Forging a Community

Forging a Community. Liberty African American Legacy Memorial. , From Chattel to Citizens 1822-1865 , Liberty’s white settlers came primarily from the southern states of Kentucky, Virginia and Tennessee, and the use of enslaved workers was common in Clay County from the time of its organization in 1822. Slave owners in Clay County utilized African Americans as field hands, housekeepers, gardeners and nurses. Hemp and tobacco crops, commonly gown in this area, dictated intensive, back-breaking labor., By 1849 the population of Clay County consisted of 6,882 whites, 2,530 slaves and fourteen free African Americans. In Liberty, 49 individuals enslaved 157 persons in 1850. By 1860, the number of enslavers in Liberty had grown to 82, and the number of those who were enslaved totaled 346., During the Civil War, 69 of the Union soldiers from Clay County were African Americans who answered the call to keep the United States of America as a united country. Five of those soldiers are interred in this area of Fairview., The Formation of a New Society , After the Civil War and emancipation, African Americans in Missouri had to begin new lives with little or no resources and few jobs available to them. Some Africa Americans responded to the animosity against them by leaving the state., One consequence of poor living conditions, general poverty and persistent discrimination was the rise of African American fraternal organizations and lodges that formed to assist members of their community., African American institutions provided the social, economic and cultural opportunities denied to them by white society, and in Liberty, these institutions served the same significant role in the lives of its African American citizens. Churches and lodges contributed greatly to social life by holding fairs, picnics, suppers and dances. They were also important as ties to other communities – travelers could stat at homes of members or sister lodges or of church members., Before the end of official segregation, Liberty’s African American residents operated businesses out of their homes out of necessity. They were not allowed in white establishments, and even if they could afford to, they were not allowed to rent business quarters in town. Some of these enterprises were restaurants, an undertaker, funeral home, nightclub, a greenhouse (patronized by both African Americans and white residents), grocery stores, beauty parlors, pool halls and recreation facilities, such as a croquet court and tennis court. Segregation, although it achieved nothing else positive, did foster a sense of community for a group that was excluded from full participation in white society. Just as in life, this field represents persons who together formed a vibrant community., Schools for the Community , Another key institution in the lives of Liberty’s African American residents was the schools. Early schools for African Americans, both in Missouri and across the country, were held in churches, homes or other makeshift facilities. African American education in Liberty followed the general pattern within the state, with public facilities not provided until the late 1800s. The first school for African American children is commonly believed to have been a subscription school that was established at the end of the Civil War., Mrs. Laura Armstrong taught the school in a room of her home. Students paid one dollar a month, and attendance was said to have grown rapidly Lucretia Robinson is thought to have taught the second African American (and Indian) school in Liberty at her residents on 449 N. Water Street. The third school met in the Old Rock Church, located on a hill near where Garrison School is now located. , The first Garrison School building was constructed in 1880 on the present site at 502 N. Water Street, where it was central to the greatest portion of the African American population. The present school building was constructed shortly after the first was destroyed by fire in 1911 and was expanded by the Works progress Administration during the Great Depression., Churches , With a legacy spanning over 179 years, one of the most important institutions in the African American Community for the persons interred in these grounds was membership in one of its four main churches., First Baptist Mt. Zion Church was the first African America church to be established in Liberty. Rev. William Brown organized the church in 1843 when he was in his late teens., St. Luke A.M.E. Church was organized by Rev. Jesse Mills in 1875. Northwestern Colored Primitive Baptist Church was organized in 1889 and was disbanded in 1902. The Church of God in Christ/Humphrey Temple at 213 W. Shrader St. was organized in the 1920s and renamed after Rolla Humphrey who helped to construct and maintain the building during the 1930s., Lodges , African American lodges also served as important social foundations for Liberty’s African American community., In northern Missouri, enough African American Masonic chapter existed by 1869 for a conclave to be held. The (African American) Liberty Lodge #37 of the A.F. and A.M. was issued a charter in 1877., Other important African American organization in Liberty included the St. Mathews Commandery No. 17 of the Knights Templar of Liberty, who won the state drill contest in 1922; the Football Town Team organized in 1915; and its later version, the Liberty Athletic Club Team, which went undefeated for ten years., Neighborhoods , Just as the social, religious and educational institutions for African Americans in Liberty were segregated, so were the areas for housing. Historically, the African American population in Liberty has been concentrated in two areas: “North End” (around Ruth Moore Park and Garrison School) and “South End” or “New Liberia” (just east of this cemetery). It appears that these lots were set aide for African Americans from the end of the Civil War., As was typical in segregated towns, the official position of elected leaders and city planners was part of this City of Liberty plan in the 1930s. African Americans were a “useful element” whose welfare should be safeguarded but that separation of housing areas “be controlled by mutual agreement between the races.” The proposed method of enforcing segregation was to confine African Americans to the two main districts in which they already lived, since there existed “ample area within these districts” according to the planners. City planners not only recognized the existing segregation but perpetuated the practice in planning by preserving these geographic divisions., It was not until the 1970s that segregation of residential housing ended, and African Americans were finally allowed to purchase residences in any part of the city., Conclusion , The men and women honored in these six acres were the pillars of their family, neighborhoods, churches, businesses and schools that make communities healthy. As you walk toward the center plaza, stop and read about a sampling of the people who have made Liberty special during the past 200 years.