A short history of an Historic African-American Community in West Chester, Pennsylvania, This self-guided walking tour is illustrated with numerous photographs, many of them offering a rare glimpse into the 19th-century lives of early black entrepreneurs. The book also documents the Civil Rights era: Bayard Rustin, famous as the chief tactician of nonviolent action and the organizer of the March of 1963, was born and raised in the East End.

So named because this book covers the business community of West Chester, PA., which was "uptown" from historic black neighborhoods, Walking the "Uptown" was designed to be both a scholarly resource and a walking tour documenting the lives of 19th-century black entrepreneurs and the many "firsts" in the 20th century black business community. The 90-page book also includes an extensive appendix with profiles of the early residents who were part of the northern migration of free blacks and former slaves before and after the Civil War. A particular focus is on those members of the black business...