Hanford Village: Postwar Housing for African Americans

By Matt Doran
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The National Park service has recently approved the National Register of Historic Places nomination for Hanford Village. Hanford was founded as a separate village in 1909 and became majority African American during the Great Migration.

The George Washington Carver subdivision of Hanford (between Main St. & Livingston Ave. and Alum Creek Dr. & Nelson Rd.) was established in 1946 to meet the postwar housing demand. The Carver subdivision was marketed to returning African-American soldiers. Many of the original homeowners were Tuskegee Airmen who were stationed at nearby Lockbourne Air Base (Rickenbacker).

When Interstate 70 came through Columbus in the 1960s, many homes in Hanford Village were eliminated, and only a few houses remained on the side of Hanford adjacent to the popular Hanford Park.

For photographs of the homes and information about their original owners, check out the Teaching Columbus Historic Sites Collection.

Click here for a Hanford Village classroom inquiry activity PowerPoint presentation. 
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