State wants to weave Black history into I-69 bridge project between Evansville, Henderson

What you do you know about Black life in Henderson and Henderson County in bygone days?

Do you remember Black schools, educators, coaches and athletes — say, Douglass High School, Pierre Jackson or John Burris?

How about Black entrepreneurs, such as the barbecuing Woolfolk family from near Cairo — or the former Black business district in the 700 block of Dixon Street (now Martin Luther King Jr. Boulevard) that in the late 1950s included Moore’s Lunch Room, Acme Drugs, M&H Bar-B-Q, Moore’s Package Store, Dixon’s Barber Shop, Waters Bar-B-Q and Andrews Beauty Shop, just around the corner from Alves Street School and a block away from the W.C. Handy Pool?

What stories can you tell about old days in historically African-American churches? What do you know about Black farm life in Henderson County from decades ago? What stories about Black life here did you hear from your parents or grandparents?

A one-of-a-kind opportunity to have Black history in Henderson County professionally researched, recorded and documented is approaching courtesy of, of all things, the Interstate 69 river crossing project.

More: I-69 Ohio River Crossing proceeds to next stage of development

As is common with major construction projects that receive federal funding, the federal government required that an environmental impact statement be prepared for the building of the I-69 bridge and approaches to document how the work will impact not just air and water quality and endangered species, but certain aspects of the human landscape, particularly archaeological, cultural and historical sites, including cemeteries.

Sometimes, such important sites are obvious, visible and known. At other times, fieldwork is required to uncover evidence of forgotten sites — say, a Native American burial ground.

In this case, officials imagine that the construction of new interstate leading to the future I-69 bridge east of Henderson will cross farmland that was once worked or lived on by Black residents — possibly even near unmarked and forgotten graves of African Americans.

When federally designated sensitive sites are identified, the government requires projects to either avoid or minimize disturbances (such as routing a new highway around them) or mitigating the damage (for example, developing three or four acres of new wetlands for every acre of existing wetland that is destroyed).

In the case of the I-69 river crossing project, the Kentucky Transportation Cabinet is asking the public to “assist in preserving the rich history of the local Black community from post-Civil War to Civil Rights,” according to a cabinet news release.

The state agency and consultant Cultural Resource Analysts Inc., a Lexington-based cultural resource management firm, want to collaborate with local citizens to develop what the cabinet described as “a historic context addressing segregation and the ascent of the Black community in this region” – including both Henderson and Henderson County — “as part of the I-69 Ohio River Crossing project.”

“The historic context aims to identify and celebrate significant buildings and places vital to Black community life, such as churches, schools, medical facilities, housing, commercial hubs, recreation spots, and cemeteries,” the news release continued. “Participants will be asked to provide (recorded) oral history interviews, which will be curated with an accredited repository” — probably the Kentucky Historical Society as well as Western Kentucky University, according to Jonna Mabelitini, an architectural historian for the Transportation Cabinet.

“Ideally we want to speak to African Americans who have lived through segregation,” Mabelitini said. “But anybody that’s willing to participate, provide information and any personal experiences, would be welcomed.”

John Dickerson, a field supervisor and historian with Cultural Resource Analysts’ office in Evansville, is involved in the Black history project. According to his company website, he is an experienced field archaeologist as well as a Secretary of the Interior-qualified historian who has worked with the firm since 2012. He holds a master’s degree in history from Western Kentucky University with an emphasis in southern African-American history.

“We will likely have two people working on that” oral history project, Dickerson said. “We will have an in-person meeting in mid-September (at a time and place to be announced) to try to see who’s interested in taking part in that. We will do at least six (interviews)” using professional-grade audio recording equipment and trained interviewers over the next six months or so.

They also intend to develop a digital document recording what can be learned of Black life and significant civil rights events in Henderson County during the segregation years of 1865 to 1965. “Hopefully we’ll have a fabulous document at the end of this,” Mabelitini said.

That document is expected to be made available at the Henderson County Public Library and the websites of the Kentucky Transportation and the Kentucky Heritage Council, which serves as the state historic preservation office, Mabelitini said.

Depending on what researchers learn, Dickerson said, it could lead to archaeological work in the field that could potentially lead to development of state historical markers; nominations for sites to the National Register of Historic Places; designation of a Black historical district here; or development of a historic walking trail. He said the entire project could take 18 months to complete.

“I think this could be a great thing, to talk about the history of Henderson,” said the Rev. Charles Johnson, executive director of the Henderson Human Rights Commission and pastor of Greater Norris Chapel Baptist Church, a historically Black congregation. He said he has provided Dickerson with the names of several people with deep knowledge of Black life here, including a couple of people in their 80s.

Johnson said he is hoping the public meeting can be scheduled at the public library to learn more about the project.

Those interested in participating in the Henderson Black history project may contact John Dickerson of Cultural Resource Analysts at jpdickerson@crai-ky.com or 812-725-3349. Jonna Mabelitini is also available to answer any questions at jonna.mabelitini@ky.gov. 

This article originally appeared on Evansville Courier & Press: Kentucky tying Black history into Interstate 69 Ohio River bridge