The Sunnyside community was the dream of widow, Laura C. Watson and her children. She and her children wanted to have a community were middle class Colored people could live without the burden of housing discrimination.
Laura C. Watson lived long enough to see her dream come true. The community was dedicated in 1905; and, sixteen Colored families built their homes in Sunnyside. Laura died on May 24, 1924, when Mr. Lovell A. Lee’s parents were moving in the Sunnyside community.
Mr. Lee’s family were early homeowners in the Sunnyside Community. He and his siblings Delman, Lavern and Dermot were born and raised in Sunnyside. Their parents Theodore and Mildred Lee purchased this property between the years 1923-1924. Today this area is called Arlandria.
When Mr. Lee married his wife, Shirley M. Marshall on November 19, 1956, he was living at home with his parents at 3812 Elbert Avenue. He had lived in Sunnyside for his entire childhood.
You can read more about the Sunnyside Community titled, “We Were Part of the Sunnyside Community: Lovell Arvid Lee” is in the Alexandria Gazette Newspaper dated June 10, 2020 on page 6 http://connectionarchives.com/PDF/2020/061020/Alexandria.pdf.
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