Dr. Willis S. Green (1841-1908)

This site depicts the former location of "Day's Row", a housing complex that Dr. Willis Green lived and worked out of. More specifically, he resided at 5 Canal Street, which no longer exists. Born in 1841, Dr. Willis S. Green was the first Black doctor in Southern Indiana, let alone Evansville, and was a highly regarded physician, gaining the nickname “Baptisttown Surgeon”. Though he had a few accusations from the authorities later on in his career due to alleged scandals and misdeeds relating to his property renting habits, he was largely seen as an important representative figure of the Black community in Baptisttown until his death in 1908. 

Born in Owensboro, Kentucky in 1842, Green was the son of an enslaved woman – Mary Ann Stowers. The two were eventually separated when Green was four years old due to his mother being sold to another slave owner. Green then managed to escape the Stowers plantation in 1863 and fled to Evansville.^[1] Eventually, after 28 years of separation and a long-winded journey, Mary would find her son again. ^[2] Naturally, though, Green was skeptical of this woman but was able to verify her story as she knew the answer to how he lost his finger; she knew that his owner chopped it off when he was just a young boy in slavery.^[3]

As Willis Green began his professional life, he worked as a coachman for Dr. E. T. Runcie. He was also able to obtain a job as a janitor at Evansville Medical College due to his connection with Dr. George B. Walker; this school no longer exists. Here, he also began taking medical classes and eventually earned his doctorate.^[4] In the meantime, he worked as a bricklayer and plasterer as well,^[5] with the first mention of him being a medical professional being in the 1880 Evansville City Directory, making Green about 38 years old when he began his medical career.^[6] In the subsequent year’s directory, his information was even bolded, lending itself to how quickly he became an important figure in Baptisttown. Green was even nominated for coroner of Evansville due to his status and meaningful reputation, though he did not win the position in the end for unknown reasons.^[7]

As a physician, he also rented apartments in his alley to various tenants. This would prove to bring him great backlash from the authorities as they claimed he constantly rented to “immoral tenants.” They claimed the tenants in these apartments brought them more trouble than any other and thus Green needed to change his renting habits.^[8] Little is known about the specifics of these actions, but it can be inferred that the races of the tenants played a role in this policing. These run-ins weren’t the only legal issues Green was involved in though. Green was indicted on an account of deserting his wife, though this case was dropped as the two had been divorced and she was given satisfactory alimony; thus, it did not hold up in court.^[9] Green was also indicted on an account of rape. Once again though, this case was dropped as the wrong party was named in the indictment.^[10] In all, it can be said he was a well-discussed individual in the neighborhood.

In 1908 at 66 years old, Dr. Willis S. Green passed away due to a stroke.^[11] In his will, he left behind a large sum of his money to establish a home on Riley Street for the elderly Black population of Evansville. A two-story building was constructed for the aforementioned to rent. This is but one example of Green giving back to the Black community in which he served. Also, interestingly, Green only left $1 to his son in his will and left the rest of his property to his daughter-in-law.^[12] This implies a rocky relationship between the two, but little is known about the matter. 

Due to the different parameters, the location of "Day's Row" in which Green lived loosely correlates to the present-day location of Silver Birch of Evansville, an assisted living facility (pictured below and located at 475 Governor St).

^[1] The Evansville Courier (1888-1998); Evansville, Indiana. 26 March 1900: 3.

^[2] Evansville Journal; Evansville, Indiana. 29 April 1874: 8.

^[3] Messenger-Inquirer, Owensboro, Kentucky. 4 July 1976: 13.

^[4] The Evansville Courier (1888-1998); Evansville, Indiana. 11 July 1908: 10.

^[5] Williams' Evansville City Directory for 1879. (Evansville: Williams & Co, 1879).

^[6] Williams' Evansville City Directory for 1880. (Evansville: Williams & Co., 1880).

^[7] Bennett & Co.'s Evansville City Directory. (Evansville: The Courier Company, 1882).

^[8] The Evansville Courier (1888-1998); Evansville, Indiana. 16 September 1881: 1.

^[9] Evansville Press (1906-1998); Evansville, Indiana. 9 April 1907: 3; Evansville Press (1906-1998); Evansville, Indiana. 17 April 1907: 4.

^[10] The Evansville Courier (1888-1998); Evansville, Indiana. 4 May 1894: 8.

^[11] The Evansville Courier (1888-1998); Evansville, Indiana. 9 May 1890: 8.

^[12] The Evansville Courier (1888-1998); Evansville, Indiana. 11 July 1908: 10.