Historical marker memorializing the Jonesville community

Item

Legacies Classification
Memorial Object
Memorial Type
Plaque/Marker
Memorial Context
Reparative
Memorialized Subject
Destruction of Jonesville
Title
Historical marker memorializing the Jonesville community
Background and Context
Jonesville was a thriving African American community that was selected for urban renewal and acquired by the state. It was then acquired by Western Kentucky University, who then expanded into Diddle Arena, Smith Stadium, Downing Student Union, and Bates Runner Hall. The plaque was paid for by the Kentucky Historical Society and the Kentucky Department of Highways. A ceremony was held for a commemoration of the plaque on April 10, 2001. The dedication was attended by Gary Ransdell, the president of the University at the time. Sandy Jones, the Mayor, and Jonathan Jeffrey, head of the special collections Kentucky library. The dedication speech was made by Bobby W. Austin, the president and CEO of the Village Foundation.
Physical Description
A bronze plaque with writing describing the existence of Jonesville prior to its destruction.
Memorial Inscription
This African American community was founded after the Civil War. It was bordered by Dogwood Dr. Russellville Road, and the railroad tracks. The community grew to include several hundred residents, an elementary school, businesses, and two churches. Frame and hand-hewn stone houses lined the streets of Jonesville. The lives of most residents of this close African American community revolved around church, school and family activities. In the late 1950s Jonesville was one of the two areas in Bowling Green designated for urban renewal. By 1968 the state had acquired the land and sold it to the university.
Creator/Participating Person(s)
Western Kentucky University
Kentucky Department of Highways
Kentucky Historical Society
Date created, installed or dedicated
10 April 2001
Historical Period
2000-Present: Confederate Memorialization in the Era of Universities Studying Slavery and the Black Lives Matter Movement
Funded by
Kentucky Department of Highways
Kentucky Historical Society
Location: Institution, City, State
Western Kentucky University; Bowling Green, Kentucky
Site pages
Reparative Memorials

Position: 350 (17 views)