Black History in Mobile: A Flashcards
Category A: The Evolution of Mobile’s Black Community
What year did Mobile become incorporated as a city?
1814
What does it mean for a city to become incorporated?
It is granted a charter from the state, legally allowing the city to have its own elected officials and make its own rules.
Where was Mobile’s slave market located?
Downtown Mobile at the corner of Royal Street and St. Louis Street.
How was the slave market advertised in Mobile?
The local paper listed slaves for sale and their abilities.
What were the most common trades of slaves for auction in the City of Mobile?
Slaves were primarily craftsmen, domestic workers, and store operators.
Were some of the free men of color in Mobile County slave owners themselves?
Yes
What was the name of Mobile’s most popular road in the early 1800s?
Stone Street Road
During the Reconstruction Period, what was the name of one of the first places Negroes could go to get an education, and where was it located?
Blue College on Government St. near Ann St.
What is the name of the convention held in Mobile in 1867 for the state of Alabama to discuss the needs of Black people?
The Colored Mass Convention of the State of Alabama
What is the name of Mobile County’s “First Colored Public School”?
Stone Street School for Colored Children
What institution played an important role in the establishment of education for Black people in Mobile, and why?
The church played an important role because some classes were held at the different churches in the city.
Name the schools established in the City of Mobile for Negroes by the mid-1870s.
The Creole School - The Little Zion School - Good Shepherd School - Augusta Street Colored School - The Mobile Normal School - The Good Hope School - The State Street School - The St. Louis Street School - The Mobile Educational Institute - The Davis Avenue School - Southside Colored School - The Fisher Tract School
Who was one of the first African American physicians to set up practice in the City of Mobile?
Thomas Nathaniel Harris
Who was known as one of the most talented Black physicians to set up practice in Mobile, opened three drug stores, and served as a leader in the community?
Dr. H. Roger Williams
African Americans in Mobile had many ways of being entertained despite racial barriers that existed in the mid-late 1800s. List some of the social organizations listed in the 1895 Matzenger’s City Directory of Mobile. Some performed charity work, gave social gatherings, had halls where they met on a designated basis, etc.
Cheerful Givers - Cliquot Social Circle - Colored People’s Benevolent Society - Daughters and Sons 9 (see all organizations on page 55 of “Avenue: The Place, The People, The Memories, 1799-1986” by Paulette Davis-Horton) of St. Luke - Good Richard Society - Heart of Hearts - Knights of Tabor - Mobile Lyceum Club - Orange Blossom Social Club - Promote Social Club - Union Star Benevolent Association - United States Veterans - Mobile Timbermen’s Benevolent Association
