"Many of the younger generation doesn't  know about drinking water from a dipper,"
explains Willie Mae and John Harris.

Cherry Grove Community
Celebrates Rich Black History

by: Bobby McDonald

February was Black History Month and the Cherry Grove Community, north of Sulphur Springs, took the opportunity to conduct a special program on Sunday, February 26th, at the Cherry Grove Baptist Church, entitled "We've Come This Far By Faith." "We felt like we needed to remind all of the young people in our church and in this community, just what life was like and how far we have come during the last 150 years," stated Willie Mae and John Harris, longtime Cherry Grove residents. "When you get to talking about pickin' cotton, drinking water from a dipper, and ironing with a flat iron, most of the young people don't know what you're talking about anymore!"

A rub board, a butter churn, and other artifacts were displayed along with family quilts at the
Cherry Grove Black History Celebration.

Mrs. Willie Mae Harris displays some of the family heirlooms from her own family, the Berrys,
who resided in the Cherry Grove Community of Hopkins County. They were on display at the
Sunday, Cherry Grove Black History Celebration, for viewing.

Sunday night's program featured many community artifacts being brought to the church and presentations being made on many of the influential African Americans, who have changed history. "We had a butter churn, a coal oil lamp, and a lantern," exclaimed John Harris. "Then, there were displays and re-inactments of  Rosa Parks' historic refusal to give up her seat on the Montgomery bus and a host of other displays of influential African American people."

"Separate and not equal....." was the lesson learned with this exhibit, when Black citizens were
not allowed to drink from the same water fountain as white people.

 

 

"Not only did we honor those influential people from across the nation, but we had presentations and memorabilia from those heroes right here in our community," encouraged Willie Mae Harris. "We told about Cherry Grove resident Mrs. Zora Barnes, who lived to be 102 years old and was a member of this church. She was born Zora Figgers and her parents were Sam and Rose Figgers, who were born into slavery. Then, we told the young people about the history of the Old Cherry Grove Cemetery."

An ancient, handmade, flat iron, used in the Cherry Grove Community joined displays of African American Writers and
a Rosa Parks display, for prominence at the Black History Celebration at Cherry Grove.

The Old Cherry Grove Cemetery is located in a cow pasture, west of the present Cherry Grove Baptist Church, on land donated by Matt Pogue and has graves dating back to pre-1900. According to John Harris, Maxie Portwood was probably the first person interred in the small cemetery, that contains approximately 35 graves. Through efforts of some in the community, the cemetery has been reclaimed and a marble memorial has been erected to keep the memory of those buried there, alive. Names such as Crisp, Portwood,  Askew, Conner, Bly, Figgers, Jones, Conner, Clyde, Berry, and Lewis are members of those families buried in the cemetery.

"I came to Cherry Grove in 1946 and can remember some of the people buried in the Old Cherry Grove
Cemetery," advised John Harris. "And, I remember the roads being so bad to bring the coffins over the mud, that
we purchased a new lot, beside the present church. But, this is a part of our history!"


According to John Harris, the oldest grave in the Old Cherry Grove Cemetery is that of Maxie Portwood,
and it lies beneath this tree, without a marker.