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The groundbreaking ceremony in April had been prestigious and ceremonial, but slightly premature. Due to various legal setbacks, no actual demolition could be done at that time, and it took nearly five more months before construction vehicles finally rolled onto Scotland property ready to get to work. To celebrate this "actual," more literal groundbreaking, residents and community members gathered to witness the first house to be bulldozed--a mid-19th-century house at the center of Scotland that had been built well, but had not stood the test of time. To add extra interest, a film crew from the news media group Voice of America was on hand to record the proceedings; crew members can be seen with their video equipment in many of the photos (see video footage from the day below). Before the bulldozer arrived, Melvin Crawford and Joyce Siegel's nine-year-old daughter Barbara symbolically took an axe to the side of the house.
Far left: Promise Walker, Joyce and Barbara SiegelRight of center group: Melvin Crawford
Center: Joyce Siegel
Above: Behind right shoulder of cameraman: Barbara, Marjie, and Joyce Siegel. To the right of center, Frances Palmer, Bette Thompson, and Melvin Crawford. Ladies furthest to the right: Pauline Vinson Lefeged and Marguerite Dove Johnson.
Top left: Voice of America film crew sets up for shotsBottom left: Melvin Crawford (second from right)
Top left: Voice of America film crew sets up for shotsBottom left: Melvin Crawford (second from right)
Film crew, with Scotland school in the background
On left: Mary Dove Crawford, Bernice Thompson Dove, Frances Palmer
Barbara Siegel, center
On right: Pauline (Vinson) Lefeged, Bette (Lefeged) Thompson, Edgar (Eddie) Dove
Barbara Siegel, center
On right: Pauline (Vinson) Lefeged, Bette (Lefeged) Thompson, Edgar (Eddie) Dove
Rev. Randall, left; Joyce Siegel, center
Melvin and Barbara both take a turn with the axe
Melvin Crawford
There is no sound for this video
Three-minute video footage of House Breaking Day (September 9, 1968), found in the Voice of America archives. This footage is part of the Moving Images of "Washington Correspondent" Material series, Records of the U.S. Information Agency, National Archives and Records Administration (306-WC-1197). The building that is bulldozed near the end of the reel is the outhouse behind the Scotland Schoolhouse..
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