DALLAS – Taking the pulse of progress, what is now Dallas’ trendy Uptown neighborhood was once a thriving community built by former slaves, known as Freedman Town. Now, descendants are working to ensure their stories are not lost.
“Katie Johnson Warren was my paternal grandmother,” explains Kathleen Sanders. “She was an enterprising woman who lived here when it was Freedman Town. She purchased this property in 1916.”
More than a century later, Warren’s two-story home at the corner of Thomas and Allen is prime real estate in the bustling neighborhood now known as Uptown. The family has no plans to sell, but Sanders is eager to share her grandmother’s story.
“There was segregation. There were so many limitations in mainstream society,” explains Sanders. “But in Freedman Town, people felt comfortable. People felt like they could live.”
For the past year, Sanders has worked with historians to satisfy her curiosity and preserve the stories of her own and other families who built the thriving community. She recalls tidbits that older relatives once shared.