Four new markers have been installed at Springfield-Greene County African American Heritage Trail sites: the Church Square South, Lincoln School, Graham’s Rib Station and Alberta’s Hotel.

Church Square South

In March, organizers unveiled the trail’s third marker at Gibson Chapel, 536 E. Tampa, commemorating the Church Square South, which comprises two historically African American Churches – Gibson Chapel Presbyterian Church and Pitts Chapel United Methodist Church.

The southern area of the Church Square includes Gibson Chapel, which was formed as the First Negro Cumberland Presbyterian Church in 1865 by freedman the Rev. Peter Lair (later spelled Lear), with aid from a white minister. The frame building was constructed on the south side of the Jordan River (Jordan Creek) at the foot of Washington Avenue.

In 1891, a new brick church was built on the corner of Washington Avenue and Pine (now 536 E. Tampa Street). The church was renamed Gibson Chapel after the death of the Rev.  H. A. Gibson, who worked tirelessly to get the new structure erected. After the lynching of three innocent black men on the public square on Easter weekend, 1906, many families sought shelter in the chapel’s basement while male church members guarded the building. The building was heavily damaged by fires in 1915 and 1935, but was rebuilt both times. After World War II, five members of the choir formed the singing group the Philharmonics. The group went on to regional and national fame.

Pitts Chapel United Methodist Church was constructed in 1865 after an arsonist burned the log cabin church along Jordan Creek. Fleming McCullah donated the land for the church that also housed the Freedmen’s Bureau School and later the public school for black children. Edgar Pitts was the pastor of the chapel three times after the Civil War and when he died in 1889, the church was renamed Pitts Chapel. In 1911, the congregation built a new church structure on the corner of Benton and Pine (now Tampa).

Alberta’s Hotel – Alberta’s Hotel Collection, Special Collections and Archives, Missouri State University

Alberta’s Hotel

Located in the parking lot between Jordan Valley Community Health Center and the Springfield Municipal Court building is the former site of Alberta’s Hotel.

A three-story house that first served as the community hospital for the black community was remodeled by Ms. Alberta Ellis to include rooms for paying guests; a large dining room, a rumpus room, beauty salon, barbershop and snack bar. The hotel, staffed by family members, was located three blocks north of historic Route 66. Alberta’s Hotel was listed in The Negro Travelers’ Green Book beginning in 1954. Over the years, Route 66 travelers from across the United States and other countries stayed at Alberta’s Hotel.

Lincoln School

The Rosenwald Foundation in 1930 issued a grant to pay for a new school for Springfield’s Negro students and a two-story redbrick school was dedicated on May 21, 1931. When it opened, teachers led students in a parade on Central Street to the new Lincoln School. Once there, students sang “Lift Every Voice and Sing.” The new school had 15 rooms, including a gymnasium, mechanical arts shop, domestic science room and a library.

Lincoln School, described in the local newspaper as “one of the best equipped Negro schools in the state,” was a community school. Teachers, administrators and parents sponsored scout troops; a community library and child care center; as well as held dances, plays, concerts, talent contests and fashion shows. When Springfield public schools integrated in 1954, Lincoln School became Eastwood Junior High school. It is now Lincoln Hall on the Ozarks Technical Community College campus.

Graham’s Rib Station and Modern Tourist Court

In 1932, Zelma and James Graham opened The Rib Station at the corner of Washington Avenue and Chestnut Street. The restaurant was open 11 a.m.- 2 a.m., seven days a week until it closed in 1967. In the 1940s, the Grahams had six stone cottages built near the restaurant, which became Graham’s Modern Tourist Court. Both Zelma and James became community leaders, as they served on administrative boards of the United Way, the Council of Churches and other civic organizations.

For 35 years, the thriving business served as a social hub for Springfield’s African American community. Every weekend, cars would be lined up along Washington and Chestnut. You could find almost anybody on Friday and Saturday nights at Graham’s.

The Grahamses’ daughter, Elaine, helped run the business, and she attributed its success to three primary factors: high-quality food, great service and location. James was an excellent cook, and he visited local packing houses, selecting only the best meats. Employees got to know customers and would personally call them by name. The restaurant, barbecue sauce and catering business served the public at large. Chestnut Street was a Route 66 bypass and many travelers would stop to eat and to sleep. It was close to O’Reilly Army Hospital where families of patients would stay and where staff would eat, and it was near the Shrine Mosque. Many famous entertainers ate and stayed at Graham’s, including Duke Ellington, Pearl Bailey, Lionel Hampton, Louie Bellson and Harry Belafonte.

Coming soon

Ceremonies are planned to dedicate the markers for Alberta’s Hotel, Lincoln School and Graham’s Rib Station and Modern Motel Court. The next markers to be installed in the trail include Lincoln Memorial Cemetery and the Church Square North, which includes Washington Avenue Baptist Church and Benton Avenue African Methodist Episcopal (AME) Church.

About the Springfield-Greene County African-American Heritage Trail

The organizers of the Springfield-Greene County African-American Heritage Trail are a committee of citizens dedicated to the research and dissemination of the history of the African-American people of Springfield and Greene County. The committee identifies sites and provides markers honoring locations deeply significant to the story of people of color.

The organizers, which include business owner Lyle Foster, Missouri State University Chief Diversity Officer Wes Pratt, MSU faculty member Tim Knapp, former NAACP Springfield President Cheryl Clay, Carolyn Hembree, Jack Hembree and City of Springfield Director of Public Information & Civic Engagement Cora Scott, plan to designate as many as 20 sites on the trail with distinctive, historical markers partnered with the City of Springfield, Springfield-Greene County Park Board, Ozark Greenways, Missouri State and Drury universities to make the project a reality.

The mission of the trail is to continue to research and publish previously undocumented history and to involve the Springfield community in the identification and celebration of the contributions made by people of color to the community. In pursuit of that goal, the trail’s initial sites will follow along Jordan Creek Greenway and The Link with historical markers in partnership with sponsors, such as Bass Pro Shops, City of Springfield, Community Foundation of the Ozarks, Missouri State University, Ozark Greenways and Springfield-Greene County Park Board.

The first marker in the trail is at Silver Springs Park, once Springfield’s only public park open to black citizens during segregation. The second was at Park Central Square, to commemorate the 1906 lynchings of three innocent black men – Horace. B. Duncan, Fred Coker and William Allen – in partnership with the Equal Justice Initiative.

Donations to the trail project are welcome and encouraged, and can be sent to the Springfield-Greene County African-American Heritage Trail c/o of the Community Foundation of the Ozarks. Visit the trail’s website at africanamericanheritagetrailsgf.org.