Piqua in Miami County, Ohio — The American Midwest (Great Lakes)
William Moore McCullough / Civil Rights Movement in Piqua
Side A: William Moore McCulloch
William McCulloch was born in Holmes County where he was educated in a one-room schoolhouse before moving to Wooster to attend high school and the College of Wooster. He attained prominence as Ohio's Speaker of the House from 1939-1943 and House member from the Fourth Ohio Congressional District from 1948-1973. During his time in Washington, McCulloch was best known as a co-sponsor and staunch advocate of the Civil Rights Act of 1964. He was recognized by President Lyndon Johnson as the prime mover for passage of this landmark legislation. As a conservative Republican voice in the House, he was instrumental in championing other civil rights legislation, including fair housing and public accommodations. McCulloch was a founding partner in 1928 of the Piqua law firm that bears his name.
Side B: Civil Rights Movement in Piqua
Twentieth century racial discrimination was common in Ohio and a fact of life in Piqua. To counter it, a Piqua chapter of the National Association for the Advancement of Colored People was active from 1921 to 1923 but was shut down by local Ku Klux Klan violence. Local businessman Darrell Taylor reorganized the NAACP in 1943 and served as its first president. By the end of World War II, the group actively fought segregation in Piqua, holding a sit-in at the "whites only" bus station lunch counter with support from former Ohio Speaker of the House William McCulloch. The group also fought segregation at the Schine's Piqua Theater by sitting everywhere, not in the restricted three rows in the rear. While these protests did not immediately end segregation, they were the start of a decades long process that ended discrimination in public accommodation, housing, and veterans and community organization memberships.
Erected 2009 by McCulloch, Felger, Fite & Gutmann Co., L.P.A. and The Ohio Historical Society. (Marker Number 32-55.)
Topics and series. This historical marker is listed in these topic lists: African Americans • Civil Rights. In addition, it is included in the Former U.S. Presidents: #36 Lyndon B. Johnson, and the Ohio Historical Society / The Ohio History Connection series lists. A significant historical year for this entry is 1964.
Location. 40° 8.912′ N, 84° 14.435′ W. Marker is in Piqua, Ohio, in Miami County. Marker is on High Street, on the left when traveling west. Marker is on the median about 75 feet SW of the public library. Touch for map. Marker is in this post office area: Piqua OH 45356, United States of America. Touch for directions.
Other nearby markers. At least 8 other markers are within walking distance of this marker. Piqua Veterans Memorial (within shouting distance of this marker); The Mills Brothers (within shouting distance of this marker); Capt. Don Gentile (about 500 feet away, measured in a direct line); Public Square (about 700 feet away); Lock Nine Riverfront Park (about 800 feet away); Main Street (about 800 feet away); Lock Nine (approx. 0.2 miles away); The 1913 Flood (approx. 0.2 miles away). Touch for a list and map of all markers in Piqua.
Also see . . .
1. William Moore McCullough. (Submitted on April 15, 2010, by William Fischer, Jr. of Scranton, Pennsylvania.)
2. William Moore McCullough. (Submitted on April 15, 2010, by William Fischer, Jr. of Scranton, Pennsylvania.)
3. Civil Rights Act of 1964. (Submitted on April 15, 2010, by William Fischer, Jr. of Scranton, Pennsylvania.)
Credits. This page was last revised on December 2, 2019. It was originally submitted on April 15, 2010, by William Fischer, Jr. of Scranton, Pennsylvania. This page has been viewed 1,952 times since then and 121 times this year. Photos: 1, 2, 3, 4. submitted on April 15, 2010, by William Fischer, Jr. of Scranton, Pennsylvania.