Shades of Montford

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I've seen the original plan for the subdivision of Montford. That plan put Montford between the river on the west and what is now Broadway on the east, extending north from what is now I-240 to a point where River Road and Broadway meet -- essentially the shaded area above.

What is interesting is that "historic" Montford, what is designated as historic and gets special tax breaks and works under special use and building restrictions, is not the historic (read: original) Montford but the part of Montford with the oldest and biggest houses.

This could be because these are the oldest, thus historic, houses. It could also be that these are where the property owners with the keenest interests in the designation lived. Whatever the reasons, the historic district managed to include the part of Montford with the densest white population and exclude the parts of Montford with the densest black population.

Was that an accident?