Grand Fountain of the United Order of True Reformers

A collage of photographs from the turn of the twentieth century suggests the far-reaching influence of the Grand Fountain of the United Order of True Reformers, an African American fraternal organization in Richmond. Among the enterprises started by the True Reformers and featured on this page are the nation's first black-owned, black-operated bank, a hotel, a printing office, a grocery store, a concert hall, and a real estate office. The collage also shows the current officers of the organization and the employees of its businesses. The coffin of William Washington Browne, decorated for viewing, is shown at top center in 1897. Browne founded Richmond's True Reformers.