M.B. Mayfield Heritage Trail
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Description
Discover sites related to the life and art of M.B. Mayfield, an African American artist who was educated in secret at a pre-integration University of Mississippi.
1. University of Mississippi Museum
Housed on the edge of the University of Mississippi’s campus, the UM Museum houses a wide variety of collections including Scientific Instruments, Greek and Roman Antiquities, American Art, and Folk Art. Within these collections are six M.B. Mayfield paintings made in the 1980s, showcasing works from the later years of his life.
2. University of Mississippi Archives (J.D Williams Library)
The University Archives, located in the J.D Williams Library on the University of Mississippi campus, houses thousands of historical documents that represent Mississippi's past and present. The Archives allow us to understand Mayfield's story in relation to his time at the University of Mississippi and his life as a Mississippi resident. In the Archives we can find many materials that paint a broader picture of campus life, life in Oxford, and life in the south as a whole.
3. Barnard Observatory
The Center for the Study of Southern Culture, located at Barnard Observatory on the University of Mississippi campus, was the host of a full-circle moment in M.B. Mayfield’s art career. Nearly forty years after secretly “attending” classes in Peabody Hall, he had his very own public art exhibition on campus in the summer of 1986.
4. George Peabody Hall
Located on the University of Mississippi campus, George Peabody Hall currently houses the University's Department of Psychology. Built in 1913, the building has played a role in university history throughout the 20th century. African American folk artist M.B. Mayfield unofficially took classes here, despite the university being strictly closed to African American students due to segregation. This training proved to be invaluable to his career as an artist. African American student James Meredith would later enroll at the school in 1962, officially crossing the color line. He would attend one of his first classes at the university in Peabody Hall.
5. Pontotoc County Library
The Pontotoc Library has been a part of the Dixie Regional Library System since 1960 and works with the surrounding counties to provide this area of Northern Mississippi with a structured library system. The Pontotoc Library serves as an important part of the Mayfield story and tour because this is the location that made him notable to the people of Ecru.
6. Old Ecru Bus Stop
You’ve arrived at the last stop of the M.B. Mayfield Walking Tour in Ecru, Mississippi: the old bus stop. While the exact location of the old bus stop is still unknown, M.B. Mayfield would most likely have left out of Ecru this way when he took a bus directly from Ecru to Oxford in 1949 when he took a leap of faith and went to the University of Mississippi to learn art in secret.
7. Judon Lines Elementary School
Although the Judon Lines elementary school is no longer standing, its legacy lives on through the paintings of M.B. Mayfield. Judon Lines Elementary School, also called the Judon School, was located across the road from Mayfield’s childhood home and was where he spent a large part of his time as a child.
8. Ecru City Park
The Blake Mounce Memorial Park or Ecru City Park is a hub of activity and a landmark of Ecru, MS. This park is the gathering place for celebrations, t-ball, softball, and baseball games, community-wide Easter Egg Hunts, and an annual memorial 5k "fun" run which raises money to support the park's services. The Ecru City Park is the site of the first celebration of "M.B. Mayfield Day" which took place in July 14, 1988, and it is an important part of the M.B. Mayfield Heritage Trail.
9. Ecru Second Baptist Church
The Ecru Second Baptist Church has been around for close to one hundred years. This church is where M.B. Mayfield attended for most of his life. Mayfield painted a baptismal painting that is hung over the church’s baptistery. Ecru Second Baptist also currently has an active congregation, so if you are looking for a church, feel free to check this one out!
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10. The Tutor brothers' Store
The “Tutor Brothers’ Store'' was a central part of the community and everyday life for the citizens of Ecru, Mississippi, and Pontotoc county. The Tutor store was a family-run business serving gas to passing cars and providing the essentials of life to the local community, such as the painter M.B. Mayfield who grew up in this rural Mississippi town. The large Tutor family was able to keep the “Brothers’ Store” for a while until it was eventually turned into a Church for the local congregation; despite changing services, the same building still serves the public of Ecru, Mississippi.
11. Tanglefoot Trail
All aboard the Tanglefoot Trail! Once a railroad track that spanned Mississippi from top to bottom, the Tanglefoot Trail is now a walking, running, and biking trail for all to enjoy. Before its creation in 2013, though, M.B. Mayfield used the old railroad tracks and the picturesque fields and daily life of Ecru, Mississippi's citizens as inspiration for his paintings. The Tanglefoot Trail offers the same to you today, so enjoy exploring it as you learn about Mayfield's life.
12. M.B. Mayfield's House
M.B. Mayfield lived in this house. If you were to walk in while M.B. was still alive, you would see a regular, humble house that featured colorful walls, 70’s style wallpaper, a piano, and many of Mayfield’s current works stacked against the wall. You would also see a painting of his mother and some of his other favorites on the wall. You might not see Mayfield, though, because he could have been in the backyard finding berries and flowers that he would use to create his art supplies. Mayfield would break branches off of trees to use as his paintbrushes and would use dirt from the side of the creek behind his house to craft his paints. The house has been moved from 1051 Old Highway 15 Ecru, Mississippi (MS) to 423 Main Street Ecru, MS, and is currently owned and operated by the M.B. Mayfield Foundation, a nonprofit dedicated to honoring Mr. Mayfield's contribution as an artist.
