For as long as I can remember...
I've been going to neighborhood meetings and City Planning & Zoning Hearings with my parents. I was raised in Southeast Boise's Joseph Chitwood house (below), constructed in 1891 and owned by my family since 1942. Today, living in an old house is seen as edgy. However, growing up, I envied my friends whose homes had a living room instead of a parlor, bedrooms with shag rug instead of hardwood floors, and staircases that actually passed Boise's building codes - though our stairs made for great sledding when our parents weren't around.
Growing up in an urban neighborhood had a unique set of challenges. Skinny houses were always popping up, our quality of life was impacted by loud nightly college parties, and lots of students meant not a lot of kids our age to play with.
Eight-year-old Emily posing for a safe driving advertisement for the South East Boise Neighborhood Association, ca. 2003
The Joseph Chitwood House was added to the National Register of Historic Places in 2006 and continues to be occupied by the Fritchman family.
But, in spite of the challenges, I wouldn't have wanted to grow up anywhere else. We were close to downtown, could bike wherever we wanted, and lived in a place with lots of beautiful old homes. My parents were tirelessly committed to preserving the beauty and livability of our neighborhood, and created the Original South Boise Neighborhood Association in 2002. Their passion inspired the creation of this project.
I hope that the research I've uncovered in my graduate studies inspires you to become more involved in your local neighborhood association, community, or just more interested in Boise history.
About the author
Emily Fritchman is a fifth-generation Idahoan who believes that history plays an invaluable role in understanding our unique heritage.
Her goal is to make history exciting and accessible for the community, facilitate meaningful conversations among people of all backgrounds, and connect the public with their unique histories.
Fritchman is a recent graduate of Boise State University, having completed her B.A. in History and English in 2018 and her Master of Arts in Public History in 2020, both Magna Cum Laude. She is the recipient of the Eugene and Lois Chaffee History Award, the Merle Wells Public History Award, and served as a residential fellow during her time at Boise State University.
Her work has been featured in the Investigate Boise Community Research Series pieces The Other Idahoans: Forgotten Stories of the Boise Valley (2016) and Half the World: Refugees Transform the City of Trees (2017). Her graduate thesis Finding Common Purpose: A History of Community Organizing in Boise, Idaho (2020) is available for download via Boise State University's ScholarWorks portal.
She specializes in history of the American West, architectural history, activist, and community history. Fritchman currently works as adjunct faculty for Boise State University and as a contractor with a local historical researching firm.