Mt. Vernon Black History Tour

Curated by The Community Within: Knox County Black History Archives

This tour is designed to give a different perspective on traditional historical tours of Mt. Vernon, Ohio. It takes the Chamber of Commerce of Mt. Vernon and Knox County's"A Walking Tour of Mount Vernon's Historic...Districts" as a starting point and brings to bear the vantage point of Black folks in the community.

Russell-Cooper House

Col. William C. Cooper, lawyer and Republican statesman, represented Ben Snowden in his lawsuit against the polling judges who refused to allow him to vote in the May 1870 election.

Vernon Lodge No. 43 F&A Masonic Order

Perhaps only second to church, American's social and civic organizations perpetuated a starkly segregated society. Most of the mainstream civil and fraternal orders formed by White males in the late 19th century into the mid-20th century…

Mt. Calvary Baptist Church

In 1904*, the Baptist Mission was formed by Black migrants from Circleville, Ohio who had come to work at the C & G Cooper Company. They met initially in homes of the founders and later for a while in the basement of the First Christian Church…

Wayman Chapel African Methodist Episcopal Church

Mt. Vernon's Wayman Chapel AME church was the center of Black life in Knox County. Founded in 1873, its first pastor was Reverend James A. Ralls. The church was the spiritual home to most of the town's slowly growing Black population…

Mt. Vernon Giants Baseball Team

During the heyday of the Negro Leagues professional baseball teams of the late 1800s through the mid-1900s, segregation in the athletic and recreational arenas of social life saw the formation of "all-colored" baseball teams in towns big…

Baptism in Kokosing River

The church news section of local newspapers in rural Ohio were widely read. Mt. Vernon's Black church activities were reported as well, especially when a "public spectacle" like baptisms in the Kokosing River were the subect. …

Apostolic Faith Church

Founded in the early 1960s, the Apostolic Faith Church began as a small assembly of former members of the Mt. Calvary Baptist Church. Initially meeting in the members' homes, the small congregation eventually began to lease space in former…

Mound View Cemetery

In Judith and Howard Sacks' Way Up North in Dixie, the question of who the rightful authors of the so-called Confederate National Anthem really are is thoroughly examined. While Emmett never lived in the place so vividly depicted in the song,…

Klan rally at Knox County Fairgrounds in 1923

The article in the local newspaper reported: “Parade Wends (sic) Way Thru Heart of City;” “The Ku Klux Klan of Knox county staged a monster demonstration here last Saturday afternoon and evening, the event being attended by thousands from all over…

Beulah Apostolic Church

Beulah Faith Apostolic Church was born when members of the Faith Apostolic Church broke away and formed their own congregation. The members leased several abandoned commercial establishments over the years, most recently meeting on N. Sandusky…

White's Tavern in late 1940s

Frank White was among the first to realize that Black people could own and operate their own businesses in Mt. Vernon. Following the lead of Frank Turner, White established a handful of restaurants, including the Majestic Restaurant at 214 W. High…

East Ohio Avenue Neighborhood

The near east side of downtown Mt. Vernon, primarily on East Ohio Avenue and South Gay Street, contained a community of Black residences and businesses from the early 1900s until around the mid-1960s. Within a reasonable walking distance of the two…
Thank you for taking this tour and making the effort to become aware of the historical markers of the Black community of Mt. Vernon, the Community Within.