After a 1958 arson, Delco town tried to seize local NAACP leader’s new house

For this week's Headline of Yore we head back to today in 1958:

"Home Burns, NAACP Aide Hints Arson"

This is the story of a Black family that attempted to integrate an all-white Philly suburb, had their home burned…and then nearly seized by the town itself. pic.twitter.com/vO4AyIb5Bl

— Avi Wolfman-Arent (@Avi_WA) May 27, 2021

In 1958, a Chester NAACP leader named George T. Raymond bought a home in the all-white Delaware County enclave of Rutledge.

Two important notes for later.

1. The home, long vacant, had been foreclosed on.
2.The mortgage was held by the V.A.

— Avi Wolfman-Arent (@Avi_WA) May 27, 2021

Raymond bought the home in mid-May.

The *day before* he and his wife were set to move in, a mysterious, early-morning fire gutted the property. pic.twitter.com/1j6MOPEqC4

— Avi Wolfman-Arent (@Avi_WA) May 27, 2021

Local authorities said they could find no evidence of arson.

However…the borough president readily admitted to the Inquirer that he'd been bombarded with calls after people found out a Black couple were moving in.

And… pic.twitter.com/cGdnG8GpXF

— Avi Wolfman-Arent (@Avi_WA) May 27, 2021

…The Philadelphia Tribune actually went to Rutledge and found that several people in the community thought the fire was set intentionally.

"It serves him right," said one white resident.

"I'm not prejudiced," said another. "But Negroes just don't belong among white people." pic.twitter.com/SmzA1iNPBI

— Avi Wolfman-Arent (@Avi_WA) May 27, 2021

Perhaps the most tolerant person quoted in the Tribune story was a Rutledge resident and Swarthmore student, who conceded that the "Negro students in her class are 'very nice people…But to live in the same community with them is another thing.'"

But…authorities say no arson.

— Avi Wolfman-Arent (@Avi_WA) May 27, 2021

This type of thing happened repeatedly to Black families in the area…

Per historian John McLarnon, a house in Aldan was vandalized, a mob showed up in Folsom, and Eagles legend Irv Cross was actually sued when he attempted to buy in Newtown Square.https://t.co/E6k4ydt0p4 pic.twitter.com/Ro3dmdaAp6

— Avi Wolfman-Arent (@Avi_WA) May 27, 2021

The fire, however, was just the start of Raymond's troubles.

Recall…the house had long been vacant when Raymond bought it.

But…after the fire…Rutledge said the Raymond house was a hazard.

The borough attempted to seize it and turn the property into a *town hall.* pic.twitter.com/eh6hSbfHfc

— Avi Wolfman-Arent (@Avi_WA) May 27, 2021

Raymond explained that the V.A. held the mortgage, which meant he had to go through a specific process to make necessary renovations to his badly damaged property.

— Avi Wolfman-Arent (@Avi_WA) May 27, 2021

Raymond sued the borough…which eventually backed off its attempts to seize the property.

In 1959, the Raymonds did move into the house…a year after they'd purchased it.

— Avi Wolfman-Arent (@Avi_WA) May 27, 2021

Raymond was not cowed by the incident.

He'd long been a civil rights leader in Chester…and remained in that role.

He was a major part of 1964 protests that drew national attention to Chester and resulted, ultimately, in a school desegregation plan.https://t.co/N6t6na3fjk

— Avi Wolfman-Arent (@Avi_WA) May 27, 2021

Raymond, who died in 1999, also helped desegregate Chester's movie theaters and restaurants by organizing sit-ins.

He was, according to McLarnon, remarkably effective. pic.twitter.com/5fdLLnMUW7

— Avi Wolfman-Arent (@Avi_WA) May 27, 2021

Demographically, however, Rutledge hasn't changed much since Raymond purchased — and fought for — a home there in 1958.

Of the borough's 860 residents, 1.6% are Black, according the U.S. Census.

— Avi Wolfman-Arent (@Avi_WA) May 27, 2021