Today I was so disheartened to learn that the statue of Richard Henry Boyd, founder of what is now the R H Boyd Publishing Company, has been stolen. Kalonji took the kids to the company earlier this year so they could have a better appreciation for the history of the company. Around since 1896, the publishing company has been a well-known name in religious publishing for many, many years. The statue of R.H. has been at the building for more than 40 years.
the boys in front of the R.H. Boyd statue (Feb 2012)
Apparently, investigators think the statue may have been stolen to sell for parts. What a shame and blatant display of having no respect for history.
Black Nashville Genealogy & History 
Dr. Tommie Morton-Young
/ December 20, 2012I have in my possession a pipe stem formerly owned by Pleasant Lane of NC, and later Chapel Hill, TN. The Dept. of Archives and History in Raleigh, NC studied the ‘stem’ and concluded that it was a reed that grew in marshland in VA ca. 1790. That means this object is over 200 years old. The bowl of the pipe was clay and disintegrated long ago. But how remarkable that Pleaasasnt, born l820 kept this object from her father all those years, and it has passed along in the family. I yearn to find a place to preserve this pipe stem. There is such rich story behind it, and how many artifacts and antiques are around from the AA experience for so long time.
Dr. Tommie Morton-Young
/ December 20, 2012Seeking individuals who may have information, artifacts, oral accounts, etc., of the Heffernn Plantation that once existed in North Nashville. Born and reared in North Nshville, I remember when Meharry Blvd. was ‘Heffernan St.’ I understand there is a covenant regarding the use of the land where Washington Jr. High School once stood, and Pearl Cohn School now stands. There is a burial ground within those perimeters, and research is needed to help fill in the gaps in the AA history of Nashville, especially for me, North Nashville. Hope to hear from someone with info. and/or interest.
Dr. Tommie Morton-Young
/ December 20, 2012Many people are not aware that the current Batavia St. in North Nashville was once called Zollicoffer. The Street got its name from a Confederate soldier in the Civil War. Washington Junior High School was named for this officer’s man servant (slave). Know of other ‘odds and ends–facts’ on North Nashville. Read SABLE SCENES. REAL LIFE STORIES OF BLACK FAMILY LIFE AND LIVING IN A SOUTHERN TOWN. One of the short stories in this book is called, “Incident on Jefferson Street.” A tidy bit of history/fiction. Remember Eskinds Department Store on Jefferson;? one of only two places in Nashville where a black doll could be purchased in the years before the sixties.