Douglass, Memphis

Douglass is a community on the North side of Memphis, Tennessee where majority of its residence are elderly individuals with birth dates as far back as the late 1800. Douglass was named after Freddrick Douglass who was admired by the late Reverend William Rush-Plummer, the prior owner of the land (approximately 40 acres) where the Douglass neighborhood currently stands.

Geography

Douglass borders Hyde Park and Hollywood and is surrounded by railroad tracks to the north, south and east.

History

Beginnings

Reverend William Rush-Plummer was the child of a slave from Africa and her white slave master named, William Rush. When the wife of William Rush learned of the birth of William Rush-Plummer, she demanded that the boy not be given their family last name of Rush. William Rush then assigned the last name of Plummer to his son and he came to be known as William Rush-Plummer. The father, William Rush gave William Rush-Plummer the land, now known as the Douglass Community when his family was released from slavery. (40 acres and a mule). Young William Rush-Plummer who had a strong resemblance and similar speech pattern with a heavy southern dialect - to his caucasaian father William Rush, grew up to become a Reverend and began opening many churches on his land.

From the very beginning, religion has played a vital role in the lives of individuals in the Douglass Community due to William Rush-Plummer's vision. In 1900, Reverend William Rush Plummer and his associates had a vision that a church was needed for the community. Under a bush arbor in Douglass Park, the first church known as "Need More" was established. Reverend Plummer, known as “Father Plummer” deliberately gave the church this name because he felt it needed more of everything: shelter, chairs, and people.

aint Paul Missionary Baptist Church

In 1902, Need More Church moved to a new location for worship on Ellington Street and was given a new name, "Saint Paul Missionary Baptist Church". Reverend Plummer served as the church’s first official pastor. He was succeeded by Reverend Bolton, followed by Reverend Anderson. The church moved in 1905 to its present location at 1543 Brookins Street. Rev. J.E. Ferguson became the fourth pastor of the church on the third Sunday in June, 1931. Realizing that education had to be perpetuated in the community, Saint Paul allowed Douglass High School to hold classes in the early 1900’s when the school was blown away by the "Great Storm". In 1935, the School burned to the ground and once again, St. Paul Missionary Baptist Church opened its doors. Rev. Ferguson permitted the school to hold classes under the leadership of Mrs. Susie Crawford, principal and later Mr. Lucky Sharpe until the new school was built the following year. To further serve the community, St. Paul was, also, used as a social center for feeding the poor. Rev. Ferguson served as pastor of St. Paul Missionary Baptist Church for 60 years until his death on April 16, 1991.

Reverend Harry Davis was elected as Pastor, on the first Sunday in July in 1991. Evangelist Maggie-Judith Fluker-Campbell, Pastor, the great-great granddaughter of Reverened William Rush-Plummer was raised in St. Paul Missionary Baptist Church under the late, Reverend Ferguson. Now living in Southern, California, Pastor Maggie Campbell re-established her membership with St. Paul Douglass M. B. Church and established a Covenant Partnership between St. Paul Douglass M.B. church and Maggie Campbell Ministries - in Southern California - officially on December 18, 2005.

St. Paul has been remodeled three times (1940, 1951 and 1985) since the new foundation on Brookins was laid. A kitchen was added in 1985. A number of properties and annex buildings have been purchased for current and future use. The annex building on Pope Street is used for Sunday school and the children’s ministry classes, while the property on Mt. Olive is being used as a clothing and food shelter for the outreach ministry. A church van was purchased in 1994 to commute elderly members and various church organizations. Our newest addition is a lighted asphalt parking lot with a wrought iron security fence.

St Paul Missionary Baptist Church, was re-documented under the name of St. Paul (Douglass) M. B. Church under the direction of Reverend Harry Davis and is a landmark in the “Historic Douglass Community.” It has experienced some crisis, but it is yet growing and moving forward to greatness!

Education

Douglass is home to Douglass Elementary School on Ash St., Douglass Community Center and Douglass High School. There are several churches in the community including St. Paul Douglass M.B. Church, St. John Church - located at the corner of Brookins Street and Chelsea Avenue (also founded by the late Reverend William Rush-Plummer), Calvary Baptist Church and more.

Douglass High School

Douglass High School was declared a landmark around the year 1998. It is currently under new construction with a scheduled opening date of September 2008. The old school building was torn down in the summer of 2006 after being vacant for 26 years after its closing in the 80s due to attendance issues. Students from the community were bused to Craigmont High School. A parade was held to commemorate the demolition of the building. Alumni of the school took a brick from the rubble to cherish their years at Douglass. The building was a haven for gang activity and late night games to Douglass children. The new building is being constructed and is scheduled to open for the 2008-09 school year to at least 800 students. It shall be the one of the oldest but newest Memphis City Schools, with a state of the art 1,500 seat varsity gym, a 1,100 seat auditorium, football stadium (with a track) in the middle of Douglass Park, and baseball stadium at the northeast corner of Douglass Park. The mascot is the Red Devil and colors are maroon, red and white. The school is expected to house the regular varsity sports and are expected to do well due to the amazing athletes from the community. The sports teams will consist of players from Craigmont who are from the community, the varsity basketball team will have two players from Bolton High School as well.

Community

Recreation

Douglass Park - located behind Douglass High School - is where many children have come together since the 1960s through the late 1970s for Day Camp during the summer months. Children where taught how to play indoor and outdoor sports, arts and craft, children's theater and they participated in competitive sports against other parks and community centers around the City of Memphis. The Juneteenth celebration and the Douglass Expos is held in Douglass Park - nestled alongside the Quaker Oats Company.

Community Center

The Douglass Community Center has a gymnasium, banquet room, arts and craft rooms, a kitchen, game room (pool table, table tennis, and table hockey), multi- purpose room, a Co- Act Police office and restrooms. They sponsor many events throughout the year including: Senior Citizens Days, Cheerleadering, Majorettes, Dance, Physical Fitness, Baseball Skills Days, Drawing, Coloring, Tumbling and little league games in football, basketball and baseball under the direction of Terry E. Fluker, Sr., Director of Douglass Community Center.

Another notable contributor to the Douglass Park and Community Center is Memphis Park Commission employee, Maurice Goode, Sr., a former Douglass resident along with mother & numerous brothers & sisters and graduate of Douglass High.

Neighborhood Association

The Douglass Community have a Neighborhood Association funded through the City of Memphis. Douglass Neighborhood Association's primary goal is the refurbish and rebuild the community of Douglass in effort to attract more families to the neighborhood. The association is doing very well and is self-sustaining.

Oldest Resident

The Douglass Community is one of the oldest communities in the City of Memphis. A life long resident of the Douglass Community, the late Agnes Johnson-Lamar was 107 at the time of her death. She lived on Pope Street in the middle of the Douglass Community for approximately 100 years. In her youth, along with two of her sisters, the late Carrie Fluker and Elizabeth (Sees) Christmas; Agnes Lamar lived on Pope Street when the name of the street was, Caradine Street. Agnes Lamar was older than the street itself. Efforts were made unsuccessfully to rename Pope Street, "Agnes Lamar Street" years before she died, by her great niece,Pastor Maggie-Judith Fluker-Campbell, (Daughter of the late Evelyn Fluker-Williams (who worked for the Memphis Park Commission for many years prior to her death in 1993), youngest sister of Douglass Community Center Director, Terry E. Fluker, Sr. and the Brown, Johnson and Fluker Family Historian). Agnes Lamar holds the record to this day as the oldest person to have lived in the Douglass Community.

Economy

Douglass has several different factories in the area as well; some are still active while others are not, and all are tied into a rail line connecting several factories' docking areas including John Murrell Meats. Douglass borders Hyde Park and Hollywood and is surrounded by railroad tracks to the north, south and east. For many years, residents could not leave the community most days of the week without being blocked in by stalled railroad cars or slow mile long cars day after day. Many residents have had bad experiences crossing the tracks by foot and by auto. Many accidents over the years have been documented. Though promises were made to build an overpass as far back as the early 1970s, this project never materialized.

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