Denison, Texas -- Because of icy weather forecast for Wednesday, the Eisenhower Birthplace State Historic Site's presentation of Civil Rights on the Line: The Rise and Fall of Jim Crow has now moved online. This event will begin at 6:00 p.m. on February 23, 2022 through the Zoom Room - pre-registration is recommended.
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In 1876, Clara Williams stood on the rail platform in Denison, Texas. She determinedly clutched a first-class ticket to Houston in her hand. As the "all aboard" rang through the air, she marched towards the first-class coach. The conductor refused her ticket. The reason? Clara Williams was Black.
For roughly 100 years, railroads played a complicated role in Jim Crow South. On the one hand, railroads were a poster child for Jim Crow. Strictly segregated cars and waiting rooms were iconic symbols of the system. On the other hand, Black Americans used the railroad to challenge the system, using the rail lines that crisscrossed the country to provide economic growth, political resistance, and social movement.
As a railroad town, Denison did not escape these trends. From formal acts of resistance, to acts of unplanned rebellion, to the quiet everyday struggles of making a living, the Denison's Black community used the railroad to challenge their restriction and create a better future for themselves. Join the Eisenhower Birthplace via ZOOM on February 23 at 6:00 p.m. for this free program as we talk about Civil Rights on the Line: The Rise and Fall of Jim Crow.
The Eisenhower Birthplace is located at 609 S. Lamar Avenue in Denison. Please call 903.465.8908 or email eisenhower-birthplace@thc.texas.gov for more information.
The Eisenhower Birthplace State Historic Site, located in Denison, Texas, features the modest house where the 34th U.S. President Dwight David “Ike” Eisenhower was born in 1890. Period furnishings fill the modest frame house, illustrating the Eisenhower family’s working-class life in the railroad town of Denison. The Visitors Center celebrates Ike with memorabilia and exhibits featuring his many accomplishments as president and war hero and tells the story of how the community preserved Eisenhower’s birthplace in the 1940s and 1950s.