In March, Brendan O’Connell (’25 Historic Preservation) delivered a presentation titled “Data Analysis and Geocoding” with Dr. Moon and Dr. Hanna at the Virginia Forum, which was held at Sweet Briar College in Amherst, VA. This presentation was the result of their work together on RestrictedVA, a collaborative student project that researches and maps the history and effects of racially restrictive covenants in Fredericksburg, Virginia, advised by Dr. Krystyn Moon (history and American Studies), Dr. Steve Hanna (geography), and Dr. Christine Henry (historic preservation).
Students used historical documents such as contemporary newspapers, census data, maps, and land deeds to research the development of various neighborhoods in the city of Fredericksburg from the late-nineteenth century through the first decades of the twentieth century. Using Geographic Information System (GIS), they have been able to map their findings, coding specific areas as containing “racially restrictive covenants,” “without racially restrictive covenants,” and “black owned properties.”
Brendan commented about the impact this work has had on his academic formation at Mary Washington and his understanding of historical housing practices:
While working on this project for the last two semesters, I’ve been able to learn so much about how systemic racism has created Fredericksburg’s built environment today. I’m grateful to have been given the opportunity to be a part of this important work.
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