Charting the past: Local historians chart trail covering Port Lavaca Black history

Established in 1841, the city of Port Lavaca has persisted through more than 150 years of U.S. history. From the Civil War to the Civil Rights Movement and beyond, Port Lavaca’s Black community has always played a role in the community, culture and economy. Now, several historians are taking action to record and promote that involvement with the creation of a walking trail.

Composed by historians Jennifer Wimbish, Glenda Taft and Mary Belle Meitzen, alongside Port Lavaca City Council member Rose Bland-Stewart and other volunteers, the trail stretches through the old townsite and catalogs a variety of shops, schools and clubhouses owned and operated by African Americans.

“Port Lavaca was established in 1841. The part of town that’s shown in this map is known as the Original Townsite and is where the early residents of Port Lavaca lived. It is a historically Black neighborhood and was home to many Black-owned businesses, some of which are included in this tour, as well as the Alice O. Wilkins School, where Black students of Port Lavaca were educated,” the trail pamphlet reads. “The school was named after a beloved teacher, Alice O. Wilkins, who started teaching there in 1907 and stayed for 35 years. In 1965, the school closed its doors and has been vacant off and on since. The Sunlight Girls Clubhouse, which is on the same property as the Alice O. Wilkins School, is used by different organizations as a meeting space and has held exhibits about the history of the school and its alumni, who are very active in serving the local community.”

The goal of the walk, which stretches more than half a mile, is to help illustrate the contributions of African Americans while preserving the memory of these places. Areas such as the Wilkins School, Sunlight Girls Club and Black-owned supermarkets, salons and clubs all feature prominently on the list.

“I’m a registered nurse, and I got involved in a group with Port Lavaca through the Wilkins Alumni Inc. group. From there, we got started and branched out. There were a lot of people in the community we talked to and learned the history from,” Taft said. “We got the chance to discuss a lot of things with people from Port Lavaca about its history.”

“Port Lavaca has always been a community where we were raised to be respectful people,” Wimbish said. “We work together to learn more and share that information we learn between everyone.”

The Wilkins School’s placement on the trail, in particular, said both Wimbish and Taft, focuses on the achievements of its alumni and the care provided by its schoolteacher and name’s sake, Alice Wilkins.

“The Wilkins school is so important, because that’s where every Black person went to school to get educated. I’m so glad that the building is there, but I wish we could renovate it and make it into something,” Taft said.

According to Taft, the walking trail also serves as a way to bring additional attention to the south side of Port Lavaca, which she says has often been overlooked in recent years. She hopes that the trail will also serve as a local source of community pride and will encourage locals to focus on restoring the historical structures and homes found there.

“The community wanted to increase the visibility of the south part of the community and direct visitors to other parts of the city outside of the pier and the highway. We wanted to figure out a way to direct people to the ‘Old Township’ part of Port Lavaca, which ranges from south of Main Street and Austin Street,” Taft said. “It all started as a lack of housing; we asked ourselves, ‘Why would they even want to come?’ So, we came up with the trail to bring people there, highlighting those areas.”

In addition to highlighting the contributions of the Black community, the event also covers the history of segregation within the community. An example given by Wimbish includes the Port Lavaca Main Street Theatre, which historically only allowed Black and other non-white races to enter through side doors and watch showings on the second floor.

“It’s history – it’s not to denigrate anyone. It’s part of American history. We need to bring it up to people to keep it from being forgotten and move on,” Taft said.

“It can be a difficult and sensitive topic to discuss,” Wimbish said. “But this was how it was and it shouldn’t be forgotten.

Both Wimbish and Taft, alongside others, look forward to continued work on the trail, with several looking for ways to either expand its list of sites to visit or to refine the trail through the addition of sidewalks and markers.

“I think it’s important to note that we are hoping to have the trail be a sidewalk trail. That would be critical, since it would let them walk and observe and stay out of the mud when it’s raining,” Wimbish said. “I think what we all are thinking about is how it fits into the city and makes it come real and alive and becomes an integral part of Port Lavaca. We want this to be integrated into the fiber of Port Lavaca.”

For questions or comments about the trail, reach out to one of the following emails: Taft at glenda4@aol.com, Bland-Stewart at roseblandstewart@gmail.com, Mary Belle Meitzen at meitzen60@gmail.com or Wimbish at jbwimbish@yahoo.com.