Oral History Interview with Essie Sitgraves

Partial Transcript: "Tell me a little about where you're from, your name and all this, your family background."

Segment Synopsis: Essie Sitgraves recalls being born in Huntsville, Alabama as 1 of 11 children. She married and moved to Louisville at 17, living on 7th Street and Kentucky. Later, she married Carl Sitgraves and they had been together for 33 years.

Keywords: Alabama

Subjects: African American families; African Americans- Marriage; Huntsville (Al.); Louisville (Ky.)

Partial Transcript: "How many properties do you all own out here?"

Segment Synopsis: Essie is the executor of 15 properties for rent across South Louisville. She states that she is trying to just keep rent at a minimum and that she is not trying to get rich or rip anybody off.

Keywords: Executor; Landlord; Old South Louisville

Subjects: African American neighborhoods; African Americans- Housing; Louisville (Ky.)

Partial Transcript: "How was it that you got involved in horse racing?"

Segment Synopsis: Essie recalls that she has always loved animals but that she married into the horse industry with her union to Carl. She wanted to learn what she could if she was going to be a part of it and so she started helping Carl by mucking stalls, feeding horses and unloading hay from the trucks. Essie lists the names of several of the winning horses that they owned claiming that every horse she picked was a winner. Since they retired, she has not felt like going to the racetrack like she once did. Essie grew up on a farm and was already familiar with horses in general just not Thoroughbreds.

Keywords: Animals; Bloodlines; Breeding; Family farm; Mucking stalls

Subjects: Affrican Americans- Marriage; African American horsemen and horsewomen; Horse industry- Kentucky; Horse owners; Lexington (Ky.)

Partial Transcript: "Just like you have seen some changes in the neighborhood, there have been some changes on the racetrack, right?"

Segment Synopsis: Interviewer recounts how Essie was one of a very few black women working on the race track. Essie recalls how she loved it working there while also taking care of domestic duties. She discusses how she sees being a landlord as a position of stewardship in helping to maintain the neighborhood. Interviewer and Essie lament the injection of drugs into the area, lack of spirituality and structural discrimination within society. As an aside, she briefly talks about her schooling in Alabama.

Keywords: Landlord

Subjects: African American leadership; African American neighborhoods; African Americans- Economic conditions; African Americans- Housing; African Americans- social conditions

Partial Transcript: "What do you think about the future of blacks in horse racing?"

Segment Synopsis: Essie says she does not see much of a future for African Americans in the horse industry because they are being priced out. The purses are too big and the horses are too expensive to make a living in the industry. Even so, she says that if she ever wins the lottery, she is going to buy another one.

Subjects: African America horsemen and horsewomen; African Americans- Economic conditions; African Americans- social conditions; Horse industry; Horse owners