‘Firsts’ in the Opelika’s African-American Community”
Opelika’s First African-American Church – Bethesda Baptist Church
Five years after
the Emancipation Proclamation was signed, Bethesda Baptist Church was formed in 1868 in Opelika. Those who organized The Bethesda Baptist Church under the leadership of Reverend Father Glenn created a
new world where African-Americans could sign their own hymns, offer their own prayers, and give expression to their own feelings
of joy and sorrow. The reason for naming the church “Bethesda” is
not clear, but those who were members had their hearts tuned to God’s mind, as they agreed on the name Bethesda Baptist
Church which means, “The House of Mercy”.
Opelika’s First African-American Schools
As was true with
the white schools, there were several good private schools for African-American children before publich schools became a reality. One ot the first was run by Willie Bessie Brady, one of the most unique, intelligent
and gifted women in Alabama. Without a college education, Mrs. Brady began her
private school on York Avenue. “Miss Bessie” taught in a one room
school house with a potbellied stove in the corner. She taught her charges from
grades one through 12 and they learned from handmade benches. After school attendance
laws were enacted, Miss Bessie had to close her school, but later because of
overcrowding at the public school, was allowed to teach with a V Certificate. Later,
she was hired as a kindergarten teacher at the Central Parks and Recreation Center.
This was the first public kindergarten for young African-American children in Opelika.
Between 1910 and
1912, Opelika’s first African-American public school was erected on East Street.
It had then classrooms and held all grades. East Street High, as it became
known, served as the only African-American public school until 1951. Then the
J.W. Darden High School was built on South fourth Street. East Street High
became Carver Elementary School.
Elder Brooks Sr.
Elder Brooks Sr.
was born on June 15, 1908 in Lee County. After attending school in Lee County
and later vocational training in Columbus, Ga., Brooks became the first black licensed plumber, and electrician in the Opelika
area. He was also one of the first African-Americans to register as a voter in
this area.
Civil Rights Advances in Opelika’s City Government
In 1978, the Lee
County National Association for the Advancement of Colored People (NAACP), the Lee County Voters League, the Lee county Alabama
Democratic Conference (ADC), and certain private citizens (Mary Frazier Hunter, Pearlie Mae Hutchinson, and Dr. R.L. Harrington)
filed a civil suit in Federal Court (U.S. District Court for the Middle District of Alabama Eastern Division) requesting that
the Commission form of government be abandoned and that another form of government be adopted.
The resulting Consent Degree of 1985 between the Lee County NAACP and the City of Opelika to adopt either a Mayor-Council
from of government comprised of five council members elected from single member districts.
After passage of
a bill by the Alabama Legislature, a referendum was held in 1986 which resulted in the adoption of a Mayor-Council form of
government was held in June, 1986 when two African-Americans, John Andrew Harris and George Bandy, were elected to city government
for the first time in Opelika’s history. In 1995 the first African-American
female, Patricia A. Jones, was elected to the Opelika City Council.
Note: Information compiled from The Heritage of Lee County, Alabama.
Dr. John Wesley Dardin
John Wesley Darden,
born Sept. 27, 1876 in Wilson, N>C., was the eldest child of Charles Henry and Dianah Scarborough Dardin.
In their book Spoonbread
and Strawberry Wine Norma Jean and Carol Darden have this to say about their uncle, Dr. John Darden. “From the age of
ten, when he was unable to find medical assistance for his unconscious sister Annie, John had one driving goal, and that was
to become a doctor”.
“At the age
of thirteen, he was sent by Papa Darden to high school in Salisbury, N.C. Lean years followed as he worked his way through
Livingstone College, medical school and an internship in Long Island, N.Y. His
was a long, hard struggle, but when he made it the pattern was established that the younger ones would follow. Summer jobs mainly on the railroad and ships took John all over the country. But he always found his way back to Wilson (N.C.) to share what he had seen and learned of the world and
to encourage his brothers and sisters in their pursuits. By the time he was ready
to put out his shingle in 1903, Wilson already had black medical service, so John went deeper south, settling in Opelika,
Alabama, where as the only black doctor in a thirty mile radius, he was greeted with an eighteen-hour workday.”
“As soon
as he could ge away he went back to North Carolina to marry Maude Jean Logan. She
was born June 26, 1890”.
“Soon after,
John, making calls with his new wife in his horse and buggy, became a familiar sight on the narrow dirt roads around Opelika.”
“John opened
a drugstore on Avenue A. His brother J.B. had just earned his degree in pharmacy
from Howard University, so he was recruited as a partner. The two brothers dispensed
prescriptions, and cosmetics, ice cream and a lot of good cheer, and the store became a meeting place for the community. Local residents tell us that their Sunday was not complete without a stroll to the
drugstore for a chat and a scoop of John’s homemade ice cream.”
“Among Dr.
Darden’s medical contemporaries was Dr. Homer Bruce. Dr. Bruce held the
black doctor’s skills in high esteem and unusual for their time, the doctor’s frequently called each other in
for consultation. Dr. Yvonne Phillips remembers that Mrs. Darden would invite
children to her home for after-church tea parties. “She spent so much time
trying to better our speaking skills and our manners. She really made us better
people. They were both so interested in the well being of the community, especially
the children. They only wanted the best for all of us---to have a skill and to
go to school.”
John died January
10, 1949. Jean died October 30, 1976. They
are buried in Rosemere Cemetery.
Information compiled from The Heritage of Lee County, Alabama
William Ernest Morton
Dr. W.E. Morton
was one of five sons born to the late Reverend and Mrs. Ellis M. Morton on Oct. 10, 1905.
He was educated in the public schools of Dallas and Jefferson counties. He
later attended Selma University in Selma and Talladega College in Talladega. He
received a bachelor of science degree and a master of science degree from Alabama State Teachers College in Montgomery, Ala. He also
Studied at Teachers
college Columbia University in New York, N.Y., on May 13, 1987, during the 104th Commencement Convocation, Selma
University conferred on W.E. Morton the Honorary Degree of doctor of humanities.
While working in
Indianapolis, Ind., Dr. Morton met and married his first wife, the former Sally May Pruitt Owens. Following her death, Dr. Morton married Lizzie L. Thomas who also preceded him in death.
Upon moving to
Opelika in the late thirties, he became a member of Bethesda Baptist Church. During
his tenure, he was chairman of the Board of Deacons for then years, and held almost every position in the church at one time
or another.
Dr. Morton helped
to initiate the reorganization of the Auburn District Sunday School convention into the Auburn District Congress of Christian
Education, and served as dean for more than twenty years. He was the past president
of the Alabama Baptist Congress of Christian Education.
During his thirty-four
years of tenure, Dr. Morton served as principal of East Street High School, and J. W. Darden High School. He also served as a principal/supervisory principal for Carver and Jeter Elementary Schools.
Information compiled from the Heritage of Lee County, Alabama
