Milken Center unveils exhibit
By Jason Silvers | Fort Scott Tribune

FORT SCOTT — The Lowell Milken Center recently unveiled its newest exhibit -- the African-American History of Bourbon County.

Staff at the educational center, 4 S. Main St., announced the grand opening of the exhibit during the Fort Scott Area Chamber of Commerce Coffee on Thursday at the center. Several chamber members, area businesspeople, and local residents attended the event to view the exhibit and hear about other upcoming community events.

Several area residents and history enthusiasts, including Arnold Schofield, Don Miller, Robert Nelson, Maria Bahr, and Myrtle Anne Colum, contributed to the idea for the project and its development, Milken Center Director Norm Conard said. Milken Center staff also worked in collaboration with several area elementary schools on the exhibit.

"It's an eclectic look at African-American history in Fort Scott and Bourbon County," Conard said.

Bahr said the purpose of the exhibit is to inform and educate the public about local African-American history that dates back to 1861. The opening of the exhibit gives local residents a chance to learn about the notable contributions of the African-American community to Bourbon County, the Milken Center statement said.

"Throughout this period, hard work, education and religious beliefs have helped bind the community together in shared experiences," a sign on the exhibit reads.

The exhibit features archival photography of African-American history in Bourbon County beginning in the mid-1800s, including photography of early military involvement, noted area professionals, and a famous scientist and photographer. The exhibit displays the rich heritage of African-American history in Bourbon County, illustrating its integral role in area history, a statement from the Milken Center said.

Photographs make up most of the exhibit, but it also includes a copy of a rare painting of the First Kansas Colored Infantry Regiment, the first African-American unit to fight in the Civil War. The exhibit displays the vast history of African-Americans in Bourbon County, including photographs of George Washington Carver, a noted scientist, educator and inventor who attended Fort Scott schools in the late 1800s.

"Many people didn't realize that Carver went to school here," Bahr said.

Other notable African-Americans featured in the exhibit include Fort Scott native Gordon Parks, a famed photographer, musician, poet, writer, and filmmaker; the Whirlwinds basketball team that won five state titles in the late 1920s and early 1930s and the team's coach, E.J. Hawkins; and Esther Campbell, a teacher at the E.J. Hawkins School and later at Eugene Ware; among many others.

"Look sharp, feel sharp, and be sharp -- that's the motto he taught his students," Schofield said of Hawkins.

A 1955 photograph of Robert Nelson, a Fort Scott resident, dressed in his military uniform is also included in the exhibit. The exhibit also includes some photographs of historic African-American schools and churches in the area, including the First Plaza School during the late 1800s and early 1900s, and the Wayman AME church circa 1915. A file photo from The Fort Scott Tribune of a Martin Luther King, Jr. celebration in downtown Fort Scott in 2005 also graces the exhibit's walls.

Staff at the Lowell Milken Ceter assist teachers and students develop history projects that deal with relevant social issues and teach respect and understanding of all people.