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In 1931, an unassuming house at 4600 Columbus Avenue South in Minneapolis was the site of racial violence directed at the Lees, an African American family who had recently purchased the property. Over a period of several days, angry white mobs swarmed the neighborhood to harass and intimidate the family. With the help of community leaders, family, friends and NAACP attorney Lena Olive Smith, the Lees persevered and remained in their house for another two years before moving in 1933.
Constructed in 1923, the Lee House is a modest bungalow at the southwest corner of Columbus Avenue South and East 46th Street in South Minneapolis. In June 1931, African Americans Arthur and Edith Lee purchased and moved into the nondescript house in the all-white Field neighborhood, along with their daughter, Mary. Arthur was a United States Postal Service employee and World War I veteran…