Tolliver, Arthur S (Builder and Inventor)

Oral History

-

Lorain Historical Society

Name/Title

Tolliver, Arthur S (Builder and Inventor)

Entry/Object ID

2024.2.5

Scope and Content

Arthur Sidney Adams Tolliver was a craftsman who built many homes in Lorain from the ground up, including 1609 W. 19th Street and 1100 W. 20th Street. He specialized in brick homes and had a special design for chimneys. He was born in Lebanon, TN and attended Tuskegee University for blueprinting and contracting before moving to Cleveland, OH and then to Lorain sometime between 1935 and 1945. He assisted with building the airfields that were used by the Tuskegee Airmen during the war. He also obtained a patent for an embalming apparatus he invented in 1943. This interview with two of his daughters (Brendalyn Tolliver Willis Jackson and Rozlinda Tolliver Willis) and one grandson (Jevan Willis), highlights the legacy and achievements of Arthur S. Tolliver and his family in Lorain.

Collection

Lorain Black History Archives

Oral History Details

Interviewer

Johnson, Yvonne