Gaines High School

First week into the new job at an insurance company, and I am off to a shaky start!  I'm still learning the new internal database and I accidentally left work 30 minutes early! I'm in a carousel of my mind, thinking, or overthinking ahead to the week. I pray that I still have my job at least for the rest of this week!

In the meantime, I was walking on Court Street and came across this marker for the former Gaines High School.

Built in 1859 and renovated in 1866 and 1868, Gaines was one of the first African American high schools in the state of Ohio. Thanks to Reconstructon in the United States, African Americans had optimism and progress, and Gaines was a forerunner of schools for freedmen in the American South. Per Ohio law, the city of Cincinnati earmarked education taxes on black owned properties for "Colored Schools" in the 1850s. At that time, Black men elected the school board, the only election in which they were allowed to vote, and Walnut Hills resident Peter Clark was its first teacher and later principal. Clark is also remembered as the first African American socialist in the United States, running for Congress in 1878 under the banner of the Socialist Labor Party of America.

From 1870 Walnut Hills joined the Cincinnati Colored Public School system. In 1872 the Elm Street Colored School opened; it would later take the name Frederick Douglass School.

Happy Monday!

Salmon P Chase

It has been a whirlwind week! I started two short term projects and am preparing to give a Skype tour for a local tour company in the coming week. After all of that madness, I am taking a long and well deserved weekend to have lunch and do some shopping at Findlay Market before feeling "the wrath" of a soggy Saturday. I decided to go to Third and Main Streets near The Banks dining and entertainment district. As most people would pass this building up, it is a very important peace of both Ohio's and Cincinnati's African American history.

This was the former law office of Samuel P Chase, who was a well known lawyer, politician, abolitionist, and advocate for fugitive slaves. He was most notable for defending slave Samuel Watson. Watson was being transported on the Ohio Belle from Arkansas to Virginia and went missing before being captured by his handler. This matter was taken to court before a Judge N. C. Reed, who had to decide if Watson was a free man or if Watson should be recaptured as a fugitive slave, as Ohio was a free state. Chase was one of three attorneys who represented Watson. Chase made a very strong case for Watson, but in the end Reed determined that Watson was a fugitive slave, and therefore, was returned to Virginia with his handler to spend the rest of his life as a slave.

Though Chase lost the case, many freed blacks were very impressed about Chase's efforts. To thank him for his hard work, Chase was presented with an engraved silver platter on May 6, 1845 at the Union Baptist Church, the second oldest African American church in Cincinnati. The pitcher now sits in the Cincinnati Museum Center.

What a difference wandering aimlessly makes!

Singing the Praises of an Era Gone By

 

Being a woman can be joyful and taxing at the same time. After my nurse visit at University of Cincinnati Medical Center on Wednesday, I relaxed and reflected on my life so far. Then, I went to an On the Road Meetup hosted by Walnut Hills Historical Society at the Greenwich, one of the very few true and iconic jazz clubs in Cincinnati. The meetup began with a discussion of Cincinnati's jazz history.

Cincinnati is very rich in jazz history, yet it was not held in very high regard. Jazz musicians weren't recognized, and many of them were lost due to drug addictions.

Cincinnati was a well positioned city for the Great Migration, and slowly jazz began to increase in popularity here. During the early 1900s, many jazz performances were recitals held in churches, community clubs and lawn fetes, and local radio stations began to broadcast jazz music. Among the radio stations was WCKY, which broadcasted in the Alms Hotel in 1924. Also, Fats Waller was a resident musician at WLW.

As the century progressed, a plethora of jazz clubs began to open in Cincinnati, many of them in Walnut Hills and Over The Rhine. Along with that growth came issues with liquor licenses and constant run ins with police, as was the case of Mother's Cafe on 1905 E McMillan St. As a result, there was a slow decrease in jazz clubs until many of them began to close as early as the 1970s. Some still remain today such as The Viking Lounge and The Greenwich.

After the talk, the group was treated to a Brazilian jazz performance by the Emily Grace Jordan Trio, which was a refreshing end to a long and full day!

Brothers from Another Mother

Taft Museum of Art

R.L. Polk Building

Sunday, I was really feeling the spirit! After I left Findlay Market, I decided to head back downtown and head to the Lytle Park Historic District and check out two buildings rich in African American culture. 

First, a true downtown icon: the Taft Museum of Art. This served as a residence of Martin Baum, Nicholas Longworth, considered to be the father of the American wine industry, Charles Sinton, who lived in the house with his daughter Anna, who later became Mrs. Charles Phelps Taft and sister-in- law to 27th President of the United States William Howard Taft, who also accepted his nomination for President from this house in 1908.

A really neat part that very few people know is that when winemaker and arts patron Nicholas Longworth was living in what was known as the Belmont house, he commissioned a series of landscape murals painted by Robert S Duncanson. Duncanson was one of the first African American artists to gain international national attention. As a free black man in antebellum America, he was able to gain support from the abolitionist community in the U.S. and England. It was his success that caught the attention of Longworth, and Longworth commissioned Duncanson to paint eight landscape murals adorning the entry way of the house. The murals are among the largest pre-Civil War domestic collection of landscape murals in the United States.

 

Just across the street from the museum is the R.L. Polk Building, which was the former A.H. Pugh Printing Company. The printing company published James Birney's abolitionist newspaper The Philanthropist in April 1836. Achilles Pugh was a member of the Society of Friends (Quakers) who shared Birney's views on slavery. As a result, mobs attacked the printing company's office and dumped his typing materials into the Ohio River. There is also a marker on Pike Street that commemorates the printer's fight against slavery. Pugh moved his business to Springboro, Ohio to continue to publish Birney's newspaper for a short time but returned to Cincinnati to set up shop again. Pugh was also active in the Underground Railroad. The printing company continued to be family owned and operated until it went out of business in the 1980s. 

 

Well, this makes part of a great walking tour! In fact, I could add this on my sartorial or real to do list! Anything is possible!

Everyday Griots

This morning got off to a slow and grimy start with the heavy weather and the visitor center having no visitors during my shift, but the day became brighter when I left. It amazes me how fickle Cincinnati weather can be, especially at this time of year. Typically, I would get hit with seasonal allergies, both in spring and fall, but as I have changed my diet over the past decade, I have not suffered from any attack of pollen.

Once my shift ended at the visitor center, I hopped onto the Cincinnati Bell Connector and headed to the annual Art and Poetry event at Findlay Market. Findlay Market typically is filled with warmth, love and positive vibes, but it was something about today that really made me feel hopeful, hopeful about what's to come, both personally and in this neighborhood.

The artwork graced the place with a colorful escape from reality, but the poets themselves really colored the place. The spoken word goes back to the days of the griots of West Africa, maintaining tradition of storytelling, music, history, and the news of the day. The poets who appeared today have maintained that tradition in their own unique style. They are the reporters who tell the community about reality, what it is and what it can be. These are the community's unsung griots.

             

Harriet Beecher Stowe House Party

Happy Saturday! Finally made it! I am putting this awesome day to good use as Sunday's forecast calls for a moderate chance of severe thunderstorms. There's just so much going through my head with my to-do list: buy groceries, housework, and studying my tour script for a possible tour guide job, and rest before volunteering at the visitor center tomorrow and taking on more adventures of the day. Before all of that, I decided to stop in the Harriet Beecher Stowe House.

This house is steeped in very robust history. Looking at the house itself, given the prominent location on a steep hill, this is a stalwart Cincinnati icon as Cincinnati was a pivotal location on the Underground Railroad.

The house was built on the campus of Lane Theological Seminary, where the Beecher family lived while Lyman Beecher was president of the seminary, and where Harriet herself lived during her literary career, most notably Uncle Tom's Cabin (published in Brunswick, Maine), until her marriage to Calvin Stowe. What's interesting was that Uncle Tom's Cabin was written in installments in the abolitionist publication The National Era, and she followed up with her book of sources called A Key to Uncle Tom's Cabin in 1853. The book itself was in response to the Fugitive Slave Act of 1850.


The first floor is very exquisite, from Lyman's former study to the room where Harriet possibly married Calvin Stowe.

The second floor was very interesting as well, including an exhibit called Rethinking Porkopolis about Cincinnati's pork producing heritage and its connection to the American South.

Looking through this house, I could picture Harriet in all of her literary glory, as if she herself were in the house speaking to Cincinnati today. Even at this very moment, I can still picture her at work.

Here I go just a Wandering Walnut Hills

It's Fri-Yay! It's 68 degrees, and it's just one of those days that I felt inspired to just walk around today, but not just anywhere.

My initial plan was to visit the Harriet Beecher Stowe House today, but when I finally got downtown from having lunch in Northside, the bus I needed to get to the museum took off without me, and the next bus available would arrive at the time the museum closed. Ultimately, I decided to use this time to walk around Walnut Hills.

Walnut Hills was initially settled by Irish and Italian immigrants in the early 1900s; there was even a western part of McMillan St called "Little Italy". With the construction of Union Terminal in the 1930s and the demolition of housing projects in the West End, more African-Americans began to settle in Walnut Hills. As suburbs were created after World War II, middle class white residents moved out, and middle class African Americans moved in. By the 1970s, Walnut Hills was 70% African American.

As I walked along Gilbert Ave and McMillan St, I saw a plethora of ghost signs, some as sharp and crystal clear as the day the buildings were built. I was also able to catch some random artwork. What a difference a walk makes!

Flashback Friday

The Writing on the Walls: Touring Cincinnati: We took a tour of Cincinnati's ghost signs, Saturday morning. Partly on the streetcar, partly walking. A lovely morning. It...

If it's free (or cheap), it's gotta be for me!

Today, I took care of some errands. When I was done for the day, I had lunch at White Castle in the West End, the first place I came to. Then, I just walked around the neighborhood trying to find something to do. I was bored. Bored, bored, bored, bored, bored. I wanted to do something, but I just don't have Oprah's millions to do everything that I want. I don't feel like spending any money. I.just.don't.want.to.

Yes, many of us have these kinds of days. As a Certified Tourism Ambassador, I have given advise to visitors and residents alike on how to make the most of their experiences in Cincinnati by looking for free or discounted things to do. In turn, I have used my own advice and got creative, of sorts.

I have put these three off-the-beaten path hacks (and trust me, we can all put these) to work:

1. Volunteer. There are plenty of opportunities to get involved in the community. I volunteer at Findlay Market as a tour guide and at various events throughout the year such as The Findlay Market Chili-Cook Off, The Flavors of Findlay annual fundraiser, and The Holiday Market. After completing a shift, I would get vouchers for free items to have during these events. On my regular visits to the market, I would have nutritious conversations with the vendors, and depending on how well we know each other, I score discounted meals and on items that I buy on the regular.

2. Open Houses. Every year, ArtsWave holds an annual sampler of concerts, tours, museum admissions, and other events free of charge. Also, various attractions offer free or discounted admissions throughout the year.

3. Become a Certified Tourism Ambassador. This is a nationally certified program for the hospitality community, but the awesome news is that anyone can become certified, because we all come in contact with visitors wanting to find great things to do.  For just a small fee, attendees receive a destination specific binder two weeks before the schedule class to pre-read, attend a one time training session, participate in class exercises, and take an open book exam. Once certified, newly Certified Tourism Ambassadors will receive a lapel pin. After that, ambassadors can renew their membership once a year for a nominal fee by visiting various attractions, volunteering, ongoing education,etc. In between all of that, ambassadors can score freebies and discounts from various businesses, restaurants, and attractions.

Excited now? I second that motion! Go ahead, get out there and do whatever the spirit moves you to do on the cheap!

Oldest Operating Black Church in Cincy

Here I am on Tuesday afternoon, 70 degrees, walking on the corner of Fifth and Sycamore Streets. This building. A sight to behold. Commuters and visitors alike pass by here everyday. I have walked past this building so many times, but little did I know that this has some cool history behind it.

Proctor and Gamble has been a stalwart in the community since 1837 and in the current location since the 1950s, but long before this, this site was the site of two different places of worship.

Founded in 1824, Bene Israel Temple (now Rockdale Temple) is the oldest Jewish congregation west of the Allegheny Mountains. The leaders of the time knew that a place was needed to worship, so it went through two locations: In 1836, the Sixth and Broadway location, and in 1852, a second synagogue was built on site. The 1852 building was ultimately sold to another congregation.

On the other end of the spectrum, a group of African Americans were worshipping with White Methodist Episcopalians, but they were treated in a discriminatory manner. After one campmeeting, African American ministers Rev. James King and Rev. Philip Brodie couldn't put up with the prejudice anymore, so in 1824, they founded the Cincinnati AME congregation.

Continued growth and increased vandalism caused the AME congregation to look for another location. In 1870, the congregation bought the former Bene Israel Synagogue.

In the late 1970s, Allen Temple moved the congregation to Roselawn Baptist Church, the former synagogue demolished, and the property sold to Procter and Gamble.

That, my people, is your Cincy history lesson for today.

If you are hungry for more of this, check out http://library.cincymuseum.org/aag/history/allentemple.html & https://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Rockdale_Temple



An Invitation

A wise woman said, "Happiness is great food, great people, and a great day on the town!" Oh, wait...that wise woman is me!

I was born in Chicago and when I was seven years old, my mother passed away, and I was moved to Cincinnati to be raised by an aunt and uncle.

One of my first introductions to Cincinnati culture was the weekend trips with my uncle to Findlay Market. It was there that he would buy ingredients to prepare his Sunday meals to be eaten after church services. I was then introduced to Cincinnati chili, which was a total 360 from any other chili that I've experienced before!

When I was in the sixth grade, I participated in a middle school musical called "Cincinnati, A Musical History Tour" It was there that I got a really cool education about Cincinnati history and culture.

Fast Forward. I am now a Cincy USA Certified Tourism Ambassador, local culture guide, and an all around "visitor center in motion". I love being a tourism evangelist, spreading the gospel of all things Cincy!

Cincinnati does have a very strong heritage: European, brewery, baseball, and culinary. What very few people realize is that Cincinnati has a rich and robust African-American heritage and culture, and I am determined to change that by sharing Black Cincinnati through history, food, sites of interest, and everything in between!

So many people, places, things, ideas, and smells of this city have influenced me, and now, I want to share these with you. I invite you to come along with me on my tour.

Welcome to my Black Cincinnati!

Carol