Celebrating Black History every day!
From The Hairston Clan, to Dunbar, to new local columnists… expect a robust celebration of Davidson County’s cultural history to appear in Davidson Local.
In the words of Black History Month founder Carter G. Woodson, "Those who have no record of what their forebearers have accomplished lose the inspiration, which comes from the teaching of biography and history."
This belief is one of the many reasons Davidson Local will publish or republish a story, photo gallery or column every day in February. As readers have observed, our commitment to local history goes far beyond words.
Local history is my passion. My Great-Great-Grandfather Robert Partee’s history in East Spencer pulled me in the direction of local historical research. It became a somewhat of a hobby over the past decade ranging from searching slave registries in Rowan and Davidson County, to the North Carolina Transportation Museum starting where a portrait of my great-great-grandfather is on display. As I have mentioned in previous columns, his name is Robert Partee, and he was a former owner of the land that we now call The Spencer Shops. Land records have confirmed that Robert owned 140 acres in Salisbury, Spencer, and East Spencer. In 1880, Partee purchased 102 acres of land in Spencer from John Henderson for $712. After an unsuccessful U.S. Senate race, Henderson began secretly purchasing land to develop a depot district for the Southern Railway. Partee was honored by the N.C. Transportation Museum for having sold back the land to Henderson for the advancement of the railway.
Trekking back through local history stirred an interest to look beyond what we learned about our heritage in textbooks. Learning about people like my great-great-grandfather left me asking, “What else am I missing?” Partee owned land before emancipation, yet his legacy isn't well known outside of our family’s oral history. Since then I’ve been strolling through historical documents and discovering dozens of untold contributions of women and men.
The Davidson County Historical Museum is gathering a number of interesting pieces for a timeline of the county’s history. Throughout February, they are working with local community members to borrow contributions, catalog them and determine a name for the section focusing on African-American history. There will be an article forthcoming in Davidson Local about their efforts.
The last few years exemplify why we still need Woodson’s concept. Critical moments of inviting the nation to recognize the legacies of everyday African-Americans who have made an extraordinary impact on our society through their art, actions and struggles can bring people together.
Join us at upcoming community organized events:
Healthier Together pop-up information event- Tuesday, February 1st 6pm to 8pm
Kick-off for the celebrations include a Healthier Together pop-up information event at the Lexington Senior High School basketball games. Bags include PPE and other health and wellness educational materials concerning COVID-19 will be provided on a first come, first served basis on Feb. 1st. The event is sponsored by Giver of Destiny Corporation, a community-based organization of Healthier Together; Davidson Local, Uptown Lexington, Anything for Our Youth, Inc. and the Black Butterfly Network. We extend a special thank you to The J. Smith Young YMCA, Hospice of Davidson County and Deborah Arnold of Arbonne for generous contributions for 300 wellness bags. A special celebration will be hosted by Lexington Senior High School’s athletic director Ronnie Beverly, honoring the history of Dunbar High School. Guests should adhere to the district's clear bag and face mask policy. Advance tickets can be purchased below: https://gofan.co/app/school/NC1320.
