Black History event held at Courthouse

HOPE – A Black History event was held at the Hempstead County Courthouse on Wednesday. The event started with a prayer followed by the Black National Anthem. There were speeches by Judge Jerry Crane, Dr. Ladell Douglas and former Mayor Floyd Young. Judge Crane thanked people for being involved. He said there was a desire to add to the history by putting up pictures of people who put a lot into the community such as teachers and doctors.

Young talked about having worked in the sawmill like his father and being drafted. He said there at one time there were only two wells for all of the city. There was a desire for companies such as Campbell’s Soup to come to Hope. This required much more water. The number of wells was increased to a total of 9. There also were no paved toads on the north side of the tracks except for the state highway. Residents paid to have streets paved.

Hicks Funeral Home, Don Brazille, Jerry Beebe, and Jesse Henry all contributed to the event.