This Month in St. Louis History

The "Exodusters" and other local history

Benjamin "Pap" Singleton

In February, 1880, more than 900 black families from Mississippi arrived in St. Louis as part of a migration of southern blacks to Kansas.

They were labeled "exodusters" because they were a part of the 1870-1880 "exodus to Kansas." As the Midwest's largest city, St. Louis was a significant in that migration.

Of course, many southern blacks came north in those days to settle in cities.

The "exodusters" were different. They wanted to find rural lands where they could own their own farms.

A former slave from Nashville, Tenn., Benjamin "Pap" Singleton, is known as the leader of the "exoduster" movement. He originally urged blacks from Mississippi and Louisiana to establish farms in Tennessee.

However, after the blacks faced white resistance to buying Tennessee land, Singleton established an alternative. He scouted for land in Kansas in the 1870s. In 1874, several families migrated from Nashville to Kansas.

Singleton testified in Congress in 1880 that he was "the whole cause of the immigration" of more than 20,000 southern blacks to Kansas.

The Missouri Historical Museum includes a quotation from an anonymous "exoduster" on the first stop of its "Seeking St. Louis" exhibition:

"Almost every landing on the Mississippi has its camps of devoted colored people looking longingly down the river for the approach of a steamer that will carry them to the promised land."

(Information for the This Month in St. Louis History feature is provided to Young Saint Louis.com by the Missouri History Museum.)

The exhibition notes the St. Louis' African-American community provided food and shelter for the "exodusters" and helped them complete their journey to Kansas.

For other information about "exodusters," visit these websites:

http://www.loc.gov/exhibits/african/afam009.html
http://www.umsl.edu/~mga/exodust.htm
http://stlouis.missouri.org/government/heritage/history/aframer.htm

Old Courthouse opened in 1845

The Old Courthouse in downtown St. Louis opened on Washington's birthday, February 22, 1845.

The building is in the classical Greek Revival design and remains today as a popular tourist destination. It has been carefully maintained as part of the national historic site that includes the St. Louis Arch.

In the 1800s, the building was more than a federal courthouse. It also was a public gathering place for pioneers heading west. The courthouse was the central location which led to St. Louis being named the "Gateway to the West."

The Old Courthouse and the St. Louis Arch make a fine destination for families seeking to understand St. Louis' place in American history. The Old Courthouse has guided tours.

For more about the Old Courthouse, visit the National Park Service website at:
http://www.cr.nps.gov/nr/twhp/curriculumkit/lessons/stlouis/2stlouis.htm

Poet Langston Hughes born in 1902.

Famed African-American poet Langston Hughes was born on Feb. 1, 1902, in Joplin, Mo. He is known for his poems of hope for blacks.

His first poem, "Negro Speaks of Rivers," was published in 1920.

He got a big boost for his poetry while working as a busboy in a New York hotel. Famous white poet Vachel Lindsay stayed there and Hughes left copies of his poems by Lindsay's dinner plate.

For more about Hughes, visit:
http://www.americaslibrary.gov/cgi-bin/page.cgi/aa/writers/hughes

A deadly tornado in St. Louis in 1959

A tornado that touched ground for 25 miles hit St. Louis and St. Louis County on Feb. 10, 1959. The storm killed 21 and injured over 350.

The National Weather Service in St. Louis said there were indications the tornado included more than one funnel.

For information about this storm, visit:
http://www.win.org/county/depts/ema/sccg275l.htm

 

From "St. Louis 365"

St. Louis black history events in past Februarys

February is Black History month and several local historic events in past Februarys involved African-Americans. Also, "talk radio" came to St. Louis in February, 1960.

Among local historical items in February involving African-Americans were:

• In 1856, the U.S. Supreme Court began deliberating the Dred Scott case.
• In 1974, Cool Papa Bell was named to the national Baseball Hall of Fame.
• In 1978, St. Louisan Leon Spinks defeated Muhammed Ali for the heavyweight boxing title.
• In 1937, Homer G. Phillips Hospital was dedicated. At that time it was the largest health care facility in the U.S. dedicated to care of African-Americans.

These are just some of the 147 items of St. Louis history listed in the February chapter of "St. Louis 365." That's a book of historical items compiled by local historian Joe Sonderman.

(This book is available in local book stores or at www.booksonstlouis.com. Sonderman has given Young Saint Louis.com permission to quote from his book.)

Here are 10 of the items listed in the February chapter of "St. Louis 365:"

Feb. 2, 1931: The structure of Bagnell dam was completed, and the Osage River began backing up behind it. The Union Electric dam formed the vast Lake of the Ozarks. The lake is 125 miles long with 1,300 miles of shoreline and one "Party Cove." .

Feb. 3, 2002: The New England Patriots stunned St. Louis with a 20-17 victory in Super Bowl XXXVI. The Rams erased a 14-point deficit but lost on the final play, a 48-yard field goal by Adam Vinatieri. The Rams had been listed as 14-point favorites going into the game.

Feb. 4, 1850: The first high school west of the Mississippi opened in a portion of the old Wayman School at Sixth and Locust. Central High at 15th and Olive would be the first building used exclusively for high school purposes. Central opened on March 24, 1856.

Feb. 8, 1947: The first television station in St. Louis signed on the air. At the time, KSD was one of only seven television stations in the country. The first broadcast lasted less than 90 minutes. It featured news with Frank Eschen, ballroom dancers, a wrestler and an appearance by Joe Garagiola.

Feb. 11, 1856: The United States Supreme Court began hearing the case of Dred Scott. Scott sued for his freedom in St. Louis after his owner took him into Illinois, a free state. The Supreme Court would rule that slaves were not citizens and therefore could not sue. The case further divided the country on the slavery issue.

Feb. 13, 1974: James "Cool Papa" Bell was named to the Baseball Hall of Fame by a special committee on the Negro Leagues. James Thomas Bell may have been the fastest runner in baseball history. Teammate Satchel Paige once said that Bell could turn off the light and be in bed before the room went dark.

Feb. 15, 1978: St. Louisan Leon Spinks defeated Muhammed Ali in a split decision to gain the world heavyweight boxing title. It was one of the most stunning upsets in boxing history. Ali regained the title seven months later. Spinks had won the gold medal in light heavyweight division in the 1976 Olympics. His brother, Michael, won the heavyweight title in 1983, making the two the only brothers to hold world titles.

Feb. 16, 1960: Robert Hyland unveiled his new programming concept for KMOX radio. "At Your Service" was a radical concept. Top newsmakers would go on-air and field calls from listeners. It marked the birth of what we now know as talk radio. (The late Jack Buck hosted the first "At Your Service" program on Feb. 29, 1960.)

Feb. 18, 1908: School Superintendent Frank Soldan denied a charge by a Congregational Church minister that "preliminary steps of dancing" were being taught. Soldan and students were doing calisthenics. But, the minister said the calisthenics were similar to dancing, and the same evils could be expected to result from them.

Feb. 22, 1937: Homer G. Phillips Hospital on Whittier was dedicated. At the time, it was the largest and best health care facility in the nation dedicated to the care of African-Americans. It closed amid controversy and violence in 1979. Homer Phillips was an attorney who fought for better healthcare for African-Americans. He was gunned down on a city street in 1931.