My daughter and I landed in Philadelphia, Pennsylvania, in 1976. My husband had accepted a job with the Commonwealth of Pennsylvania and arrived in January of that year. We had arrived in time to celebrate the Bicentennial Anniversary of the adoption of the Declaration of Independence. Pennsylvania sponsored the Bicentennial Wagon Train Pilgrimage to identify the state’s role in founding our country. Philadelphia provided Conestoga Wagons and arranged horses for all 50 states of the Union. The first wagon left from Blaine, Washington, in June of 1975, and all wagons ascended on Valley Forge, PA by the 4th of July 1976. Below is a picture of our daughter in front of a group of those wagons. That was an excellent way to start a new life.
Three years later, we purchased a house in Chester County, PA. Our property contained two lots and was part of a cooperative association. I didn’t know what that was. I found out that a cooperative association is owned and operated by the people in the community. My husband and I were involved in the workings of the organization. Most of the owners were professional African Americans. I believe we were one of the youngest couples. The first house purchased in the neighborhood was in 1951.
