New museum to recognize contributions

It is ‘a window to view how the black community really is,’ one organizer says.

Harold and Pheobe Jackson browse newspaper clippings they have gathered over the years, on July 17, 2009, in their Middletown home. The Jackson's helped bring the African American Museum into fruition with their knowledge and memorabilia.

Staff photo by Alicia Fidler Harold and Pheobe Jackson browse newspaper clippings they have gathered over the years, on July 17, 2009, in their Middletown home. The Jackson's helped bring the African American Museum into fruition with their knowledge and memorabilia.

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By Kevin Aldridge, Staff Writer Updated 1:13 AM Sunday, July 19, 2009

Organizers of Middletown’s African American History Museum see the project as a way to educate the broader community on the contributions of blacks to the development of the city.

“I think the museum is just a window to view how the black community really is and get rid of these misconceptions about us,” said Harold Jackson, a longtime resident, history buff and member of the museum’s planning committee.

“This is for the generation that is coming up now, the younger people,” said Ethel White, also a member of the committee. “They don’t realize what the black folk have done in Middletown as far as how outstanding they were. It (the museum) is just to let people know that we are not behind the scenes and that we want to be noticed, too.”

It was a perceived lack of recognition that moved Jeff Diver, a past president and board member of the Middletown Historical Society, to become involved with the project. The museum is a partnership between the historical society and Tried Stone Baptist Church, where the exhibits will be housed.

“When I began to look it around, it seemed to me that Middletown’s black history was reduced to a bulletin board,” Diver said. “But there is such a wealth of history, and so many untold stories and significant contributions by African-Americans in Middletown.”

By the end of September, organizers hope to begin sharing those stories with all of Middletown and the surrounding area. After about nine months of planning, the museum appears to be on the cusp of opening to the public.

Organizers have finalized a list of 17 individuals who will be recognized in a permanent exhibit at Tried Stone. Those individuals were selected after much discussion and a survey of residents at the 2nd Ward’s Multicultural Festival in June. The 17 “history makers” were divided into two categories: individuals who have made a significant contribution to the community and individuals who were instrumental in the civil rights movement.

City contributors

Those individuals recognized for their significant contributions to Middletown were:

James “Choppy” Saunders was Middletown’s first black city councilman. He also was the first black to serve as president of the City Commission, as it was known in those days.

Rosella Harper was a longtime educator in the Middletown City Schools district.

Bertha Perkins was known for feeding the needy out of her 18th Avenue home for many years. She also collected old eyeglasses from throughout Butler County and donated them to prison inmates.

Louella Thompson was the visionary who founded the Feed the Hungry Project and Dream Center, a soup kitchen that feeds the homeless and needy on Yankee Road.

Alan Morgan was a Republican who was heavily involved in local voter registration efforts and was the first to fight for the ward election system. He is believed to be the first black Butler County building inspector and was known for dressing up as a Buffalo Soldier in local parades and playing the black Santa Claus in the neighborhood during Christmastime.

Dr. E.W. Washington was big landowner and oil baron. He also was a past president of the Middletown NAACP who once met with Supreme Court Justice Thurgood Marshall when he came to town.

Robert “Sonny” Hill was a longtime 2nd Ward representative on City Council and Middletown’s first black mayor.

Donald Jordan is a prominent pastor in the African Methodist Episcopal Church and entrepreneur who owns funeral homes in the Middletown and Greater Cincinnati area.

Jean Gear was a longtime teacher and the first black principal at Taft Elementary School. She also wrote a couple books on poetry.

Marva Sampson was the former head of Human Resources for the city of Middletown.

Civil rights leaders

Individuals recognized for being instrumental in the local civil rights movement include:

The Rev. James Holloman was the longtime pastor of United Missionary Baptist Church who was heavily involved with the youth and fought the City Council and board of education on civil rights issues.

Leroy Hardeman is known for starting the Congress for Racial Equality in Middletown and serving as its president.

Louie Cox was the longtime president of the Middletown NAACP. His accomplishments were many including getting Roosevelt Boulevard co-named Martin Luther King Boulevard.

Thomas Kimbrough was very active in the civil rights movement. Those mostly operating behind the scenes, many blacks knew him as the “brains behind the movement,” said Harold Jackson, a local black history buff.

Rosa Lean Lindsey is known for being active in local politics, voter registration and civil rights. She worked for the Butler County Board of Elections and “was one of the few people who would go door-to-door on things,” Jackson said.

Frank Latimer was a longtime bailiff with the Middletown Municipal Court. He was also know for his work as a local Boy Scout master and former president of the Middletown NAACP.

Rudolph Pringle is known as one of the most outspoken voices in the fight for civil rights in Middletown. He is a local clergyman who has fought for jobs and equal treatment for blacks in every aspect of life in the city.

Special exhibits

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