By: Charles Blatcher, III
Chairman, National Coalition of Black Veteran Organizations
For Immediate Release and available for reprint
The commemorative road sign unveiling honoring Brigadier General Charles Young Memorial Historical Corridor is scheduled to happen in Ripley, Ohio on October 25, 2024, at the John P. Parker House.
The National Coalition of Black Veteran Organizations became involved in the restoration of Charles Youngs birth cabin in 2010. The late Historian Jerry Gore and former Judge/Executive James Gallenstein invited Holbert Maxey and me to come view the dwelling. It was on its last leg before complete implosion, and they were seeking our help to save it. We were successful as a direct result of the former Judge’s commitment to the project. I am sure Brother Gore is looking down in approval of what has been achieved. In God’s grace, he lived to see the cabin restored. Since then, we have added a one-hundred and seventy-mile corridor as a punctuation mark. We have called and are recalling upon President Joe Biden to declare the cabin property a National Monument under the Presidential Antiquities Act. President Biden granted Charles Young the promotion to Brigadier General to which we are appreciative, and we now believe it to be fitting if he would annex the cabin into the National Park Services before leaving office in January 2025. Let me provide an explanation behind the concept of the corridor.
The idea originated with the National Coalition of Black Veteran Organizations. The first attempt produced the Colonel Charles Young Memorial Historical Highway. Former Kentucky State Representative Mike Denham sought and received the designation. The roadway that runs in front of the cabin property bears the highway designation. He explained that it would be politically impossible to get a consensus from the counties involved with the road change designations. There are streets, roadways and highways that already bear names of individuals important to those localities. We were not interested in that type of fight. One day as he and I were discussing the idea, me stressing the importance of the designation, he suggested we may be able to avoid the objections by stressing the regional designation. I introduced the idea as the keynote Speaker at the Kentucky Legislative Black Caucus History Month Celebration in 2023. Supported by the Caucus, Senators Gerald Neal and Stephen West presented the legislation calling for the Corridor. It passed the Kentucky Legislative House on a unanimous vote and was signed by Governor Andy Beshear on March 23, 2023. The Governor unveiled the commemorative road sign on June 1, 2023. The Ohio link carried forward by Representative Terrence Upchurch and Senator Adam Holmes, also passed both Houses of State Government on unanimous votes. Governor Mike DeWine signed HR253 on July 22, 2024. The unveiling ceremony in October will represents the Final Link to the corridor.
This was not a glamour exercise designed for flash with no substance. The corridor is an umbrella for the cultural entities located within the area. The purpose is to share the positive visibility associated with Brigadier General Charles Young’s name and obscured history throughout the region. We recognized early in the cabin restoration that its greatest value was being part of a larger plan. The Corridor is the larger plan, it spotlights General Young and the Black History of the Region.
We believe with sufficient planning – showcasing the region’s Black History assets – the area has the potential to be a leader in attracting educational tourism. There is plenty to see and learn on an educational tour through the region starting from either end:
- Kentucky African American Heritage Center, Louisville, KY
- Camp Nelson National Monument, Nicholasville, KY: Civil War Era Depot
- Kentucky Gateway Museum, Maysville, KY: Regional History
- The Rosenwald Negro School, Mays Lick, KY: one of more than 5,000 schools and shops built in early 20th century for the education of Southern Negro children
- Second Baptist Church, Mays Lick, KY: attended by the Young Family in the 1860’s
- Brigadier General Young’s birth cabin, Mays Lick, KY: built in 1790’s; 2014 restored and reopened
- John P. Parker House, Ripley, OH (Underground Railroad). John Parker bought his freedom, was an abolitionist, an inventor, and entrepreneur
- John Rankin House, Ripley, Ohio: Presbyterian minister John Rankin’s home; he is reputed to be one of Ohio’s first and most active Underground Railroad Conductors
- Union Township Public Library, Local Research
- Charles Young Buffalo Soldiers National Monument, Wilberforce, OH: commemorates Charles Young’s life (1864-1922), US Army Buffalo Soldier; first Black American Colonel
- The National Afro American Museum and Culture Center, Wilberforce, Ohio boasts the largest repository of General Young related materials
- Wilberforce University, the nation’s oldest private Black University was named to honor 18th century abolitionist, William Wilberforce
- Payne Theological Seminary, Wilberforce, Ohio: established in 1849, oldest free-standing African American United States seminary; incorporated in 1894 by the AME Church
- Cincinnati National Underground Railroad Museum
Thanks to the Kentucky Tourism, Arts and Heritage Cabinet, through Golden Buffalo Publication, the Kentucky Legislative Black Caucus and National Coalition of Black Veteran Organizations are releasing an e-magazine in furtherance of the branding campaign. The magazine is a historical tribute to the General featuring a timeline of his life and introducing the entities lying within the region. “Come for a day and stay for a week, there is something to be learned, great food and exceptional hospitality.” We hope to see you on the Corridor! ####
*This article is dedicated to Brother William Lewis, Chief Ambassador of Goodwill for the National Coalition of Black Veteran Organizations. Member of the 1978, “March for Recognition.” August 6, 1947 – September 20, 2024. *
