Al and Liz Johnson
Photo courtesy: W&M Libraries, Special Collections Research Center
"Oh, at the time I was here, started getting a little bit of money, and I was looking for a house. And segregation really was tough around here. I remember what one realtor told me, he was a nice guy too, wasn't ugly about it, he said, “I'd love to sell you that, but I just can't now with the situation.” We were up on Centerville road, and it was a nice land up there, and he just told, he just couldn't help us, you know? I always remember him."
Johnson-Al-111017.mp3Audio of interview with Mr.and Mrs. Al and Liz Johnson | November 10, 2017 | Williamsburg Documentary Project Collection | Special Collections Research Center | William & Mary Libraries
Johnson, Al and Liz 4.2.19edit.mp3Audio of interview with Mr. and Mrs. Al and Liz Johnson | April 2, 2019 | Williamsburg Documentary Project Collection | Special Collections Research Center | William & Mary Libraries
Mr. Johnson: We decided we were going to put together a community basically by Black people for Black people...There were actually three of us basically all working for Williamsburg Lodge at the time in the conference center. And the three of us were looking for a home…and then we stumbled onto this land out here.
Mrs. Johnson: He [Al] was trying to buy all of the property himself. He went to the bank to borrow the money…and they would not loan it to him. So that’s when he got the idea to go out and get ten people to put up the money and they each got their own individual loan.
Mr. Johnson: $40,000 a piece, so that was a $40,000 cash start….two of them were white…eight Blacks and two whites…There were four of us originally [of the ten] that moved in…[for others, it was an] investment.