Black History Trail Is Unveiled In Aberdeen

ABERDEEN, MISS. (WCBI) – As we come to the end of Black History Month, one Monroe County community unveils a project that will teach people about the contributions of African Americans for many years.

With money left over from the CARES Act for the tourism industry, the Aberdeen Visitors Bureau, with help from the community, put together a unique look at black history.

The dedication ceremony for the Black History Trail took place in James Creek Missionary Baptist Church. The building was constructed more than one hundred years ago for the African American congregation.

It is one of the sites on Aberdeen’s Black History Trail.

“We did a lot of work, research, historians, people going back from the table and into the community, asking more questions,” said Tina Robbins, of the Aberdeen Visitors Bureau.

The trail itself is a driving tour of locations that help tell the story of the contributions African Americans made to Aberdeen.

“What we’re doing is spotlighting, what’s important in this city, we have a large black population and for the most part their history has been unrecognized and it’s really important that we all get along and part of that is knowing everybody’s history and background,” said Kathy Seymour, with the Aberdeen Preservation Commission.

The tour features parks, churches, and the home of Doctor Robert Woodruff, a well-known physician who helped raise money for educational and civic causes.

Reverend James Cook is president of the Monroe County NAACP.  He is hopeful the trial will be a valuable teaching tool for young people.

“There are so many things our kids, don’t have a clue about and will have no significance in their lives if we fail to show our respect and appreciation for those things,” said Rev. Cook.

There are fifteen stops on the self-guided tour that gives people not only a look at Aberdeen’s past but the progress that continues.

Brochures mapping out the Black History Trail can be picked up at the Aberdeen Visitors Bureau