Douglass is a community on the north side of Memphis, Tennessee. Douglass was named after Frederick Douglass, who was admired by William Rush-Plummer, the one-time owner of the land (approximately ) where the Douglass neighborhood currently stands. Douglass was the first community in north Memphis.
Geography Douglass borders Hyde Park and Hollywood and is surrounded by railroad tracks to the north, south and west. South of Douglass is the neighborhood of Binghampton, to the southeast is Nutbush.
History
Beginnings William Rush-Plummer was born into a life of slavery in the Southern States in America. He was the only son of a white slave master, William Rush Sr. and his mother, a slave from Africa. Mrs. Rush demanded of her husband, that young William Rush Jr. not be given the Rush family name. As a result, William Rush Senior, modified his son's name giving him a hyphenated last name. William Jr. was renamed, William Rush-Plummer.
Slavery in the South was eventually abolished. When that time arrived, slaves were promised and a mule. Although many newly freed slaves did not receive the promise at that time, William Rush Sr. gave William Rush-Plummer in North Memphis, Tennessee. He turned his land into a community and named it after Frederick Douglass, a man he had come to befriend and admire.
William Rush-Plummer was ordained in his young adult years and began to develop the land now known as the Douglass Community in Memphis, Tennessee after his family was released from slavery (see and a mule). Plummer had a strong resemblance to his father and a similar proper speech pattern (with a heavy southern dialect). He began opening many churches on his land including St. Paul Missionary Baptist Church (Need More Missionary Baptist Church), St. Stephens MB Church, St. John MB Church, St. Charles MB Church and at least three other local churches that were later sold to local Pastors and their congregations.
From the very beginning, Christianity played a vital role in the Plummer family and the lives of families in the Douglass Community due to William Rush-Plummer's vision. In 1900, William Rush Plummer and his associates had a vision that a church was needed for the community. Under a bush arbor in Douglass Park, the first church known as "Need More" was established. Plummer, known as “Father Plummer” deliberately gave the church this name because he felt it needed more of everything: shelter, chairs, and people.
Saint Paul Missionary Baptist Church In 1902, ‘Need More Church’ moved to a new location for worship on Ellington Street and was given a new name, "Saint Paul Missionary Baptist Church". Rev. Plummer served as the church's first official pastor. He was succeeded by Bolton, followed by Anderson. The church moved in 1905 to its present location at 1543 Brookins Street. Memphis, Tennessee. Although Rev. William Rush-Plummer was among the Missionary Baptist Denomination, he gave each of the churches that he built, Catholic Church names.
Rev. J.E. Ferguson became the fourth pastor of the church on the third Sunday in June 1931. He resided in a home directly across the street from the church. Realizing that education had to be perpetuated in the community, Saint Paul Missionary Baptist Church allowed Douglass High School to hold classes in the early 1900s when the school was blown away by the "Great Storm". In 1935, the School burned to the ground and once again, St. Paul Missionary Baptist Church opened its doors. Ferguson permitted the school to hold classes under the leadership of Mrs. Susie Crawford, principal and later Mr. Lucky Sharpe until the new school was built the following year. To further serve the community, St. Paul was, also, used as a social center for feeding the poor. Rev. Ferguson served as pastor of St. Paul Missionary Baptist Church for 60 years until his death on April 16, 1991.
Harry Davis, a resident of the Douglass community on Oriole Street, was elected as Pastor, on the first Sunday in July 1991. He is currently the Pastor. Under his leadership, St Paul Missionary Baptist Church, was re-documented under the name of St. Paul (Douglass) Missionary Baptist Church under the direction of Pastor Harry Davis and is a landmark in the “Historic Douglass Community.”
Over the years, through several generations, the name ‘Rush’ began to fade. New generations unaware of the family's history simply stopped using the full last name in the mid-1900s. Today the Plummer family seldom uses the name Rush, unless historical matters are being discussed. The Plummer family's official last name, although it may not show up on their birth certificates is Rush-Plummer.
Missionary Baptist Association established
In September 2010, Pastor Maggie Campbell established the “Missionary Baptist Association” (MBA), In support of Women in Ministry Leadership. One of the purposes the MBA is to bring together churches with like faith and aspirations to fellowship with one another within the MBA in California and nationwide, to encourage non-denominational churches to join with the Missionary Baptist Church family, to organize retreats and reunions as well. The Missionary Baptist Association later became the "Annual Women's Conference" which is held annually in May between Mother's Day and Memorial Day.
The Annual Women's Conference
The Women's Conference welcomes women of all ages, religious backgrounds, and non-religious affiliations. The purpose: To aid women in healing and to deal with the adversities of everyday life. The Women's Conference, through the Church of the Living God [CLG], strives to inspire, motivate, educate and support women including with their education and career aspirations. CLG believes women should support one another's efforts, goals, and aspirations. Mature women should reach out to the younger women to help teach them life skills and the younger women should embrace our mature women who are full of wisdom to help lead and guide them along the way.
The Women's Conference cover the topics that are important to women that are oftentimes not discussed in Church services such as, but not limited to: Forgiveness, the Power of Prayer, Alternative Lifestyles, Sex outside of Marriage, Pro-life / Pro-choice issues, God's Covenant of Healing, Entrepreneurship, personal and professional growth, women in ministry leadership and so much more. No one understands the issues of women more than other women.
The Women's Conference includes 3 days of praise, worship, inspirational music, pastoral sermons, motivational speakers, musical celebrations, fellowship, networking opportunities for women, breakfast, receptions, and dinner.
Education The Douglass community is home to Douglass Elementary School on Ash Street. Since the school was built through early 1963-64 school year, the Douglass community also had a Junior High School for grades 7–9 as well as a high school grades 10–12. In the mid-1970s students passing from the 6th grade into Junior high were bussed to Gragg Junior High School on Jackson Avenue right outside the Douglass community where the student body was initially completely caucasian students. When students passed from the 9th grade to the 10th, they were bussed to Craigmont High School within the Raleigh community. The Raleigh community was a newly built community with a brand new high school with little to no windows. It resembled a prison from the outside. Within this school, various nationalities came together under a staff of caucasian teachers who were not equipped and experienced to teach African American or multiethnic children. Shortly thereafter, students were given the option of returning to their original schools, such as Douglass High School when they entered the 10th grade. Not all students returned to Douglass High School. Many remained at Craigmont High School in the North Memphis, Raleigh community.
Douglass Community has a Community Center on Ash Street were full-time and Directors and part-time workers of the community center were employed over the years. Douglass High School The original Douglass High School served the neighborhood in 1938. It burned to the ground and resumed meeting at the church [Need More] the first of six churches founded by William Rush-Plummer. The next school was built in place of the damaged one and used from 1946 to 1981.
The original Douglass High school was closed due to low attendance after many of the children from the community had grown up and moved away. In an old community, Douglass High School did not have enough students available to keep the school open. The building was listed on the National Register of Historic Places in 1998. It was torn down without the consent of the Rush-Plummer family in the Summer of 2006.
The new Douglass School opened for the 2008–09 school year, with an expected enrollment of at least 800 students. The New Frederick Douglass High School opened under the leadership of Janet Ware Thompson, a 1975 graduate of Douglass High School. It is one of the oldest but newest Memphis City Schools, with a state-of-the-art 1,500-seat varsity gym, a 1,100-seat auditorium, a football stadium (with a track) in the middle of Douglass Park, and baseball stadium at the northeast corner of Douglass Park.
Community Douglass Park, located behind the original and new Douglass High School, is where many children have come together since the 1960s for the Day Camp during the summer months under the direction of the late Evelyn Fluker-Williams, the Director of Douglass Park during the 1960s–1970s. In Douglass Park, children were taught how to play such sports as basketball, swimming lessons, tennis, children's theatre, arts, and crafts, and they competed against other Parks in Memphis. Celebrations such as Juneteenth are now held in Douglass Park which has changed dramatically since the 1960s and 1970s. Economy Douglass has several different factories in the area as well; some are still active while others are not, and all are tied into a rail line connecting several factories' docking areas including John Morrell Meats (now a subsidiary of Smithfield Foods). Douglass borders Hyde Park and Hollywood and is surrounded by railroad tracks to the north, south and east. For many years, residents could not leave the community most days of the week without being blocked in by stalled railroad cars or slow mile long cars day after day. Many residents have had bad experiences crossing the tracks by foot and by auto. Many accidents over the years have been documented. Though promises were made to build an overpass as far back as the early 1970s, this project never materialized.
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