Joan Maynard played a seminal role in the preservation of the Weeksville neighborhood in Brooklyn. A strong proponent for disseminating the rich history of this once thriving African American town, Joan used preservation as an educational tool to infuse self-pride in the young children of Weeksville. In a broader sense, this tool was essential for community development in Bedford-Stuyvesant.

Weeksville was a historically significant part of Brooklyn. Founded in 1838 by James Weeks, the Weeksville Community was one of the first free black neighborhoods in New York, and had a large portion of black home ownership and black owned businesses.⁷ During the Civil War, the community became a safe haven for African Americans fleeing Manhattan due to the Draft Riots.⁸ What is unique about Weeksville is despite the tumultuous environment and racial disparity, the community emerged as a cultural and economic epicenter for free blacks in New York. Weeksville's newspaper, Freedman's Torchlight, was one of the first African American newspapers published in the United States.⁹ By the time Brooklyn became consolidated with Manhattan, Public School 83 remained the first integrated school in New York City.¹⁰ The community had a host of successful and politically active members including Junius C. Morel, former principal of Colored School No. 2, and Dr. Susan Smith Mckinney-Steward, the first female African American physician in New York City.¹¹ However, by the 1950s, many American cities had suffered economically from urban renewal, southern black migration, and white flight from the city; unfortunately, Weeksville was no exception. Any remnants of this historically rich culture were soon forgotten as slum clearance measures threatened to destroy the historic fabric of the community.

The discovery of the Hunterfly Road Houses was a major catalyst in the effort to preserve Weeksville. In 1968, James Hurley, an Urban Studies Professor at the Pratt Institute in Brooklyn, discovered four wooden frame houses while flying over the Bedford-Stuyvesant area with pilot Joe Haynes.¹² The houses were hidden from street view on Bergen Street. Although the houses were in derelict condition, this discovery provided a lens into 19^th century life in Weeksville. The houses dated from the early 1800s to the 1880s and originally faced on an historic Native American trail called Hunterfly Road, which existed prior to the laying of the street grid system in Brooklyn. In an effort to glean more information about Weeksville's past, James Hurley organized an archaeological excavation one block away from James Weeks's 1830s house and across the street from P.S. 243. Members of the community and students from the school participated in these digs.¹³ Due to the poor condition of the houses and the threat of demolition caused by urban renewal, Joan Maynard quickly launched efforts to restore the old houses through research, writing, and community outreach. She presented her findings to the local schools and community groups, obtained federal funding, and even donated her personal savings. Joan Maynard brought members of the community along with school children from P.S. 243 to petition to the New York City Landmarks Preservation Commission to designate the houses.

In 1970, the Hunterfly Road houses were designated New York City Landmarks, and listed on the National Register of Historic Places a year later.¹⁴ The buildings were later restored and converted into an African American history museum. In 1968, Joan founded the Society for the Preservation of Weeksville and Bedford Stuyvesant History in order to protect, restore, and convert the Hunterfly Road Houses into a museum of African American history. The society was formally chartered as a not-for-profit organization in 1971. She served as the president for two years and then became the executive director in 1974. It is because of her relentless efforts that the houses have been restored and protected. Joan secured funds from the New York Landmarks Conservancy, the Downtown Brooklyn Association, and the Mary Flager Carey Trust in order to rehabilitate the houses.¹⁵ Yet, on a fundamental level, Joan kept "the spirit of Weeksville alive" by engaging the local community through public outreach and education.¹⁶ The Weeksville School (P.S. 243), a later incarnation of one of the first integrated schools in New York City (P.S. 83), created innovative curriculum changes by integrating the history of Weeksville in the classroom. This was a result of a federal program called "Follow Through," also known as "Community as Classroom," which used concrete examples from the community to teach the children science, math and history.¹⁷ Joan was a major proponent for instituting these policies. By participating in the archaeological excavations, the students were able to gain a firm grasp of math and science while learning an essential part of their community's history. Joan, along with community members, and parents of the students petitioned the Board of Education to rename the school from Isaac Newton Elementary to the Weeksville School.¹⁸

Overall, Joan Maynard's efforts in preservation serve as an inspiration for integrating historic preservation with community development. A true visionary, she saw that revitalization, education, and heritage all played a significant role in community pride among African Americans. Joan once remarked, "the process of socialization cannot happen without the telling of history."¹⁹