>> c-span is learning more about the winston-salem area. we take you to the happy hill neighborhood, the first plannedamerican neighborhood. when asked they are an iconic symbol of african-american freedom. with barely any kind of belongings. shotgun houses were a small dwelling. they were able to afford as they entered into this situation. we want to preserve these symbols of freedom. story.ve a large that is why we want to preserve these shotgun houses. be happy hill neighborhood started in 1872. if we back up, the schuman

plantation was broken into lots post-emancipation. it was a way to keep the freedmen out of the town of salem. was -- he owned a slave. however the town needed a doctor. they wanted to bring in dr. schuman. the town of salem did not allow individual ownership of slaves. so i house was built for schuman on the salem farm of the salem plantation. people.7 enslaved emancipate's the people he enslaved and they go to liberia, some of the first

freed people to go to liberia. he moved back into the town of salem. after the civil war, a school is built and what has become known as the happy hill community. 1872 when land was purchased and the community is formed. moving on to the 1880's you have 25 families who have settled in the community. the community begins to grow. the cemetery is established as well. nowhave 50 more families living in the happy hill community. 1910 to 1920 there is a growth for it due to industrialization of winston. so many people coming up from south carolina to work in the factories. around 1920 there are 130 families living and what we now

know as the happy hill community. formedose and it bond is and i think that is the irony of it. the happy hill community was put together, designed to keep black people away but, as a result they formed this community and people began to bond. they have shops, they have stores. the community becomes a place of home for them. , around 1910 the railroad comes through and cats the community off from the east side of town. also, happy hill is a working class community. east of happy hill would have heights,mbia professional african-american teachers working at the university.

highway cut through happy hill and takes away the north end of the graveyard. that is another devastating blow to the community. you still have these people making a life as result of these changes around them. houses were saved. they are very symbolic. the architectural style is important. the one behind me was moved here. we believe this house has been moved three times. we believe it is dying, crying out. there is a reason this house has been saved. that is why we are working to preserve it. the other house placed on this lot next to an existing shotgun house, it is on its original

foundation. there were 2 there. one has been burnt. ant house would be used as exhibit space to house the history of the happy hill community and the local history of african-americans in winston-salem. the goal is to have happy hill established as an historic neighborhood and have these houses as the gateway into the community, the land structures. the community values the historical and architectural significance of these houses. it has been an ongoing project for nearly 30 years to save them. we hope that they will be around

for future generations to embody and house the history of this community. >> our cities to her staff travel to winston-salem north carolina to learn about its rich history. learn more about winston-salem and other stops at c-span.org /citiestour. you are watching american history tv all weekend, every weekend on c-span3. we are back live in washington dc at ford's theatre for a symposium on abraham lincoln's life and legacy. up next, william harris.

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