Dream Wired
No Result
View All Result
  • Home
  • Celebrity
  • DramaAlert
  • Gossip
  • Movie
  • TV
  • Music
  • Comics
  • Shop
  • Home
  • Celebrity
  • DramaAlert
  • Gossip
  • Movie
  • TV
  • Music
  • Comics
  • Shop
No Result
View All Result
Dream Wired
No Result
View All Result
Home Celebrity

Did You Know That There’s An All Black Town In Mississippi Founded By Former Slaves? – Essence

rmtsa by rmtsa
August 26, 2024
in Celebrity
0
Did You Know That There’s An All Black Town In Mississippi Founded By Former Slaves? – Essence
74
SHARES
1.2k
VIEWS
Share on FacebookShare on Twitter


You might also like

B. Simone Gets Clowned After Sharing Her Money Woes

#LAMH Returns With Martell & Marsau’s Truce [Trailer]

Meet Sam Jordan, The Entrepreneur Bringing Afro-Caribbean Luxury To LA’s Dining Scene – Essence

FPG/ Getty Images

The city of Mound Bayou, Mississippi, is a historic all-Black town founded in 1887 by formerly enslaved Black people who created a thriving haven for thousands of Black Americans during the Jim Crow era. By 1900, this small town in the central Mississippi Delta had developed from its modest beginnings, a “bustling community of Black-owned businesses and prosperous farmers.” Early Black townships like this once were economic, political, and social sanctuaries where African American families and businesses could thrive.

Here are five facts about this history-making Black city that you should know.

Founding An All Black Town

Founded in 1887 and incorporated in 1898, Mound Bayou is known as the “Jewel of the Delta.” “The town is the oldest United States all-black town founded by formerly enslaved people.”

It was founded by Isaiah T. Montgomery and his cousin Benjamin Green. The two formerly enslaved men purchased the 840-acre land for $7 per acre. Their vision was ground-breaking at the time, as the town was intended to be a self-sufficient, independent, all-black town from the beginning.

Mound Bayou was named after a large Indian mound that stood at the convergence of two bayous, draining the area. However, the location was chosen because of the Louisville, New Orleans, and Texas Line railroads that ran through its center.

Isaiah T. Montgomery, founder of Mound Bayou; Largest Colored taxpayer in Mississippi, 1907. Creator: Unknown. (Photo by Heritage Art/Heritage Images via Getty Images)

A Thriving Economy In “The Jewel Of The Delta”

From its beginnings in a lonely swamp, this small town in the Mississippi Delta grew into a bustling community of Black-owned businesses and successful farms by 1900. Mound Bayou became a haven for thousands of Black Americans during Jim Crow. Within the community, there were 40 businesses, two mills, three cotton gins, a train station, a library, a few schools, a bank, and a hospital.

A town of this magnitude was unheard of at the time, and the economic development it enjoyed drew the attention of many, including President Theodore Roosevelt, who gave Mound Bayou the nickname “The Jewel of the Delta.”

The Role Mound Bayou Played In The Civil Rights Movement

Medgar Evers relocated to Mound Bayou in 1952 to sell insurance for Dr. T.R.M. Howard, and it was here that he first became involved in civil rights activism. From 1952 through 1955, the yearly rallies of the Regional Council of Negro Leadership were also held in town. Mound Bayou is also known for its involvement in the aftermath of the murder of 14-year-old Emmett Till. Dr. Howard welcomed reporters and witnesses into his house, offering them a place to stay during the trial.

The Importance Of Education 

As documented in the town’s newspaper, The Demonstrator (1900), Mound Bayou advocated education as a vital part of community survival, particularly vocational training in scientific agriculture at the Mound Bayou Normal and Industrial Institute. Mound Bayou flourished between 1907 and 1915 as a railroad hub, enabling it to reach 8,000 people by 1911. A dramatic decline occurred during the Great Migration (1915-1930) when cotton prices collapsed, Booker T. Washington died, and Black paths to freedom were shifted from small towns to major cities.

A Look At Mound Bayou Now  

Despite its sharp population decline over the century, Mound Bayou is still a predominantly Black town. Few stores and jobs remain, but this noble and historic community that remains 98 percent Black presses on. The town has opened the Mound Bayou Museum as a means to tell the local and state history.



Source link

Tags: BlackEssenceFoundedMississippiSlavesTown
Share30Tweet19
rmtsa

rmtsa

Recommended For You

B. Simone Gets Clowned After Sharing Her Money Woes

by rmtsa
June 27, 2025
0
B. Simone Gets Clowned After Sharing Her Money Woes

Source: Paras Griffin / Getty Through talent and hustle, entrepreneur/comedian/actress/social media personality B. Simone made her way to more than five million followers and a career that includes Wild ‘n...

Read more

#LAMH Returns With Martell & Marsau’s Truce [Trailer]

by rmtsa
June 27, 2025
0
#LAMH Returns With Martell & Marsau’s Truce [Trailer]

They’re baaaack! OWN’s top-rated reality hit Love & Marriage: Huntsville is back and bold as ever for its milestone 10th season, and the trailer shows a truce, a...

Read more

Meet Sam Jordan, The Entrepreneur Bringing Afro-Caribbean Luxury To LA’s Dining Scene – Essence

by rmtsa
June 26, 2025
0
Meet Sam Jordan, The Entrepreneur Bringing Afro-Caribbean Luxury To LA’s Dining Scene – Essence

Lucia owner Sam Jordan with Chef Adrian Forte Sam Jordan didn’t set out to change LA’s food scene, but three years after conceptualizing Lucia, his modern Afro-Caribbean restaurant...

Read more

Fat Joe Responds To $20 Million Coercion Lawsuit

by rmtsa
June 26, 2025
0
Fat Joe Responds To  Million Coercion Lawsuit

Fat Joe has released a statement, making it clear he and his legal team will “finish” his former hype man’s lawyer, Tyrone Blackburn. The attorney is representing Terrance...

Read more

HOT 97 Summer Jam 2025 Delivers Surprise Moments

by rmtsa
June 25, 2025
0
HOT 97 Summer Jam 2025 Delivers Surprise Moments

GloRilla performs at the HOT 97 Summer Jam 2025 on June 20, 2025 in New York City. Photo Credit: Johnnie Lear The 2025 HOT 97 Summer Jam festival...

Read more
Next Post
Linkin Park Launch Cryptic Countdown Timer: Details

Linkin Park Launch Cryptic Countdown Timer: Details

Leave a Reply Cancel reply

Your email address will not be published. Required fields are marked *

Browse by Category

  • Celebrity
  • Comics
  • DramaAlert
  • Gossip
  • Movie
  • Music
  • TV
  • Uncategorized

CATEGORIES

  • Celebrity
  • Comics
  • DramaAlert
  • Gossip
  • Movie
  • Music
  • TV
  • Uncategorized
No Result
View All Result

Recent News

  • Emily Botica, Vice President At Diamond Comics, Is Leaving Next Week
  • Man Born on U.S. Military Base Deported to Jamaica — A Country He’s Never Even Visited • Hollywood Unlocked
  • ABC’s Delay Canceling Doctor Odyssey After Season 1 Explained

Copyright © 2023 DramaWired.
DramaWired is a content aggregator and not responsible for the content of external sites.

No Result
View All Result
  • Home
  • Celebrity
  • DramaAlert
  • Gossip
  • Movie
  • TV
  • Music
  • Comics
  • Shop

Copyright © 2023 DramaWired.
DramaWired is a content aggregator and not responsible for the content of external sites.

Welcome Back!

Login to your account below

Forgotten Password?

Retrieve your password

Please enter your username or email address to reset your password.

Log In