Mr. E's U.S. History and Black History Page: February 2023

BLACK HISTORY IN LONGVIEW AND GREGG COUNTY

FROM 1880-1930

(From the books Traditions of the Land: The History of Gregg County and Longview, Texas Centennial)

Blacks in Gregg County 1880-1930

In censuses between 1880 and 1930, with the exception of 1920, black residents in Gregg County were more numerous than white. In 1910 blacks comprised 55 percent of the county population, and in 1930, 52 percent.

The blacks were free, and their proportion of the population had grown from about 37 percent to 55 percent. Many of these citizens were acquiring dignity through land ownership and through responsibilities in black communities, although not much longer through the ballot box. Most blacks had presumably become sharecroppers, tenant farmers, farm laborers, and domestic workers, although sawmills and minor industries also provided employment. Black residents were concentrated somewhat in rural communities as Pleasant Green, Fredonia (Stumptoe), Shiloh, and the Ridge and in a narrow ring around the main part of Longview. That ring of houses remained substantially intact until the 1950s preserving the outline of the original town. Traces of it still endure.

Throughout the county, thrifty black farmers were steadily adding to their land holdings. Easton, near the abandoned town of Camden, existed in the late 1890s and would be destined to become an almost entirely black town.

Black capital was not idle during the pre-Boom years. For instance, there was Mr. Major Kennedy, reportedly born to former slaves in Rusk County in 1881. After meeting discouragement as a school teacher, he began farming, saving, and investing in land and cattle. His holdings are said to have grown to thousands of acres, which put him in a good position when oil was discovered. Meantime, several blacks were acquiring land in the vicinity of Easton, which at the time was apparently little more than a railroad stop and perhaps a sawmill. Later, during the 1930s, Mr. Kennedy was instrumental in building up Easton as an entirely black town. When the East Texas oil boom hit, he had acquired substantial land and livestock. The oil discovered on his land brought him greater wealth, and he joined with other East Texas blacks to form the Tiger Oil and Gas Company. Kennedy became a leader among African-Americans because of his financial power. He owned a mercantile store, a garment factory, a sawmill, a number of rent houses, and most of the land in Easton by the time of his death. He supported the Pirtle Baptist Church in Easton and donated land for its cemetery.

Mr. Kennedy also constructed churches and schools in East Texas, financed the studies of a number of Black students, and donated 50 acres of land to the Boy Scouts of America for Camp Kennedy, which included a lake with swimming and fishing facilities. Mr. Kennedy passed away on July 12, 1952.

Between 1910 and 1920 the population growth slowed, and in 1920 Longview was a rural cotton and lumbering center with an estimated 5,713 residents; African Americans made up 31 percent of the population. Racial tensions, which had long been simmering beneath the surface, erupted into violence in the Longview Race Riot of 1919. Black residences and businesses were burned and one Black man was killed several miles west of Longview. During the 1920s cotton prices fluctuated and timber supplies dwindled, leading to economic uncertainty for Longview. However, a paved highway, later known as US Highway 80, was built through the town, and the population increased by nearly 2000 during the decade. By 1929 the city had more than 7000 residents.

In 1930, there was hardly any spot in the county, except downtown Longview and the broad annual flood plain of the Sabine, where one could not see a cotton or corn field. Patches of forest larger than about 10 acres were exceptional. Some farms were worked with tractors, but mules were still the chief motive power. Likewise, nearly every 40 or 80 or 160 acres of arable land had a house and barn standing on it in 1930. Many of these rural houses were occupied by black families- in some areas, nearly all of them. Virtually most of the country dwellings that the blacks lived in had no electricity or plumbing (water).

After 1931, with the influx of oil entrepreneurs and their employees, the white population increased considerably relative to the number of Blacks. Between 1930 and 1940 the number of whites rose from 7,555 to 43,548, while the black population rose from 8,198 to 14,423.

Easton - A Historical Black Community

Easton - "Easton is on Farm Road 2906 ten miles southeast of Longview in extreme southeastern Gregg County and northeastern Rusk County. Most of the site, first known as Walling's Ferry and then as Camden, is near a bluff on the south bank of the Sabine River. In 1885 the Texas, Sabine Valley and Northwestern Railway built a line through the area, and by the late 1880s a large sawmill was in operation there. In 1890 Easton reported the Buchanan and Company general store, a lumber and shingle plant, and a population of seventy-five. The community declined, and most of the remaining white inhabitants moved to Longview or other towns. By 1940 Easton was a predominantly black community with one business and a population of fifty. It revived in the 1940s with the development of oilfields in the area. In March 1949 a post office was again established, after which the town soon incorporated. The incorporated area straddled the Gregg-Rusk county line. Easton had 297 residents in 1970 and 401 in 1990."

"[Major Kennedy] bought whole sections [of Texas land] at a time since land was inexpensive. By 1930, when the East Texas oil boom hit, he had acquired substantial land and livestock. The oil discovered on his land brought him greater wealth, and he joined with other East Texas blacks to form the Tiger Oil and Gas Company. Kennedy became a leader among African Americans because of his financial power and built the all-black town of Easton, on the border of Gregg and Rusk counties. He owned a mercantile store, a garment factory, a sawmill, a number of rent houses, and most of the land in the town by the time of his death. He supported the Pirtle Baptist Church in Easton and donated land for its cemetery.

He also made generous contributions to Butler College, the Progressive Voters' League, the YMCA, and various civil rights causes. He also constructed churches and schools in East Texas, financed the studies of a number of students, and donated fifty acres of land to the Boy Scouts of America for Camp Kennedy, which included a lake with swimming and fishing facilities. He and Mary had ten children. Kennedy died on July 12, 1952."