Blytheville Black Commercial Historic District

Blytheville Black Commercial Historic District. . During segregation in the twentieth century, Ash Street was the social and commercial heart of the Black community of Blytheville. On Saturdays, when sharecropper families would dress up and come to town, Ash could be so crowded that people would have to walk in the street. Civic groups like the Blytheville Social Arts Club and the Royal Brotherhood Club organized many community services and events here and would inaugurate a community leader as the honorary Mayor of Ash Street. Pilgrim Rest Baptist Church, which stood at this spot, often hosted graduations and state conventions. The annual National Cotton Picking Contest was celebrated with a street dance on this street. , Among the many Black-owned businesses on Ash Street during this era were beauty shops and barbershops, clothing stores, dry cleaners, dental and doctors offices, a pharmacy, a market, restaurants, funeral homes, and a taxicab stand. Two churches here also served the community. For entertainment there were two movie theaters, a pool hall, and night clubs. In the 1960s, an Ash Street variety store was listed in the Green Book. Celebrities like B.B. King often performed in the night clubs, and the movie theaters also hosted live programs, including the internationally renowned Wings Over Jordan gospel choir.