Mr. Frederick (Fred) D. Epps, Jr.

In the oral history below, Mr. Frederick Epps Jr. and his mother, Mrs. Fannie (Pierce) Epps, paint a vivid picture of life in early 20th century Williamsburg during a time when Black homes and businesses could be found throughout what is now the historic district of Colonial Williamsburg. Mr. Epps also discusses working for Colonial Williamsburg in its early years. Read this excerpt to get a flavor of the interview and listen to it in its entirety or read the transcript below.

"When I was going to school, I helped build the Travis House [in Colonial Williamsburg] and I used to go up there in the morning early...And I'd do that and then I'd go from there to the ABC Store where I stacked things on the shelves....In the evenings after school...I'd work up there as a waiter...I was the first waiter at the Travis House...And then I'd work down there for the dinner hours and then I'd come back home and I'd have a half hour by myself, just staring at the books or something like that."