Former School for Black Students in Pocahontas, Arkansas is Now a Historic Reminder of Separate but Unequal

The Eddie Mae Herron Center is a restored building of a former African American church and school. It was named for Eddie Mae because she was the only teacher there.

In the town where I live, the former school where black children attended has been preserved. I have always wanted to stop by the school but usually something prevented it. My husband had no interest in visiting and I knew I would not be able to pay attention to the exhibits with my children accompanying me. My almost six year old would have appreciated it but my four year old is a little too rowdy. Today provided the perfect day to go (well, with the exception of my very obvious staples on my head from my weekend accident and being hooked up to a Holter monitor for heart arrhythmia but a mom's got to get things done when she can).

When I stepped out of the car, I took a photograph. I had no idea what to except as I walked in. Though I had visited the website for the Eddie Mae Herron Center (http://www.herroncenter.org/), it did not prepare me for how vivid the whole experience would be. I walked into the room somewhat surprised it was mainly one large room. I should have realized this was no surprise because one room schoolhouses were built like that but there were so many items it literally drew my breath away. I know the tour guide heard me when I involuntarily said, "Wow!"

Upon entering the room, there are several sets of desks set up as they once were when the school was functioning. It is important to note that although all items donated to the museum originally belonged there the transformation was not complete. Some things such as the picture of George Washington who they would recite the pledge of allegiance to was a different picture of Washington. The original picture was lost. The school did not have an American flag so they used the picture in which to recite the pledge. An American flag is in the room now but was not at that time.

A chalkboard was very prominent in the front of the room. Remodeling for a day care after the school closed changed the chalkboard's location by a little but it was prominent. The cutest little girl black mannequin was standing near the chalkboard. These were the first things I noticed.

I began my trip around the room learning that the center had once been a church. The church/school was damaged in 1948 after it had been rebuilt in another location. One man was killed there. His name was Henry Taylor and when he went in to clean up after the fire, a gas leak killed him. One corner of the building had a lectern set up with a purple cloth saying "St. Mary's AME" across it along with a white cross. Pictures of those who had ministered there were placed above the lectern including the man who was killed in the brutal fire, offering plates were out on display, as well as a beautiful old bible.

Walking across the left edge of the wall, I encountered a painting of someone's rendition of a famous photograph taken when Little Rock Central High Schools integrated. I have tried to find the photograph and failed so it will be included in one of my pictures with this article. Maybe someone can help me? I once knew who she was and the details but time has dulled my memories significantly.

Another fascinating part about this painting was the woman who painted it lives right behind our home.

Continuing down the wall, there were photographs of students who had attended the school. I recognized the same surname as a black friend of my sister's from high school and imagined it was her dad as Pocahontas has always been very small. There were photos of other nearby black schools and of their integration dates as well. My heart went out to those children who were the pioneers of joining schools they should have already belonged to and knowing racist taunts were thrown at them often. Where I live, racist taunts remain common in certain places.

There were a lot of photographs and paintings of famous leaders including Rev Martin Luther King Jr (of course), President Barack Obama (of course), and others. Amazing leaders in Arkansas included a photo of Charlotte Stephens who was born to slave parents, Silas Herbert Hunt, Daisy Bates, Joseph Carter Corbin, and Scott Winfield Bond. Because my photographs are not clear and I am afraid of mistaking some of the information, I am only able to add their names.

Further down the hall were photographs of students taken at their graduation. When the school functioned, children graduated in the eighth grade and did not attend school for a full week as they do now. Work took importance over education.

In the middle of the room on the other side of the chalkboard, there was a huge display of photographs and stories of famous black Americans. Again, my photographs were unclear because of the lighting in the room so I was unable to gather their names.

At the end of this one wall, I took a photograph of the one black shoe shiner in Randolph County. My father had spoken of being a child and seeing this shoe shiner asking those who walked by the barber shop if they needed their shoes shined. This was a special memory for me because of my dad speaking of this man previously. He said white men who often sat in the coffee shop next door would laugh at this man because he used such simple language. It is almost unquestionable he was illiterate but illiteracy does not imply stupidity. From my trip today, it became even more clear how black people did not receive the same education whites did. Any intelligence differences come from that alone.

When I came across the corner of that walk, I balked in horror. The same school board who was responsible for the main Pocahontas School System was also responsible for the "Pocahontas Negro School" (as the Eddie Mae Heron Center was called before it was renamed). The phrase "separate but equal"came to mind and I spoke to the tour guide on how that could even be remotely considered separate but equal. The Pocahontas School System would receive new books every six years for their students. The used books would then pass on for Eddie Mae to do the best she could with books that were worn out, incomplete sets, and definitely not equal to the equipment given to the white children who attended the regular Pocahontas school system.

The tour guide also told me the school was closed down before integration occurred, This meant the black children had to take buses from Pocahontas, AR to Newport, AR. For those who are not familiar with this area of the state, Newport takes between 1-1 ½ hours to travel each way. That is far too long for any child to be sitting in a bus waiting to go to school.

One of the most attractive items was the "Freedom Quilt" so named because each patch represented paths slaves would use to escape their owners. Most slaves were unable to read so pictures became very important.

My favorite item on display was on the proclamation of the end of slavery. It is not an original obviously but it was a copy handwritten by Abraham Lincoln himself.

Before I left the museum, I did something my husband had asked me not to do. We are having serious financial difficulties right now with his low pay and my medical issues so he did not want me to spend any money. After having such a wonderful experience, I could not leave without doing something to help with the upkeep costs. I bought a book about when the "Pocahontas Colored School" tried to go to the Memphis, TN zoo but were not allowed to visit due to it not being a day "coloreds" could visit. I also purchased a cookbook that is on sale at the center right now for $5. It has many different types of recipes that I cannot wait to try. My tour guide set me up with a book about the history of the Eddie Mae Herron Center and a book about events that took place in the Ozark area of Arkansas during this past year (2009). I also donated some money before leaving in addition to the money spent on the books. It is not an easy job to get me to part with my money but I will do it for a good cause. This museum is an amazing cause.

Several events take place during the year at the Eddie Mae Center. There is a foundation pie raiser, a weekly hand quilting, an annual Martin Luther King March that I will join in 2010 now that I know it takes place. There is also an old time hog butchering demonstration that I will not attend. I love bacon but do not want to watch where it comes from.

Several items of interest about the center (taken from a flier given to visitors if they choose)

The Eddie Mae Herron Center contains historical exhibits in a former African American church and school.

The first building was built in 1919. It first held black church services in 1919 and was known at the St. Mary's African Methodist Episcopal church.

The Eddie Mae Herron Center is recognized by the National Register of Historic Places

There is a weekly quilt making demonstration

February is a very active month with historical lectures, demonstrations of soap making, quilt making, hog butchering, and sausage making.

The integration of blacks into school for Randolph County, Arkansas did not occur until 1965. My own father never attended school with anyone of a different race as he graduated in 1963. This fact startled me because I believe my generation was taught to believe that the Little Rock school was integrated in 1957 and that caused a lot of distress so other schools must have followed suit. I am sorry to say I was wrong in believing that but happy to know differently now. I am happy to know we caught up. Separating people based on skin color is a disgrace.

I am very proud the Eddie Mae Herron Center is located in my home town of Pocahontas, Arkansas and not far from where I live. I am certain I will return some day.

http://www.centralhigh57.org/

http://www.herroncenter.org/