Anacostia Community Museum Archives

Sammie Abbott Collection of ECTC Ephemera

Summary

Collection ID:
ACMA.06-100
Dates:
1965-1991
Languages:
English
.
Physical Description:
3.5 Linear feet
1 box; 1 OV poster
Repository:

Scope and Contents

Scope and Contents
Sammie Abbott Collection of the Emergency Committee on the Transportation Crisis (ECTC) ephemera dates from 1965 to 1991 and measures 3.5 linear feet. The collection documents Abbott's role within the committee which successfully opposed the construction of the North-Central Freeway within Washington, DC and Takoma Park, Maryland. Materials include flyers, newspapers, posters, and Congressional reports.

Biographical / Historical

Biographical / Historical
Sammie Abbot was born in Ithaca, New York in 1908 to Syrian Christian immigrant parents. He attended Cornell University to study architecture, but left before earning his degree to do labor organizing work across upstate New York during the Great Depression. He moved with his wife, Ruth Abbott, to the Washington, DC area in 1940, eventually building his family home with his father-in-law in Takoma Park, MD. He served in World War II as Staff Sergeant in intelligence, 391st Fighter Squadron of 366th Fighter Group, 9th Air Force, receiving a Bronze Star medal. After the war, he became a peace and civil rights activist, for which he was called before the House Committee on Un-American Activities. He refused to comply with their requests and was fired from his job as a commercial artist. In the 1960s and '70s, he was a founder and leader of the Emergency Committee on the Transportation Crisis (ECTC) which successfully fought the construction of a proposed freeway in Washington, DC that would have required the demolition of many homes and small businesses. Abbott was elected and served as mayor of Takoma Park, MD from 1980 to 1985.
Sammie Abdullah Abbott died on December 15, 1990 at his Takoma Park, Maryland home.

Administration

Author
ACMA Staff
Immediate Source of Acquisition
Donated by Nancy Abbott Young in 2017.
Processing Information
Machine-readable guide completed by Jennifer Morris, 2019.

Using the Collection

Conditions Governing Use
Collection items available for reproduction, but the Archives makes no guarantees concerning copyright restrictions. Other intellectual property rights may apply. Archives cost-recovery and use fees may apply when requesting reproductions.
Conditions Governing Access
Use of the materials requires an appointment. Please contact the archivist at ACMarchives@si.edu
Preferred Citation
Sammie Abbott Collection of ECTC Ephemera, Anacostia Community Museum Archives, Smithsonian Institution, gift of the Abbott Family.

Keywords

Keywords table of terms and types.
Keyword Terms Keyword Types
Fliers (printed matter) Genre Form Search Smithsonian Collections Search ArchiveGrid
Political posters Topical Search Smithsonian Collections Search ArchiveGrid
Graphic designers Occupation Search Smithsonian Collections Search ArchiveGrid
Political activists Topical Search Smithsonian Collections Search ArchiveGrid
Congressional records Genre Form Search Smithsonian Collections Search ArchiveGrid
Newspapers -- 20th century Topical Search Smithsonian Collections Search ArchiveGrid
Newsletters Genre Form Search Smithsonian Collections Search ArchiveGrid
Washington Metropolitan Area Transit Authority Topical Search Smithsonian Collections Search ArchiveGrid
Washington Metropolitan Area Geographic Search Smithsonian Collections Search ArchiveGrid
Sammie Abdullah Abbott, 1908-1990 Personal Name Search Smithsonian Collections Search ArchiveGrid

Anacostia Community Museum Archives
1901 Fort Place, SE
Washington, D.C. 20020
ACMArchives@si.edu