I want to be clear from the very beginning. Visually this is not a 5-star museum, but it IS a…read more5-star effort by a man with a passion spanning more than two decades.
Jack Hadley Black History Memorabilia, Inc. (a non-profit organization) was founded in 1994. It was birthed from his son's desire to continue the yearly tradition of Black History Week after local teachers dismissed hosting it one year. Jack helped his son put together a rudimentary poster board presentation with a few clippings from magazines such as Jet and Ebony.
What Jack discovered by this desire to help his son was the need for black history to not only be preserved in their area, but celebrated and proclaimed. Thus his quest began to collect artifacts, stories and collectible memorabilia, amassing over 4,669 pieces of African American artifacts with emphasis on Thomasville's First Black Achievers. Originally he would partake in traveling shows before eventually landing a facility of his own located at the former campus of Douglass High School.
The current set-up is in what I assume was the old gym, but as Jack explained in his brief tour of the museum, he does have full access to the rest of the school and will someday (with proper funding) expand.
[ THE EXPERIENCE ]
I'd only come to Thomasville to see the 400-year-old tree known as The Big Oak. While there I discovered a town loaded with history, some of which is featured here in Jack Hadley's Museum. I was intrigued since my heart's desire is to return to Washington, DC to experience the National Museum of African American History & Culture.
I arrived to what looked like an abandoned school with a few men painting the doors. I wasn't sure if I was in the right place or if they were open, but one of the men pointed me towards the correct entrance door.
A young gentleman greeted me and informed me it was a $5 surcharge for adults, to which I initially said, "we'll come back another time." I could see a portion of the museum and it honestly looked too cluttered for me. I'm a 'less is more' person as well as EXTREMELY detail-oriented, so places like this overload my senses. I prefer larger, simpler displays and here it felt like I was looking at 1,000 open books.
Just as I was turning away, Jack came into the room and encouraged me to stay to take a tour. He was particularly interested in having my 14-year-old son come inside. He told me to forget about the admission fee, he would waive it if we would take the tour, which started with a 5-minute video.
What I REALLY appreciated about his collection were the local stories you most likely will not hear about anywhere else. One story was personal to Jack, of how the plantations were taken over by investors from the north whom built homes for local blacks, one of which Jack grew up in. He told of how one woman by the name of Pansy Ireland Poe would send black children to college and pay for it herself. He also told of stories of slaves that were actually PAID for their work, something I'd never heard of!
The museum also touched on sports, politics, poets, musicians and other artists but inevitably cannot escape the darker parts of our past such as slavery & the Jim Crow era.
After our tour, I promptly paid double the admission fee, even though Jack had waived it upon entry. I wanted him and his staff to know I appreciate what they are striving to achieve.
[ FINAL THOUGHTS ]
I can't speak for all African-Americans, but I will shamefully say as for me, I've bounced back and forth being both proud and dismayed of my skin color. Not ashamed mind you, just not as proud at times as I should have been. But how could I be? Pride often comes from knowing who you are. So much of our history has never been told, lost or deleted altogether. Only in the last decade or so I've begun to discover the history that was hidden from schoolbooks and common publications. History that would have made me walk a little taller, stand a little firmer and climb a little higher had I known of the achievements of my people dating back beyond biblical times.
Recent movies such as The Help, Green Book and Hidden Figures were a complete surprise to me as well as discoveries of my own. I have a passion for covered bridges, and through my quest to discover the remaining bridges still standing in the south, I came across the story of Horace King; a slave whom earned his freedom building bridges that still stand over 100 years later. He even engineered the floating staircase in an Alabama courthouse that remains in use today. It makes me think of the current term Make America Great AGAIN, to which I think "again" should be dropped. How great we would have been if all men & women of all races had been allowed to freely explore their talents, abilities and been uninhibited in their contributions.
So I APPLAUD YOU Jack Hadley for what you have managed to accomplish here in Thomasville, GA. May it continue to grow, improve and spread for generations!
2019/60
