Hunt High alumni hope to bring history back to Columbus
"We are asking everyone to help us rebuild this because it was magnificent."
COLUMBUS, Miss. (WCBI) – Bringing back history to the Friendly City is the goal of a group of alumni from historic R. E. Hunt High School.
The R.E. Hunt Museum and Cultural Art Center was damaged in a tornado a few years ago, and forced to close.
Columbus is home to the R. E. Hunt Museum and Cultural Art Center.
For nearly 15 years, before a 2019 tornado caused the museum to close its doors, it provided visitors with the accomplishments made by black area residents.
“The building was pretty much destroyed, and we lost a lot of our artifacts. We had the history of Lowndes County. We had educators. We had farm implementations. There were school things that happened at the school and just the whole history of African Americans and Lowndes County,” said Museum Board President Johnny Johnson.
He also attended Hunt High School. He said during the museum’s prime, visitors would be amazed at what they would see.
“We had some artifacts that you just can’t hardly find anymore. The old washing machine. Kids love that, so I brought my grandkids over here. They didn’t understand what a telephone booth was. ‘What is this for, granddaddy?’ And you know, things like that help them understand that we did make progress,” said Johnson.
Columbus Municipal School District Superintendent Stanley Ellis said the museum is vital to the younger generations.
“We have to be conscious of where we came from. We have to make sure that we put every effort into using this as a teachable moment for history, not only for the community but for our students as well,” said Ellis.
R.E. Hunt Museum Founder Laverne Greene Leech said the community won’t have to wait much longer for the doors to reopen.
“A lot has been done. The windows are in. The air unit system is getting put in and it’s coming along. We’re really pleased with it. We expect to be in here by the end of the year or the first part of next year,” said Greene Leech.
“We wanted to keep this museum as a statement to this community that black folks made some contributions and they are important and if we don’t tell the story who will,” said Johnson.
The R.E. Hunt Cultural Art Center is accepting donations. If you would like to give, you can by dropping off donations at R.E. Hunt Museum, P.O. Box 321, Columbus, Mississippi.
By: Victoria Bailey
