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James W. Loewen (1942-2021)

We mourn the loss of our friend and colleague and remain committed to the work he began.

Fort Thomas

Kentucky

Basic Information

Type of Place
Independent City or Town
Metro Area
Politics c. 1860?
Unions, Organized Labor?

Sundown Town Status

Sundown Town in the Past?
Possible
Was there an ordinance?
Perhaps, Some Oral Evidence
Sign?
Year of Greatest Interest
Still Sundown?
Surely Not

Census Information

The available census data from 1860 to the present
Total White Black Asian Native Hispanic Other BHshld
1860
1870
1880
1890
1900
1910
1920
1930
1940 11034 34
1950
1960
1970 16338 30
1980 16012 41 23 109
1990
2000 16495 120
2010 16325 209 10 152
2020

Method of Exclusion

  • Violence Towards NewcomersRealtors

Main Ethnic Group(s)

Group(s) Excluded

  • Black

Comments

* In 1940, 27 of the 34 black residents were females.

* In 1970, 23 of the 30 black residents were males, suggesting a far lower number of households.

Email testimony: “It was closed to outsiders of all kinds, including blacks.”

Ft. Thomas is said to have been covered with restrictive covenant deeds.

Email testimony from 7/2014:
“I lived there from birth until the age of 18 when I went into the military… Growing up as a boy, I vividly remember black door to door salesmen being escorted by the police to the city limits on numerous occasions prior to the sun going down. Growing up, I knew of absolutely no minorities living within the city limits. If they did, they lived on the far outskirts of town. They lived in the surrounding cities of Newport and Dayton. For a fact, I know that there were no blacks or any other minority that went to my schools up until I hit high school except for one Asian girl and her brother. In high school it was only a Puerto Rican and his sister that joined. There were never any blacks through my entire school years attending school with me. Growing up, I remember the adults talking about blacks not being allowed in the city after sundown. I have heard, although not recently, that there was a city ordinance stating that nobody of color could stay in the city after dark. […] From what i was told, by a [county employee], it was still actually on the books as little as 5 years ago.
It was always said that blacks weren’t allowed in the town and I never saw any except for the salesmen the whole time growing up.
Recently, a high school friend of mine, was visiting a local museum dedicated to the history of Ft. Thomas. Its located in Tower Park, a city park that used to be an armory. She was talking to a lady that she guessed to be in her late 70’s and the topic came up about how minorities never lived in the city until recently. The elderly lady, being the curator, was full of information and mentioned the signs that no longer exist. She said the museum would love to have one for display […] I don’t remember the signs so I asked my parents, 70 and 74 years old. My father verified that he remembers those signs. They have lived in Ft Thomas since the late 60’s.”