West End Stories Project

West End Stories Project Presents Alexis Kidd, Executive Director of Seven Hills Neighborhood Houses, one of the Library's many community partners.Seven Hills Neighborhood Houses is one of the last neighborhood houses or settlement houses in Cincinnati. Founded in 1945, Seven Hills Neighborhood Houses provides basic needs assistance, advocacy for victims of crime and trauma, youth programming, events, community development, and more.

Retired Aviation Technician and United States Air Force Veteran Jarreld Parks grew up in the in the Lincoln Court housing projects in the 1960s. Hear his story on this episode of the West End Stories Project.If you or someone you know lived or spent a significant amount of time in the West End, please consider sharing your story. Call 513-369-6900 or email westend@cincinnatilibrary.org for more information.

If you or someone you know lived or spent a significant amount of time in the West End, please consider sharing your story. Call 513-369-6900 or email westend@cincinnatilibrary.org for more information.

Navy Veteran David Daniels grew up in the West End during World War II and lived on Fifth and Mill Streets and Cutter Streets with his mother, little sister, uncle, and grandparents. When he returned from the Navy in the late 1950s that section of Fifth and Cutter was gone, and Mill Street was eliminated completely. If you or someone you know lived or spent a significant amount of time in the West End, please consider sharing your story. Call 513-369-6900 or email westend@cincinnatilibrary.org for more information.

If you or someone you know lived or spent a significant amount of time in the West End, please consider sharing your story. Call 513-369-6900 or email westend@cincinnatilibrary.org for more information.

West End Community Council Beautification Chair, Fannie Shaw, moved to the West End from Whitfield, Georgia, when she was eight years old. When her family first moved to the West End, they lived in a building on Clark Street in what became the Laurel-Richmond Urban Renewal Project. She attended Dyer Elementary, Stowe Elementary, Porter Junior High, and Taft High Schools.If you or someone you know lived or spent a significant amount of time in the West End, please consider sharing your story. Call 513-369-6900 or email westend@cincinnatilibrary.org for more information.

If you or someone you know lived or spent a significant amount of time in the West End, please consider sharing your story. Call 513-369-6900 or email westend@cincinnatilibrary.org for more information.

If you or someone you know lived or spent a significant amount of time in the West End, please consider sharing your story. Call 513-369-6900 or email westend@cincinnatilibrary.org for more information.

James Starks developed his musical talents at Sands Elementary School, Lafayette Bloom Junior High School, and Taft High School. During most of his time in the West End, he lived with his family on Wilstach St., which was slated for redevelopment in the 60's.If you or someone you know lived or spent a significant amount of time in the West End, please consider sharing your story. Call 513-369-6900 or email westend@cincinnatilibrary.org for more information.

In conjunction with the opening of the Black Music Walk of Fame, the West End Stories Project is sharing a new limited series highlighting Cincinnati's musical influencers who have impacted music worldwide. For the first episode of the West End Stories Project Presents, we spoke to the founder and Creator of the Cincinnati Black Music Walk of Fame, Hamilton County Commissioner Reece.Intro and outro music: "I Need You" / Barbara Howard (Reece), written by Steven Reece, 1969.

Retired secretary, Margaret Haley, shares her experience living in the West End during the fifties and early sixties. She lived with her mother and father at 1805 Freeman Ave across from Findlay Street and attended Heberle Elementary School.If you or someone you know lived or spent a significant amount of time in the West End, please consider sharing your story. Call 513-369-6900 or email westend@cincinnatilibrary.org for more information.

If you or someone you know lived or spent a significant amount of time in the West End, please consider sharing your story. Call 513-369-6900 or email westend@cincinnatilibrary.org for more information.

Former West End resident Herbert Winston lived with his family in Richmond Village (now The Arts Apartments of Music Hall) from the mid-sixties to mid-seventies. During his brief time in the neighborhood, he attended St. Joseph Catholic School, and frequented LeBlond's Boy's Club, which was close by in Over the Rhine.If you or someone you know lived or spent a significant amount of time in the West End, please consider sharing your story. Call 513-369-6900 or email westend@cincinnatilibrary.org for more information.

If you or someone you know lived or spent a significant amount of time in the West End, please consider sharing your story. Call 513-369-6900 or email westend@cincinnatilibrary.org for more information.

For our twenty-second episode of the West End Stories Project, we spoke to former youth football coach, Mayso Stevenson Jr., who lived in the West End from the early 1950s to the 1980s. While living in the community, he attended St. Joseph Catholic School, Washburn Elementary School, Lafayette Bloom Junior High School, McMillan Adult Center, and Robert A. Taft High School.If you or someone you know lived or spent a significant amount of time in the West End, please consider sharing your story. Call 513-369-6900 or email westend@cincinnatilibrary.org for more information.

If you or someone you know lived or spent a significant amount of time in the West End, please consider sharing your story. Call 513-369-6900 or email westend@cincinnatilibrary.org for more information.

For our twenty-first episode of the West End Stories Project, we spoke with retired educator and advocate, Dr. Sylvia G. Rousseau, whose family resided and worked in three Cincinnati neighborhoods with historic Black communities; Madisonville, Walnut Hills, and the West End. Although Dr. Rousseau lived in Madisonville, she attended Harriet Beecher Stowe School, and briefly lived at Park Town in the West End.If you or someone you know lived or spent a significant amount of time in the West End, please consider sharing your story. Call 513-369-6900 or email westend@chpl.org for more information.

With the COVID-19 pandemic in mind, the West End Stories Project has shifted from a video series to a podcast, so interviews are being conducted over the phone. If you or someone you know lived or spent a significant amount of time in the West End, please consider sharing your story. Call 513-369-6900 or email westend@cincinnatilibrary.org for more information.

The West End Stories Project is back! Tune in to another season full of stories from Cincinnati's historic West End community. Catch new episodes every last Thursday of the month starting on March 30, 2023. The West End Stories Project is an award-winning podcast presented by the Cincinnati & Hamilton County Public Library. Listen to hear experiences of individuals who lived in Cincinnati's West End during the second half of the 20th century and to know more about the neighborhood's transformation.If you or someone you know lived or spent a significant amount of time in the West End, please consider sharing your story. Call 513-369-6900 or email westend@chpl.org for more information.

For our 20th episode and season finale, I spoke with my Dad, David Parks, who lived in the Lincoln Court Housing Project with his mother and seven siblings from the 1960s to early 1970s. During his short time in the neighborhood, he attended both Hays Elementary School, which was surrounded by Cutter, Clark, Mound, and West Court Streets; and Sixth District School on Elm Street in Over-The-Rhine. His family moved to Evanston in the early 1970s. If you or someone you know lived or spent a significant amount of time in the West End, please consider sharing your story. Call 513-369-6900 or email westend@chpl.org for more information.

With the COVID-19 pandemic in mind, the West End Stories Project has shifted from a video series to a podcast, so interviews are being conducted over the phone. If you or someone you know lived or spent a significant amount of time in the West End, please consider sharing your story. Call 513-369-6900 or email westend@cincinnatilibrary.org for more information.

Cheryl Meadows, who served as the Village Manager for Lincoln Heights, Director of Employment and Training for the City of Cincinnati, and Interim Executive Director of the Cincinnati Human Relations Commission, spent her formative years in Cincinnati's West End. Her family owned a home at 928 Gest Street, which was part of the Kenyon Barr Urban Redevelopment Project that was demolished for the construction of Interstate 75. With the COVID-19 pandemic in mind, the West End Stories Project has shifted from a video series to a podcast, so interviews are being conducted over the phone. If you or someone you know lived or spent a significant amount of time in the West End, please consider sharing your story. Call 513-369-6900 or email westend@cincinnatilibrary.org for more information.

With the COVID-19 pandemic in mind, the West End Stories Project has shifted from a video series to a podcast, so interviews are being conducted over the phone. If you or someone you know lived or spent a significant amount of time in the West End, please consider sharing your story. Call 513-369-6900 or email westend@cincinnatilibrary.org for more information.

Walter Longmire and his family moved to the West End from Avondale in 1955. They lived in the Laurel Homes Housing project and he attended Washburn Elementary, Bloom Junior High School, and Taft High School before he entered the military at the height of the Vietnam War. With the COVID-19 pandemic in mind, the West End Stories Project has shifted from a video series to a podcast, so interviews are being conducted over the phone. If you or someone you know lived or spent a significant amount of time in the West End, please consider sharing your story. Call 513-369-6900 or email westend@cincinnatilibrary.org for more information.

With the COVID-19 pandemic in mind, the West End Stories Project has shifted from a video series to a podcast, so interviews are being conducted over the phone. If you or someone you know lived or spent a significant amount of time in the West End, please consider sharing your story. Call 513-369-6900 or email westend@cincinnatilibrary.org for more information.

Dorothy Blackburn lived in the West End neighborhood between where the West End Branch Library and Richie's Restaurant currently stand. In this episode of the West End Stories Project Podcast, Dorothy discusses Washburn School, temporarily relocating to Millvale and dances at St. Joseph Catholic Church. With the COVID-19 pandemic in mind, the West End Stories Project has shifted from a video series to a podcast, so interviews are being conducted over the phone. If you or someone you know lived or spent a significant amount of time in the West End, please consider sharing your story. Call 513-369-6900 or email westend@cincinnatilibrary.org for more information.

With the COVID-19 pandemic in mind, the West End Stories Project has shifted from a video series to a podcast, so interviews are being conducted over the phone. If you or someone you know lived or spent a significant amount of time in the West End, please consider sharing your story. Call 513-369-6900 or email westend@cincinnatilibrary.org for more information.

After talking with Ella Wooten on episode 15 of the West End Stories Project Podcast, we spoke with Denise Steward about a program that would have benefited Ms. Wooten when she became a teen mother in the 1950s. In this episode, Steward, Senior Director of Diversity and Donor Relations for Children Inc., discusses the origins of VISIONS Early Learning Center in the West End. With the COVID-19 pandemic in mind, the West End Stories Project has shifted from a video series to a podcast, so interviews are being conducted over the phone. If you or someone you know lived or spent a significant amount of time in the West End, please consider sharing your story. Call 513-369-6900 or email westend@cincinnatilibrary.org for more information.

With the COVID-19 pandemic in mind, the West End Stories Project has shifted from a video series to a podcast, so interviews are being conducted over the phone. If you or someone you know lived or spent a significant amount of time in the West End, please consider sharing your story. Call 513-369-6900 or email westend@cincinnatilibrary.org for more information.

With the COVID-19 pandemic in mind, the West End Stories Project has shifted from a video series to a podcast, so interviews are being conducted over the phone. If you or someone you know lived or spent a significant amount of time in the West End, please consider sharing your story. Call 513-369-6900 or email westend@cincinnatilibrary.org for more information.

Ella Wooten lived a few blocks west of Cincinnati's City Hall on Richmond Street. In this episode of the West End Stories Project, Wooten remembers her relationship with her family, attending church services in the West End, and a decision that changed the trajectory of her life. With the COVID-19 pandemic in mind, the West End Stories Project has shifted from a video series to a podcast, so interviews are being conducted over the phone. If you or someone you know lived or spent a significant amount of time in the West End, please consider sharing your story. Call 513-369-6900 or email westend@cincinnatilibrary.org for more information.

Donald Coaston grew up on Barr Street, a road that would be cleared to make Interstate 75, in the West End. On episode 14 of the West End Stories Project, Donald remembers his parents, childhood in the West End, service in the Vietnam War, and a crime forever changing his family. With the COVID-19 pandemic in mind, the West End Stories Project has shifted from a video series to a podcast, so interviews are being conducted over the phone. If you or someone you know lived or spent a significant amount of time in the West End, please consider sharing your story. Call 513-369-6900 or email westend@cincinnatilibrary.org for more information.

With the COVID-19 pandemic in mind, the West End Stories Project has shifted from a video series to a podcast, so interviews are being conducted over the phone. If you or someone you know lived or spent a significant amount of time in the West End, please consider sharing your story. Call 513-369-6900 or email westend@cincinnatilibrary.org for more information.

With the COVID-19 pandemic in mind, the West End Stories Project has shifted from a video series to a podcast, so interviews are being conducted over the phone. If you or someone you know lived or spent a significant amount of time in the West End, please consider sharing your story. Call 513-369-6900 or email westend@cincinnatilibrary.org for more information.

In episode 13 of the West End Stories Project, we spoke with retired nurse, Betty Connors. Mrs. Connors lived with her family on Barr Street for almost two decades and attended Harriet Beecher Stowe School. With the COVID-19 pandemic in mind, the West End Stories Project has shifted from a video series to a podcast, so interviews are being conducted over the phone. If you or someone you know lived or spent a significant amount of time in the West End, please consider sharing your story. Call 513-369-6900 or email westend@cincinnatilibrary.org for more information.

For episode twelve of the West End Stories Project, we spoke with Greater Cincinnati Basketball Hall of Famer and Consultant, Roland West, who spent the first twelve years of his life in the West End. While in the West End, he attended Dyer School and was the school's spelling bee champ.   With the COVID-19 pandemic in mind, the West End Stories Project has shifted from a video series to a podcast, so interviews are being conducted over the phone. If you or someone you know lived or spent a significant amount of time in the West End, please consider sharing your story. Call 513-369-6900 or email westend@cincinnatilibrary.org for more information. For photographs and additional info about today's show, visit the library's https://cincinnatilibrary.org/blogs/post/west-end-stories-project-roland-west/ (blog post) about Roland West. Stay tuned for more installments of the West End Stories Project!

In our eleventh installment of the West End Stories Project podcast, we spoke with Cincinnati mother, Fannie Mallory, whose roots run deep in the West End.   With the COVID-19 pandemic in mind, the West End Stories Project has shifted from a video series to a podcast, so interviews are being conducted over the phone. If you or someone you know lived or spent a significant amount of time in the West End, please consider sharing your story. Call 513-369-6900 or email westend@cincinnatilibrary.org for more information. For photographs and additional info about today's show, visit the library's https://cincinnatilibrary.org/blogs/post/west-end-stories-project-fannie-mallory/ (blog post) about Fannie Mallory. Stay tuned for more installments of the West End Stories Project!

On January 27, the West End Stories Project podcast returns with a conversation featuring Fannie Mallory, whose roots run deep in the West End.   With the COVID-19 pandemic in mind, the West End Stories Project has shifted from a video series to a podcast, so interviews are being conducted over the phone. If you or someone you know lived or spent a significant amount of time in the West End, please consider sharing your story. Call 513-369-6900 or email westend@cincinnatilibrary.org for more information. Stay tuned for more installments of the West End Stories Project!

In our tenth installment of the West End Stories Project podcast, we spoke with retired postal worker, Cincinnati Waterworks employee, and co-inventor of https://patents.google.com/patent/US4438024A/en?inventor=Malcolm+L.+Allen (Tide Liquid Detergent), Malcolm Allen Sr., who lived in the West End for over thirty years.  With the COVID-19 pandemic in mind, the West End Stories Project has shifted from a video series to a podcast, so interviews are being conducted over the phone. If you or someone you know lived or spent a significant amount of time in the West End, please consider sharing your story. Call 513-369-6900 or email westend@cincinnatilibrary.org for more information. For photographs and additional info about today's show, visit the library's https://cincinnatilibrary.org/blogs/post/there-was-loud-music-and-laughter-mauvis-evans-shares-her-west-end-story/ (blog post) about Malcolm Sr. Stay tuned for more installments of the West End Stories Project!

In our ninth installment of the West End Stories project, we spoke with Mauvis Evans, who lived near the Cotton Club in the 1940's and 50's. Located in the Kenyon Barr redevelopment area, her building and the Cotton Club were demolished for the construction of Interstate 75.  With the COVID-19 pandemic in mind, the West End Stories Project has shifted from a video series to a podcast, so interviews are being conducted over the phone. If you or someone you know lived or spent a significant amount of time in the West End, please consider sharing your story. Call 513-369-6900 or email westend@cincinnatilibrary.org for more information. For photographs and additional info about today's show, visit the library's https://cincinnatilibrary.org/blogs/post/there-was-loud-music-and-laughter-mauvis-evans-shares-her-west-end-story/ (blog post) about Mauvis. Stay tuned for more installments of the West End Stories Project!

In our eighth installment of the West End Stories project, we spoke with another member of the Moon family, Mr. Roey Moon. Mr. Moon is Ralph Moon Jr.'s (https://cincinnatilibrary.org/blogs/post/west-end-story-project-moon/ (Episode 4, Part 1)) youngest sibling, and he disclosed pertinent details about their father's various businesses. With the COVID-19 pandemic in mind, the West End Stories Project has shifted from a video series to a podcast, so interviews are being conducted over the phone. If you or someone you know lived or spent a significant amount of time in the West End, please consider sharing your story. Call 513-369-6900 or email westend@cincinnatilibrary.org for more information. For photographs and additional info about today's show, visit the library's blog post about Mr. Moon: https://cincinnatilibrary.org/blogs/post/he-was-always-hustlin-roey-moon-shares-his-west-end-story/ (https://cincinnatilibrary.org/blogs/post/he-was-always-hustlin-roey-moon-shares-his-west-end-story/) Stay tuned for more installments of the West End Stories Project!

In our seventh installment of the https://cincinnatilibrary.org/blogs/post/i-thought-it-would-last-forever-melvin-grier-shares-his-west-end-story/ (West End Stories Project), we spoke with award-winning photojournalist, Melvin Grier who worked for the Cincinnati Post from 1974 until it ceased publication in 2007. Mr. Grier was at the top of our interview wish list, and responded to our write-up in the https://www.cincinnati.com/story/news/2021/02/09/west-end-stories-project-podcast-cincinnati-library/4285038001/ (Cincinnati Enquirer) where we expressed interest in interviewing him for the project. He grew up in the old West End, on W. Fifth Street, and attended https://cincinnatilibrary.org/blogs/post/west-end-stories-project-laverne-summerlin/ (Holy Trinity School) in the forties.   With the COVID-19 pandemic in mind, the West End Stories Project has shifted from a video series to a podcast, so interviews are being conducted over the phone. If you or someone you know lived or spent a significant amount of time in the West End, please consider sharing your story. Call 513-369-6900 or email westend@cincinnatilibrary.org for more information. For photographs and additional info about today's show, visit the library's blog post about https://cincinnatilibrary.org/blogs/post/i-thought-it-would-last-forever-melvin-grier-shares-his-west-end-story/ (Melvin). Stay tuned for more installments of the West End Stories Project!

In our 6th installment of the West End Stories Project, we spoke with Helen Shank, a retired homemaker and retail worker. She lived in the Laurel Homes Housing Project in the 1940s and attended St. Joseph Catholic School.   With the COVID-19 pandemic in mind, the West End Stories Project has shifted from a video series to a podcast, so interviews are being conducted over the phone. If you or someone you know lived or spent a significant amount of time in the West End, please consider sharing your story. Call 513-369-6900 or email westend@cincinnatilibrary.org for more information. For photographs and additional info about today's show, visit the library's blog post about Helen: https://cincinnatilibrary.org/blogs/post/helen-shank-west-end-story/ Stay tuned for more installments of the West End Stories Project!

In our fifth installment of the West End Stories Project podcast, we spoke with LaVerne Summerlin, a professor at the University of Cincinnati and the author of Gems of Cincinnati's West End: Black Children and Catholic Missionaries, 1940-1970. She lived in the Lincoln Courts and attended Holy Trinity School and Our Lady of Mercy High School.  With the COVID-19 pandemic in mind, the West End Stories Project has shifted from a video series to a podcast, so interviews are being conducted over the phone. If you or someone you know lived or spent a significant amount of time in the West End, please consider sharing your story. Call 513-369-6900 or email westend@cincinnatilibrary.org for more information. For photographs and additional info about today's show, visit the library's blog post about Ms. Summerlin: https://cincinnatilibrary.org/blogs/post/west-end-stories-project-laverne-summerlin/ (https://cincinnatilibrary.org/blogs/post/west-end-stories-project-laverne-summerlin/) Stay tuned for more installments of the West End Stories Project!

In this installment of the West End Stories project, we follow up with Ralph Moon Jr., who we initially spoke with in https://cincinnatilibrary.org/blogs/post/west-end-story-project-moon/ (Episode 4, Part 1). With the COVID-19 pandemic in mind, the West End Stories Project has shifted from a video series to a podcast, so interviews are being conducted over the phone. If you or someone you know lived or spent a significant amount of time in the West End, please consider sharing your story. Call 513-369-6900 or email westend@cincinnatilibrary.org for more information. For photographs and additional info about today's show, visit the library's blog post about Mr. Moon: https://cincinnatilibrary.org/blogs/post/he-was-always-hustlin-roey-moon-shares-his-west-end-story/ (https://cincinnatilibrary.org/blogs/post/he-was-always-hustlin-roey-moon-shares-his-west-end-story/) Stay tuned for more installments of the West End Stories Project!

In our fourth installment of the West End Stories Project podcast, we spoke with retired educator, Ralph Moon. Born and raised in the neighborhood, Mr. Moon grew up on Dayton Street.  With the COVID-19 pandemic in mind, the West End Stories Project has shifted from a video series to a podcast, so interviews are being conducted over the phone. If you or someone you know lived or spent a significant amount of time in the West End, please consider sharing your story. Call 513-369-6900 or email westend@cincinnatilibrary.org for more information. For photographs and additional info about today's show, visit the library's blog post about Mr. Moon: https://cincinnatilibrary.org/blogs/post/west-end-story-project-moon/ (https://cincinnatilibrary.org/blogs/post/west-end-story-project-moon/) Stay tuned for more installments of the West End Stories Project!

In our third installment of the West End Stories Project, we spoke with realtor and library security guard, Tim Coleman. He discussed growing up in the Lincoln Courts, being the baby in the family, and a fiasco at St. Joseph's Catholic Church.  With the COVID-19 pandemic in mind, the West End Stories Project has shifted from a video series to a podcast, so interviews are being conducted over the phone. If you or someone you know lived or spent a significant amount of time in the West End, please consider sharing your story. Call 513-369-6900 or email westend@cincinnatilibrary.org for more information. For photographs and additional info about today's show, visit the library's blog post about Mr. Coleman: https://cincinnatilibrary.org/blogs/post/west-end-stories-project-3/ (https://cincinnatilibrary.org/blogs/post/west-end-stories-project-3/) Stay tuned for more installments of the West End Stories Project!

In this second installment of the West End Stories Project, we spoke with book lover and library staff member, Tawanda Johnson. We talked about strong women, like library trailblazer Mary Finley, her big sister at Seton High School the Honorable Melba D. Marsh, and her mother Elizabeth Caulton. With the COVID-19 pandemic in mind, the West End Stories Project has shifted from a video series to a podcast, so interviews are being conducted over the phone. If you or someone you know lived or spent a significant amount of time in the West End, please consider sharing your story. Call 513-369-6900 or email westend@cincinnatilibrary.org for more information.  Stay tuned for more installments of the West End Stories Project. Thanks for listening!

In this first installment of the West End Stories Project, we spoke with local musician Nathaniel Leroy Davis about his memories of the West End. During our call, he discussed his family and childhood home, his memories of Union Terminal, race relations in Cincinnati, and his thoughts about recent neighborhood changes.

A twist on oral history projects, Cincinnati and Hamilton County Public Library's West End Stories Project podcast captures the stories of individuals who lived in the West End during the second half of the 20th century for urbanites today who want to know more about the neighborhood's transformation. If you or someone you know lived or spent a significant amount of time in the West End, please consider sharing your story. Call 513-369-6900 or email westend@cincinnatilibrary.org for more information.  Stay tuned for more installments of the West End Stories Project. Thanks for listening!