Educators and Entrepreneurs

Educators and Entrepreneurs. Macomb and Georgia Streets. As Macomb Street continues its journey north of Carolina Street, it crosses Georgia Street. This area included additional businesses, such as the physicians' offices of Dr. Charles Stevens and Dr. Millard Williams. Bill Chavis Filling Station was the perfect place for auto repairs, tires, and good, high-octane Gulf gas. In the 400 block of Georgia Street was the Leon County Colored Teachers Association building, where Gilbert Porter served as the first president. The block could have been called “Teachers Row” with so many public school teachers living there. The teachers were from the Casana, Taylor, and Richardson families. However, entrepreneurs also lived in the block as personified by the McKinneys Bob Richardson, and Bessie Dixon. , , Cleotha "Red” Hall lived in a modest house on Georgia Street and remembered the area where he lived as the center of Black life in Tallahassee. He worked at Ashmore Drug Store in Frenchtown, where the store boasted that it was “Small but had it all." , , It was in this neighborhood that the iceman lived. John "Buck" McKinney was employed by Middle Florida Ice Company and delivered 25- and 50-pound blocks of ice to families in Frenchtown. The Roberts children called him "Mr. Pipe because of the ever-present tobacco pipe clamped between his teeth. As the children chased the ice truck along the streets in the summer. Mr. Mckinney would give ice chips to them to cool their hot little bodies. It was a sad time for them when they solemnly proclaimed to him, "We won't need you anymore; we have a refrigerator!" , , In the 500 block were long-established families such as the Moorers/Reids/Wests, Greers/Grices, Powells/Mannings, Goldens and Ellis and Samantha McGhee. At 513 West Georgia lived Mr. Cyrus Reid, who was one of the few owners of a telephone. He used it to receive calls from the young women at The Florida State College for Women (now FSU), who requested rides to and from the train station in his red "Surry with the fringe on top." His wife, Mattie was renowned by her White clientele for her washing and ironing skills. , , Farther along the street, a son of the McGhees. Alphonso, was one of the first two graduates from the new law school at Florida A&M University. The only house with a swimming pool in the neighborhood was owned by W. H. Hill, a Frenchtown entrepreneur and his wife, Geneva, a public school teacher. The last house on the street was owned for years by the Golden family, which through the generations produced many splendid educators. , (captions) , Dr. Charles N. Stevens (below) was a general practitioner on Tennessee Street before relocating to Georgia Street. Dr. Millard Williams, a dentist (above), shared facilities with Dr. Stevens. The team served Frenchtown and the city with professional skill and community service. (Courtesy of Riley Museum and Betty Stevens) , , Left: Eunice Spencer Carter was a principal at Rhaney Elementary and later a civics teacher at Lincoln High School in Frenchtown. (Courtesy of Dr. Na’im Akbar) , , Above: Alfonso McGhee was one of the first two graduates from the Florida A&M University Law School. (Courtesy of Anthon “Ann” Roberts and the McGhee Family) , , Far Right: John “Buck” McKinney provided ice service delivery to families in Frenchtown prior to refrigeration. . (Courtesy of Anthon “Ann” Roberts) , , Top, right: Bill Chavis Gulf Station was a thriving business for many years. (Courtesy of Chavis Family)