As researched by his grandson Justin Moore-
While researching my own family history at the Indiana Historical Society, I stumbled upon of post-war articles and reports about Flanner House, a social services organization that worked in Indianapolis dating back to the turn of the twentieth century. The documents include reports, flyers, photographs, and even building plans relevant to the organization’s work transforming a slum in the inner city into a community with garden plots The story found in these documents is compelling in that it narrates the historical decline and recovery cycles of the city, while depicting the challenges and My grandfather was one of those people.
Albert Allen Moore was born in Nashville, Tennessee in 1905; he graduated from Tennessee State University in 1934 with a bachelor's degree in Agriculture. Like many blacks escaping the Jim Crow South between World War I and II, he moved northward for a better life. He came to Indianapolis where he eventually found work as the Agricultural Director for Flanner House. He taught other blacks from the Great Migration how to farm vacant lots within the city. His work, essentially what we today might call urban agriculture, literally became the foundation of Flanner House's larger mission to improve the quality of life for the urban community. With their increased role in community development, Flanner House received acclaim for their innovation in encouraging residents to save money and use their own skills and labor to build their own homes and improve their communities. This comprehensive framework allowed the families who participated in these programs to at least partially circumvent the racist practices of the various socio-economic structures of the time, and climb the economic and social ladder. This research investigates the two key components of the Flanner House neighborhood environmental and social development work: the Garden Program and the Fall Creek Homes project.
Source: Justin Moore, Past Forward: Roots and Recovery in the American City
- See more at: https://edwards-moore-family.net/testbrown/documents/Albert_A_Moore_community_gardening.pdf
Additional information: https://edwards-moore-family.net/testbrown/documents/grpc0371.pdf