Racial Restrictive Covenants Project: Recent Updates September
Cowlitz County Maps Now Available
The Cowlitz County maps are now live on our website! You can view them here.
Cowlitz County has the sordid distinction as the county with the highest percentage of racially restrictive covenants in Washington state. With more than 8,000 identified so far, it ranks second in number to King County whose population and housing stock is 20 times that of Cowlitz.
Many of the restrictions were imposed by the owners of the Long-Bell Lumber Company, which planned and developed the city of Longview starting in 1923. As a result, the majority of subdivisions in Longview contain restrictive covenants banning "any person who is not of the white race.”
Eastern Washington Team Publishes Map of Spokane County
Our partner team at Eastern Washington University has published their first interactive, online map. The map is of Spokane County, and it highlights over 7,000 properties with racially restrictive covenants. You can view the map here.
The Racial Restrictive Covenants Project team at Eastern Washington University works to identify and map properties in Washington counties east of the Cascade Mountains that historically contained racially restrictive covenants.
If you want to learn more about their work, visit their website or contact Project Director Dr. Tara Kelly at tkelly12@ewu.edu.
Samples of Snohomish County Restrictive Covenants Now Available
We recently published a table containing samples of documents containing racially restrictive covenants for historically restricted subdivisions in Snohomish County. They can be found below the restricted subdivision map on our website.
The table is ordered by city, and clicking on the name of the subdivision will take you to a PDF containing an example of a document with a covenant in that subdivision (either a deed for a single property or a declaration of covenants that applies to the whole of or a significant portion of the subdivision) and a map of the subdivision. Sometimes, the restriction is written directly on the map, so the sample will only contain the map.
We are currently working on creating sample documents for Kitsap, Pierce, and Thurston counties. If you are searching for property records in King County, please see the King County Archives for assistance.
Community Meetings
UPCOMING: Wedgewood Community Presentation & Covenant Modification Assistance
On Monday, September 16, we will be giving a presentation about covenants, racial segregation in Seattle, and our project to members of the Wedgewood community, a neighborhood in North Seattle. After the presentation, we will assist Wedgewood property owners in modifying their property deeds to strike out racially restrictive covenants.
We are always excited by opportunities to present our research, train people on how to volunteer with us, and engage in community events. For inquiries, please reach out to us at wacovenants@gmail.com.
Welcoming New Staff Members!
Ari Bleu Conboy [Research Associate]
Ari Bleu Conboy is a student at the University of Washington majoring in Political Science and minoring in International Studies and Labor Studies. She is particularly interested in international politics as well as the history of labor and capitalism. As a research associate, she is involved in research, data management, and community outreach.
Emma Mantovani [Research Associate]
Emma Mantovani is a sophomore at the University of Washington double majoring in history and economics with a data science minor. As a research associate, she is involved in research, data management, and community outreach.
Welcome to the team! We’re excited to see how you contribute to the project.
Learn More
Racial Restrictive Covenants Project Website
Racial Restrictive Covenants Instagram