A Women’s History Month Tribute to Madam C.J. Walker

Yesterday's America Editorial Team
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A Women’s History Month Tribute to Madam C.J. Walker

Today, we celebrate the life of the great entrepreneur and philanthropist Madam C.J. Walker (1867 – 1919) who has been described as the first American self-made woman millionaire. 

This photograph of Madam Walker was taken in Washington, D.C. early in her career.  The image became famous and was widely-used in the promotion of Walker’s products. 

Madam Walker spent her most successful years in Indianapolis, Indiana where she planned a large theater complex that was completed in 1927, eight years after her death.

The great-great-granddaughter of Madam Walker, A’Leila Bundles has had a remarkable career in her own right.  Bundles is an Emmy award-winning producer and former ABC News Executive and trustee of Columbia University. She has written several books including a highly-regarded biography of Madam Walker “On Her Own Ground: The Life and Times of Madam C.J. Walker”.

Walker (1867 — 1919) led an inspiring, rags-to-riches life, as captured by the following image showing the circumstances of her birth and the beautiful mansion she built on the Hudson River just a year before her death.

Madame Walker was born Sarah Breedlove in a shack on a Louisiana cotton plantation.  She died in a mansion she had built a few miles from the Rockefeller estate that she had named the “Villa Lewato”. It was designed by Vertner Tandy, New York City’s first licensed black architect and was commonly known as a “wonder house”.
 
Walker was orphaned at the age of seven and a widow with a child by 20. She supported herself as a laundress in St. Louis for two decades. When Walker became concerned over her hair loss in her late 30s, she discovered and began selling a product for hair restoration which became known as “Madam Walker’s Wonderful Hair Grower”.  With a flair for marketing, investment savvy, and a commitment to hard work, Madam Walker created a large business empire on the foundation of her Wonderful Hair Grower.

Madam Walker’s Wonderful Hair Grower was always her most popular product and was sold in tins featuring her photograph.   

Walker manufactured a line of hair and other cosmetic products for African American women. She franchised her products and created and trained a national sales force. Madam Walker also established a nation-wide system of schools in many American cities to train African American beauticians and cosmetologists.  Many women trained in the Walker schools became successful in their own right. 

Madam Walker opened her first beautician school in Pittsburgh and named it Lelia College after her daughter.

Madam Walker was a skillful promoter of her products and her beautician schools.

This 1917 advertisement features Madam Walker’s hair preparations, other cosmetic products and her schools.  The advertisement exhorts its readers: “Open your own shop.  Secure Prosperity and Freedom. Many women of all ages, confronted with the problem of earning a livelihood have mastered the WALKER SYSTEM.”

In addition to being a savvy business woman, Madam Walker was also a philanthropist and contributed generously to churches, educational institutions, anti-lynching movements, and other causes devoted to the betterment of African Americans.

In 1913, Madam Walker contributed $1,000 for a YMCA facility in Indianapolis for African American men and boys.  In this photograph of the dedication ceremony, Madam Walker is seen with Booker T. Washington and other dignitaries.

In 1914, angered at her treatment by a segregated Indianapolis theatre, Madam Walker purchased a large city block in the city’s African American district to house her company’s headquarters and factory. She dreamed that this facility would become a center of African American cultural life which would free Indianapolis African Americans from indignities. The complex opened just after Christmas in December, 1927 and served for many years as a community landmark and as the headquarters for the Madam C.J. Walker Manufacturing Company.

This photograph of the Walker Theatre was taken shortly after its opening in December, 1927. It was a four-story, block long, 48,00 square foot flatiron structure that included the company headquarters, a theatre, meeting rooms, ballroom, businesses, and professional offices.

By the 1970’s, unfortunately, the building had fallen into disrepair and was slated for demolition. However, an inspiring community effort saw the building beautifully restored and reopened in 1988 as the Madam Walker Theatre Center. It has again become a vibrant presence in community life. In 1991, the Walker Building was officially added to the National Register of Historic Places.

In 1998, Madam Walker became the 21st historical figure honored by the U.S. Postal Service in its Black Heritage Series.  A’Lelia Bundles, the author of the Images of America book on Madam Walker is fourth from right in this photograph.

This post was written by Robin Friedman for Madam Walker Theatre Center: An Indianapolis Treasure (Arcadia Publishing)

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Legendary Houston Restaurants

Yesterday's America Editorial Team
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Legendary Houston Restaurants

Where Houstonians learned to dine.

Houston, that bustling city on the Texas Gulf Coast, has recently been “discovered” by the national and international news media for its restaurant scene. Imaginative chefs and ambitious restaurateurs are iconic figures in the history of the nation’s fourth-largest city. These colorful characters walk alongside wildcatters, scientists, artists, and astronauts with the same swagger. Houston’s restaurant culture goes deep into the city’s history, and even though plenty of the legendary restaurants are gone, their legacy persists in Bayou City today. 

Felix Mexican Restaurant

Felix Mexican Restaurant. The back reads, “The new Felix Mexican Restaurant is now able to accommodate 325 patrons at
one time. Located in Houston, Texas at 904 Westheimer.” Courtesy Paul & Christiane Galvani, authors of Lost Restaurants of Houston (History Press, 2018. $21.99)

Felix sign from pg. 96-97 insert.
Mexican immigrant Felix Tijerina is considered the father of Tex-Mex cuisine in Houston. From 1937 onward, hungry Houstonians fell in love with his menu of Tex-Mex classics, but none will ever forget his chile con queso. Felix became a cultural leader outside of his restaurant, showing future business owners how valuable it is to give back to the community.

Maxim’s

Left: Maxim’s menu signed by Van Cliburn. Camille Bermann- Maxim’s Collection, Hospitality Archives, Hilton College, University of Houston. Right: Maxim’s menu after the move to Lamar Street. Camille Bermann-Maxim’s Collection, Hospitality Archives, Hilton College, University of Houston.

As oil money came to Houston, so did swanky restaurants and bars. Maxim’s was by far the swankiest, from 1950 to the end of the century. Belgian pastry chef Camille Bermann named his venture after the Parisian Maxim de Paris, and taught provincial Houstonians about fine dining and (then exotic) French cuisine. Foie gras, anyone?

One’s A Meal

One’s A Meal, River Oaks. Courtesy of Debbie Garrett.

Mention One’s A Meal to any Houstonian over the age of 60, and you’ll doubtless see a smile on their face. Whether it was the anytime breakfast or multiple, all-hours locations, this classic diner grew into a beloved chain. At their height in 1958, One’s A Meal had eleven restaurants that served 15,000 grateful Houstonians a day.

Vargo’s

Left: Part of Vargo’s grounds and lake. Courtesy of Tim Stanley Photography; copyright Tim Stanley. Right: A peacock in full display on the Vargo’s property. Courtesy of Tim Stanley Photography; copyright Tim Stanley.

A bonafide Houston institution, Vargo’s defined luxury, with understated confidence and stunning landscaped grounds on nine wooded acres in West Houston. Three generations of Houstonians attended special events there. At the height of its popularity, as many as four weddings a week were held at Vargo’s. Oh, and they had peacocks too!

Lost Restaurants of Houston (History Press)

Adapted from Paul and Christiane Galvani’s “Lost Restaurants of Houston,” which boasts these and dozens more stories of immigration, culture-clash, innovation, and old-fashioned hard work are told through the history Houston’s long-gone, but still-beloved restaurants.

Texas Big Wigs: A Preview of the Most Texas Texans in Texas History

Yesterday's America Editorial Team
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Texas Big Wigs: A Preview of the Most Texas Texans in Texas History

Texas is a different kind of place. It was born out of its own revolution that in many ways parallels the American Revolution. Texas heroes like Sam Houston, Stephen F. Austin, and William B. Travis have their names plastered on schools, public buildings and highways in the same way Washington, Jefferson, and Franklin celebrated throughout the US. This unique heritage for Texas resulted in the formation of a particular mind-set for Texans that some call swagger. A Texas truism says to never ask a stranger if he’s from Texas. If he is he’ll tell you, if he isn’t you don’t want to embarrass him.

The origins and consequences of Texas swagger is captured in my book Texas Ingenuity: Lone Star Inventors, Inventions, and Innovators. It’s a collection of engaging and sometimes quirky stories about noteworthy products, inventions, innovators, and companies that were born and bred in Texas. Each story emphasizes a Texas connection and shows how Texas inventiveness, determination or sheer dumb luck made the innovation or innovator famous and successful.

Stories and personalities include:

The Chuckwagon – The on-the-trail invention of Colonel Charles Goodnight in the 1870’s—and how cowboy cooking inspired the uncountable Tex-Mex restaurants that occupy every busy street corner in Texas today

Pig Stand – The most innovative restaurant in history—home of the carhop, the onion ring, Texas toast, the drive-in restaurant, the drive-thru restaurant, and more.

Neiman Marcus – The store that put Texas on the world’s fashion map.

Conrad Hilton – Who turned a small-town flophouse into a world-wide hotel empire.

The Hamburger – The sometimes-disputed but always appetizing 1904 invention of the hamburger in Athens by Fletcher Davis.

Dr. Pepper – Charles Aldetron’s 1885 Waco concoction and the legendary love story that may have given it its name.

Liquid Paper – The timesaving invention by Bette Nesmith (and how her son became a Monkee).

Mary Kay Cosmetics – The company that gave thousands of women a chance to make a pretty penny in the business world.

Kilgore Rangerettes – How Gussie Nell Davis gave a kick-start to the concept of the college drill team in Kilgore, Texas and changed half-time shows forever

 And the list continues…

Texas Ingenuity invites the reader to pull up an easy chair, pour a frosty glass of Dr. Pepper, and learn about the ingenious and imaginative people that made the Lone Star State the best place to live this side of heaven.

This post was written by Alan Elliott for Texas Ingenuity: Lone Star Inventions, Inventors & Innovators (The History Press)

Remembering Lincoln’s Childhood

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Remembering Lincoln’s Childhood

This house may be the home of a neighbor of Lincoln, Col. William Jones, after it was expanded in latter years. Jones gave young Lincoln a job transporting lumber down the Mississippi River. During the trip, Lincoln was shocked by the slave trade that he witnessed.

Abraham Lincoln lived in southern Indiana, from 1816 to 1830, during his formative years between seven and 21. Today, this area is part of Spencer County, but in Lincoln’s day was known as Little Pigeon Creek. Contemporary towns in the area include Lincoln City, Gentryville, and Dale.

Lincoln’s years in Indiana are the stuff of legend and obscurity. Lincoln’s mother Nancy died when he was nine. Lincoln was then raised by his father and stepmother, Sarah Bush Lincoln, who treated him as her own child and is a hero of the Lincoln story. Lincoln revered her. Lincoln’s sister Sarah died in childbirth when Lincoln was 19.

Lincoln had a brief, sporadic education in Indiana which in sum totaled about one year. But he developed his lifelong love of reading and he studied the law. With book to hand, he engaged in backbreaking manual labor on farms and in the field. The money he earned, by law and custom, belonged to his father until Lincoln reached the age of 21. In Indiana, Lincoln formed the ambition to make something of his life. He rejected what he saw as the dead-end life of his father, Thomas.

Little contemporaneous physical evidence survives of the harsh and undeveloped character of southern Indiana in Lincoln’s time. We can understand something of Lincoln’s environment through photos of southern Indiana subsequent to the years of Lincoln’s residence.  Thus, Capps and Ammeson offer photographs of the types of roads, fields, mills, and small general stores that were found in southern Indiana for many years and that Lincoln would have known.

Lincoln probably would have seen Huffman Mill dam during his travels through Southern Indiana. This photograph dating from 1890 shows children fishing from the top of the dam.

Many people in southern Indiana had reason to remember Lincoln. Many of the families that Lincoln knew have descendants that still live in the area and that are a source of Lincoln lore. In addition, Civil War Veterans from southern Indiana understandably felt a special bond with Lincoln.

This undated photo shows Union Army veterans on a trip to Lincoln City to visit the grave of Lincoln’s mother, Nancy Hanks Lincoln. Many of these veterans were from the 42nd Indiana Volunteer Regiment and had seen hard service in the Western theater of the War.

Following Lincoln’s assassination in 1865, efforts began by private citizens and by government to commemorate Lincoln’s residence in southern Indiana. These early efforts included an attempt to  locate and mark the burial site of Lincoln’s mother, Nancy Hanks.

This is the gravesite of Nancy Hanks Lincoln with the subsequently added tombstone and protective iron fence.

In 1962, President John F. Kennedy signed legislation establishing the Lincoln Boyhood National Memorial to be administered by the National Park Service.  Prior to that time, the site had been administered by the State of Indiana.  The great architect Frederick Law Olmstead helped design the Memorial Park.  The local community, the State, the Federal government and the Civilian Conservation Corps all played important role in commemorating Lincoln’s life in Indiana. The National Memorial includes hiking trails, historical markers, and, beginning in 1968, the Lincoln Living Historical Farm to help visitors understand Lincoln. The State of Indiana administers its own commemorative park, the Lincoln State Park, established in 1932.

Memorial at Lincoln Boyhood National Memorial.

Lincoln always was reluctant to speak of his personal life.  He would say of his Indiana childhood only that “here I grew up”.  He returned to the area only once, in 1844, to speak on behalf of his political hero, Henry Clay. In revisiting the area at that time, he wrote the following poem which gives something of his equivocal feelings about the home of his youth. (quoted in David Donald’s “Lincoln” at 27)

“My childhood’s home I see again,
And sadden with the view:
And still, as mem’ries crowd my brain,
There’s pleasure in it too.

I range the fields with pensive tread,
And pace the hollow rooms,
And feel (companion of the dead)
I’m living in the tombs.”

On this President’s Day, it is valuable to take this brief visit to Lincoln’s boyhood home, to draw inspiration from Lincoln’s life, and to think about the strong Union he worked to preserve and the freedom and equality for all that he struggled to create.

This post was written by Robin Friedman for Indiana’s Licolnland (Arcadia Publishing)

Hoosier State History: How Indiana Became the RV Capital of the World

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Hoosier State History: How Indiana Became the RV Capital of the World

While Elkhart, Indiana may be better known for its Amish community, this small town also carries the title for being the capital of Recreational Vehicle (RV) production in the United States. Thanks to the Hoosier spirit and innovative approach to travel, the RV explosion had its epicenter in this quiet community. 

The people of Indiana have a great history, one that spans inspirational sports stories, hilarious writers, and even delicious Hoosier Beer. One of the lesser-known stories is how a simple idea about recreation and design spawned an industry and an American pastime.

Mr. Miller’s travel trailer

Milo Miller earned a living as a salesman in Elkhart, Indiana in 1931. His job required him to travel, but he didn’t want to leave his family behind at home. Rather than abandon his wife and children, Miller built a small travel trailer for his family.

As they journeyed along the road, Miller received countless offers for the ingenious addition to his car. Before Miller’s novel idea, travel trailers sat awkwardly on top of cars. The idea of traveling and living in style like the Miller family attracted a lot of attention.

He sold the first one, built a second, and he soon had a buyer for that one, too. Miller quickly assessed that his idea had great potential.

Miller founded a small company selling motor homes to the public. Other people in Indiana copied his ideas and started building trailers as well. In 1933, Miller displayed his RVs at the Chicago World’s Fair. They impressed a man named Schult so much that he bought Miller’s company.

Schult went on to start Schult Homes, one of the biggest manufacturers of RVs today.
 

Hollywood

The use of recreational vehicles spread quickly across the United States. Americans loved traveling by vehicle, and the idea of living on the road — and not having to depend on hotels — had people reaching for their wallets.

Even Hollywood embraced the trend. Chevrolet offered the blonde vaudeville star, Mae West, one of the earliest models to entice her off the stage and in front of Paramount’s film cameras. Called a Housecar at the time, it included an ice box, tea table, white vinyl seats, wood paneling, and even a little porch on the back where she could wave to her fans.  

The beloved TV couple Lucille Ball and Desi Arnaz made the film, The Long, Long Trailer, a comedy inspired by misadventures on the road while traveling by RV. The film was a big hit, and it remains a film classic today.

The Next Chapter

RV travel remained a trend throughout the ‘60s and’70s. Camps equipped with hookups for water and electricity became a cheap alternative for families traveling on a budget. Of course, entrepreneurs established camps and sites for RV travelers all over the country, including several in Indiana. Many people still enjoy the camps today.

RV parks now offer modern amenities like complimentary Wi-Fi, along with traditional hotel perks like swimming pools. While RVs continue to get bigger and fancier, many enthusiasts look to the earlier models, like the Airstream, to express their love of travel and the unencumbered lifestyle.

Indiana and RVs today

Indiana continues to dominate the RV market, producing more than 80% of these unique vehicles. So, if you see an RV anywhere in the world, it was likely built in the Hoosier state with craftsmanship and dedication.  

Indiana hosts many motor home conventions that RV enthusiasts from around the world attend, including the Crossroads to Fun convention in Indianapolis, an annual gathering for more than 90 years.

What keeps Americans in particular so devoted to their RVs? Is it the cool new innovations that manufacturers pack into each model year after year? Some people love the technology and design as well as the secret compartments and clever spaces.

Or perhaps the devotion comes from a yearning for simpler times and the love of the road. Either way, there’s no question that Americans have a long, devoted history with travel and adventure.

The next time you see an RV, give Indiana a nod for being the birthplace of this great tradition. It’s a great way to tour the country while enjoying all the comforts of home.

Red Lights and Rights: How Much is Your Freedom Worth to You?

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Red Lights and Rights: How Much is Your Freedom Worth to You?

Author Kimber Fountain believes in the importance of freedom and liberty, in all of its forms. Here, she talks about the unique freedom many girls found on “the Line” in Galveston, Texas. Read on to learn more about some of the girls who works Galveston’s red-light district, and the freedom they sought after!

The word “liberty” is scrawled across t-shirts and stamped onto koozies every year on July 4th as an ubiquitous moniker of patriotism, but the true essence of the word is one that should command the highest respect—after all, it was the word upon which our very nation was built.

To the Founding Fathers, liberty was synonymous with “freedom” (yet another word that has since been exploited and marginalized), and it had nothing to do with the military or foreign intervention. To Samuel Adams, liberty was the very basis of his existence, an innate right to the ownership of himself. Jefferson, Franklin, Hancock—they all believed with unwavering conviction that every individual is inherently endowed with absolute freedom, so long as the exercise of said freedom does not infringe upon the rights of another individual. They risked their lives to perpetuate this truth, using it also to conceive a kind of country that had never before existed.

Calling card of Lula Wilcox, known madam of “The Line” who like many other madams operated a brothel under the guise of a boarding house.

Of course, all that these great men actually did was to set forth an idyllic premise. They themselves were not entirely without their own personal shortcomings, and neither did the United States truly begin to look like a free society overnight. But the foundation they crafted is still in place and the legacy of independence they set forth still continues to reveal itself to this day as slowly, but surely, we run out of “categories” of people who have historically been denied those basic rights because of societal constructs. And sometimes, that legacy is found in the most unlikely of places.

For instance, many would consider it heresy to forge a parallel between a nation of ideals and an early 20th-Century prostitute in Galveston, Texas, yet when the moral judgment is scrubbed away from the women who dared to adopt such a job title, they are revealed to be the utmost of patriots, the bravest of pioneers, and the most daring of trailblazers—not because of what they did, but because of why they did it.

Madam Mary “Gouch Eye” Russel (far left) preferred to cater to upscale clientele and always employed young, well-kempt college girls at her houses.

Freedom.

Women who lived in the United States in the early part of the 20th century could not vote, they could not go to college, they could not own real estate, or even have a bank account unless they were married. The only viable jobs available to them were sewing, pecan shelling, childcare, or secretarial positions—and a woman in Galveston’s red light district could make as much from one client as she could an entire day at one of these tasks. During World War II, employment opportunities for women were unbridled because of the shortage of labor, but as soon as the War was over, media and politicians launched an all-out attack on female autonomy, using television shows, print ads, and other various propaganda to relegate women back into a life of domesticity. This is of course a legitimate and honorable path for any woman to take, but only if it is a choice.

Thus for the women in Galveston who worked “The Line,” the ones who dreamed of being aviators and entrepreneurs, the question should not be why these women wanted to be prostitutes, but why they felt they had no other choice. Girls on the Line owned automobiles, and socialized with famous entertainers and the political elite; they had savings accounts, cash to spend, and credit ledgers at local department stores. But even these niceties were not enough to counteract a lifestyle that also brought with it at times a high probability of arrest, a proclivity for violence, and a risk of disease and unwanted pregnancies. Nothing but freedom could be worth so much.

The only remaining photo from a collection of parlor photos commissioned by a Galveston madam; the photos were hung up in the parlor of her house for men to peruse and make their selection.

For these particular women, freedom was so important, they were willing to risk their dignity for it. They were willing to shun themselves from polite society, and fly in the face of a powerful moral undercurrent, all for the sake of liberty. Thus without even knowing it, they became symbols of another type of revolution. Not the type that forged a nation, but the type that would expand the consciousness of that nation.

History has proven that the moral vigilantes who set out to abolish Galveston’s red light district did so to no avail, yet the flagrant peddling of promiscuity did eventually die out in the island city. Not coincidentally, the fading of the Line from Galveston’s cityscape was in lockstep with Second Wave Feminism of the 1960s, which fought for equal employment opportunities and other fundamental changes, proving that it was never really about rebellion, nor was it really about the income or the opportunity. It had always been about one thing and one thing only—the price these women were willing to pay for freedom.

About the Author

Kimber Fountain is a native of the Texas Gulf Coast and a longtime resident of Galveston Island. After earning a bachelor of arts degree in theatre and dance from the University of Texas at Austin, she lived in Chicago for several years before moving to the island where she soon discovered a love for the city’s history while working as a tour guide on the Strand. Currently, Kimber is the editor-in-chief of Galveston Monthly magazine, where she has been a feature writer since 2015. She also serves as chair of the Arts & Historic Preservation Advisory Board to the Galveston City Council. This is Kimber Fountain’s second book from The History Press; Galveston Seawall Chronicles was released in May of 2017.

Learn More: Buy the Book!

This post was written by Kimber Fountain for Galveston’s Red Light District: A History of The Line (The History Press)

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