Civil War

ITS PLACE IN THE AMERICAN CIVIL WAR

Historic Smith Apartments (HSA) is located where fierce battles occurred in 1863, in Raymond, Mississippi. However, its historical significance transcends its age, location, and place in history as a first of its kind. It also embodies the essence of the American Civil War—the freedom and the right, of every American, whether supporters of Union or Confederate causes, to own, enjoy, and defend one’s private property rights.

More follows about HSA's symbolic influence on peaceful race relations.

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Source: See Footnote 1.

A Symbolic Place: Historic Smith Apartments is situated between the towns of Utica and Raymond, Mississippi. Its driveway faces Port Gibson Street, formerly known as the Utica-Raymond Road. On May 11, 1963, Confederate Brigadier General John Gregg's 3,000 soldiers marched southwest and into Raymond from Jackson. Confederate Sergeant Sumner Cunningham and his regiment also arrived in Raymond and spent the night in the Raymond Courthouse yard. Meanwhile, Union Major General James B. McPherson's 12,000 soldiers moved towards Raymond along the Utica-Raymond Road and camped at Roach's farm on the road to Raymond. At 3:30 A.M., on the morning of May 12, 1863, McPherson's soldiers were awakened out of their sleep so they could advance north and arrive in Raymond on Grant's order. Upon receiving their orders, they marched forward and met the Confederate soldiers head on. Fierce battles ensued. The Union soldiers outnumbered and defeated the Confederate soldiers in Raymond. Subsequently, Grant maneuvered his troops into position on May 13, and on May 14, attacked and captured Jackson, Mississippi, too.

A Symbol of Peaceful Collaboration: HSA’s African American builders privately funded the project so the approval of their R-4 zoning application was also symbolic. It demonstrated how Americans, whether supporters of the Confederacy or Union, had grown to live in peace. In 1979, both an all-white Hinds County Planning Commission and an all-white Hinds County Board of Supervisors approved the R-4 zoning for HSA, commenting on its value to the community. Summarily, this Commission, Board, and HSA’s African American builders, working together peacefully and professionally, established a perpetual record of how to look beyond the color-line, southern stereotypes and self-interest, in doing what had not been done before—a bi-racial collaboration that delivered unprecedented quality, fair and affordable housing.

A Symbol of the Contributions of African American Builders: As fate would have it, both the Raymond Courthouse, where Confederate Sergeant Sumner’s regiment spent the night of May 11, 1863 and HSA are located in Raymond, Mississippi. An African American, John Jackson, is credited for having designed the Raymond Courthouse [See Footnote 2.] so HSA's historical, genealogical and vocational kinship, to this courthouse, not only symbolizes how the skills of slaves, like John Jackson, were essential in building noteworthy public structures, in the early phases of American history. HSA also symbolizes the influence of the leadership skills of African Americans in the continued building of entire communities.

A Symbol for Healing African American Communities: Many initiatives look outside these communities for healing. The Black-on-Black Peace Initiative, under the auspices of the Institute for Private Property Rights, Inc., inspired by HSA, seek to encourage these communities to also look within, by facilitating a paradigm shift through impartial research studies, education and training, and leadership willing to bring about this change. Click Here. Find and example of how, it is believed that, establishment African American politicians working with other African American private citizens, have acted in ways that knowingly damaged HSA's operability and seemingly assaulted the entire community, in violation of law and their own ordinances. The leadership of HSA has reached out to these politicians with win/win alternatives without receiving a collaborative spirited response. These methods are complete contradiction to the positive aforementioned due dilligence of the all-white commission and board. On the other hand, the leadership of HSA will continue in its outreach efforts because we believe that all politicians, who are genuinely concerned about the betterment of their town, city, county and state, need the help of every citizen and community, like that of HSA, to chart this new direction.

[Footnote 1]: Digital ID: (digital file from b&w film copy neg.) cph 3c37947 http://hdl.loc.gov/loc.pnp/cph.3c37947; Reproduction Number: LC-USZ62-137947 (b&w film copy neg.); Repository: Library of Congress Prints and Photographs Division Washington, D.C. 20540 USA http://hdl.loc.gov/loc.pnp/pp.print

[Footnote 2]:The Raymond Courthouse was listed on the National Register of Historic Places in 1986. The town's chief edifice is the Hinds County Courthouse (1857-1859), celebrated as one of the state's finest Greek Revival public buildings. The rectangular two-story building has stuccoed and scored masonry walls, tall windows at both stories, and towering porticoes of Tuscan order on all four sides. It is capped by an open, columned cupola. The bold and simple Greek Revival style embodies the work of the brothers George and Tom Weldon, a famed architectural and contracting firm from the Natchez area who also designed the 1858 Old Warren County Courthouse in Vicksburg, 45 miles east, which is a National Historic Landmark. The design of the courthouse is credited to John Jackson, a slave who worked as a draftsman for the Weldon brothers and also designed the Old Warren County Courthouse. As was true for many antebellum buildings, the workmen were also skilled slaves. Source: National Park Service (2009-03-13). "National Register Information System". National Register of Historic Places. National Park Service. "National Register of Historic Places Inventory/Nomination: Raymond Historic District" "National Register of Historic Places Inventory/Nomination: Raymond Historic District"