Langston Hughes birthplace findings to be presented

Jun. 18—A Langston Hughes researcher will present his conclusions about where and when the famed poet, playwright and social activist was born in Joplin.

Bill Martin of the Langston Hughes Cultural Society will discuss his findings of the site at 1046 S. Joplin Ave. where Hughes was born and his conclusion that Hughes' birth year is different than previously believed. Martin also will discuss the details about the birthplace.

The house where Hughes was born was demolished in the 1950s and is now a vacant lot, according to information the researcher has obtained.

His presentation will be made from 6:30 to 8 p.m. Tuesday at the Minnie Hackney Community Service Center, 110 S. Main St.

On Wednesday, a team of archaeologists from the Bernice S. Warren Center for Archaeological Research at Missouri State University will do a geophysical survey to explore if any remnants of the original house are present in the ground. If remnants of the house are found, a follow-up archaeological dig is planned to uncover the foundations and any artifacts connected with the previous occupants.

The MSU team will arrive from Springfield around 9 a.m. Setup is expected to take about an hour, and survey data collection will take about another hour. The MSU team expect to be heading back to Springfield around lunchtime.

The Langston Hughes Cultural Society hopes to be able to mark the site as Hughes' birthplace and get the information distribution for the purposes of Hughes' history, Joplin history, and cultural tourism.

Hughes was one of the key writers and thinkers of the Harlem Renaissance, an artistic movement in the 1920s that celebrated Black life and culture.

As an adult, Hughes became America's very first Black writer to earn a living solely from his writing — a vast output of poetry, plays, pageants, short stories, essays, columns and critiques.

He died in 1967.