Open Housing Pioneers–The Wade Home

from A Civil Rights Tour of Louisville

Old Walnut Street Business District & Mae Street Kidd

South Crums Lane & Clyde Drive

At the last site, we noted that a 1917 case declared racially segregated housing ordinances unconstitutional, right? But at this site, we have a home that was dynamited in 1954 because an African American family moved into a white neighborhood. How did that happen? Well, a lot of things: realtors steering people of different races to separate neighborhoods,red lining, all white homeowners associations structured to keep people out. And so, when the Wade family wanted to buy a home that they liked and could afford but that happened to be in a white neighborhood, they couldn’t do it. Who were the Wades? Andrew Wade was an African American WWII veteran, electrician, and a small business owner. His wife was a homemaker. They had a 2-year-old daughter at the time of the home purchase, and another child, also a girl, on the way. They wanted a place in the suburbs where their children could play. Andrew and Charlotte Wade moved to Rone Court on May 15, 1954, two days before the Supreme Court condemned school segregation. Neighbors burned a cross on the lot next to them and shot out windows on their first night in the home, and the Wades endured constant harassment until June 27, when the house was dynamited.

Amid Cold War fears, the Wades’ civil rights were ignored. Instead of handling the dangerous situation the Wades had been through, the focus shifted to the alleged communism of whites Anne and Carl Braden. Although both Bradens were suspected, Carl was the only one tried, and the sensationalized sedition trial ensued. Rone Court was renamed and the real culprits were never prosecuted. In the end, the Wades were not able to return back to their home because it had been destroyed. Little to no effort was exerted to bring justice to the Wades.