Davis Bottom: Rare History, Valuable Lives reveals the fascinating history of a diverse, working-class neighborhood. Davis Bottom, established in 1865, is one of about a dozen ethnic enclaves settled primarily by African-American families who migrated to Lexington from the 1860s to the 1890s in search of jobs, security and opportunity. Davis Bottom, located in a narrow, swampy valley about a mile south of downtown Lexington, is named after Willard Davis, a land speculator and civil rights advocate who became the Attorney General for the State of Kansas. Over the past 150 years, residents have made this small, tight-knit neighborhood a hidden model for racial diversity and community cohesion. Today this enclave is facing a challenge with the construction of the Newtown Pike Extension, a roadway that has displaced many residents. This part of history is now being documented as part of The Davis Bottom History Preservation Project.
Length: 56 min. 40 sec.
Country: USA
Language: English
Director: Thomas M. Law
Producer: Thomas M. Law, Voyageur Media Group
Producer Web site:http://www.voyageurmedia.org
Distributor: Kentucky Archaeological Survey
Distributor Web site:http://anthropology.as.uky.edu/kas
Awards/Selections:
Nov 27, 2013, Public Television Premier, Prime time broadcast statewide on Kentucky Educational Television.
Nov 30, 2013, Prime time broadcast, statewide on Kentucky Educational Television.