Black Emporia: Stringtown

927 Exchange – Home of William Allen & Sallie White

William Allen White was born in Emporia, Kansas, on February 10, 1868. He attended the College of Emporia and the University of Kansas but didn’t graduate from either institution. He married Sallie Lindsay in 1893 and purchased The Emporia Gazette in 1895. White used his position as editor to expound his personal and political views, playing a role in Progressive and Republican Party politics locally and on a national scale.

White was a candidate for Governor of Kansas in 1924; his sole purpose was to rid Kansas of the Ku Klux Klan. A story is told about his daughter Mary and the Klan. Upon learning that the group was holding a public meeting, Mary went to the home of one of the leaders & released his dog. The dog ran directly to its owner, revealing to all present the man behind the mask.

White received a letter from Emporian Floyd Lucas in 1920. Lucas had applied for admission to the College of Emporia, hoped one day to become a doctor, and wished to stay close to home as he began college. Lucas was denied admission because the school was concerned that admitting a colored student would cause other students to leave the school. White responded by writing to a College of Emporia board member on Lucas’s behalf, pointing out that every other college in Kansas was admitting colored students and expressing his opinion that a Christian college should not deny a hardworking and ambitious man an education based on race.

White used the term “Stringtown” in the editorial he & Sallie wrote following daughter Mary’s death in 1921: “She came to know all sorts and conditions of men . . . all the girls, black and white, above the track and below the track, in Pepville and Stringtown, were among her acquaintances.”

1003 Exchange – Home of William Lindsay and Kathrine White

William Lindsay White wrote, “Well this Editor was born in String Town, has lived there all his life, and intends to go on living there if not until he dies, at least until he is bulldozed out, and so holds himself to be not just kind of Honorary Colored, but the genuine article. . . . He went to Century School . . . Of course, he now tries to be tolerant in the spirit of our times, and so often says that some of his best friends are White People, which is partly true. . . . His real friends are back over here in String Town among his own people.”

A Gazette “Forty Years Ago” column tells that a “Dogs Christmas Party” was hosted by Sandy White, an eleven-year-old Scottish Terrier belonging to William Lindsay White. A small tree was decorated with bologna tied to its branches. At 11:45 refreshments were served; they were completely eaten in 27 seconds.

Invited guests were Snowball and Chigger Lindsay, WuWu Thudim, Pal Triplett, Tex Dando, Jack Williams, Pepper Just, Bingo Hirschler, Mack Hughes, Mick Swap, Snappy Lowther, Ricky Lambert, and Gerald Newman Sprague. Jack Williams, whose master was 15-year-old Rex Williams, was the best decorated dog at the party. He had a wide pink ribbon tied around his stomach with a bow knotted over his back. This was Christmas time, 1933.

902 Exchange - William Allen White Elementary School

The William Allen White Elementary School was built in 1950 to replace Union School. As of 2003 and per Black Emporia, its population has remained more than 50 percent black/minority, and enrollees are accepted from any families wishing to educate their children in a diverse environment.

The lobby contains photographic tributes to the William Allen White family, including the editorial “Mary White” which immortalized Mary throughout the world following her death in 1921.

One of Mary’s heroes was Jane Addams. Jane’s Hull House in Chicago’s inner city was a refuge for immigrants arriving from many countries. Jane also co-founded the National Association for the Advancement of Colored People (NAACP). Jane Addams was a guest of the White family at Red Rocks and in Estes Park, Colorado.

923 Exchange - Mary Ann Hatten White’s House

Mary Ann Hatten was born January 3, 1830, near Quebec, Canada, to Thomas and Annie Kelly Hatten. The family moved to Oswego, New York, a few years later. Mary attended Knox College in Galesburg, Illinois, and taught school in southern Illinois. She moved to Emporia, Kansas, in 1865 to attend Kansas State Normal School and rode into town on the same stage as the new president of the school, Lyman Beecher Kellogg. Because there was no housing in town, Mary moved to Council Grove and opened a school where children of all races were welcome. This led to threats against her and protesters outside the schoolhouse. She later moved to Cottonwood Falls where she continued to teach. On April 15, 1867, Mary married Dr. Allen White of Emporia. They moved to El Dorado where Dr. White worked as a merchant, farmer, and hotelier; they were the parents of two sons, William Allen and Frederick, who died as an infant. Dr. White died in 1882, and Mary followed William as he attended school in Lawrence, then to his first job in Kansas City, returning to Emporia in 1895. In 1904 she built a house next to William’s home. Mary Ann Hatten White passed away on May 6, 1942, at the age of 94.

827 Cottonwood – Home of Rex and Elizabeth Williams

Rex Williams was born in Emporia, Kansas, on December 14, 1917, to John A. and Clara Rice Williams. He was unable to finish high school, but served in the United States Air Force during World War II. Rex worked for Pennington Auto Supply for 30 years, was a Cub Scout leader, and a member of the Victory Fellowship Foursquare Church. Rex died on August 17, 2000.

Elizabeth Holt was born in Emporia, Kansas, on November 13, 1924, to Orlando Landee and Ernestine Curl Holt. She attended Emporia Junior High School and Emporia Senior High School. Elizabeth worked as a secretary and back-up hairstylist for Broadview Beauty Salon. She married Rex Williams on March 5, 1949, and they became the parents of 5 sons and 1 daughter: Gary, John, Michael, Steven, Rex Jr., and Catherine Garvey. Elizabeth and Rex ran a catering business, and Elizabeth worked at the William Allen White School cafeteria where she served 2 years as cafeteria supervisor. She was active in Boy Scouts and Girl Scouts and became a member of the Flint Hills Girl Scout Council Board of Directors. Elizabeth served as president of both the William Allen White School Parent Teacher Association and the Emporia Parent Teacher Conference. She also worked as a housekeeper and cleaned the Emporia Gazette newspaper office. Elizabeth was a member of the Victory Fellowship Foursquare Church. She died on March 20, 2013.

831 Cottonwood – Home of Paul & Odessa Terry

In the 1930s, Paul Terry was Emporia High School’s first black student to play basketball. His coach, Alfred D. Smith, had urged him to join the varsity basketball team. Due to race, Paul was often benched during games, harassed by fans of the opposing team and referees, and forced to eat on the bus rather than with his teammates in restaurants. In 1934, Emporia High played in the state basketball tournament; however, Paul was not allowed to play in the game and had to stay home while his team won the title. Coach Smith’s son, legendary North Carolina basketball coach Dean Smith, in his book, A Coach’s Life, credits Paul with singlehandedly integrating high school sports in Kansas. Paul was inducted into Emporia High School’s Hall of Fame in 1995.

Paul and Odessa met while attending Kansas State Teachers College, where each earned a bachelor’s degree in education. Black students were not allowed to student teach as did other students, and they were not able to find teaching jobs after graduating. Paul served in the European Theatre of Operations in England, France, Belgium, and Germany during World War II and was awarded a Bronze Star. Paul then managed a dry cleaning business for over 20 years and was involved in that business for more than 50 years. He and Odessa are the parents of 8 children, all of whom earned college degrees (including 5 master’s degrees and one doctorate). Three of his sons played Division I basketball, with one playing internationally (in Sweden & the Philippines).

902 Cottonwood – Home of Mark and Nellie Essex

Mark Henry O. Essex was born June 28, 1919, in Emporia, then his family moved to Dunlap, Kansas. Dunlap is about 10 miles northwest of Emporia and is one of two settlements founded by 20,000 Black exodusters in Kansas at the end of the Civil War. It was founded by former slave “Pap” Singleton. Citizens of Dunlap quickly began celebrating Emancipation Day – June 14 – Juneteenth; the last celebration was held in 1932. London Harness, Dunlap’s last Black resident, was a frequent visitor at the Essex home until his death in 1993.

Mark’s mother died when he was 12 years old, so he and his brother & sister moved to Emporia, where they lived with his grandparents, Moses & Luvina Murray. Mark served in England during World War II. After returning to Emporia, he worked as a meat curer for Fanestil Meat Packing Company for more than 40 years.

Nellie’s great-grandfather, Frank Evans, was part Indian, part Black, and known as a free Negro. He moved from North Carolina to Texas and then to Ozawkie, Kansas. He later moved to Emporia and bought land in the area of Whittier and Peyton Streets. Frank used a horse-drawn grader to care for the city’s dirt roads. His son Ed, Nellie’s grandfather, worked as a hod carrier when Plumb Hall was being built. (A hod carrier takes cement by ladder up to where bricks are being laid.) His son Charles, Nellie’s father, used a team of horses to haul coal for Rich’s Coal Yard and later worked for the City of Emporia as a street cleaner. Nellie was born in Emporia, Kansas, on April 5, 1920. Nellie began working for Head Start in 1965 as a teacher’s aide; she went on to earn bachelor’s, master’s and specialist’s degrees in education from Emporia State University and was director of the Head Start program for 20 years; she retired in 1990. She later served as a school crossing guard. Nellie was a member of St. James Missionary Baptist Church and Naomi Chapter 13 of the Order of the Eastern Star. Mark died in 1998 and Nellie passed away on January 7, 2008. They were the parents of 5 children.

807 Cottonwood - Home of Frank & Mary McClain

Mary’s grandfather, Charles Augustus Tidwell, moved his family to Emporia via covered wagon so his daughter could attend college. He worked as a porter for the Santa Fe Railroad and her father was a “check clerk” at the Santa Fe Freight House.

Mary’s father, Guy Rogers, recognized the need for a Black Boy Scout troop in Emporia as Black boys could not join the white troop. He also found funds to buy uniforms so the boys could be proud of the way they looked as well as proud of the skills they learned.

Mary’s mother, Marie Rogers, earned a life certificate from Kansas State Normal School in 1925. In 1951, a flood kept the train from leaving town. Most of the passengers could get hotel rooms, but Blacks weren’t allowed in the hotels. Marie and her friend brought some of the Black ladies to their homes, where they stayed until the train resumed service.

Mary married Frank McClain on August 4, 1965, and combined their existing families; he had 5 children, and she had 4 children from previous marriages. Frank worked as a trackman for the Santa Fe Railroad for 20 years, then owned Frank’s Bar-B-Que. He was a member of St. James Missionary Baptist Church and died on December 30, 2012.

Mary earned bachelor’s and master’s degrees in rehabilitation services. She worked at Kansas State Teachers College as a secretary in the Office of Information Services for 16 years, at Kansas Neurological Institute in Topeka, and at Newman Hospital. She was a social worker for Hartford, Inc., for 13 years.

831 East Street – Home of Allen & Velma Hutcherson

Allen’s maternal grandfather, Thornton Allen, was born into slavery in Kentucky, worked in flax fields, and lived to be 107 years old. Allen was born March 16, 1924, to Charles August and Frances Allen Hutcherson. He served in the U.S. Navy and worked as a concrete finisher in Emporia; he also worked for Dolly Madison and Wolf Creek. Allen died on February 12, 2014. His memorial celebration was held at Emporia State University in the Memorial Union Ballroom.

Velma’s grandparents were slaves in Mississippi. One of her grandfather’s roles was to be a slave beater and her grandmother served as a cook. They had 12 children, including Velma’s father. After being freed, they traveled up the Mississippi River then by covered wagon to 160 acres near Lang, Kansas. Velma’s mother died when she was young and she was raised by her father with some help from Aunt Mary.

Velma worked as a waitress in the Norma Hotel, which was an Emporia establishment that served Blacks; the hotel had 8-10 rooms upstairs and a family restaurant and pool room downstairs. She also worked in a sewing machine factory, and hanging drapes. She became the supervisor of maintenance for the Science Building at Emporia State University. Allen and Velma were married on April 11, 1948, and are the parents of 6 children.

901 East Street – Home of Allen & Catherine Carter

Allen Lee Carter was born October 24, 1887, in Emporia, Kansas, to Robert and Sarah Carter. He worked at the roundhouse at the Santa Fe railyard for over 45 years. Allen died on March 25, 1959.

Catherine was born in Burlingame, Kansas, on November 22, 1899. She and her brothers Elijah & Clayton moved from Burlingame to Emporia to attend school when she was 16 years old. Elijah would ride to school in Mary White’s car. He and Mary convinced the high school science teacher that it was okay to have integrated partnerships in class. Elijah was a world-class sprinter; in 1924, a leg injury kept him from competing in the Olympic trials, but his clocked time in the 100 showed him to be faster than 3 members of the Olympic team. Elijah has been honored as a Distinguished Alumni and is a member of ESU’s Athletic Hall of Honor.

Her great-grandfather Tom Wilson fought in the Civil War before moving to Carbondale, Kansas, where he worked as a blacksmith. Catherine’s grandfather, father, 2 brothers, and 5 uncles each homesteaded near Akron, Colorado. Their uncle, Seymour Williams, taught in Tulsa, Oklahoma, and was hailed as a hero during the June 1921 Tulsa Race Riot that destroyed Greenwood, an African American enclave so prosperous it was known as “Black Wall Street.” This 35-block community of businesses and residences was destroyed in the race-based conflicts. Later, his school’s stadium and the city park were named in his honor.

Catherine married Allen Carter at the Mount Olive A.M.E. Church on October 12, 1926. They had one child, who died while an infant. Catherine worked in Newman’s Tea Room, in the upstairs area where dinner parties & catering events took place, sometimes for parties of 100 or more. Catherine died in Emporia on December 18, 2010, at the age of 111.

East Street between 8th and 9th Streets – Property of Bud Brooks

The Bud Brooks family property is on parts of each side of East Street from 8th to 9th. An annual Eastside Community Memorial Day BBQ is held there and is attended by hundreds; it has also become the site of Emporia’s Juneteenth celebration, which observes the signing of the Emancipation Proclamation.

Bud’s grandfather was a teacher in Africa before being forced into slavery. His mother married the son of a plantation owner in Greenwood, Mississippi; this was a second marriage for his father, and when there was some conflict with the first wife after his father’s death, his mother moved with her children. Samuel K. Moses “Bud” Brooks was born in Durant, Mississippi, on October 21, 1920, to Samuel K. Moses and Bela Levy Brooks, and later moved to Chicago, Illinois. He also worked as a cowboy and acquired the nickname “Black Horse Rider.” Bud and Dorothy Mae Dorsey met at a dinner in Melrose Park, Illinois. It was love at first sight; they married 5 months later on September 10, 1942, in Emporia. Bud worked for Barrett Brothers Cement in Emporia, as a mechanic, and for the railroad. He died on December 7, 2007.

Dorothy Mae Dorsey was born June 7, 1923, in Grand Rapids, Michigan, to William H. and Fannie Mae Smith Dorsey. She was a homemaker, member of the St. James Missionary Baptist Church and the St. James Missionary Society, and the Black Federated Women’s Association. Dorothy died on July 27, 1998. Bud and Dorothy had 13 children, all of whom attended William Allen White Elementary School.

Katy Railroad, 1016 Sylvan – Home of Moris & Josephine Dell

The Ringling Brothers Barnum and Bailey Circus would put up their tents near the Katy Railroad track; the end of this line still serves the Bunge Corporation’s grain elevators. Josephine Dell remembered her Uncle Perry Lowery, who taught himself to play the cornet at age 5, with this story: “Grandma Mack would always take us to visit Uncle Perry when the Ringling Circus was in town. . . .He would always leave us passes. He was the greatest cornet player of his day . . . but he never played under the Big Top. The manager of Ringling Brothers decided the crowd would never accept a Black man. So his playing was in the side show.”

Moris Elwood Dell was born February 4, 1925, in Emporia, Kansas, to Claude W. and Daisy M. Dell. He served as a “Sea Bee” in the Navy during World War II and at the Emporia Gazette as a compositor for 37 years. He also worked part-time at the Emporia State Bank for 30 years. Moris was a member of the Mount Olive A.M.E. Church, served on the United Way’s budget committee, and was a board member for the Girl Scouts council and Camp Alexander. Moris died on June 18, 2009.

Josephine’s grandparents, Robert James and Josie Lowery Mack, moved from Franklin County, Kentucky, to Dunlap, Kansas, in 1883, then to Emporia in 1923. Robert helped build the Civic Auditorium. Josephine was born in Emporia and married Moris Dell in 1945. She was cook and food service director for the Sigma Tau Gamma fraternity for 15 years and served as the nutritional site manager for the Emporia Senior Center. She was a board member for the Eastside Neighborhood Association and the Emporia Day Care Center. The Dells moved to Denver, Colorado, in 1992.

14th & East Street – “White House” of Neal and Lillian Morrow

An area of southeast Emporia was known as “Texas Town.” That’s where Neal’s parents met, and Neal married Lillian, who moved from Texas to Emporia. They met at the White House, which was located at 14th and East Streets. Everyone went to the White House to dance & other activities; Lillian said, “It was kind of like a club for young kids, teenagers.” Neal soon left to serve in the Army during World War II in campaigns that included Normandy, Northern France, the Rhineland and Ardennes, and Central Europe. He and Lillian were married September 22, 1943, and he was honorably discharged from the Army on November 7, 1945.

Neal’s paternal grandfather, Reverend John D. Morrow, moved to Emporia; he was an evangelist and a slave. He died in 1917. Neal was born December 24, 1920, in Emporia, to Marcus O. and Bessie Ball Morrow. Neal worked for the city of Emporia for 29 years and was a member of St. James Missionary Baptist Church and St. John’s Masonic Lodge 14. Neal died on November 22, 2004.

For more than 20 years, Lillian taught at Emporia Community Day Care Center where she was cited by ESU’s early childhood program as a superb example to model when teaching the very young. They are the parents of 4 children, and as of 2003 had 9 grandchildren and 8 great-grandchildren.

1202 Sylvan – Home of Bert Rich

Bert Rich was born in Kentucky in 1878 and moved with his family to Emporia in 1880. He became the biggest colored contractor west of the Mississippi River, with more than 100 men on his payroll. Local construction projects included many downtown buildings, Lake Wooster, the football stadium, and the sunken garden at Emporia State University. His crews also rebuilt Santa Fe railroad roadbeds between Emporia and Kansas City. He owned a pool hall and a circus, which he used to entertain people in and around Emporia. Bert said, “I tried to show with my life that a Black man could do more than field work.”

Bert lived in the house he built in 1915 at 1202 Sylvan. After Kansas State Teachers College President Thomas W. Butcher suggested that he house Black college students, Bert added a second story which included 6 rooms and a bath. The house was purchased by Clinton Henning and moved to 626 Union. A front porch was added, including 4 columns, and the house was renovated into 4 apartments. It has been used as rental property since 1962.

Bert Rich died in 1975.

1 Kellogg Circle – Emporia State University

Thomas Edison Bonner was born September 29, 1921, in St. Louis, Missouri, to Gamaliel and Olivia Bonner. He graduated from Lincoln University in 1943 with a Bachelor degree in Mathematics; from the University of Illinois with a Master of Art in 1949 and Master of Science in 1953; and from Oklahoma State University with a Doctor of Education degree in mathematics. Thomas married Mary Winstead Bonner in Champaign, Illinois, on August 11, 1945.

Thomas taught in the Mathematics Department at Emporia State University from 1960 until 1986. He was the first African American faculty member hired by the University. In addition to his teaching, Thomas served actively on campus as the advisor of Kappa Mu Epsilon, the honor society for mathematics; as chairman of the Emporia State Federal Credit Union; and on the Emporia State University Scholarship Committee. He also initiated efforts to bring the first predominately black fraternity, Omega Psi Phi, to campus. The fraternity was established at Kansas State Teachers College in 1971.

In 1992 Dr. Thomas and Mary Bonner were honored by having the Bonner and Bonner Lecture Series named for them. The lecture series annually brings a nationally-known leader in diversity to campus. The title of the series was later changed to the Bonner and Bonner Diversity Lecture Series to better reflect its mission. Thomas Bonner received the Emporia State University President’s Award for Leadership in Diversity in 2000. Thomas Edison Bonner passed away on April 30, 2004.

Mary Winstead Bonner became the second African American faculty member at Kansas State Teachers College in 1964. She received four degrees: a Bachelor of Science in Education degree from St. Paul’s Polytechnic Institute in 1946, a Master of Science in Elementary Education from Virginia State College in 1952, a Doctor of Education degree in elementary education with a specialization in reading and minors in social studies and English from Oklahoma State University in 1968, and an honorary Doctor of Humane Letters from St. Paul’s College in 1979.

In Emporia, Mary first taught as a sixth-grade supervising teacher at Butcher Elementary School, and then joined the faculty in the Department of Curriculum and Instruction. She retired from teaching in 1986. Mary was known for being an exceptional reading teacher. Mary Bonner was instrumental in bringing the Sigma Gamma Rho sorority to campus in 1969. Other campus activities included serving on the Faculty Senate and as a member of the Kansas Standardization Committee, which dealt with the issue of teacher competency tests. She was awarded a certificate of service to Emporia State University in 1983. Mary’s other organizational affiliations include the American Association of University Women, the Panel of American Women, the International Platform Association, the National Council of Negro Women, and the Order of Eastern Star.