Tyeal Howell
The Jones Family Legacy: Brooklyn to Urbana
The small town of Brooklyn, Illinois once boasted 3,000 people in its heyday, but now is a village of less than 800. This town has a...
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Stories of Our Black Heritage
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Tyeal Howell
Apr 32 min
The Local Legacy of The "Queen of Colored Sopranos" Jennie Gatewood
Jennie Gatewood was hailed as the "Queen of colored sopranos," during the height of her musical career. She was born in Virginia and...
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Tyeal Howell
Jun 6, 20233 min
From Shackles to Stature: The Unveiled Legacy of the Douglass-Hamlet Dynasty - Pioneers, Politicians
Section 3 in Oak Dale Cemetery in Urbana appears largely void of burials, but many gravesites are unmarked with a few exceptions. Among...
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Tyeal Howell
Jun 5, 20231 min
How to Join the Heritage Pop Up Gallery during the Urbana Black Heritage Festival.
Dig out your old photos, papers, and family artifacts for the second Annual Heritage Pop Up Gallery during the Urbana Black Heritage...
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Tyeal Howell
May 30, 20233 min
Charley Springer and Nancy Thompson: Unveiling their Forgotten Legacy
With the opening of Oak Dale Cemetery in 1856, the Trustees of the time passed a resolution restricting sections 2 and 3 as the only...
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Tyeal Howell
May 22, 20233 min
In the Line of Duty: James Corom and the Dawn of Diversity in Urbana Police Force
In the spring of 1886, Mayor Charles H. Ganson made local history. As he was making his appointments for city boards and jobs, he...
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Tyeal Howell
Apr 4, 20233 min
A Legacy of Music and Compassion: The Story of Capitola 'Cappie' Dickerson
Capitola Dickerson was known as the “songbird” of her senior class of Urbana High School in 1930. Even at a young age, when Capitola sang...
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Tyeal Howell
Mar 31, 20232 min
John Bry: A Trailblazer in Historic Preservation and Community Revitalization
The Urbana Black Heritage Festival Committee and the Urbana community are immensely proud to celebrate the recognition of our very own...
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Tyeal Howell
Mar 9, 20233 min
Uncovering Jimi Hendrix's Roots: From Urbana's Graves to Rock 'n' Roll Royalty
There are scores of unmarked graves of African Americans citizens in historic Oak Dale Cemetery in Urbana. They were relegated to the...
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Tyeal Howell
Mar 2, 20234 min
The Legacy of Jerusalem Second Baptist Church
Fifty years ago, divine intervention was at play on the evening of Sunday, August 12, 1973. In that moment, the roof of Jerusalem Second...
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Tyeal Howell
Feb 24, 20233 min
The Legacy of the Allen and Wills Families
Guy F. Allen spent most of his life along Buckeye Street in Urbana. Born in 1908, he was the son of Harry and Clara (Guy). For many years...
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Tyeal Howell
Jan 16, 20233 min
The First MLK Holiday Observed in Ohio
In January of 1975, the Ohio Legislature took up the debate to recognize the third Monday of January as a state holiday in honor of the...
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Tyeal Howell
Jun 11, 20223 min
The Strawther Family Legacy
Located beyond the city limits of Urbana, James and Bessie Strawther supplied the majority of the greater community’s strawberry crop....
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Tyeal Howell
May 14, 20222 min
Stillgess Legacy and One of the few African American Underground Railroad Operators in the area
Numerous African American men and women from Urbana can be counted among the community’s entrepreneurs. Although the career opportunities...
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Tyeal Howell
May 9, 20223 min
The Legacy of Arnold B. Brown 1877-1940
Do you know the “Mayor of Possumtown”? While the location of that fabled community is not exactly known, the identity of its leader is...
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Tyeal Howell
Apr 27, 20223 min
The Legacy of Stephan “Steve” Honore
Hill Street in Urbana has been the home to many distinguished African Americans throughout the community’s history. Business and civic...
532 views0 comments
Tyeal Howell
Apr 3, 20223 min
The 25 Acre Farm of Orville Noble
In 1874, the southern edge of Urbana was known as “Gooseville”. It is an area roughly bounded by Powell Avenue to the north, and the...
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Tyeal Howell
Mar 29, 20222 min
Mr. Mack and “The Favorite Ice Cream Parlor”
The northwest corner of East Market and South Locust Streets has historic and diverse roots in Urbana’s 217 year history. The now vacant...
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Tyeal Howell
Mar 11, 20222 min
The Boyd Family Legacy
346 Hill Street stands at the entrance of what once led to the old factory pond on the grounds of the Urbana Woolen Mills (known today as...
787 views0 comments
Tyeal Howell
Feb 26, 20222 min
Barbara Howell, the legacy behind the Market Street Park
Urbana native Barbara Howell made a lifelong commitment to working with youth and aiding low-income families. Born in 1923, Barbara...
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