Baptisttown History of Evansville, IN
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Description
Baptisttown District
1. Charles Rochelle Home
Charles Rochelle was incredibly influential in Baptisttown and Evansville as a whole. He was the first black man to earn a doctorate in education from the University of California at Berkley and he became the principal of Lincoln High School. He lived at 911 Bellemeade Avenue for around 60 years and served on the State Board of Education for 23 years. [1][1] Charles Rochelle Interview, Oral History Collection, USI Archives and Special Collections. Oct. 5, 1972.
2. The Guardian Home
Established in the 1850s, the Guardian Home was the county's first orphanage for white boys. The orphanage closed due to the Great Depression but was reopened as a WPA office for a few short years. During the Second World War, the building operated as the United Service Organization for African Americans. After the war, the newly named Community Carver Center remained open with the new goal of providing social and welfare programs to the surrounding neighborhood. A fire caused the building to be razed in 1973, but it was eventually replaced by the now-standing Rochelle-Landers Pool. PSA: Stay at Rochelle-Landers Pool for this entry but also for Liberty Baptist Church, if you look to the corner of Rochelle-Landers Pool you will see a Liberty Baptist Church landmark located close to the landmark for the Guardian Home, utilize the landmark and only travel to the church if you want to!
3. Teacher's Row
Teacher's Row is the home of many influential individuals in Baptisttown. A majority of them were teachers at Lincoln High School. In particular, Alfred Porter, William and Helen Best, and Thomas Cheeks all lived on Teacher's Row. Teacher's Row is located on Lincoln Avenue, from Garvin Street to Governor Street. The locations of these homes are still around today, although they are not exactly the same as they used to be.
4. Lincoln School (located at 635 Lincoln Ave):
PSA: Lincoln School's actual location is 635 Lincoln Ave.- Someone in HIST 288 had already created an entry for Lincoln causing me to have to use another address. But the school and what you should be facing is located at 635 Lincoln Ave NOT 634 Lincoln Ave.The third African American high school in Indiana, Lincoln High School, was the first and only high school for African Americans within the surrounding counties in 1928. It opened in September of 1928 and served only African American students until 1962, when the last all-black American class graduated. Also, in 1962, the school became K-8 and the high school students began integrating into other local high schools. In 1985, the school changed once more into an elementary school, which it remained as until 2010 when it became a k-8 school once again. Currently, Lincoln School is still in session, hosting K-8 classes and holds many during and after-school programs.
5. Lincoln Gardens
Lincoln Gardens was created as a way to give affordable housing to the members of Baptisttown at the end of the Great Depression.[1] It allowed African Americans in Evansville a place to live without worrying about the cost of rent and utilities. The original houses of the area were run down and did not even have running water, so the old houses were torn down and new ones were built. Today, only one building remains, and it is now the Evansville African American Museum. This museum is dedicated to spreading information regarding Lincoln Gardens and African American history as a whole. [1] Hunt, Tamara L. and Weight, Donovan. "Rediscovering 'Baptistown'": A Historical Geography Project on Local African American History," pp. 1.
6. Ernest Tidrington (1883-1930)
Ernest Tidrington, the "Boss of Baptisttown," was a man of many hats, holding jobs as an attorney, politician, sheriff, janitor, detective, and community organizer among others, throughout his life. Born in 1883, the majority of the work Tidrington did throughout his life though related to the law and politics. Notoriously, he was a political ally of the Ku Klux Klan and was an integral vote-getter of the Black population for the Klan as well as the Republican Party. Thus, after realizing the population of Baptisttown was enough to dictate elections, he got to work with his political allies. This work would eventually cost him his life though at the hands of a political enemy in 1930.
7. Liberty Baptist Church (701 Oak St):
PSA: Walking to Liberty Baptist Church is optional, you can stay at Rochelle-Landers Pool and view the Liberty Baptist Church landmark instead of walking to 701 Oak St.PSA: This location is listed as 702 Oak St. only because the actual location was utilized by another member of HIST 288 causing me to not be able to create a second entry for the same sight. Liberty Baptist Church is actually located at 701 Oak St.Evansville’s oldest black congregation, Liberty Baptist Church got its start in 1865. Created by a group of former enslaved people, the church was erected in 1865 but was moved and replaced a few times before getting its current home on 701 Oak Street. It had its highest number of members under the leadership of J.D. Rouse, who built the congregation to 2,000. In 1959, an education wing was built for the church. The church still holds weekly services and serves as a symbol of African American leadership and unity in the Evansville community.
8. Erie Homes
The Erie Homes apartments were public housing developments constructed in 1954. This housing was primarily rented to the Black population of Evansville in Baptisttown, which has its own implications. These apartments were widely accepted to be substandard and did not meet the overall needs of the tenants; it developed into an eyesore to the community. Thus, in 2008, these apartments were razed after being closed for good in 2006. Nonetheless, in its heyday, these apartments were a housing staple for the Black community.
9. 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.
