MEMPHIS, Tenn. — One Memphis man found more than he bargained for when buying his home. It came with some unexpected history.
Homes in the Annesdale Historic District have a long line of history not just of the past, but history in the making.
“I believe in economic empowerment,” said Jason Anderson.
It's a passion that motivated Anderson, a Mississippi native now a Memphis resident, to buy a home in the historic district.
“It started around 1903-1910 and was regarded as the first subdivision of the south,” said Anderson.
It was a time when minorities would not have been able to own property in the district.
“One of the first Governors out of Memphis, Tennessee, Governor Malcolm Patterson, actually grew up and had a property here in this subdivision. Malcolm was a great politician, but unfortunately during that time which is the beginning of that Jim Crow Era, he ran on segregation,” said Anderson.
That's why purchasing the home was so important. In fact, Anderson bought the house around Juneteenth. It wasn’t just because of its past but to raise awareness on present-day minority homeownership issues.
“We saw that during the COVID period where we heard about and saw it validated that during the greatest period where we could refinance at the lowest rate, we weren’t able to do that at the same rate as our Caucasian counterparts,” said Anderson.
He also made sure he circulated money through the Black community when renovating the home.
“Every single part of this project, every single thing that the owner put into this was with African Americans,” said Designs by Victoria Liz owner Victoria Wheeler.
She designed the interior of the home. “We definitely have a long way to go, but we’ve come so far. Considering the fact that during that time when the home was built in the 1900s, there was a lot of segregation. Now, here we are in present day, we have an African American man who is now owning this property,” said Wheeler.
Anderson does not plan on living in the home. Instead, he wants to turn it into a think tank, a space for community leaders to brainstorm ideas for city improvement.
“It’s a pathway to the future for families,” said Anderson. “I feel a lot of pride in this purchase and just want to do it justice. I hope the community is proud of it when I finish but also that I’m proud of it.”
After fixing up his historic home, Anderson also learned about the previous homeowner, Norma Yvonne Witt McKinney. He stumbled upon her artwork in the home’s attic. Anderson is going to put the artwork on display, so the community can see her extraordinary work and her legacy can continue.