Bowl (approx. 2.7 miles away); Wisertown / St. Andrew's Church Road (approx. 2.9 miles away); Southern Parkway / Iroquois Park (approx. 3 miles away); Calvary Baptist Church (approx. 3.1 miles away); Churchill Downs (approx. 3.2 miles away); Virginia Avenue Colored School (approx. 3.2 miles away).

Regarding Civil Rights Struggle, 1954 / Wades: Open Housing Pioneers. Andrew Wade, a World War II veteran and an electrical contractor, died in 2005. Charlotte

Wades: Open Housing Pioneers Marker image. Click for full size.

Photographed By Duane and Tracy Marsteller, November 27, 2020

2. Wades: Open Housing Pioneers Marker

Wade died in 2020.

Related marker. Click here for another marker that is related to this marker.

Also see . . . Remembering the Wades, the Bradens and the Struggle for Racial Integration in Louisville. From WFPL-FM. (Submitted on December 4, 2020, by Duane and Tracy Marsteller of Murfreesboro, Tennessee.)

Civil Rights Struggle, 1954 / Wades: Open Housing Pioneers Marker image. Click for full size.

Photographed By Duane and Tracy Marsteller, November 27, 2020

3. Civil Rights Struggle, 1954 / Wades: Open Housing Pioneers Marker

Credits. This page was last revised on December 4, 2020. It was originally submitted on December 4, 2020, by Duane and Tracy Marsteller of Murfreesboro, Tennessee. This page has been viewed 265 times since then and 162 times this year. Photos: 1, 2, 3. submitted on December 4, 2020, by Duane and Tracy Marsteller of Murfreesboro, Tennessee.