HomeMy WebLinkAboutHPC Packet 2022-02-01 HISTORIC PRESERVATION COMMISSION - AGENDA
SPECIAL MEETING 4:00 P.M. 1 February 2022
I. 4:00—CALL TO ORDER:
II. 4:05—ROLL CALL: Declaration of Quorum.
III. APPROVAL OF MINUTES:
A. 4 January 2021
IV. 4:10—OLD BUSINESS:
A. None
V. PUBLIC HEARINGS:
A. None
VI. WORKSHOP:
A. Discuss City of Pasco WA Grant #P I8AP00010 (HIST 2018-001 NPS African-
American Grant) Kurtzman Park National Register of Historic Places Form.
B. Discuss City of Pasco WA Grant #P18AP00010 (HIST 2018-001 NPS African-
American Grant) Morning Star Baptist Church National Register of Historic
Places Form.
C.
VII. 4:55—OTHER BUSINESS:
A. Next Meeting: 1 March, 2022
VIII. 5:00—ADJOURNMENT
NPS Form 10-900 OMB Control No.1024-0018
expiration date 03/31/2022
United States Department of the Interior
National Park Service
National Register of Historic Places Registration Form
This form is for use in nominating or requesting determinations for individual properties and districts. See instructions in National Register Bulletin,
How to Complete the National Register of Historic Places Registration Form. If any item does not apply to the property being documented,enter
"N/A"for"not applicable." For functions,architectural classification,materials,and areas of significance,enter only categories and subcategories
from the instructions.
1. Name of Property
Historic name: Kurtzman Park Youth Center
Other names/site number: Kurtzman Park Police Mini Station(current use)
Name of related multiple property listing:
"Historic African American Properties in Pasco, Washington."
(Enter "N/A" if property is not part of a multiple property listing
2. Location
Street&number: 331 S. Wehe Ave
City or town: Pasco State: Washington County: Franklin
Not For Publication:❑ Vicinity: ❑
3. State/Federal Agency Certification
As the designated authority under the National Historic Preservation Act, as amended,
I hereby certify that this X nomination request for determination of eligibility meets
the documentation standards for registering properties in the National Register of Historic
Places and meets the procedural and professional requirements set forth in 36 CFR Part 60.
In my opinion, the property meets does not meet the National Register Criteria. I
recommend that this property be considered significant at the following
level(s) of significance:
_national _statewide _local
Applicable National Register Criteria:
A B C D
Signature of certifying official/Title: Date
State or Federal agency/bureau or Tribal Government
1
United States Department of the Interior
National Park Service/National Register of Historic Places Registration Form
NPS Form 10-900 OMB Control No.1024-0018
Kurtzman Park Youth Center Franklin, Washington
Name of Property County and State
In my opinion, the property _meets does not meet the National Register
criteria.
Signature of commenting official: Date
Title : State or Federal agency/bureau
or Tribal Government
4. National Park Service Certification
I hereby certify that this property is:
entered in the National Register
determined eligible for the National Register
determined not eligible for the National Register
removed from the National Register
other(explain:)
Signature of the Keeper Date of Action
5. Classification
Ownership of Property
(Check as many boxes as apply.)
Private: F I
Public—Local Fx]
Public— State F I
Public—Federal F-1
Category of Property
(Check only one box.)
Building(s) F-1
District Fx]
Site F-1
Sections 1-6 page 2
United States Department of the Interior
National Park Service/National Register of Historic Places Registration Form
NPS Form 10-900 OMB Control No.1024-0018
Kurtzman Park Youth Center Franklin, Washington
Name of Property County and State
Structure
Object F-1
Number of Resources within Property
(Do not include previously listed resources in the count)
Contributing Noncontributing
1 buildings
1 sites
1 structures
objects
2 1 Total
Number of contributing resources previously listed in the National Register None
6. Function or Use
Historic Functions
(Enter categories from instructions.)
SOCIAL/clubhouse/youth center
RECREATION AND CULTURE/sports facility/playing field
Current Functions
(Enter categories from instructions.)
_GOVERNMENT/correctional facility/police station
7. Description
Architectural Classification
(Enter categories from instructions.)
OTHER: Mid-century masonry(concrete block)vernacular
Materials: (enter categories from instructions.)
Principal exterior materials of the property:
Sections 1-6 page 3
Foundation: CONCRETE
Walls: CONCRETE
Roof. ASPHALT
Narrative Description
(Describe the historic and current physical appearance and condition of the property. Describe
contributing and noncontributing resources if applicable. Begin with a summary paragraph that
briefly describes the general characteristics of the property, such as its location, type, style,
method of construction, setting, size, and significant features. Indicate whether the property has
historic integrity.)
Summary Paragraph
The Kurtzman Park Youth Center in located within Kurtzman Park,part of the Martin Luther King Center
in the city of Pasco,Franklin County,Washington. The roughly nine-acre park on the northeast corner of
the intersection of East Alton St. and South Wehe Ave., contains the historically significant Kurtzman
Park Youth Center(currently functioning as the Kurtzman Park Police Mini-Station), as well as a variety
of sports fields, other recreational facilities and infrastructure, and a small community garden.Virgie
Robinson Elementary School is located adjacent to the north side of the park proper.
The youth center and an historically associated baseball field lies at the southwestern corner of the larger
park property. It is surrounded on the west, south, and east side by concrete curbing which separates a
narrow band of foundation plantings(ornamental shrubs and grasses),from the more expansive grass
lawn. Mature shade trees are located adjacent to its east and south walls. The baseball field is located
adjacent to the east side of the building, and a noncontributing,open-sided pavilion is located directly
adjacent to the north wall of the center.
Narrative Description
Kurtzman Park Youth Center/aka Kurtzman Park Mini Station (one contributing building)
The youth center is a one-story masonry building,built on a concrete slab foundation,with a flat roof
Originally constructed with a simple rectangular plan,an addition extends along a portion of the north
wall, creating the current irregular plan. The walls of the original component are made with concrete
blocks, 15 courses high and laid up in a running bond pattern.While also made of concrete blocks laid up
in running bond,the addition is only 12 courses high. The roof has wide,plywood enclosed eaves with
metal vents, and board soffits, currently painted blue. Window openings throughout the building have
brick sills and contain metal sash with single fixed lights. A metal sign printed with the words"Kurtzman
Park Police Mini-Station"and the Pasco Police shield,is mounted between two wooden posts at the edge
of a concrete walk leading from Wehe Ave.to the main entrance to the building.
North(front)wall: The main entrance to the building is located at the west edge of the north wall of the
original component and contains a flush metal door. A curved, stucco-clad marquis extends over the
walkway in front of this entry. "ENTRANCE,"is spelled out in metal letters affixed to the front of the
marquis. The top of the marquis extends above the roofs of both the original volume and the addition. A
recessed can light in the enclosed ceiling of the marquis illuminates the area in front of the door. An
intercom marked with a sign that reads"Emergency Help Phone,"is mounted on the west wall north of
the entrance.
Section 8 page 4
One window opening with a single fixed light is located at the east edge of the north wall of the original
component. The north wall of the addition(which extends between the main entry and the window)
contains a doubly entry in the middle of the east half of its north wall. This entry contains a pair of flush
metal doors, each with a single narrow rectangular wire-reinforced light. (These doors open directly on
the adjacent pavilion.)
East(side)wall: On the east wall of the building,the original volume has two window openings, one at
each end of the wall. There are no door or window openings in the east wall of the addition.
South(rear)wall: The rear wall of the building has two window openings,one at the east end and one at
the west end of the wall. A concrete block chimney extends the full height of the wall adjacent to the west
edge of the east window opening. The top of the chimney extends three courses above the edge of the
roof.
West(side)wall: The west wall of the building faces on to Wehe Ave. The original volume has one
window opening centered in the wall: The addition has an entry with a pair of wood double doors in the
center of its wall. A window opening, currently boarded over with plywood,is located north of this
entrance.A low concrete post with a beveled top is located adjacent to the west wall,where a concrete
walk extends from Wehe Ave. to the main entrance in the north wall of the building. A brass plaque with
an embossed dove holding an olive branch,is mounted atop the post, and reads:
THE JUNTEENTH COMMUNITY COUNCIL/ACKNOWLEDGE THE COMMITMENT/THAT WAS REQUIRED TO BUILD/THE
KURTZMAN YOUTH CENTER/ 1961-1964
WE SALUTE THE AFRO-AMERICAN COMMUNITY, PASCO YMCA,CITY OF PASCO AND THE MANY VOLUNTEERS AND
BUSINESSES WHO GAVE THEIR TIME AND ENERGIES TO MAKE THIS DREAM A REALITY.
DEDICATED THIS DAY JUNE19, 1993
Hexagonal Pavilion (one noncontributing structure)
The hexagonal pavilion is located directly adjacent to the north wall of the youth center. The structure
sits atop a hexagonal concrete pad,just feet from the north wall of the youth center addition. Six
laminated wood pillars support the hexagonal roof,which is covered with steel roofing.
Baseball field(one contributing site)
A baseball field is located southeast of the youth center, adjacent to Alton Street. This ball field has a
chain-link backstop,with bleachers on either side. The metal bleachers have wood bench seats and appear
to be portable.
Section 8 page 5
8. Statement of Significance
Applicable National Register Criteria
(Mark "x" in one or more boxes for the criteria qualifying the property for National Register
listing.)
A. Property is associated with events that have made a significant contribution to the
broad patterns of our history.
F-I B. Property is associated with the lives of persons significant in our past.
F-I C. Property embodies the distinctive characteristics of a type,period, or method of
construction or represents the work of a master, or possesses high artistic values,
or represents a significant and distinguishable entity whose components lack
individual distinction.
F-I D. Property has yielded, or is likely to yield, information important in prehistory or
history.
Criteria Considerations
(Mark"x" in all the boxes that apply.)
F-I A. Owned by a religious institution or used for religious purposes
1-1 B. Removed from its original location
F-I C. A birthplace or grave
1-1 D. A cemetery
F—I
E. A reconstructed building, object, or structure
F-I F. A commemorative property
F-I G. Less than 50 years old or achieving significance within the past 50 years
Section 8 page 6
Areas of Significance
(Enter categories from instructions.)
ETHNIC HERITAGE/BLACK
Period of Significance
1953-1971 (i.e., end of historic period)
Significant Dates
1953
1959-1964
1968-70
Significant Person
(Complete only if Criterion B is marked above.)
N/A
Cultural Affiliation
N/A
Architect/Builder
Thelmer Hawkins
Luzell Johnson
Wilbur Wright
Section 8 page 7
Statement of Significance Summary Paragraph (Provide a summary paragraph that includes
level of significance, applicable criteria,justification for the period of significance, and any
applicable criteria considerations.)
Built in 1959-1964 as the culmination of a park development project begun in the early 1950s, Pasco's
Kurtzman Park Youth Center is significant as an institutional property associated with the history of
African American people in Pasco, Washington. The one of the major early institutions of the
Black community that developed in the area with the WWII advent of the Tri-Cities, Kurtzman
Park and its Youth Center were built through prolonged collective effort by that community, and
after completion became its physical and cultural core: Kurtzman, as process, product, and place,
anchored the African American community. As such, it served as one of two primary bases for a
broad array of community organizing, especially civil rights organizing,in East Pasco,the Tri-Cities only
Black neighborhood. Kurtzman Park Youth Center therefore an historically significant civil rights
property as well as the historic African American community's institutional foundation.
Kurtzman Park Youth Center thus represents two of the three historic contexts documented in the Historic
African American Properties in Pasco, WA Multiple Property Documentation,i.e., The Tri-Cities'
African American Community in Postwar Pasco, 1940s-70s; and Civil Rights,Integration and the
Changing Racial Landscape of the Tri-Cities, 1940s-1970s. Eligible for listing under NRHP Criterion A
(state level) as one of the most important properties associated with the history of Black people in Pasco
and the Tri-Cities,the Kurtzman Park Youth Center has been significantly associated with Pasco and the
Tri-Cities' African American community for over 50 years. The property's period of significance extends
from its initial establishment, as the first and only public community space for Black East Pasco, in 1953,
through 1971 (i.e., 50 years ago).
Narrative Statement of Significance (Provide at least one paragraph for each area of
significance.)
Building Community,and Kurtzman Park, in 1950s Black East Pasco
In postwar Pasco, in the context of the segregated and discriminatory landscape of the Tri-Cities,
opportunities for African American community social and public life were in short supply: prohibited
from many public spaces, and isolated from others by virtue of being segregated into a destitute,
underdeveloped neighborhood—on the wrong side of a big,busy industrial railroad and highway
corridor—Pasco's Black residents,who for the most part lacked even adequate housing, struggled to find
simple space in which to gather. To this end, one of the biggest early Black community organizing efforts
focused on developing a public park space in East Pasco, so that people in the Tri-Cities only African
American neighborhood had a place to interact, and children had a place to play.
During the 1940s, in the absence of such a space,neighborhood children played on nearby vacant lots.
Foremost among them was a large undeveloped lot owned by the Kurtzman family, for whom one of the
additions underlying East Pasco, i.e., Kurtzman's Addition,was named. Local children recalled playing
especially in the expansive,undeveloped Kurtzman tract,which included"a swale in the northwest
corner"that they called the Lizard Hole., The Kurtzman lot was big enough it could hold a makeshift
baseball diamond,which neighborhood kids eventually roughed out: when brothers Edmon and Vanis
1 Morning Star Church Interview with Pastor Albert Wilkins,Dr.Dallas Barnes,and Mr.Webster Jackson.
Section 8 page 8
Daniels moved to Pasco to join their parents—who'd come in the early `40s to work at Hanford—in 1951
(when Vanis was 13 or 14),they found, as Vanis put it,that
we didn't have any place to play ... then we started making our own baseball diamonds in vacant
lots and things.And as the lots would be developed,they would—well,naturally,they'd run us
out because there wasn't enough room for us to play. So one evening,we didn't have any place to
play baseball and we wanted to play baseball. Two blocks from my house,where I grew up at
was .... Well, actually,it's a block and a half.But it was just a vacant field.And we took shovels,
a bunch of my friends and me, and we went out there and we cleared all the tumbleweeds out,
took the shovels and kind of levelled it off, and started playing baseball.2
Pasco Panthers Y 1=9
Made up of Players from East Texas
Top Row L. To R.
JD Lyles, Alfred Cole,,lack
Sparks,
Willie (Bili) Daniels,Vanis
Daniels,
Middle Row,
Jimmie Lee (Dee)Green,
Jack Williams,
Marion (Cracker)Barton,
Bottom Row,
Otho Patton,
Olanda Patton ,
(The Child),
James English
Figure 1. Pasco Panthers, ca. early 1950s
As Vanis Daniels recalled,they subsequently lobbied the Kurtzman family to turn their makeshift
ballfield into a park for East Pasco. One day when the Daniels boys were playing
a lady named Rebecca Heidelbar happened to come by there and see us. I don't know exactly
what period of time,how long we'd been playing there.And she stopped and asked us if we had a
park that we could play in.We told her no. ... And she went to the courthouse, found out who
the land belonged to where we were playing. She helped us to draft a letter to Mr. Kurtzman,
which she found out lived in Seattle and ask him to donate enough land for us to have a baseball
diamond. Well,it took him the better part of six months to answer us,but ... He got back to us
and told us that ... He would donate six acres of land to the city if they named the park after him.3
True to his word,on May 1, 1953,H. Allan Kurtzman deeded a five-acre parcel, i.e.,the southwest corner
of his much larger vacant tract,to the City of Pasco,with the deed specifying "the property herein
conveyed is for park purposes only."4
2 Interview with Vanis Daniels.
3 Interview with Vanis Daniels; Interview with Vanis and Edmon Daniels.
4"Statutory Warranty Deed(H.Allan Kurtzman to City of Pasco)."
Section 8 page 9
After Kurtzman deeded the park land to the City,residents watched hopefully as the city commenced
planning for park development. But it quickly became clear that Pasco would not invest in a park space in
the Black neighborhood,just as it had long refused to invest in other basic East Pasco civic infrastructure
(like paved streets, streetlights,water and sewer, etc.). Franklin County's engineering department
completed initial grading of Kurtzman Park in late 1953, and city officials announced that"the east part
of the five-acre site will be prepared for a ball park and the west side for other recreation activities,"but
despite this, and Allan Kurtzman's stipulation,the City of Pasco did little to develop the park thereafter.5
At first, despite a deep and enduring pattern of discrimination in the provision of civic services and
infrastructure to Black East Pasco,it seemed the City might intend to develop the park in good faith. In
June 1953,the month after Kurtzman deeded the parcel to Pasco,the city council officially"named the
new park in the eastern part of the city Kurtzman park after the donor of the land,A.H. Kurtzman, Seattle,
former resident of Pasco,and his father,Fred Kurtzman, one of the founders of the city."6 A few days
later,regional papers reported that"two [state park] officials will move across the river to Pasco for
meetings with the Pasco park board on the development of Kurtzman park,newly created recreational
area in East Pasco."7 The next month,the city park board requested"$8,000 in funds in its 1954 budget
for development of Kurtzman Park in East Pasco,"to help pay for"the first part of the program for
development of the new park [which] call[ed] for seeding the five-acre tract into grass."The park board
also"hoped to have the city purchase about three pieces of playground equipment ... The budget also
called] for three ballfields with backstops."8
But even as the park board professed plans for developing Kurtzman, it hinted they might not be carried
out, and this fact rapidly became readily apparent. When he detailed his 1954 budget requests in July
1953, City Parks superintendent Harry Wyman was careful to qualify his professed East Pasco funding
proposals: "Wyman emphasized that the whole park system is growing and that the new park will have to
compete with expenses for the other recreation areas."In other words,the city had no intention of
prioritizing development of a park in the Black neighborhood,where there was none,over expanding and
improving the several ample parks in White Pasco.9 When the City released its"revised preliminary
budget"for 1954 that September, it was abundantly clear that it would not develop Kurtzman for park-
less East Pasco: regional newspapers reported that the budget revealed"that an almost fatal blow has been
dealt early development of the planned Kurtzman park in east Pasco. The park department had asked for
approximately$8,000 to make a recreational site out of the land given to the city last April by Alan
Kurtzman. This has been slashed to $1,500 by the city council."10
In the months that followed,the City began preliminary work at Kurtzman,but with each public
announcement it further cut its professed development plans. In October 1953,the city park commission
reported that"grading and seeding of Kurtzman park on the east side was given a boost when the city
arranged to rent a grader from the county for the heavy work...[and] that an underground sprinkler system
will be installed. The east part of the five-acre site will be prepared for a ball park and the west side for
other recreation activities." In doing so it specified that at Kurtzman,"other than the leveling, seeding,
and installing of sprinkler system,the development will be by volunteer work."11 A few days later park
board chairman Gordon Mercier,announced that"the new Kurtzman park in southeast Pasco will soon be
5"Kurtzman Park Grading Done in East Pasco";"County Will Rent Grader."
6"Street Oiling Job Awarded."
7"Inspection Is Slated on Columbia Park Site."
8"$8000 Is Asked for Park Work."
9"$8000 Is Asked for Park Work."
to"Park Planners Receive Blow."
11"City Will Rent County Grader."
Section 8 page 10
the scene of grading and bulldozing activities.... The grading work will be done at cost by the Franklin
County engineering office."Meanwhile, "pipe for the underground sprinkler system"would not be laid
until"early next year when 1954 funds are available and seeding will follow in the spring ... laying out of
a ballpark and other play areas will be done after the grading is completed."12 By the end of the year,
reports from the Park Board said simply that"grading work on Pasco's new Kurtzman park has been
completed and further work will be held up pending the issuance of 1954 funds."13 By all indications,the
City completed little further work on Kurtzman,and by August 1954 it was defending itself in the face of
public demands that the city council"explain the delays on the park project."14
Kurtzman,it seemed,had been added to the long list of civic infrastructure that the City would not
provide in Pasco's Black neighborhood. When"Mayor Harry V. Custer ... assured members of the Tri-
City human relations committee that the city wants to get Kurtzman park on the east side completed as
soon as possible,"he also"outlined some proposals for water, sewer, and street developments in that part
of the city. ... The mayor and Councilmen Del Avery and Cecil Combs also discussed water and sewer
extension problems on the east side. ... Street problems were another subject of consideration."
Councilman"Combs explained that the difficulty in getting service extended to some parts of the area
was that not enough people could be signed up to pay the necessary front footage charges."15 This was a
familiar line of argument in Pasco,which essentially held that the impoverished Black neighborhood
could not be improved because it was impoverished and unimproved. And as with parks, City officials
would not prioritize building basic infrastructure in the Black neighborhood that needed it,but would
instead devote itself to the White areas that already had it: Mayor"Custer pointed out that all revenue
available to the city for streets was being spent on maintenance."16
To the African American community that developed in Pasco during the Second World War,this was by
now powerful familiar pattern: they'd heard the City make excuses and false promises about investing in
basic civic infrastructure in East Pasco for over a decade. Anyone familiar with local practices would
likely have held little hope that the City would fulfill its obligation to develop Kurtzman Park. In light of
this evident and enduring discrimination,the Black community and its allies forged ahead to create a
public neighborhood space and place for its children to play. Building the park required both funding and
labor, and the community began to tackle both of these tasks shortly after Mr. Kurtzman deeded the
property to the City of Pasco.
Community fundraising efforts,which entailed a multi-pronged campaign and the participation of an
array of local organizations,began making news even as the City purported to be moving forward with
initial park development. In July of 1953,the Water Follies,a big annual summer event in the Tri-Cities,
netted$3,000 in profits, and announced it would"contribute $500 toward the development of Kurtzman
park in East Pasco."17 By the following year,when it had become evident that the Park would not be built
if it were left up to the City,the fundraising campaign intensified. In September 1954 the East Side
Improvement Association"sponsor[ed] a dinner Saturday night at the new Labor Temple in Pasco to raise
funds for development of Kurtzman park." The"civic affairs and planning committee of the Pasco
Chamber of Commerce,"which reported it had"been working toward development of the east side park
for several years ... urged chamber members to attend the dinner."18 A month later,the local Kiwanis
Club authorized"a donation of$300 for the development of Kurtzman park on Pasco's east.... The move
12"New Pasco Park Work to Begin."
13"Kurtzman Park Grading Work Done in East Pasco."
14"Pasco City Council Working to Speed Park Development."
15"Pasco City Council Working to Speed Park Development."
16"Pasco City Council Working to Speed Park Development."
17"Water Follies Take Is$3000."
11"Club Dinner Tonight Will Benefit Park."
Section 8 page 11
came after officials of the Tri-City human relations committee appealed to civic clubs to provide support
for the park project. According to the committee some$1100 would be needed for leveling work at the
park."19 Within a few days"Mrs. Florence Merrick, chairman of the Tri-City human relations
committee,"was reporting"progress in the group's efforts to raise funds for leveling work at Kurtzman
park on the city's east side. So far, she indicated,the committee has raised$1132. She said more would
be needed to handle the job."20 By December the Tri-City Human Relations"committee had raised a total
of$1782 for development of the park on Pasco's east side and said that to date$1452 had been spent."21
While local leaders of both Black and White organizations worked to raise funds in their adult realms,
Pasco's children also joined in the effort. On Halloween in 1954, for some local youth,"solicitation of
funds for Kurtzman's Eastside park took the place of the usual tricks or treat operation on Halloween and
it[was] reported that the youngsters collected a total of$255. Their activities were sponsored and
supervised by the ministerial association of the city and the various churches gave parties for the kiddies
following their canvasses.After subtracting the cost of armbands and collection boxes a net of$222.20
remained for the park."22
As an array of Pasco residents worked on fundraising,others recruited the volunteer labor needed to
complete the park. As early as April 1954,regional newspapers featured public calls for"volunteer
workers [who were] sought to launch the development of the Kurtzman park in East Pasco."23 That fall,
even basic"leveling and seeding work remain[ed] to be done,"with much additional development needed
thereafter.24 By early December 1954, Henry Deschepper,treasurer of the Tri-City human relations
"committee reported that leveling and seeding work had been completed at Kurtzman park,"with some of
the grass seed furnished by the Water Follies association.25 Over the next year progress on the park was
slow(in 1955 the Tri-City"committee spent$2500 ... on [further] leveling the site and purchasing
materials"), and in October 1955 Deschepper announced hopefully that"the development of Kurtzman
Park would be completed next year.... He said the committee will supply$507 for welding irrigation pipe
and the Water Follies corporation will buy grass seed."Moreover,proclaimed Deschepper, "the city
council ha[d] agreed to spend more money on the park next year. The money is expected to be available
in May."Judging from period newspaper coverage,the City said, or did, little more on the subject in
subsequent years.26
By this point the Black community of East Pasco was resigned to the City's racist inaction, and had
commenced developing the park with its own hands. The collective construction effort in the face of the
City's stalling features prominently in community memory. As Vanis Daniels put it,"we didn't even have
a park.And when the park was built,the city didn't build the park.—The community built the park."27
Other community members like Morning Star Church's Rev. Albert Wilkins, Dallas Barnes, and Webster
Jackson echoed this refrain: when it came to"Parks. [They] didn't really have any until we ... until we
built Kurtzman Park......the community built that park."28 It was, in the words of James Pruitt, "a
community involvement project,"it was"the black men that put that park together that was given to
19"Kiwanis Group Gives$300 to Park Project."
20"More Funds Necessary to Level Park Area."
21"Tri-City Racial Problems Shake Junior College Plans."
22"Park Fund Gets$222 at Pasco."
23"Parks Are Planned."
24"Kiwanis Group Gives$300 to Park Project."
25"Tri-City Racial Problems Shake Junior College Plans";"Water Follies Budget Is Set."
21"Park Project to Get Money";"East Pasco Residents Wrathful."
27 Interview with Vanis and Edmon Daniels.
21 Interview with Dallas Barnes,Webster Jackson,Albert Wilkins at Morning Star Baptist Church,Pasco,WA.
Section 8 page 12
us."29 Black women of course worked on the project too, often in less visible and less recognized ways.
Edmon Daniels described how"the mens of the community...[his] father,uncles,cousins,just mens of
the community,put the park in,"but also "remember[ed] one Sunday,the ladies,they got together and
cooked up some food and got a big picnic for all the guys that was working."30 Histories of Kurtzman
note especially the critical work of Virgie Robinson,who"came to Pasco in 1949 from Seattle and ...
was instrumental in getting Kurtzman Park in Pasco completed and was its first director."31
Specific tasks stood out in community recollections of the park-building project. Dallas Barnes
summarized the process succinctly: "Kurtzman donated the land, and the community helped go seed it
and so forth and so on."32 James Pruitt offered more detail,remembering that"every tree that was sent out
over there,these hands dug them up.Me and one white boy,Roy Hagerton. ...We went out to Job's and
we went out there and worked four hours on a Saturday morning, and he gave us those trees. While we
would go in there, other men was digging the trenches for the waterlines. Some of the guy were out at the
old navy base up there digging up the pipes that had been given to us,and St. John's Trucking was
hauling them over to Kurtzman Park, free."33
Vanis Daniels also detailed the community's labors, and the city's lack thereof. "as far as the city go. The
only thing they did to get that park in there was they gave some used pipe that they had laying around out
there at what we call the Navy Base,which is out by the airport.And the black parents went out there and
broke all this pipe apart and everything,took it down to the park, actually took shovels--we took shovels--
dug the trenches for the water system down there,put the pipe back together,put the water system in."34
Eventually, "the park was finished and the city put up the sign,... Then they had the teeter-totter,they had
the monkey bars,we called them, all that stuff, swings,all that stuff there and everything was like a
peppermint stick. It was painted red and white stripe."35 Initial amenities also included"a merry-go-
round, ...[and] an elephant slide."36
The park construction process reflected, and fortified,the collective Black community in Pasco and the
Tri-Cities, and once completed the Park became the its center. It served thereafter as both the literal and
figurative center of the community. Aubrey Johnson recalled how the park, as process,product,and place,
anchored the African American community:
to the community,Kurtzman Park was kind of like a volunteer-type situation. Of course we
didn't have a park. And so when that was put in, it even brought our community together even
more because of the camaraderie that they had they built ... I can remember them putting in the
trees around the park and help dig the lines they had around there for water.When we were kids,
Mom would tell us, go down to the park.We'd go down there and play, so it was like a safe
haven. I remember there was a lady across the street,Big Irene,and the Butchers lived over
across the street. Then there was California Street was a street there that nobody even know
about,probably, anymore,and Wehe,they intersect. And they intersect right in front of the park
and there was a row of houses there and I could probably name you everybody that lived in those
houses. We would go there and we could stay there all day long and our parents didn't have to
29 Interview with James Pruitt.
11 Interview with Vanis and Edmon Daniels.
31 Hayes and Franklin,Northwest Black Pioneers, 11.
32 Interview with Dallas Barnes,Webster Jackson,Albert Wilkins at Morning Star Baptist Church,Pasco,WA.
33 Interview with James Pruitt.
34 Interview with Vanis Daniels.
35 Interview with Vanis and Edmon Daniels.
36 Interview with James Pruitt.
Section 8 page 13
worry about us,because that was a safe haven and that's where all the kids would go. So it was a
very important place for us.37
Rickie Robinson put it simply that"the focus of our activities as kids in east Pasco was Kurtzman Park.
That was the spot."38
Adults,too, gathered in Kurtzman, East Pasco's only dedicated public space. In the words of Bobby
Sparks—who had in Pasco"a huge,huge extended family. The Miles,the Davises"etc.—"the
community,when we get together at Kurtzman Park,I mean, it was like a family reunion. Everybody was
there."39 It became not only a casual children's play area and adult social space,but also the center of
organized public life, of celebrations and special occasions. Donald Bell Sr. "remember[ed] being at
Kurtzman Park, every year there was some type of celebration going on down there,"recalling especially,
"because so many being from the South,that Juneteenth there was a big thing."40 Juneteenth stood out too
in Gordon Guice's memory of community events:
Juneteenth was a big one.... that's when the slaves got their rights and stuff. And we always
celebrated and it was a big deal down at Kurtzman Park. We would have basketball tournaments
against Yakima,the black people from Yakima. We'd invite people from Richland. There wasn't
many people in Kennewick, so they were kind of left out. But it was mostly Juneteenth and
barbecues.And then back then, east side would play against Navy homes in sports. Because there
were a lot of black people in Navy homes,where I grew up. You could just see them walking
down the street, and we would meet and have these big baseball tournaments and stuff like that.
But official stuff,it was Juneteenth.41
While it doggedly built its own, and only,public space,the Black community also continued to pressure
the city to erect basic park infrastructure at Kurtzman(and basic East Pasco infrastructure more
generally). In 1958,George Heidlebaugh, an attorney for the"East Side Citizens' committee"served the
City of Pasco with a"redress of grievances"which forcefully reiterated the residents' request that the City
commit to four things,i.e.,"construction of a sanitary sewer system in east Pasco;to gravel and pave all
residential streets in east Pasco; to construct a grade crossing over the railroad tracks to link Court street
with North Oregon avenue and to provide comfort stations at Kurtzman Park." Pasco Mayor Raymond
Hicks responded that"all the requested improvements would be impossible since insufficient taxable
property exists in east Pasco to finance it,"or, in other words,yet again,that the impoverished Black
neighborhood would not be improved because it was impoverished and unimproved.42
37 Interview with Aubrey Johnson.
11 Interview with Rickie Robinson.
11 Interview with Bobby Sparks.
41 Interview with Donald Bell, Sr.
41 Interview with Gordon Guice.
42"East Pasco Residents Wrathful."
Section 8 page 14
pPPn 4,
f �
l
91rvG WEATHER—Neema!urt WWnr.3, in Undv Cana CIf1 Wrh••v
and h r .,Nola A vrerkM eH _a1pF-., fl/ •ihr 4u9Ftna of
W uP`du
Figure 2. Kurtzman Park playground, April 1959
The Youth Center and the 1960s
Faced with ongoing refusal by the City to fund further improvements,the Black community continued to
work together to build and buttress its community center. In 1959,residents began to erect a building that
physically embodied their efforts, i.e.,the Kurtzman Park Youth Center. Like the park itself, construction
of the Youth Center depended almost exclusively on volunteer labor and community contributions, and it
would be some four years(i.e., early March 1963)before concrete-block"walls . . . constructed by
volunteer workers"were up, "work. . . made possible by donation of cash and materials by Tri-Cities
residents."93 Vanis Daniels recalled that his cousin,Mr. Luzell was prominent among the people who"put
up, free of charge,"the Youth Center. According to Daniels, "right where U-Haul is on Fourth Street and
Pasco now [in 2013],used to be a brick place where they made brick blocks,your cinder blocks. And they
donated the blocks. We did the labor and put it up."44 Others in the community remember that"Thelmer
Hawkins was the lead in building that building that's up there in Kurtzman Park."45
On Saturday March 2, 1963,a crew of some"20 volunteer workers toiled away ... until darkness fell,"
raising the walls of the Youth Center,and they came close to laying the last concrete-block course before
nightfall: as one volunteer opined, "we'd have finished the job if the day had only lasted a little longer."
The volunteer"crew,which included four block-layers,was led by Luzell Johnson,Thelmer Hawkins,
and Wilbur Wright." Although"contributions of cash and building material [were] still needed to
complete the center"(and were"being solicited by the Lower Columbia YMCA"),"bricklayer and
sometimes contractor"Thelmer Hawkins, indicated that the community hoped to have the center
completed by early that summer,with"a library, craft room, and multi-purpose room"inside the
building.4 6
43"Walls Put Up by Volunteers";"Building Dedication Set in Pasco";"Unsung Volunteers Teach Pasco's `Ghetto'
Children."
44 Interview with Vanis Daniels.
45 Interview with Dallas Barnes,Webster Jackson,Albert Wilkins at Morning Star Baptist Church,Pasco,WA.
46"Progress Made on Kurtzman Park Youth Center.""Walls Put Up by Volunteers";"Building Dedication Set in
Pasco";"Unsung Volunteers Teach Pasco's `Ghetto' Children."
Section 8 page 15
ti
41r Ir
4-
RrogreSs Made On Kurtzman Farb Youth Center
1"'nIl''mr 'L Y,..IIII .w ■ Jai, h..l 011' MnllR o� iF.c a.rw kiiripTpn■ InUr �Inr•L L■7rra� zFh3 12�, }.7 Larrll dahr7wn. ��hi,ri Illawllir
F'JJ� 5'nulL�le.LeF I� F:h51 F'diY�+b ■IA,■41 ~4+rr ''W d h— I.I.- t.l��'Y'llhur 15"rip�l, S-■nlr4h.IlYMn� ,it ca Rh rangy hmldiur TGL{edaJ,
1-hri ILr Ji.h it Ibn IlAy hsd nolf Ia■keel a I�nYt lUr�+r," ?lid nryr ,e dl itrrJtll to rhl.
•r �p�roaimale�r 7th 4n1%11Ln r "rker, wlw Ilaltm =5 or Iles L*.r!■l"rlonaRlr y}74+.� 4''�11rr, wer beLME �a�ieilW Fh1F
yin � 4M111 4u 6ta roi NdlwrdkY. Sha tirnw, yhi-r'h I■SIS*
Figure 3. Building Youth Center walls, March 2, 1963
But it would end up being another year before volunteers were able to open the center: the necessarily
slow,unfunded volunteer process was further delayed when the humble building was vandalized a year
later,right before opening. In March 1964, "vandals ...destroyed small trees and did extensive damage to
the Youth Center Building in Kurtzman Park...the building was defaced with paint on walls and doors
and doors were dented with rocks."Repair was"expected to cost several hundred dollars."In the face of
this latest anti-Black attack,however,the African American community forged ahead. In the summer of
1964,the Youth Center began hosting"recreation programs,tutoring of students during the summer
months, and adult meetings."47 Indeed,within weeks of the center's opening, "the summer enrollment at
Kurtzman Park, always higher than in other parks,jumped to a new high. The week of July 13-17, 1800
children were signed in."48
Completion of the Youth Center, like the park that preceded it, cemented Kurtzman as the Black
community core—both physically and metaphorically—and a base from which to continue ongoing
community and civil rights work. Indeed,the Youth Center itself became a civil rights institution, and the
successful construction of Kurtzman stood as a prominent pivotal,tangible and enduring civil rights
victory.When asked years later if he'd been"directly involved in any civil rights efforts?"Vanis Daniels
responded"yeah...It was like, see,we didn't even have a park,"and recounted the role he played in
securing and developing Kurtzman.49 Meanwhile,when an interviewer asked Aubrey Johnson to recount
47"Vandals Spoil Park Property";"Youth Center Is Opened";"Unsung Volunteers Teach Pasco's `Ghetto'
Children."
48"Recreation Pioneer Views Pasco Growth."
49 Interview with Vanis and Edmon Daniels.
Section 8 page 16
"some of the notable successes of the [civil rights] movement,"Johnson responded first and foremost that
"the successes was Kurtzman Park."so
In a testament to the Kurtzman Park Youth Center's status as an important civil rights victory,with its
completion the Tri City Committee on Human Relations shut down. Much of its work had focused on
securing basic infrastructure for East Pasco residents, and completion of the Youth Center was a
milestone. The Center also established a base for continuing that work, and to some extent the Tri-City
Human Relations committee"dissolved into the newer and expanded Youth Center group."As committee
founder and leader Florence Merrick wrote in retrospect,"the last money in the treasury of the Tri-City
Committee on Human Relations was donated to the center for an air conditioner, and the Committee's
work was done."51
The Youth Center at 500 S. Wehe Ave. immediately established itself as the center of the Black
community and a core institution for community support and assistance. It did so despite the fact that it
remained,by many standards,unfinished and inadequately equipped. As the center began an ambitious
slate of programs that first summer,newspapers reported that inside"the furnishings are crude basics,a
barrel with a board across the top serves as a study table in one of the classrooms. The one large room had
to be petitioned [sic] off with large pieces of cardboard to give the teacher and pupil some semblance of
privacy."A year-and-a-half later the center was still in need of"wood, insulation,and paint to finish one
of the rooms."(To this end,three Pasco churches donated a total of$50,"proceeds left from a church
sponsored forum two years ago"). Meanwhile,the building was"kept clean by the donated services of the
Dependable Janitor Service with the aid of many of the older students."52 Despite these ongoing
obstacles,the Youth Center immediately embarked on an impressive array of projects that involved—and
shaped the lives of—thousands of people. In this it was led first by Virgie Robinson,who was center
"manager"from ca. 1964-66, and then by Mrs. Lozie S. Barnes("manager"ca. 1967-69) and Mrs.
Delores Groce("supervisor"ca. 1970-75, during which time the address was listed in city directories as
333 S. California Ave.).53
Under the guidance of these dedicated Black women,the Youth Center became one of the most important
institutions in the history of Pasco's African American community.It facilitated programs for thousands
of people,young and old,many of whom had never had a public space open to them,much less a
supportive and welcoming one that cared about their needs.Alone and in conjunction with other
organizations, it ran,hosted or otherwise supported youth tutoring and adult education and training
programs; formal and informal sports programs and leagues;handicraft programs; checkers tournaments;
dances;music classes;talent shows; special events; guest speakers of various stripes; political candidate
meet-and-greets; and civil rights organizing meetings and actions,while facilitating others, like
swimming lessons and free or reduced-price pool passes. In this way,it became, from the start,not only a
Youth Center,but an East Pasco—an African American—community center writ large. Aubrey Johnson
limned this truth in a 2018 interview: "when we had our little meetings and stuff,we would have them
there in the Kurtzman Building. Hey,we're having a meeting on voting or whatever it was, and we would
go up there to the Kurtzman Building... It played a real big part because I played there for years as a kid
and then after as an adult,Kurtzman Park still was a big thing for me.We'd go down there, and they'd
have Juneteenth, and the Fun Day, and baseball."54
50 Interview with Aubrey Johnson.
51 Merrick,"A Condensed History of the Tri-City Committee on Human Relations."
52"Unsung Volunteers Teach Pasco's `Ghetto' Children";"Cash On Hand for Park Work."
53 R.L.Polk and Co., City Directory: Tri-Cities, Washington as transcribed in Holschuh and Harris Environmental
Group,"Survey of Historic Properties Associated with the African American Experience in East Pasco,"90.
54 Interview with Aubrey Johnson.
Section 8 page 17
The Youth Center and the park it anchored began a host of programs for neighborhood children almost as
soon as the mortar in its walls was cured.As noted above,by early July 1964 Kurtzman was breaking
records for the number of children it served—with 1,800 signed-in in one week—and it provided a
remarkable array of services and programs for them: "under the direction of Mrs. Lozie Barnes and Dallas
Barnes,"Kurtzman had"the most active recreational program of the city."Inside the center that first
summer,kids learned handicrafts with Mrs. Lozie Barnes and"about 100 Negro children [were] being
tutored ...by volunteer teachers"through a program started by the community"seven years ago"that had
never before"had a home of its own."They used textbooks "donated by teachers, students, and from
private homes."55
i
f
=1
�L
L-
Children Register In Pasco
Signing Up boys for the FIASCO aumnwr rrrrearina trnan, Sylvemter and 37etnorinl park,, ware arem
itro�r nj in f{urtarnna Park 1fOndax Wrre Ir:0Inst, staled) Jimmy XiA1IJY. Hnrry (lnuglas Tate,
Dally,Barnes (left) and dudY N100re Tnrniugout O.tttny llosin,and Slate, E,ilg Alar and Oscar Rin•
for the first day of the pru.ram. eitiv4 will rw.. -y. ho rrFislrotinO ie Oerded.All yaraat�h 6 da
from 1 i�g p,tiv-,i4landay thrnupFh hridas it Rurtx- i�fnke[heer Chi tdrrl4 1n ABY Oar of the three pnrkn.
Figure 4. Registering for Kurtzman Park summer recreation, early 1960s
ss"Recreation Pioneer Views Pasco Growth";"Unsung Volunteers Teach Pasco's `Ghetto' Children."
Section 8 page 18
■OAlrp ■
i
�ir i r
ter_`
f
Tl' 1
T
ILL
ketodit raft
UL Kur[zfnan i taut Jli *l�nts ars 5hatGe 1xa41x{ p,
Figure 5. Handicrafts in Youth Center with Lozie Barnes, July 1964
Pasco Sumner Recreation Program
Will Mart Monday In Four Parks
�l
- I
i
� 1
&uprr .ore far the n int{ncr rrercaoun program L. An'It:irn rs-Kur[an{an Park. Rnertin�,I r
is,�n,ro„enl a,,r plx,ya,L d e,-4 tq, Re 4d IeR- Son,G al4m,&,J Sylerstrr Park: Sam G
uscil in Thr fnur Rity Parke 1b inning M.. F. C:--r9. 3lrawrint an,l R6:hardson parks; Stoat
#1•nri„¢ Inn Ihrn3yclrr5 w1331r inking nn Inven• Fox]sy, M,eM rl;,l P„rk, o,td Daly Oier, alru{e-
3 o r y Krrr xennd{ng, from Irh. Pacbr Rittet- ri�l I°„rh, Thr p-rkh -ilk hr mw,rpeM'Md 01113-
5P nehar, S'lrrsier Pork: Jndy 3Hnorr, Mrmnri- ire3nnaonta9p,m,114edncsday1.,
of rerk; Lind{,Go,tnr, Ricl-A.4oa Plrki-atld
Figure 6. Kurtzman Park supervisor Lozie Barnes (standing, far right) , 1965
Section 8 page 19
The tutoring effort,under the auspices of federal Higher Horizon program, continued to grow in
subsequent years: in mid-June 1965 program officer Mildred W. Harrison urged parents to "register their
children at the Kurtzman Park office in East Pasco,"and a few weeks later"about 150 schoolchildren"
had"joined the Higher Horizons child-tutoring program."With such growth,more space was needed,and
in addition to the program's Youth Center base, classes were taught at East Pasco's Whittier School and
at Navy Homes(a 231-unit WWII housing project just west of the railroad tracks where many Black
families lived).56 Kurtzman also hosted an array of other cultural and educational activities. These
included a regular"music time,"a"park talent show,""a community dance, for all age groups,"and
"checker tournament"with three different age classes(10-12 years, 13-16 year,and 17 years and Up).51
There were,of course,many sports and recreation programs as well. Around 1965,when"Dallas Barnes
direct[ed] organized play at Kurtzman," such programs ranged from casual small-scale activities like"fun
with tetherball"on the purpose-built court beside the Youth Center to major competitive events like the
annual Pasco Park Department Jr. Olympics.58 In the 1960s Kurtzman was something of a powerhouse in
the latter,taking the title around 1964 when"Jim Kinsey won three blue ribbons in the boys 6-8 class to
lead Kurtzman Park to 1St place in the Pasco Jr. Olympics Track&Field meet,"winning the high jump,
20-yard dash and,with his brother Dennis, "the back-to-back race."That year, "more than 150 youths
participated in the meet"that pitted Kurtzman against Sylvester and Memorial parks.59 Kurtzman won the
competition the following year as well,with its girls(including the Haythorne sisters) sweeping the
softball throw and the 20-yard dash,while winning two of three age groups in the 40-yard dash.60
I
n fim with ilie t•ther gill,Scene•
1 rkda Skmn Da1148$amts dire,.-,
n
Figure 7. Youth Center ca. 1965
56"Tutoring Project Deadline Today";"School Help Projects Get Under Way."
57"Park Talent Show Slated."
Ss"Kurtzman Park. . .Fun with the Tether-Ball."
59"Kinsey Leads Kurtzman to Track Victory";"Race in Junior Olympics in Pasco."
60"Kurtzman Park Boys Win `Olympic' Prizes."
Section 8 page 20
r
r
Y
Race In Junior 01rnpitS In Pasco
It Walt n wlld gime no g6c rare 1raVL 4he Inn— Fnrk% Urpal-M-01- Som"
JFrldey nlglat — ymuugrt." Il In 8 106 yoilths Lrlwern the a9rs of&end
yearr* geld ,:,,mrim-L W the, hihrk-ir- 11 rrlrrr SCIkOlog SY11-10r. hLrlxfnrin
h.ek r_ Iht Fa sep,k Perk, m.ld M-4.6at pp k, rAmRr4rd. slur
The tree wnr nnr ■t wpwrenl errs u. as rCar 11■op■pprgs pP�iu.
In.IL!Junior OL RW qfd,
Figure 8. Back-to-back race, ca. 1964
Kurtzman also facilitated access to opportunities that it could not itself offer neighborhood children. In
the late 1960s,in conjunction with the Franklin-Benton County Community Action Committee(with
funding from the Office of Economic Opportunity), it helped coordinate transportation to swim classes
for Kurtzman kids(as well as for those around Navy Homes).61 The CAC and its director Wally Webster
also worked to secure"free or half-price swim tickets for poor Pasco youth,"who were disproportionately
Black children in the Kurtzman Park and Navy Homes neighborhoods.62 Nor was programming limited to
the summer,but continued during the schoolyear. People like Paul Walker organized"after-school sports
at Kurtzman,"while others arranged special events like Halloween celebrations or an afternoon"tea"
featuring gingerbread cook for holidays for neighborhood children.63 By the Delores Groce era(beg.
1970),programming extended to Navy Homes as well as Kurtzman, and Kurtzman boasted longer daily
open hours than any of Pasco's other parks.64
61"Swim Classes Start Monday."
62"Pasco Calls Special Meet on Pool Tickets for Poor."
63"Ex-Coach Given YMCA Position";"Breakthrough";"She`Noze'What She's Doing"; "The Eyes Have It";
"Cookies in the Park."
64"Recreation Directors."
Section 8 page 21
r > EAKTHROUGH
THE EYES HAVE IT SHE NOZE' WHAT SHE'S DOING
Iw pPg1 31 L 11.P."f) �'"'�y�x�.,.��. ^i Mr.•nY u.,.n...w�.e.
Figure 9. Halloween 1969, Kurtzman Park,
"Rocket, 4, daughter of Mr. and Mrs. Dave Butcher, 1803 E. Alton St."
Cookies in the Park
G+InxrrbrcaeE coukie&wtrr offered 40 Mrs. .11, R. Nparks, 125 5, ELrr 1�p
pre-srhncl xl- outtasters :tt Kurl;. uwero ofrcrrJ.. a cookie by mra.
moa P:-k. Paaro, this ivimk during $nkk'y Gr err, rccreatian supenisar,
a "tris" sI34134hored hr the PHACd1 Mrs. Gra{e baked the cookies foz
rerremimt dtp;lrtntvx,1. Herr, Carol, Ah-M
7, and Steve. 3, children o! 41r, and
Figure 10. "Tea" at the Youth Center, ca. 1970
Section 8 page 22
- 57
. I
Recreation Directors
p3SSgti p.A and rccrtativm ,uro- Park and tia+3 IT—W, .rt,trr3. wc-
,n-r kk, a� dors will --P-11115e cdJ&ht vro fioil;h hvrh d �'aulh Car p
tsecl ilia and xames begiarSb, warlcor� will assist the Ieader,-
ttmiarrew thraurh r11t v%g 6 tram IR Th— It.
ad,r■ 4h-w flrnln I ILI
a.tn. en
551+. awt MrmarLP1. Mi-r Arnp, Lnd+ Kipp.twd$ p
park. oad
{rom 16 n.m-1+.&p.m.at 1LN03Ma+n
Figure 10. Kurtzman supervisor Delores Groce, early 1970s (far right)
As quickly as it did for children,the Kurtzman Park Youth Center became a crucial base—offering both
support and space—for adults in the neighborhood,and for the Tri-Cities African American community
more broadly. First and foremost,it served as a base for the community's multi-pronged civil rights work.
This work involved many different efforts.And it began immediately, commencing that July with a
highly visible direct action aimed explicitly at local and national civil rights.
On July 24, 1964, in what was"the first of several racial demonstrations planned for the Tri-Cities,"
"marchers gathered at Kurtzman Park,where Wallace Webster, a Negro organizer of Congress on Racial
Equality in the Tri-City area,urged demonstrators to mourn the racial situation in Mississippi,"while
working locally for change("Webster also spoke on the need for more membership in CORE and said a
demonstration will be held Monday in Richland"). Protesting "racial discrimination in the city's hiring
practices [and] ... inferior teaching and inadequate facilities at Whittier School in the Negro section,"the
demonstrators, according to the local paper some"150 persons—about half of them white—congregated
at the Pasco City Hall's parking lot after a 10-block`freedom march' from Kurtzman Park."Participants
had to keep to sidewalks during the march due to "the refusal of Pasco Police Chief A. L,McKibbin to
issue them a parade permit for a street march."65
61"Rally Ties Up Traffic."
Section 8 page 23
a
�5
CE.WEBSTER
Figure 11. Wally Webster, 1970
Thereafter,Kurtzman Park became the base for Pasco civil rights protests. Shirley Miller, a White woman
who lived in Richmond and helped with civil rights efforts in the Tri-Cities, and her son Andy recalled
that the CORE and NAACP marches in this period would start"in east Pasco. Kurtzman Park...[and]
after we left Kurtzman Park ... through the underpass ...And then we went up usually to where that other
park[i.e. Volunteer Park] was and the courthouse. And then we'd go back to Kurtzman Park."66
It also served as a center for a wide array of other,less explicitly civil rights, efforts that were nonetheless
aimed at empowering and uplifting the Black community. Among such efforts were events like a June 30,
1964, 8 p.m. "Meet the Candidate"session where"most of the 17 candidates for the city council
offices....[were] on hand"to discuss their positions with East Pasco residents.67 Other efforts included
things like an"old fashioned Labor Day picnic."In keeping with the Labor Day intent,the celebration
was"to show appreciation for the Higher Horizon program this year to help train persons to get jobs."
The Rev. F.A. Allen,of nearby Morning Star Baptist Church,"spokesman for the sponsoring East Pasco
Self-Help Cooperative,"detailed festivities that would begin at 10 in the morning with a youth choir"car
caravan forming on Lewis Street near 10'Avenue. It will go through downtown Pasco to Kurtzman
Park."The picnic that followed would feature speaker The Rev. William H Ritchey, Superintendent of the
Walla Walla District of the Pacific Northwest Methodist Conference, "who has an active interest in the
building trades and is a semi-skilled craftsman in several."68
By 1968,Kurtzman—together with the foremost church of the neighborhood,Morning Star Baptist—was
well established as the primary base of organizing for the swelling civil rights movement in the Tri-Cities.
Itself a proud product of a civil rights process, and the Black community's collective base for ongoing
struggle,that tumultuous year the park also became symbolic of one of the most insidious aspects of
systemic racism, i.e.,police brutalizing the Black population. In the months after the April 1968
assassination of Dr. Martin Luther King,mass unrest rocked urban areas around the nation,and civil
rights protest—and white supremacist backlash against it—intensified in local Black communities,Pasco
among them.
66 Interview with Andy and Shirley Miller.
67"`Meet Candidate' Session Set."
61"Group Plans Labor Day Picnic Fete."
Section 8 page 24
That July(on Saturday the 20th), after a problematic police interaction the week before and subsequent
arguments between the police and a group of"Negro youth"witnesses,"an estimated 75 to 100 people
gathered at Kurtzman's Park."Police arrived, sparking a"confrontation"(also termed a"melee,"
"disorder,""disturbance,"and"riot") in which four"policemen were hurt,none seriously....[and] a patrol
car. .. stoned."On Sunday,carloads of"Richland teenagers"sped"through East Pasco shouting abuses,"
and"a meeting was called Monday by the Young Adult Action Movement, a Negro group....About 75 ...
Negroes attended."That Friday,police made the first arrest"in connection with [the] disturbances,"
charging 26 year-old Robert Orange"with two-counts of second-degree assault and one of rioting."
Orange was"co-manager of a migrant aid center [in Pasco] and a leader of the Young Adult Action
Movement."Upon arrest he"was held in lieu of$2,500 bond."69
L�
Viearrest wey In Which Herab i
aA Ora warrent on Aob
P In Kurtzman Park in east
WWI 1mown Pasro merchants
eUgy!a!the Pasco Pollee pe
Figure 10. Robert Orange, 1968 or 1970
Months of sustained pressure on City officials by the Black community followed, as did major racial
unrest and alleged excess force by police—and a state investigation thereof—at Pasco High School.70
Moreover,the Tri-City Herald—the daily newspaper read by the entire region—was implicated in the
turmoil,with the official report on the Pasco High events noting that community"anger was stimulated
by the coverage given these events"in the Herald, in which articles from the period were characterized by
a thinly-veiled racism and a practice of"repeatedly emphasiz[ing] the race of the participants."71 Then, on
March 6 1970,two city policemen—who claimed to be serving on Orange an arrest warrant on a
"domestic complaint"(which was not in their possession)—allegedly,without permission, forced their
way into Orange's 26 West A Street home. In the course of trying to arrest him,the policemen"sprayed a
riot-control chemical...into the faces of children("the man's three-and four-year-old daughters"),
injuring their eyes, and fired a gun at Orange and his brother,who were unarmed. This event triggered,
over the next two months,repeated intense"black protests, [and] a boycott of downtown Pasco
69"Quiet Returns to Pasco After Disorder";"Man Arrested in Rioting";"Pasco Area Aid Center Manager Held by
Police";"Pasco Racial Disturbance Brings Arrest";78 Wn.2d 571,THE STATE OF WASHINGTON,Respondent,
v.ROBERT ORANGE,Appellant. Interview with James Pruitt.
71 Whitman and Rosenfels,"Study and Evaluation of Racial Tension at Pasco High School";"Pasco to Talk in
Private with Negroes";"Deficit Woes Face Pasco";"Pasco Council Moves to Hold Closed Meets";"Conference
Due on `Urban Crisis."'
71 Whitman and Rosenfels,"Study and Evaluation of Racial Tension at Pasco High School,"37.
Section 8 page 25
merchants,"actions which galvanized state authorities into ordering, in May 1970, "an independent
investigation of the Pasco Police Department."72
Another,bigger riot—in front of the Franklin County Courthouse—followed in July, as did life-
threatening internal conflict in one of the Black community's prominent institutions of the period(the
East Pasco Self-Help Cooperative). Then in August someone bombed—on the eve of its opening—the
Matrix building, a prominent black capitalism venture just up the street from Kurtzman Park.73
In some sense, Kurtzman Park played a pivotal role in all of these events,not only as location of the
initial"riot"but also as a center of associated activity from 1968-1970. As protest swelled in the wake of
police actions at the Orange residence,Kurtzman hosted numerous related meetings, including one at 7:30
p.m. on March 30, 1970 organized by the East Pasco Neighborhood Improvement Committee at which"a
crowd of more than 100 ...packed the small Kurtzman Park meeting room."Pasco City Manager Max
Pope attended that meeting, as did City Councilman Sam Hunt and several journalists,which lasted until
midnight("around 10:30 p.m. Pope and news representatives were asked to leave")and focused on six
community demands"of city government,""including the dropping of charges against Robert Orange."
Robert's father Gilbert Orange spoke, and"received an ovation from blacks at the Kurtzman Park
meeting last night when he told the crowd`we have been trampled on all the way.Because we want to
make a chance for our families we are called troublemakers."'74
f
F
ti 9
Gilbert Orange,father of Robert orange, receiv. we want to make a chance for Our families we
ed an ovation from iifacks at the Klcrtzman Park are called troublemakers." On the right of the
me
eting last night when lie told ule crowd, live elder Orange was City Manager
have been trampled on Max Pope (with
Because
Pip
1 4001
Figure 11. Gilbert Orange speaking at Youth Center, March 30, 1970
72"Pasco Police Deny Race Bias.""Blacks,Council Face Off:Orange Arrest at Issue";"Pasco Blacks Vote
Downtown Boycott";"Gas Bottle Lands in Orange Home."
73"Pasco Laundromat Damaged by Bomb."
74"Max Pope Attends Meet on Demands.""Pope Changes Mind on Black Meeting.""Meeting Planned on
Demands.""Pasco Blacks Vote Downtown Boycott."
Section 8 page 26
That night, someone threw"a soft-drink bottle containing gasoline"into the living room of Robert's wife
Sarah Orange,then living at 400 C South Douglas Avenue("children were in the home at the time").75
Another Kurtzman Park meeting of the East Pasco Neighborhood Council was planned for the following
week, and Gov. Dan"Evans offered to arrange for a lawyer from the American Civil Liberties Union to
attend ... to advise on legal steps involved in filing charges against the city and police officers."76 At that
April 6 meeting, "about 60 black"attendees voted to expand the boycott of downtown Pasco merchants
they'd begun week before,which would"be strengthened by pickets."77 The pickets commenced the next
day.7 8
�4Z catt, Picketin
4
'Ap* -
n
fat Jnrksun and Katie Barton studied the
minutes aL last night's Cast Vasco Neighborhood
Figure 12. Nat Jackson and Katie Barton, Youth Center, April 6, 1970
Several weeks later the black community organized a rally at, and march from,Kurtzman Park. On
Friday April 17 "Judge Lyle Truax found no probable cause ...to think Pasco policemen Glen Butner,
Gerry Miller, and Robert Alger committed any crime during the arrest of Robert Orange March 6" (he
"reserved his ruling on the actions of officer Ron Morgan").79 On Saturday April 25 "a racially mixed
crowd of about 200 attended the Kurtzman Park rally and marched to the city's downtown business
district to dramatize the black boycott of Pasco merchants."Art Fletcher's son Paul gave a speech and
"following Fletcher's talk,the crowd marched in two columns to East Lewis street,through the
underpass,up West Lewis to North Fourth Avenue,turned north for a block, and then east on West Clark
street to city hall. The group paused to sing outside city hall and then retraced its path to Kurtzman
Park."80
71"Gas Bottle Lands in Orange Home."
76"Success Claimed in Olympia Meets."
77"Pasco Blacks Plan Shopping Boycott,Picketing."
78"Pickets Back Black Boycott in Pasco."
79"Truax Clears 3 Officers in Orange Case."
so"Pasco Racist, Says Fletcher Son."
Section 8 page 27
E
gg. 0
�
� .
a
Figure 13. Protest march from Kurtzman Park to City Hall, April 25, 1970
At the behest of Gov. Evans (after pressure from the Black community),the Washington State Board
Against Discrimination then investigated the"racial"events in Pasco. Its May report featured twelve
recommendations for city actions to rectify the situation. (Among them was"the city should simplify
means of gaining access to the accommodations of city parks...Mayor Ed Carter is considering means of
improving access by blacks to Kurtzman Park,which is one of the problems which gave rise to the
complaint of difficulty in gaining access to park accommodations").81
In the face of ongoing inaction by the City,Pasco continued to churn. The week of July 6 brought"two
nights of disorder and one night of closure by emergency curfew"initiated by a police raid in Volunteer
Park(in front of the Franklin County Courthouse). The night after the raid(at which the police arrested
and tear-gassed some of the"youth"present)
hundreds gathered again in the park. The neighboring sheriff's headquarters was attacked. A
score of sheriffs men and city policemen were injured, a dozen more youngsters were arrested
and a few hurt,windows of nearby fur and jewelry stores were broken,autos were damaged and
two half-century old spruce trees on the courthouse lawn were set ablaze by bottled gasoline
`bombs.' At 1 a.m., Thursday,Pasco Mayor Edward Carter signed a proclamation. `I declare an
emergency to exist,' he formally said, `and in order to protect the city and its citizens, I must
declare the city closed and direct the police to arrest and take into custody all persons upon the
streets."I
Although contemporary newspaper coverage assured there were"no racial overtones"in the Volunteer
Park events, a retrospective article on Martin Luther"King's legacy"and the"struggle for equality . . .in
Pasco"recounted how"the demolition of[social barriers] was speeded by both non-violent
81"WSBAD Proposals Not Objectionable."
82"Need for Parental Control Seen in Pasco Disorders."
Section 8 page 28
demonstrations(such as marches in Pasco and Kennewick)and by violence—such as a July 8, 1970 riot
in which two giant spruce trees in front of the Franklin County Courthouse were burned."83
Meanwhile, one of Black Pasco's most prominent organizations reeled with fierce in-fighting: in late July
the East Pasco Self-Help Co-op met multiple times at Kurtzman Park(and elsewhere, like the Labor Hall)
"to discuss the futures of the cooperative,"with some"30 stockholders"meeting with Co-op board
members and manager Nat Jackson at the Saturday July 18'meeting.84
Kurtzman bristled with organizing activity in this period, so it perhaps unsurprising that people were in
the midst of a meeting there when,just after 9:30 p.m. on Monday,August 24, a bomb went off at the
brand-new Matrix building just up the street.85 As Wally Webster recalled"we had a number of meetings
in Kurtzman Park that was very tense meetings.As a matter of fact,what used to happen is Carl Maxey
from Spokane,prominent civil rights lawyer in Spokane, other lawyers from Seattle,would come to
Pasco,because we didn't have any African American lawyers here at that time,and help us with civil
rights issues. I remember I was having a meeting in Kurtzman Park where it got pretty heated...And
somebody set off a bomb.We were all in Kurtzman Park,having a big powwow when that happened,
because everybody jumped and ran."86
During these tense times,Kurtzman also continued to be a community center for social and recreational
endeavors. Among the groups using the facility was Soul Sisters Action Committee,which in January
1970 held its meeting,presided over by"newly elected president"Rita Horton,at"7 p.m. Wednesday in
Kurtzman Park Community House. The group of teenagers is interested in projects which benefit the
community...the Soul Sisters are attending a ceramic class and are making plans to sponsor some record
hops. According to their advisor,Norma Holt,the girls are attempting to locate some black bands so that
they might have a dance with live music."87
J 19 70
Mummilmd
Figure 14. Soul Sisters Action Committee president
Rita Horton, Jan. 1970
ss"Social Freedom Is King's Legacy."
14"[?Illegible] Co-Op Chief on Job.""Co-Op to Meet."
ss"Pasco Laundromat Damaged by Bomb."
16 Interview with Wally Webster.
17"Soul Sisters Elect."
Section 8 page 29
While the Soul Sisters planned their varied projects, other Youth Center users dreamed of a bigger facility
for the Black community and its Kurtzman core. By 1969,planning for a new community center was well
underway, and that November proponent Wally Webster reported that"land near Kurtzman Park is
already available"for the East Pasco Community Center. Project organizers, including the East Pasco
Neighborhood Improvement Association and the Tri-Cities Community Action Committee(of which
Webster was executive director), as well as other East Pasco civic leaders like the Rev. William Vaughn,
"propose[d] to build on Central Labor Council land adjacent to Kurtzman Park. Labor donated the land to
the city,with the stipulation [in an echo of the original 1953 Kurtzman deed] that it be developed during
1969."It would be another three years before workers broke ground on the project, and in November
1975—six years after the property was deeded to Pasco—the East Pasco Neighborhood Facility,on the
north edge of Kurtzman Park,opened to the public.88 A decade later, on the first Dr. Martin Luther King
Jr. federal holiday in January 1986,the center begun in the months after King's murder was renamed in
his honor.89
d camOl
Above,Benlie Artis sings a
tribute to blues singer Billie
X4 Holiday during a celebration
Sunday Kat the DCr.Martin
„ Luther ing Jr.Community
un
Center in east Pasco.A
capacity crowd of about 500
R ,, filled the auditorium during a
two-hour mixed media
program in King's honor.
Today marks the first time the
t, a national holiday honoring
�c-�;,�✓ King's birth will be held.
HeraldlLvn Mersin
Figure 15. East Pasco Neighborhood Facility renamed
Dr. Martin Luther King Jr. Community Center, January 1986.
Wally Webster later recalled with pride the completion of the neighborhood center, and the collective
work of the Black community that made it happen: "I thought that Pasco needed a place, a neutral place,
where people could go and they could call it a community center.And I could see the value of people
gathering.We had a little place over in east Pasco called Kurtzman Park. It was a little building there.
And I thought that we could do better. So I studied up and found that HUD had what they call block
grants. ... We completed a HUD application and got some$440,000-$450,000 to build what is now
88"East Pasco Facility Plan Gets Support";"Pasco Center Gets Sponsors."Hayes and Franklin,Northwest Black
Pioneers, 11.
89"Social Freedom Is King's Legacy.""Tri-City Memorial to King Fills Center."
Section 8 page 30
known as the Martin Luther King Center in east Pasco. The central labor council owned the land where
that building is. We worked with them, and they deeded that land as part of the in-kind contribution to
match the HUD block grant. We were able to put that together. ....And it became a community center."90
Since the 1975 completion of the adjacent East Pasco Neighborhood Facility,the Kurtzman Park Youth
Center has been a quieter place. Delores Groce continued to supervise it through at least 1975. Sometime
thereafter it was converted to use as a City of Pasco Police Mini-Station(Area 1),"designed with the
purpose of creating a more personalized relationship between the community and the Police Department.
Officers are assigned to a specific geographical area with the objective of developing an ongoing,
proactive relationship with the community to address concerns in that specific area."91
Kurtzman continues to be a key base of Black culture in Pasco, and still hosts the Tri-Cities annual
Juneteenth celebration(an event that features prominently on the calendar of the Washington State
Commission on African American Affairs). Recently,Kurtzman's pivotal role in the history of the Tri-
Cities' Black community has been recognized, and honored,in a series of historical publications and
projects. These include a Kurtzman Park webpage on the National Park Service's Manhattan Project
National Historic Park website; some 13 interviews that touch on Kurtzman completed(in 2001,2013,
and 2018) as part of the Hanford Oral History project; a 2019 Cultural Resource site report archived with
the Washington State Department of Archaeology and Historic Preservation; and a 2019 video production
under the auspices of the City of Pasco's Historic Preservation Commission. In September 2019,that
video—"Pasco's African American History"—premiered at the Kurtzman Park Youth Center(a.k.a
Police Mini-Station).92
fll II'
I II
I'
Figure 16. poster, Juneteenth celebration in Kurtzman Park, 2021
91 Interview with Wally Webster.
91 "Mini-Stations I Pasco, WA - Official Website."
92 Holschuh and Harris Environmental Group,"Survey of Historic Properties Associated with the African American
Experience in East Pasco";Pasco's African American History;"Kurtzman Park(U.S.National Park Service)";
Kraemer,"Pasco Debuts African American Experience Film";Interview with Mae Fite;Interview with Vanis
Daniels;Interview with Vanis and Edmon Daniels;Interview with Andy and Shirley Miller;Interview with James
Pruitt;Interview with Rickie Robinson;Interview with Dallas Barnes,Webster Jackson,Albert Wilkins at Morning
Star Baptist Church,Pasco,WA.;Interview with Gordon Guice;Interview with Donald Bell,Sr.;Interview with
Wally Webster;Interview with Bobby Sparks;Interview with Aubrey Johnson;Interview with CJ Mitchell.
Section 8 page 31
9. Major Bibliographical References
Bibliography (Cite the books, articles, and other sources used in preparing this form.)
"$8000 Is Asked for Park Work."Spokesman-Review,July 24, 1953.
78 Wn.2d 571,THE STATE OF WASHINGTON,Respondent,v. ROBERT ORANGE,Appellant.,No.
40809&40810(State of Washington Supreme Court December 17, 1970).
"Blacks, Council Face Off. Orange Arrest at Issue." Tri-City Herald,March 18, 1970. Vertical File:
Blacks. East Benton County Historical Society.
"Breakthrough." Tri-City Herald, ca 1967. Scrapbooks. City of Pasco Parks Department.
"Building Dedication Set in Pasco."Spokesman-Review, September 20, 1964.
"Cash On Hand for Park Work."Spokesman-Review,December 14, 1965.
"City Will Rent County Grader."Spokane Chronicle, October 26, 1953.
"Club Dinner Tonight Will Benefit Park."Spokesman-Review, September 4, 1954.
"Conference Due on `Urban Crisis."'Spokane Chronicle, September 7, 1968.
"Cookies in the Park." Tri-City Herald, ca 1970. Scrapbooks. City of Pasco Parks Department.
"Co-Op to Meet." Tri-City Herald,July 23, 1970. Vertical File: Blacks. East Benton County Historical
Society.
"County Will Rent Grader."Spokane Chronicle, October 26, 1953.
"Deficit Woes Face Pasco."Spokesman-Review,August 7, 1968.
"East Pasco Facility Plan Gets Support."Spokesman-Review,August 9, 1969.
"East Pasco Residents Wrathful."Spokesman-Review, October 23, 1958.
"Ex-Coach Given YMCA Position."Spokane Chronicle, October 28, 1966.
"Gas Bottle Lands in Orange Home." Tri-City Herald,March 31, 1970. East Benton County Historical
Society.
"Group Plans Labor Day Picnic Fete."Spokesman-Review, September 3, 1966.
Hayes,Ralph, and Joe Franklin.Northwest Black Pioneers:A Centennial Tribute. BON Marche, 1994.
Holschuh,Dana,and Harris Environmental Group. "Survey of Historic Properties Associated with the
African American Experience in East Pasco."Cultural Resources(WA State Dept. of
Archaeology and Historic Preservation),April 2019.
"[?Illegible] Co-Op Chief on Job." Tri-City Herald,July 20, 1970.Vertical File: Blacks. East Benton
County Historical Society.
"Inspection Is Slated on Columbia Park Site."Spokesman-Review,June 25, 1953.
Interview with Andy and Shirley Miller. Interview by Robert Franklin,June 26,2018. Hanford Oral
History Project. Washington State University Tri-Cities.
http://hanfordhistory.com/items/show/2048.
Interview with Aubrey Johnson. Interview by Robert Franklin,April 9,2018. Hanford Oral History
Project.Washington State University Tri-Cities.http://hanfordhistory.com/items/show/2040.
Interview with Bobby Sparks. Interview by Robert Franklin. Hanford Oral History Project at Washington
State University Tri-Cities,May 8,2018. Hanford Oral History Project. Washington State
University Tri-Cities.http://hanfordhistory.com/items/show/2052.
Interview with CJ Mitchell. Interview by Robert Bauman, October 30, 2013. Hanford Oral History
Project. Washington State University. http://hanfordhistory.com/items/show/40.
Interview with Dallas Barnes,Webster Jackson,Albert Wilkins at Morning Star Baptist Church,Pasco,
WA. Hanford Oral History Project at Washington State University Tri-Cities,May 31, 2018.
http://hanfordhistory.com/items/show/2030.
Interview with Donald Bell, Sr. Interview by Robert Franklin,April 4,2018. Hanford Oral History
Project.Washington State University Tri-Cities.http://hanfordhistory.com/items/show/2033.
Interview with Gordon Guice. Interview by Robert Franklin, January 23, 2018. Hanford Oral History
Project. Washington State University Tri-Cities.http://hanfordhistory.com/items/show/2037.
Interview with James Pruitt. Interview by John Skinner. Hanford Oral History Project at Washington
State University Tri-Cities,October 18,2001. Hanford Oral History Project.Washington State
University Tri-Cities.http://hanfordhistory.com/items/show/2064.
Interview with Mae Fite. Interview by Robert Franklin,April 5,2018. Hanford Oral History Project.
Washington State University Tri-Cities.http://hanfordhistory.com/items/show/2036.
Interview with Rickie Robinson. Interview by Robert Franklin. Hanford Oral History Project at
Washington State University Tri-Cities,February 16,2018.
http://www.hanfordhistory.com/items/show/2050.
Interview with Vanis and Edmon Daniels. Interview by Robert Franklin. Hanford Oral History Project at
Washington State University Tri-Cities,May 7,2018.Hanford Oral History Project. Washington
State University Tri-Cities.http://hanfordhistory.com/items/show/2035.
Interview with Vanis Daniels. Interview by Laura Arata. Hanford Oral History Project at Washington
State University Tri-Cities,November 14,2013. Hanford Oral History Project.Washington State
University Tri-Cities.http://hanfordhistory.com/items/show/202.
Interview with Wally Webster. Interview by Robert Franklin. Hanford Oral History Project at
Washington State University Tri-Cities,June 20,2018.Washington State University Tri-Cities.
http://hanfordhistory.com/items/show/2057.
"Kinsey Leads Kurtzman to Track Victory." Tri-City Herald,ca 1964. Scrapbooks. City of Pasco Parks
Department.
"Kiwanis Group Gives $300 to Park Project."Spokesman-Review, October 5, 1954.
Kraemer,Kristin M. "Pasco Debuts African American Experience Film." Tri-City Herald, September 27,
2019. https://www.tri-cityherald.com/news/local/article235554692.html.
"Kurtzman Park . . . Fun with the Tether-Ball." Tri-City Herald, ca 1965. Scrapbooks. City of Pasco
Parks Department.
"Kurtzman Park Boys Win `Olympic' Prizes." Tri-City Herald, ca 1965. Scrapbooks. City of Pasco Parks
Department.
"Kurtzman Park Grading Done in East Pasco."Spokesman-Review,December 31, 1953.
"Kurtzman Park Grading Work Done in East Pasco."Spokesman-Review,December 31, 1953.
"Kurtzman Park(U.S.National Park Service)."Accessed January 12,2021.
https://www.nps.gov/places/000/kurtzman-park.htm.
"Man Arrested in Rioting."Spokane Chronicle,July 27, 1968.
"Max Pope Attends Meet on Demands." Tri-City Herald,March 31, 1970. Vertical File: Blacks. East
Benton County Historical Society.
"`Meet Candidate' Session Set."Spokesman-Review,June 30, 1964.
"Meeting Planned on Demands." Tri-City Herald,March 30, 1970. Vertical File: Blacks. East Benton
County Historical Society.
Merrick,Florence. "A Condensed History of the Tri-City Committee on Human Relations,"n.d. Vertical
File: Ethnic Groups,African American. Franklin County Historical Society.
"Mini-Stations I Pasco,WA-Official Website."Accessed July 29,2021.https://www.pasco-
wa.gov/388/Mini-Stations.
"More Funds Necessary to Level Park Area."Spokesman-Review, October 15, 1954.
Morning Star Church Interview with Pastor Albert Wilkins,Dr. Dallas Barnes, and Mr.Webster Jackson.
Interview by Delia Hagen,January 27,2021. Tri-Cities (WA)African American History MPS.
Dr. Delia Hagen research collections.
"Need for Parental Control Seen in Pasco Disorders."Spokesman-Review,July 12, 1970. Vertical File:
Riots [1970]. Franklin County Historical Society.
"New Pasco Park Work to Begin."Spokesman-Review, October 30, 1953.
"Park Fund Gets $222 at Pasco."Spokane Chronicle,November 3, 1954.
"Park Planners Receive Blow."Spokesman-Review, September 25, 1953.
"Park Project to Get Money."Spokesman-Review, October 20, 1955.
"Park Talent Show Slated." Tri-City Herald, ca 1962. Scrapbooks. City of Pasco Parks Department.
"Parks Are Planned."Spokane Chronicle,April 23, 1954.
"Pasco Area Aid Center Manager Held by Police."Spokesman-Review,July 27, 1968.
"Pasco Blacks Plan Shopping Boycott,Picketing." Tri-City Herald,April 7, 1970.Vertical File: Blacks.
East Benton County Historical Society.
"Pasco Blacks Vote Downtown Boycott." Tri-City Herald,March 31, 1970.Vertical File: Blacks. East
Benton County Historical Society.
"Pasco Calls Special Meet on Pool Tickets for Poor." Tri-City Herald, June 24, 1970. Scrapbooks. City of
Pasco Parks Department.
"Pasco Center Gets Sponsors."Spokane Chronicle,November 15, 1969.
"Pasco City Council Working to Speed Park Development."Spokesman-Review,August 13, 1954.
"Pasco Council Moves to Hold Closed Meets."Spokesman-Review,August 25, 1968.
"Pasco Laundromat Damaged by Bomb." Tri-City Herald,August 25, 1970.Vertical File: Blacks. East
Benton County Historical Society.
"Pasco Police Deny Race Bias." Tri-City Herald,March 17, 1970.Vertical File: Blacks. East Benton
County Historical Society.
"Pasco Racial Disturbance Brings Arrest."Longview Daily News, July 27, 1968.
"Pasco Racist, Says Fletcher Son." Tri-City Herald,April 26, 1970.
"Pasco to Talk in Private with Negroes."Spokane Chronicle,July 31, 1968.
Pasco's African American History. Pasco,WA, 2019.
https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=ZYnrWO11poU.
"Pickets Back Black Boycott in Pasco." Tri-City Herald,April 8, 1970. Vertical File: Blacks. East Benton
County Historical Society.
"Pope Changes Mind on Black Meeting." Tri-City Herald,March 27, 1970. Vertical File: Blacks.East
Benton County Historical Society.
"Progress Made on Kurtzman Park Youth Center." Tri-City Herald,March 4, 1963. Scrapbooks. City of
Pasco Parks Department.
"Quiet Returns to Pasco After Disorder."Longview Daily News,July 23, 1968.
"Race in Junior Olympics in Pasco." Tri-City Herald, ca 1964. Scrapbooks. City of Pasco Parks
Department.
"Rally Ties Up Traffic."Spokane Chronicle, July 25, 1964.
"Recreation Directors." Tri-City Herald,ca 1971. Scrapbooks. City of Pasco Parks Department.
"Recreation Pioneer Views Pasco Growth." Tri-City Herald,July 26, 1964.
"School Help Projects Get Under Way."Spokesman-Review,June 29, 1965.
"She `Noze' What She's Doing." Tri-City Herald, ca 1967. Scrapbooks. City of Pasco Parks Department.
"Social Freedom Is King's Legacy." Tri-City Herald, January 19, 1986. Vertical File: Blacks. East
Benton County Historical Society.
"Soul Sisters Elect." Tri-City Herald,January 27, 1970. Vertical File: Blacks. East Benton County
Historical Society.
"Statutory Warranty Deed(H. Allan Kurtzman to City of Pasco),"May 1, 1953. Book 81: Page 584.
Franklin County Deed Records.
"Street Oiling Job Awarded."Spokesman-Review, June 19, 1953.
"Success Claimed in Olympia Meets." Tri-City Herald,April 5, 1970. Vertical File: Blacks. East Benton
County Historical Society.
"Swim Classes Start Monday."Spokane Chronicle,August 13, 1966.
"The Eyes Have It." Tri-City Herald, ca 1967. Scrapbooks. City of Pasco Parks Department.
"Tri-City Memorial to King Fills Center." Tri-City Herald,January 20, 1986.Vertical File: Blacks. East
Benton County Historical Society.
"Tri-City Racial Problems Shake Junior College Plans."Spokesman-Review,December 10, 1954.
"Truax Clears 3 Officers in Orange Case." Tri-City Herald,April 19, 1970. Vertical File: Blacks. East
Benton County Historical Society.
"Tutoring Project Deadline Today."Spokesman-Review,June 17, 1965.
"Unsung Volunteers Teach Pasco's `Ghetto' Children."Spokesman-Review. July 27, 1964.
"Vandals Spoil Park Property."Spokesman-Review,March 27, 1964.
"Walls Put Up by Volunteers."Spokane Chronicle,March 4, 1963.
"Water Follies Budget Is Set."Spokesman-Review,May 22, 1954.
"Water Follies Take Is$3000."Spokane Chronicle, July 28, 1953.
Whitman,Winslow, and Isabelle Rosenfels. "Study and Evaluation of Racial Tension at Pasco High
School."Washington State Board Against Discrimination. Olympia,WA,February 20, 1969.
"WSBAD Proposals Not Objectionable." Tri-City Herald,May 13, 1970. Vertical File: Blacks. East
Benton County Historical Society.
"Youth Center Is Opened."Spokesman-Review, September 29, 1964.
Previous documentation on file (NPS):
preliminary determination of individual listing (36 CFR 67) has been requested
previously listed in the National Register
!previously determined eligible by the National Register
!designated a National Historic Landmark
recorded by Historic American Buildings Survey #
!recorded by Historic American Engineering Record#
recorded by Historic American Landscape Survey#
Primary location of additional data:
State Historic Preservation Office
Other State agency
Federal agency
X_Local government
University
Other
Name of repository:
Historic Resources Survey Number (if assigned): WA DAHP Proj. No. 2018-10-08077
10. Geographical Data
Acreage of Property Roughly 2.32 acres
Use either the UTM system or latitude/longitude coordinates
Latitude/Longitude Coordinates
Datum if other than WGS84:
(enter coordinates to 6 decimal places)
1. Latitude: Longitude:
2. Latitude: Longitude:
3. Latitude: Longitude:
4. Latitude: Longitude:
Or
UTM References
Datum (indicated on USGS map):
F-I NAD 1927 or FX I NAD 1983
1. Zone:ll Easting: 339935 Northing: 5121852
2. Zone:ll Easting: 340072 Northing: 5121848
3. Zone:II Easting: 340070 Northing: 5121776
4. Zone:II Easting: 339933 Northing: 5121781
Verbal Boundary Description (Describe the boundaries of the property.)
Beginning at the southwest corner of Kurtzman Park, proceed north about 230 feet to a point
just past the pavilion. Then proceed roughly 435 feet directly east. Then proceed 230 feet
south to the edge of the concrete sidewalk along the north side of Elton St. Then proceed
west to the southwest corner of Kurtzman Park.
Boundary Justification (Explain why the boundaries were selected.)
The boundary described above includes resources established as part of the Kurtzman Park
Youth Center that date to the period of significance and that have integrity.
11. Form Prepared By
name/title: Delia Hagen, PhD
organization: Hagen Historical Consulting (HHC)
street&number: 210 N. Higgins Ave., Suite 328
city or town: Missoula state: zip code: 59802
e-mail: deliahagen@yahoo.com
telephone: (406) 360-0120
date: August 2021
Additional Documentation
Submit the following items with the completed form:
• Maps: A USGS map or equivalent (7.5 or 15 minute series) indicating the property's
location.
• Sketch map for historic districts and properties having large acreage or numerous
resources. Key all photographs to this map.
• Additional items: (Check with the SHPO, TPO, or FPO for any additional items.)
Photographs
Submit clear and descriptive photographs. The size of each image must be 1600x 1200 pixels
(minimum), 3000x2000 preferred, at 300 ppi (pixels per inch) or larger. Key all photographs
to the sketch map. Each photograph must be numbered and that number must correspond to
the photograph number on the photo log. For simplicity, the name of the photographer,
photo date, etc. may be listed once on the photograph log and doesn't need to be labeled on
every photograph.
Photo Log
Name of Property:Kurtzman Park Youth Center
City or Vicinity: Pasco
County: Franklin State: WA
Photographer: Delia Hagen
Date Photographed: 1/30/2021
Description of Photograph(s) and number, include description of view indicating direction of
camera:
001 of 8. Looking northeast to the Kurtzman Park Youth Center from the intersection of
Wehe Ave. and Alton St.
002 of 8. Looking southeast at the original (and current) entrance to the building, at the west
edge of the north wall of the original component.
003 of 8. Looking south at the north (front) wall of the youth center addition.
004 of 8. Looking west to the east (side) wall of the youth center. Original volume to left,
addition to right.
005 of 8. Looking north to the south (rear)wall of the youth center.
006 of 8. Looking east to the west(side)wall of the youth center. Original volume to right,
addition to left.
007 of 8. Looking east to the pavilion: youth center is just outside of photo to right.
008 of 8. Looking west-southwest towards the playing field, backstop, and bleachers.
Paperwork Reduction Act Statement: This information is being collected for nominations to the National Register of Historic
Places to nominate properties for listing or determine eligibility for listing,to list properties,and to amend existing listings. Response
to this request is required to obtain a benefit in accordance with the National Historic Preservation Act,as amended(16 U.S.C.460
et seq.).We may not conduct or sponsor and you are not required to respond to a collection of information unless it displays a
currently valid OMB control number.
Estimated Burden Statement: Public reporting burden for each response using this form is estimated to be between the Tier 1
and Tier 4 levels with the estimate of the time for each tier as follows:
Tier 1 —60-100 hours
Tier 2—120 hours
Tier 3—230 hours
Tier 4—280 hours
The above estimates include time for reviewing instructions,gathering and maintaining data,and preparing and transmitting
nominations.Send comments regarding these estimates or any other aspect of the requirement(s)to the Service Information
Collection Clearance Officer, National Park Service, 1201 Oakridge Drive Fort Collins,CO 80525.
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WA_Franklin_KurtzmanParkYouthCenter_006. Looking east to the west(side)wall of the youth
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WA Franklin—KurtzmanParkYouthCenter-008. Looking west-southwest toward the playing
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MORNING STAR BAPTIST CHURCH
Requested Changes to Nomination
January 26, 2022
GENERAL COMMENTS
• Great start on the nomination.
• See red lined nomination for changes/adjustments/questions to the text.
• Please provide a final version of the nomination in Microsoft Word format.
• Think about the MPD tittle. See comments on MPD.
• The NR Form used, while blessed by NPS is not the form that our State Review board
likes. While it was meant for paper reduction, it actually ends up being a longer
document due to the use of a single column. Please download NR form version from
our website and paste you text into document.
• Please clarify what the one non-contributing building is. Thinking it might be the
garage.. which leads to the question of is this resource contemporary to the
sanctuary? If so, it should probably be a contributing resource.
• Please adjust the Architectural Classification. NPS is not crazy about using
"Vernacular". The church certainly does not fit within the standard nomenclature of
styles as provided by NPS. Using "Other" is fine, just removed "Vernacular".
• It would be very helpful to have a sketch floor plan of the building which shows the
dates of the additions.
• Please provide a general floorplan for the building so the reader can understand how
the building works. This does not need to be to an exact scale.
• Please provide a detailed description of what the interior of the building looks like for
Section 7.
• Please clarify how the ending Period of Significance date was chosen. Is their a more
local date than 50 years. Of course we are up to 1972 now.
• Does the church have any historic images of the inside or outside of the building?
This would be a great addition to the nomination.
• Please provide interior images of the church, these will supplement the additional
narrative of the interior in Section 7.
• Please provide the current images in TIFF format that meet NPS naming conventions
and resolution requirements.
• The version of the 10-900 form that you are using is missing the ownership
information. Please add back in and fill out details.
NPS Form 10-900 OMB Control No.1024-0018
expiration date 03/31/2022
United States Department of the Interior
National Park Service
National Register of Historic Places Registration Form
This form is for use in nominating or requesting determinations for individual properties and districts. See instructions in National Register Bulletin,
How to Complete the National Register of Historic Places Registration Form. If any item does not apply to the property being documented,enter
"N/A"for"not applicable." For functions,architectural classification,materials,and areas of significance,enter only categories and subcategories
from the instructions.
1. Name of Property
Historic name: Morning Star Baptist Church
Other names/site number:
Name of related multiple property listing:
"Historic African American Properties in Pasco, Washington."
(Enter "N/A" if property is not part of a multiple property listing)
2. Location
Street&number: 631 S. Douglas Ave.
City or town: Pasco State: Washington County: Franklin
Not For Publication:❑ Vicinity: ❑
3. State/Federal Agency Certification
As the designated authority under the National Historic Preservation Act, as amended,
I hereby certify that this X nomination request for determination of eligibility meets
the documentation standards for registering properties in the National Register of Historic
Places and meets the procedural and professional requirements set forth in 36 CFR Part 60.
In my opinion, the property meets does not meet the National Register Criteria. I
recommend that this property be considered significant at the following
level(s) of significance:
_national _statewide X local
Applicable National Register Criteria:
X A _B _C _D
Signature of certifying official/Title: Date
State or Federal agency/bureau or Tribal Government
1
United States Department of the Interior
National Park Service/National Register of Historic Places Registration Form
NPS Form 10-900 OMB Control No.1024-0018
Morning Star Baptist Church Franklin, Washington
Name of Property County and State
In my opinion, the property _meets does not meet the National Register
criteria.
Signature of commenting official: Date
Title : State or Federal agency/bureau
or Tribal Government
4. National Park Service Certification
I hereby certify that this property is:
entered in the National Register
determined eligible for the National Register
determined not eligible for the National Register
removed from the National Register
other(explain:)
Signature of the Keeper Date of Action
5. Classification
Ownership of Property
(Check as many boxes as apply.)
Private: Fx]
Public—Local
Public— State F-1
Public—Federal F I
Category of Property
(Check only one box.)
Building(s) FX I
District F I
Site F-1
Sections 1-6 page 2
United States Department of the Interior
National Park Service/National Register of Historic Places Registration Form
NPS Form 10-900 OMB Control No.1024-0018
Morning Star Baptist Church Franklin, Washington
Name of Property County and State
Structure
Object F-1
Number of Resources within Property
(Do not include previously listed resources in the count)
Contributing Noncontributing
1 1 buildings
sites
structures
objects
1 1 Total
Number of contributing resources previously listed in the National Register None
6. Function or Use
Historic Functions
(Enter categories from instructions.)
RELIGION/religious facility, church
Current Functions
(Enter categories from instructions.)
_RELIGION/religious facility, church
Sections 1-6 page 3
7. Description
Architectural Classification
(Enter categories from instructions.)
Other: Mid-century masonry(concrete block)vernacular
Materials: (enter categories from instructions.)
Principal exterior materials of the property:
Foundation: CONCRETE
Walls: CONCRETE
Roof. ASPHALT
Narrative Description
(Describe the historic and current physical appearance and condition of the property. Describe
contributing and noncontributing resources if applicable. Begin with a summary paragraph that
briefly describes the general characteristics of the property, such as its location, type, style,
method of construction, setting, size, and significant features. Indicate whether the property has
historic integrity.)
Summary Paragraph
The Morning Star Baptist Church and its associated paved parking area occupies lots 69 through 72 of
Block 2 of the Terrace Heights Addition in Pasco,Franklin County,Washington. These lots are located
on the northeast corner of the intersection of Douglas Ave and Butte Street,with the church facing west
towards Douglas Ave. The main building on site is the church,which in the southwest corner of the
parcel. Lawn and a variety of shrubs surround the west, south, and east sides of the church,while the
asphalt parking area is located adjacent to the north wall of the building.A small garage sits northeast of
the northeast corner of the church,within the paved parking area. The parking area, including the asphalt
portion as well as a graveled area to the north,is enclosed on the west,north, and east sides by a chain-
link fence.
Narrative Description
Morning Star Baptist Church (one contributing building)
The Morning Star Baptist Church is a one-story masonry building with an irregular footprint. Both the
original component and an addition(which covers most of the length of the original volume's north wall)
are constructed with concrete blocks laid up in a running bond pattern, over a full concrete basement. A
wood-frame gable roof covers the bulk of the volume in the original component,with flat-roofed sections
on its east and west sides. The north third of the flat roof section on the east side of the building is only a
half story high. Stepped parapets finished with three courses of red brick top the flat roof sections of the
roof. Roof covering on the gable section is asphalt shingles,while the flat-roofed sections are covered
with built-up roofing. The east and west gable ends in the original volume(visible above the flat roofed
sections)are covered with vertical tongue-and-groove boards. The west gable end has a narrow metal
vent,while the east has a smaller rectangular vent.
Section 7 page 4
A 10 ft by 12 ft, one and one-half-story steeple,is located at the southwest corner of the original volume.
The exterior walls of the steeple extend about 2 ft beyond the west and south walls of the original
building,contributing to its slightly irregular plan. The steeple has a flat roof and is also topped with a red
brick parapet like those in the flat roofed sections at the west and east sides of the building.
Most doors and windows in the original component have gothic arche openings outlined in red brick and
the windows have brick sills. The exceptions include two pedestrian entries in the rear(east)wall of the
original volume,both of which are simple rectangular entryways.Window openings in the original
component contain fixed sash, a combination of a fixed sash above a one-by-one-light sliding vinyl sash,
or one-light fixed wood sash. Window openings in the north addition contain fixed,twelve-or six-light
metal sash and have concrete brick sills.
West(front)wall: The west wall of the church contains two main entrances—one centered in the wall
beneath the gable end and one in the steeple. The central entrance is accessed by a concrete ramp fitted
with metal pipe railings painted gray. This entry contains a pair of flush metal doors with three fixed
lights in the arch above the door.Window openings flank each side of this entrance. The entrance into the
ground floor of the steeple also contains a pair of flush metal doors with a single fixed light in the arch
above the doorway. A cross, executed in red brick, is centered in the steeple wall above the entry. Metal
address numbers(63 1)are affixed to the wall adjacent to the right side of the steeple entry. There are no
door or window openings in the west wall of the north addition.
South(side)wall: The south wall of the gable-roofed section of the church is divided into four bays by
three concrete block pilasters. The three bays beneath the gable-eave each contain a centered window
opening in the ground floor with a single fixed light above a one-light by one-light sliding,vinyl sash.
The fourth bay at the east end of the building(within the flat roof section of the building)has a square
window opening with a one-light sash. At the basement level, all four bays contain one centered,
rectangular window-opening with a one-light sash. The south wall of the steeple contains another entry
and a brick cross identical to those in the west steeple wall. A granite plaque which reads"MORNING
STAR BAPTIST CHURCH/FOUNDED 1946/DEDICATED 1953,"is inset into the concrete wall
blocks to the left(west) side of this entry.
East(rear)wall: A single pedestrian entry is located at the south end of the rear wall. It is accessed by a
concrete stair with a metal pipe railing and contains a flush metal door.A square window opening is
located in the center of the wall(north of the entry)and contains a one-light fixed sash. Another larger
square window opening in the upper north corner of the wall appears to have been retrofitted with a
smaller,twenty-five light, fixed wood sash; the excess area is infilled with vertical boards.
The east wall of the north addition has one entry offset slightly north of center. It contains a single,flush
metal door.A three-light fixed transom is located above the door.
North(side)wall: On the north side of the building,an entry is located at the portion of the original
volume not covered by the north wall addition. It contains a flush metal door. The north wall of the
addition has six window openings evenly spaced across the wall. From east to west these include: three,
twelve-light fixed sash; two, six-light fixed sash; and one twelve-light fixed sash.
Garage(one noncontributing building)
The garage associated with the church is a one-story,masonry building with a wood-frame front-gable
roof and a concrete slab foundation. The concrete wall blocks are laid up in a running bond pattern. The
roof has enclosed eaves and is covered with asphalt shingles,with vertical T-1-11 plywood siding in the
gable ends. A twenty-panel overhead metal garage door fills the south wall of the building.A concrete
ramp leads to the interior of the garage. There is a pedestrian entry at the south end of the west(side)
wall that contains a flush metal door. This entry is accessed from a low concrete stair. The north(rear)
and east(side)walls contain neither doors nor windows.
Section 7 page 5
8. Statement of Significance
Applicable National Register Criteria
(Mark "x" in one or more boxes for the criteria qualifying the property for National Register
listing.)
A. Property is associated with events that have made a significant contribution to the
broad patterns of our history.
F-I B. Property is associated with the lives of persons significant in our past.
F-I C. Property embodies the distinctive characteristics of a type,period, or method of
construction or represents the work of a master, or possesses high artistic values,
or represents a significant and distinguishable entity whose components lack
individual distinction.
F-I D. Property has yielded, or is likely to yield, information important in prehistory or
history.
Criteria Considerations
(Mark"x" in all the boxes that apply.)
F] A. Owned by a religious institution or used for religious purposes
F-I B. Removed from its original location
F-I C. A birthplace or grave
D. A cemetery
❑ E. A reconstructed building, object, or structure
F-I F. A commemorative property
F—I G. Less than 50 years old or achieving significance within the past 50 years
Areas of Significance
(Enter categories from instructions.)
ETHNIC HERITAGE/BLACK
Period of Significance
_1953-1971 (i.e., end of historic period)
Section 8 page 6
Significant Dates
1953
Significant Person
(Complete only if Criterion B is marked above.)
N/A
Cultural Affiliation
N/A
Architect/Builder
N/A, Unknown
Section 8 page 7
Statement of Significance Summary Paragraph (Provide a summary paragraph that includes
level of significance, applicable criteria,justification for the period of significance, and any
applicable criteria considerations.)
Built in 1953 by a congregation founded in 1945,Pasco's Morning Star Baptist Church is significant as
an institutional property associated with the history of African American people in Pasco,
Washington. The first enduring Black congregation founded in the area after the WWII advent of
the Tri-Cities and its African American community, Morning Star was the foundational
autonomous institution of that community, and thereafter became its physical and cultural core. As
such,it served as one of the primary bases for a broad array of community organizing—especially civil
rights organizing—in East Pasco,the Tri-Cities only Black neighborhood. It is therefore an historically
significant civil rights property as well as the African American community's institutional foundation.
Morning Star Baptist Church thus represents all three of the historic contexts documented in the Historic
African American Properties in Pasco, WA Multiple Property Documentation,i.e., 1)Making the
"Mississippi of the North": WWII and The Advent of the Segregated Tri-Cities and its Black Community,
ca. 1940-45; 2)The Tri-Cities' African American Community in Postwar Pasco, 1940s-70s; and 3) Civil
Rights,Integration and the Changing Racial Landscape of the Tri-Cities, 1940s-1970s. Eligible for listing
under NRHP Criterion A(state level) as one of the most important properties associated with the history
of Black people in Pasco and the Tri-Cities,Morning Star Baptist Church has been significantly
associated with Pasco and the Tri-Cities' African American community for over 75 years. The property's
period of significance extends from its initial construction in 1953 through 1971 (i.e., 50 years ago). Its
significance derives not from its religious status but from the role it played in the development of Black
Pasco and the African American community of the Tri-Cities.
Narrative Statement of Significance (Provide at least one paragraph for each area of
significance.)
The 1940s: Founding and Building the Morning Star Congregation
Morning Star Baptist Church began in 1945 "with a small group of singers meeting in the [westside]
homes of Mr. and Mrs. Joe Williams and Mr. and Mrs. Luzelle Johnson."As Velma Ray(then Mrs. Joe
Williams)recalled, "we practiced singing and it got spiritual ... We started having prayer meetings and
conversations about starting a church."' Soon, "news of the singing spread and the Reverend J. L. Stewart
and his wife Cozetta joined the group. The church was formally organized in the spring [April] of 1946 in
the home of Mr. and Mrs. Luzelle Johnson. People from Pasco,Walla Walla, and Spokane took part in
the establishment ceremonies. The church grew and was moved from the Johnson's home into a building
on west Lewis Street. Services were held there until the Reverend Stewart donated land at Butte and
Wehe for the construction of a new facility"in East Pasco.2 3
By mid-November 1947 the new Morning Star facility at 703 S. Wehe was"almost completed."For this
original Morning Star building, Black residents joined together to build community foundations not only
metaphorically but literally: "people in the community volunteered their time to build the church ...
founder,Luzelle Johnson, said 75 to 100 people donated their hard work to the project. The group
1"50 Years of Spiritual Harmony."
2 Tri-Cities Ethnic Players,"Cultural Awareness:Pasco's Black Community(in Celebration of Pasco's Centennial,
1884-1984) [Pamphlet],"sec.Religion;Interview with Dallas Barnes,Webster Jackson,Albert Wilkins at Morning
Star Baptist Church,Pasco,WA.
s"Tri City Church Focus:Morning Star Baptist Church(Newspaper Clipping)."
Section 8 page 8
borrowed money from the National Baptist Home Mission Board. `We had such a little amount of money
that we paid back about$25 a month on what we borrowed,' Johnson said. `After we paid for about a
year,they said `you're scuffling so hard we'll give you the rest."'Regional Black church organizations
also supported the establishment of Morning Star's new edifice on the corner of Butte and S. Wehe,with
"The Reverend D.D. Banks of Walla Walla and the Reverend D.H. Griggs of Spokane,representing
Negro missions in eastern Washington"tracking and reporting on its progress."4 Local church
authorities,like"Reverend C.T. Hatten,Pasco,"did the same.5
Morning Star's establishment reflected a development pattern that had become common throughout the
American West,where"once a significant number of Afro-Americans migrated to a town or city,the first
community institution usually established was a church."As they did throughout the United States,these
churches typically became the central institution of African-American communities. Black churches
"sponsored or fostered other activities such as social clubs, literary societies, and fraternal orders. Often
the church building was used as a meeting place for these organizations and for political gatherings.
Predictably, local black ministers became the community leaders and spokesmen. Besides attending to
the immediate needs of its congregation,the church also provided a fundamental psychological link to the
national Afro-American social and cultural setting."6
Morning Star's 1947 facility immediately became the cornerstone of a rapidly growing Black community
in Pasco and the Tri-cities. The following January,the Spokane Spokesman-Review reported that"three
new churches have been established by Negro congregations"in Pasco,and from these institutional
foundations the Tri-Cities Black community continued to build.? The Church of God in Christ outgrew
its original location in the First Street home of Mrs. Geneva Brocks and"moved to a location on the
corner of Helena and Main"in East Pasco (where it remained in the same vicinity in the 1960s,"off of A
Street"),just a few blocks from Morning Star.8 African American residents soon organized other
congregations as well. In 1953 "New Hope Missionary Baptist Church was organized in the home of Mr.
and Mrs. Milton Norwood, Senior." Residents remember New Hope as growing directly out of, or
branching off from,the burgeoning Morning Star congregation and, like Morning Star,New Hope
occupied several locations over the years.New Hope"services were held in various homes"and then in a
location on Beech Street and subsequently"in the East Pasco Elks Club until a building was constructed
in 1955"on the corner of Butte and Waldemar Streets,three blocks east of Morning Star Baptist.9
Within three years of completion of the New Hope church on Butte and Waldemar, East Pasco residents
had organized at least two other churches as well. These,too, grew in Morning Star's orbit. One was the
East Pasco Church of God,which occupied several locations in the Morning Star vicinity, including"113
South Oregon Street in an empty restaurant"and,in 1970,217 North Douglas Street). At the same time,
The Reverend R.J. Gholar organized the Greater Faith Baptist Church. Like New Hope,residents
remember Greater Faith as growing directly out of,or branching off from,the burgeoning Morning Star
congregation. After its founding, Greater Faith occupied several locations around Morning Star, including
"a building on South Oregon Street"as well as"The Reverend Gholar's store front located on[1119 1/2
East] Hagerman Street."On June 4th, 1961, Greater Faith dedicated a new Modern church,which"The
a"Play Jury Due from Audience","Tri City Church Focus:Morning Star Baptist Church(Newspaper
Clipping)","50 Years of Spiritual Harmony."
s"Action Planned in Pasco Area:W.S.C. Survey,Council to Help Solve Boom Problem."
e Taylor,"The Emergence of Black Communities in The Pacific Northwest,"345.
"Action Planned in Pasco Area:W.S.C. Survey,Council to Help Solve Boom Problem."
$Tri-Cities Ethnic Players,"Cultural Awareness:Pasco's Black Community(in Celebration of Pasco's Centennial,
1884-1984) [Pamphlet],"sec.Religion;Interview with Bryan and Rhonda Rambo.
e Tri-Cities Ethnic Players,"Cultural Awareness:Pasco's Black Community(in Celebration of Pasco's Centennial,
1884-1984) [Pamphlet],"sec.Religion;Interview with Reverend Jeannette Sparks. "Church Finds New Hope."
Section 8 page 9
Reverend Gholar. . . designed and built,"at 512 South Sycamore Street,just a couple blocks northeast of
Morning Star.10
Early Black residences,too, clustered around Morning Star,the heart of the community. Among those
who lived near Morning Star during this period was Mae Fite,who moved back to Pasco permanently
with her family in 1950. Fite remembered that"when we moved back,there was a little home there across
the street from Morning Star Baptist Church. We lived in there in like a little fourplex"for several years
before moving,by 1953,to Parkside Homes on the west side of the railroad tracks. Fite's father would
later build the family a home not far from Morning Star, "over on Owen in east Pasco, and then that's
where we grew up.""
When Fite's family settled near Morning Star in 1950,The Reverend EM Howard had been pastor for a
couple years,taking over from Pastor Stewart in 1948. Howard came"from Antioch Baptist church in
Oakland, Calif,"and carried on the tradition of Black church leaders being community leaders more
broadly.12 He immediately began working for the betterment of the African American community in
general while ministering to the Morning Star flock. The Rev. Howard was among the East Pasco
residents who joined the newly-established City of Pasco Human Relations Committee ca. 1947-48, and
subsequently worked actively with the Committee in expressing, and addressing,"many concerns about
life in East Pasco."13
At the same time, The Rev. Howard led his congregation in its daily and weekly religious affairs, and in
life's rites of passage. Sometimes those life events made regional newspapers. Such was the case for the
June 1950 Morning Star"funeral services for Charlie Harper,who drowned in Coffee Pot lake in Lincoln
County."(Harper, a Pasco resident,was "survived by his wife,Beatrice, and a son, Charlie Morris,Jr., at
the family home").19 Funeral services for community stalwart Mrs. Louise Pruitt,40,also made the
papers. Pruitt,who"was born in Pickin Co.,Ala., July 3, 1913,"was survived in Pasco by her husband
and two of her sisters, i.e.,Abbie Bush and Annis Washington. The Rev.William Wilkins joined the Rev.
E.M. Howard in officiating her August 1953 services at Morning Star.ls
A New Church Home: the Core of the Community, 1953-1970s
While the Morning Star congregation buried Mrs. Pruitt, it was working at the same time on plans for a
new building to accommodate its burgeoning membership. Indeed,the Church continued to grow so
rapidly that in the fall of 1953,not six years after completion of its original East Pasco facility on the
corner of Butte and Wehe,the congregation built a new edifice several blocks east on Butte, at the corner
of Butte and Douglas. With a construction cost of$45,000,the new concrete-block Morning Star church
at 631 S. Douglas was one of the"big jobs"among 1953 "building permits for new construction in
Pasco."16
"Tri-Cities Ethnic Players,"Cultural Awareness:Pasco's Black Community(in Celebration of Pasco's Centennial,
1884-1984) [Pamphlet],"sec.Religion.
ii Interview with Mae Fite.
12"Baptist Minister Leaves for Alaska."
is Tri-Cities Ethnic Players,"Cultural Awareness:Pasco's Black Community(in Celebration of Pasco's Centennial,
1884-1984) [Pamphlet],"sec.Politics;Hayes and Franklin,Northwest Black Pioneers,9.
is"Charlie Harper."
is"Mrs.Louise Pruitt."
ie"Building Permits Reach$195,796."
Section 8 page 10
F
4
,1
-- . . MORNING STAR BAPTIST CHURCH
_ r 631 S. u as, Pasco f -
nj
Figure 1. Morning Star Baptist Church (sketch, 1986)
Completion of the stout new building on the prominent, centrally-located East Pasco corner cemented
Morning Star's status as the as the physical, cultural, and institutional core of the Black community. For
another five years,the church continued to be led by The Rev. E.M. Howard—who occasionally spoke at
other regional churches for special events,like Spokane's Calvary Baptist Father's Day tea and musical
program in June 1954—while guiding his home congregation through life's triumphs and trials,like the
shooting of Lendon Parker,whose October 1957 funeral The Rev. Howard officiated.17 The following
March, "The Rev. E.M. Howard,pastor of the Morning Star Baptist church for ... ten years,preached his
final sermon at the church."He then decamped"for the Shiloh Baptist Church at Anchorage,Alaska."
Upon his departure,newspapers noted that"at the time he came"to Pasco ca. 1948, "the Morning Star
congregation numbered only ten parishioners. Within the pastor's first year,275 members were added to
the church and since that time the church has constructed a completely new building."18
After Howard's 1958 departure north to Alaska,The Rev. F. A. Allen took over as pastor of Morning
Star. Like his predecessor,The Rev. Allen embodied the tradition of Black pastors' active leadership
work in the broader community. He tended faithfully to the religious needs of his congregation,like
officiating"services for Mrs. Leona Banks, 59"(who lived a couple blocks away at 731 S. Wehe Street)
in early January 1961; or the funeral for Edward Martin, 71, a year later; or the 1971 burial of 52 year-old
Jacob Braziel, a Texas-born railroad worker who'd come to Pasco in 1963 and"was an evangelist for the
Baptist Church."19 At the same time, The Rev. Allen devoted himself to a variety of community and civil
rights efforts while also ensuring the Morning Star itself nurtured the broader Black community and the
institutions and movements it built and relied upon. Among The Rev. Allen's prominent leadership
activities during his Morning Star tenure was serving as chairman of the East Pasco Self-Help
Cooperative Association during the 1960s. In this capacity Allen worked directly on local issues while
also building a broader political network in support of Pasco's Black community.
17"Tea,Musicale Honor Fathers";"Gun Victim's Funeral Set."
18"Baptist Minister Leaves for Alaska."
19"Edward Martin Services Held";"Mrs.Banks' Funeral Set.""Service Planned for Rail Worker."
Section 8 page 11
Krr. 6.A,AGS?P
Figure 2. The Reverend F. A. Allen, February 1975
In the Spring of 1966, for instance, The Rev.Allen helped lead local efforts to empower the African
American community through greater political representation.At that time, despite years of efforts by the
Black residents,the Pasco city government remained exclusively White. In April 1966"citizens of East
Pasco . . .packed the city council chambers to ask that Charles Evans, 31, a Negro,be appointed to the
council to fill the vacancy created by the death of Clarence Griggs." Community members organized a
signature drive before the meeting, and were armed with a petition of some"275 names of persons who
want Evans to be councilman. In a letter to the council,the Rev. Mr. Allen said since 90 per cent of urban
renewal plans for Pasco related to property owner or occupied by Negroes, a Negro should be on the
council." The council demurred,voting instead fortify the all-White power structure of Pasco by
unanimously appointing the son-in-law of deceased councilman Griggs' brother.20
The Rev. Allen was again in the news several months later,when Morning Star and its pastor hosted
Washington Governor Dan Evans. Governor Evans was
the guest of honor at an informal reception given by the East Pasco Self-Help Cooperative
Association at 7 p.m. at Morning Star Baptist Church...The Reverend F.A. Allen, chairman of the
East Pasco group, said that to his knowledge this is the first time that a governor has ever asked to
visit East Pasco. The pastor said the reception is being held because the governor had asked if he
might visit with the members of the association. The association has spearheaded formation of
cooperatives and other activities in the depressed area of East Pasco without war on poverty
funds. The Rev. Mr. Allen said he doubted that any other Negro organization in the nation had
ever received such a request from a governor.21
As the story of Evans' historic visit to Morning Star suggests, The Rev. Allen's community leadership
dovetailed with the church's role as the physical and metaphorical foundation of the community. Over the
years,Morning Star frequently hosted a wide array of events and organizations,housing and nurturing the
Tri-Cities collective Black community in countless realms. It also hosted speakers and events from
outside the community, facilitating educational opportunities at every turn. Speakers ranged from"Dr.
21"E.Pasco Group Wants Negro Citizen on Council";"Negro Loses:Ballot Used in Choosing Councilmen."
21"Gov.Evans,Jackson Due in Tri-Cities."
Section 8 page 12
James Boyce,professor of sociology at Washington State university,"who in November 1959 spoke at a
Morning Star meeting("sponsored by the East Pasco improvement association")"on slum clearance and
other related subjects,"to the"secretary of the National Baptist Church of America,"who in August 1962
spoke—"condemning any kind of philosophy that would advocate hatred"—"at the opening of the five-
day Baptist Convention of the Northwest,"that was being held at Morning Star.22 Other cultural events
included things like"The Festival of Afro-American Arts,"that in 1970 opened one February"Sunday
with a program at Morning Star Baptist Church. Workshops, guest speakers and a drama group will
present aspects of black culture during the week-long observance."The Festival opened with ceremonies
featuring"Rev. Floyd Bullock,"pastor of a Church on"Owens Street,...Rev. James... New Hope
Baptist,"and speakers from Columbia Basin College.23 It culminated with the crowning of neighborhood
teen Wanda Green as Festival Queen.24
Aff O-Am'er can Quee
Figure 3. Wanda Green, Afro-American Art Festival Queen, February 1970
Itself nurturing the community more broadly,Morning Star also acted—along with the nearby Kurtzman
Park Youth Center—as the primary incubator of other Black community institutions and organizations in
Pasco. In the 1950s and 60s, for example"Morningstar Baptist Church served as a gathering place for the
local civil rights movement."The aforementioned East Pasco Self-Help Cooperative Association, of
which The Rev.Allen himself served as chairman for a time,is a prime example of Morning Star's
institutional incubation. Originally established and led by Art Fletcher in 1965,the East Pasco Co-op
ii"Speaker Set";"Church Leader Raps Muslims."
z3"Afro-American Arts."
za"Afro-American Queen."
Section 8 page 13
"set up to bring new businesses to other services to the predominantly black community—held meetings
in the church in the late 1960s and early 1970s."25
For its first organized effort,the East Pasco Co-op aimed to"establish a neighborhood improvement
project and to use the organization as an experiment to demonstrate to others what can be accomplished."
Almost immediately after the Co-op's establishment,"its members voted to open its own business,they
chose an abandoned service station,renovated it, and opened it in September" 1965. Within weeks, "the
co-op next took over the management of the Day-care Center administered under the Office of Economic
Opportunity,which provided"a badly needed service for the community and a training ground for the
five persons employed there."The Co-op day-care center was operated""downstairs ... in [the Morning
Star] church."2 6
Over the next few years the co-op"applied for—and receiveda charter from the state,which will enable
the group to create a credit union ... to provide small business loans with which residents can purchase
necessities such as trucks during harvest time,"and also broke ground"for the first phase of[a planned]
development program ...drawn up to improve the physical appearance of East Pasco,"i.e. a new"four-
bay service station"located on Lewis a few blocks northwest of Morning Star.27 By early 1968,the co-
op boasted"300 members in the Tri-Cities."28
Part of the co-op's goal was broader empowerment of the Black community.As Fletcher put it, "we don't
want to observe democracy—we've been doing that for 300 years—we want to participate in it."29 This
goal it shared with other organizations active at this time in the Tri-Cities,where"many community
programs were initiated in the 1960s to address the concerns of minorities,the poor, and the
disadvantaged. The Community Action Committee(CAC) started in 1965 and the Community
Affirmative Action Program(CAAP)were two products of the new programs under the Office of
Economic Opportunity(OEO). The Community still remembers the strong leadership provided by Leon
Harris and Wally Webster of the C.A.C. These organizations provided services and support which gave
the Black community a feeling of control in shaping its future."30 Morning Star became a base of
operations for these and other organizations, and their community leaders—like Wally Webster)—as
well.
As Webster recalled of the period's achievements:
all of that came out of the basement of Morning Star Baptist Church. Reverend Allen was the
pastor at that time. So I think if you point to almost any significant accomplishment,the genesis
of it came from the spiritual and religious community. ... It functioned as a meeting
place...That's where the people went. I mean,when you wanted to do something,you go where
the people are. On Sunday morning,that's where you're going to find them, and that's where you
make your point. You convince the pastor that it's worthwhile,and then they'll let you get up and
make announcements and talk to the congregation where you've got a captive audience. That's
how you got your message across. So it was—because you didn't have a newspaper or TV
zs"50 Years of Spiritual Harmony."
26 Interview with Dallas Barnes,Webster Jackson,Albert Wilkins at Morning Star Baptist Church,Pasco,WA.
27"Co-Op Idea Called Answer to Racial Problems.","Self-Help Unit Breaks Ground in East Pasco."
2a"East Pasco Co-Op at Work."
29"East Pasco Co-Op at Work."
so Tri-Cities Ethnic Players,"Cultural Awareness:Pasco's Black Community(in Celebration of Pasco's Centennial,
1884-1984) [Pamphlet],"sec.Politics.
Section 8 page 14
channel or radio station or any of those, except for a routine newscast or something. But if you
wanted to tell your whole story,you had to go to the church.31
The core, and home base, of the Black community's religious,cultural, and institutional realms,Morning
Star's also continued to be the heart of the Tri-Cities' only Black neighborhood. It stood,on the corner of
Butte and Douglas, at East Pasco's physical center. Large-scale residential mapping of post-war Pasco's
Black population is not possible until April 2022,when the 1950 federal census returns will be opened for
research. But available sources indicate that African American dwellings clustered densely in the vicinity
of Morning Stara community touchstone and landmark that features prominently in residents'
recollections. Among the families that lived in the immediate environs of the 1953 church was that of
current Morning Star pastor Albert Wilkins. Wilkins' father was also a Reverend, and the young Wilkins
remembered "living next-door to the church in '53, '54, '55."32 Othal Hawthorne Lakey,Pastor of the
St. James Christian Methodist Episcopal Church,could be found a few blocks away: ca. 1956 he"live[d]
at at [the] corner of Butte and Wehe,"(i.e, at the same intersection that housed the 1947 Morning Star
building.
Other Black-owned residences in the immediate vicinity of Morning Star included the fourplex that
Thomas Moore built in the 1950s kitty-corner from the church on the corner of Butte and Douglas(at 704
E. Butte Street). The dwelling ultimately housed the Moore family in two of the units while they rented
out the other two. According to Thomas and Ellenor's son,Thomas Moore Jr.,the senior Moore also
owned or managed"a couple more houses behind[i.e. south of]"the four-plex that he rented out: one of
the families he rented to early on was the Dorseys,whose daughter,Ellenor Louise,Thomas Moore Sr.
ended up marrying.33 Right across the street was Ray Henry's four-plex. Community members also recall
"Mr. Mitchell's duplex"as being in the neighborhood.34 Not far away, in the 1950s and 60s.was Duke
Mitchell's great uncle Willy Daniels,who Mitchell remembered during his childhood"just lived down
the street on Douglas Street there in east Pasco, from Morning Star Baptist Church."35 Next door to
Morning Star at the same time was the church's pastor,the Rev.Allen,who during Urban Renewal ca.
1970"was relocated over on 14th.... Across from Pasco High"36
Rev. Allen's relocation under the mantle of Urban Renewal both reflected and symbolized profound
changes in East Pasco in the 1960s and early 1970s, changes that signaled the end of an era for the
neighborhood and the church at its heart.As the 1960s wore on,the Tri-Cities slowly became less
segregated, a process that proceeded through both major events, like the 1965 closure of Whittier School,
and minor ones, like families successfully procuring housing west of 4t'Avenue in Pasco or occasionally
in Richland(and even, eventually,a handful in the notorious white-supremacist"sundown town"of
Kennewick). De-segregation proceeded slowly until the late 1960s,when urban renewal wiped out
thirteen entire blocks of East Pasco residences near Morning Star. By the end of the first Urban Renewal
program in 1976, The Rev. Allen's household was merely one among hundreds that were forced to find
other places to live. Thereafter,Morning Star continued to be the religious, cultural, and institutional heart
of the Black community but it was no longer its physical center. Indeed,increasingly, as the 1970s wore
on,the social and cultural community itself was no longer a physical community,no longer a Black
neighborhood, or the Black neighborhood.
si Interview with Wally Webster.
a2 Interview with Dallas Barnes,Webster Jackson,Albert Wilkins at Morning Star Baptist Church,Pasco,WA.
as Pasco's African American History.
as Morning Star Church Interview with Pastor Albert Wilkins,Dr.Dallas Barnes,and Mr.Webster Jackson;Pasco's
African American History.
ss Interview with David(Duke)Mitchell.
se Interview with Dallas Barnes,Webster Jackson,Albert Wilkins at Morning Star Baptist Church,Pasco,WA.
Section 8 page 15
Despite the residential dispersal of its congregants,and the changing geographies reflected therein,
Morning Star remained the beating heart of Black Pasco. In the late 1960s, as civil rights efforts gained
attention and traction nationally,they did the same locally, and the de-segregation that dispersed the
African American population of East Pasco was but one result. The Tri-Cities Black population fought
tirelessly in this period, as before,for basic civil and human rights, and many of their activities continued
to be based out of, and nurtured by, Morning Star Baptist Church. Indeed, sometimes the church's
ongoing institution-building role became quite literal.After 1968,when Martin Luther King,Jr.was
assassinated and civil rights issues came to the fore across the country, some leaders of Pasco's African
American community began dreaming of a dedicated,purpose-built East Pasco community center. Soon
the center had sponsors, and proponents were reporting that"land near Kurtzman Park is already available
for the center."37 After several years of diligent work, construction of the Martin Luther King Center
began in 1972, and the community center opened in Nov. 1975 on Wehe,just south of E. Lewis,a few
blocks northwest of Morning Star. As Wally Webster,leader of the community center effort,recalled
years later,they eventually"got some $440,000-$450,000 to build what is now known as the Martin
Luther King Center in east Pasco. ... And it became a community center. ... all of that came out of the
basement of Morning Star Baptist Church."38
The Rev. F.A.Allen continued to lead Morning Star at the end of the historic period,and was still its
pastor in 1975. By ca. 1984 Allen had been succeeded by The Rev.A.S.Rhodes. In 1986,the Morning
Star congregation"consist[ed] of more than 500 members who are ministered to by Pastor A.S.
Rhodes."39 In subsequent decades,the church continued as Black Pasco's prominent community core, its
institutional leader.As a 1996 retrospective article noted, "White political leaders often include Morning
Star as part of the campaign trail. Joyce DeFelice,when she was running for the Pasco city council, and
former congressman Jay Inslee attended services at Morning Star."40
More recently,the church's pivotal role in the history of the Tri-Cities Black community has been
recognized, and honored, in a series of historical publications and projects. These include a Morning Star
webpage on Blackpast.org(an"online reference center" devoted to African American history); a Morning
Star webpage on the National Park Service's Manhattan Project National Historic Park website; a
Morning Star interview(with Pastor Albert Wilkins and several longtime church members) for the 2018
Hanford Oral History project; a 2019 Cultural Resource site report archived with the Washington State
Department of Archaeology and Historic Preservation; and a 2019 video production under the auspices of
the City of Pasco's Historic Preservation Commission.41
37"Pasco Center Gets Sponsors."
3a Interview with Wally Webster.
39
"Tri City Church Focus:Morning Star Baptist Church(Newspaper Clipping)."Tri-Cities Ethnic Players,
"Cultural Awareness:Pasco's Black Community(in Celebration of Pasco's Centennial, 1884-1984) [Pamphlet],"
sec.Religion.
40"50 Years of Spiritual Harmony."
41 Newman,"Morning Star Baptist Church,Pasco,WA(1946-)";"Morningstar Baptist Church(U.S.National Park
Service)";Holschuh and Harris Environmental Group,"Survey of Historic Properties Associated with the African
American Experience in East Pasco";Pasco's African American History;Interview with Dallas Barnes,Webster
Jackson,Albert Wilkins at Morning Star Baptist Church,Pasco,WA.
Section 8 page 16
9. Major Bibliographical References
Bibliography (Cite the books, articles, and other sources used in preparing this form.)
"50 Years of Spiritual Harmony." Tri-City Herald,May 12, 1996.
"Action Planned in Pasco Area: W.S.C. Survey, Council to Help Solve Boom Problem."Spokesman-
Review,January 29, 1948.
"Afro-American Arts." Tri-City Herald,February 5, 1970. Vertical File: Blacks. East Benton County
Historical Society.
"Afro-American Queen." Tri-City Herald,February 12, 1970.Vertical File: Blacks. East Benton County
Historical Society.
"Baptist Minister Leaves for Alaska."Spokane Chronicle,March 24, 1958.
"Building Permits Reach$195,796."Spokane Chronicle, September 2, 1953.
"Charlie Harper."Spokane Chronicle,June 13, 1950.
"Church Finds New Hope." Tri-City Herald,March 1,2002.
"Church Leader Raps Muslims."Spokane Chronicle,August 9, 1962.
"Co-Op Idea Called Answer to Racial Problems."Spokane Chronicle,December 7, 1966.
"E. Pasco Group Wants Negro Citizen on Council."Spokesman-Review,April 6, 1966.
"East Pasco Co-Op at Work."Spokesman-Review,March 22, 1968.
"Edward Martin Services Held."Spokane Chronicle,January 31, 1962.
"Gov. Evans,Jackson Due in Tri-Cities."Spokesman-Review,November 1, 1966.
"Gun Victim's Funeral Set."Spokesman-Review, October 11, 1957.
Hayes,Ralph,and Joe Franklin.Northwest Black Pioneers:A Centennial Tribute. BON Marche, 1994.
Holschuh,Dana,and Harris Environmental Group. "Survey of Historic Properties Associated with the
African American Experience in East Pasco."Cultural Resources(WA State Dept. of
Archaeology and Historic Preservation),April 2019.
Interview with Bryan and Rhonda Rambo. Interview by Robert Franklin. Hanford Oral History Project at
Washington State University Tri-Cities,March 23,2018. Hanford Oral History Project.
Washington State University Tri-Cities.http://www.hanfordhistory.com/items/show/2049.
Interview with Dallas Barnes,Webster Jackson,Albert Wilkins at Morning Star Baptist Church,Pasco,
WA. Hanford Oral History Project at Washington State University Tri-Cities,May 31, 2018.
http://hanfordhistory.com/items/show/2030.
Interview with David(Duke)Mitchell. Interview by Robert Franklin,March 2,2018. Hanford Oral
History Project. Washington State University Tri-Cities.
http://hanfordhistory.com/items/show/2042.
Interview with Mae Fite. Interview by Robert Franklin,April 5,2018. Hanford Oral History Project.
Washington State University Tri-Cities.http://hanfordhistory.com/items/show/2036.
Interview with Reverend Jeannette Sparks. Interview by Robert Franklin,May 5,2018. Hanford Oral
History Project. Washington State University Tri-Cities.
http://hanfordhistory.com/items/show/2053.
Interview with Wally Webster. Interview by Robert Franklin. Hanford Oral History Project at
Washington State University Tri-Cities,June 20,2018.Washington State University Tri-Cities.
http://hanfordhistory.com/items/show/2057.
Morning Star Church Interview with Pastor Albert Wilkins,Dr. Dallas Barnes, and Mr.Webster Jackson.
Interview by Delia Hagen,January 27,2021. Tri-Cities (WA)African American History MPS.
Dr. Delia Hagen research collections.
"Morningstar Baptist Church(U.S.National Park Service)."Accessed January 12,2021.
https://www.nps.gov/places/000/momingstar-baptist-church.htm.
"Mrs. Banks' Funeral Set."Spokesman-Review,January 2, 1961.
"Mrs. Louise Pruitt."Spokane Chronicle,August 15, 1953.
"Negro Loses: Ballot Used in Choosing Councilmen."Spokesman-Review,May 4, 1966.
Newman,Alexis. "Morning Star Baptist Church,Pasco,WA(1946-)."In African American History in
the West. B1ackPast.org,n.d. http://www.blackpast.org/aaw/morning-star-baptist-missionary-
church-pasco-wa-1946.
"Pasco Center Gets Sponsors."Spokane Chronicle,November 15, 1969.
Pasco's African American History. Pasco,WA, 2019.
https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=ZYnrWO11poU.
"Play Jury Due from Audience."Spokesman-Review, 18 1947.
"Self-Help Unit Breaks Ground in East Pasco."Spokane Chronicle, October 2, 1967.
"Service Planned for Rail Worker."Spokane Chronicle,March 8, 1971.
"Speaker Set."Spokane Chronicle,November 7, 1959.
Taylor,Quintard. "The Emergence of Black Communities in The Pacific Northwest: 1865-1910." The
Journal of Negro History 64,no. 4(1979): 342-54.
"Tea,Musicale Honor Fathers."Spokane Chronicle,June 19, 1954.
"Tri City Church Focus: Morning Star Baptist Church(Newspaper Clipping)," 1986. Vertical File:
Churches-Baptist. Franklin County Historical Society.
Tri-Cities Ethnic Players. "Cultural Awareness: Pasco's Black Community(in Celebration of Pasco's
Centennial, 1884-1984) [Pamphlet]."Pamphlet, ca 1984.
Previous documentation on file (NPS):
preliminary determination of individual listing (36 CFR 67) has been requested
previously listed in the National Register
!previously determined eligible by the National Register
!designated a National Historic Landmark
recorded by Historic American Buildings Survey #
!recorded by Historic American Engineering Record#
recorded by Historic American Landscape Survey#
Primary location of additional data:
State Historic Preservation Office
Other State agency
Federal agency
Local government
University
X Other
Name of repository: _Morning Star Baptist Church records/oral histories
Historic Resources Survey Number (if assigned):
WA DAHP Proi. No. 2018-10-08077
10. Geographical Data
Acreage of Property Less than one acre (UTM provided is approximate center of the four-
lot parcel.)
Use either the UTM system or latitude/longitude coordinates
Latitude/Longitude Coordinates
Datum if other than WGS84:
(enter coordinates to 6 decimal places)
1. Latitude: Longitude:
2. Latitude: Longitude:
3. Latitude: Longitude:
4. Latitude: Longitude:
Or
UTM References
Datum (indicated on USGS map):
NAD 1927 or FxINAD 1983
1. Zone: 11 Easting: 340244.61 Northing: 5121504.66
Verbal Boundary Description (Describe the boundaries of the property.)
The boundary for the Morning Star Baptist Church property corresponds to Parcel No.
113851217, which incorporates lots 69 through 72, Block 2, of the Terrace Heights Addition, in
Pasco, Washington.
Boundary Justification (Explain why the boundaries were selected.)
The boundary includes the Morning Star Baptist Church and the adjacent paved and unpaved
parking areas, historically used to support the congregation's activities.
11. Form Prepared By
name/title: Delia Hagen, PhD
organization: Hagen Historical Consulting (HHC)
street& number: 210 N. Higgins Ave., Suite 328
city or town: Missoula state: MT zip code: 59802
e-mail: deliahagen@yahoo.com
telephone: (406) 360-0120
date: August 2021
Additional Documentation
Submit the following items with the completed form:
• Maps: A USGS map or equivalent (7.5 or 15 minute series) indicating the property's
location.
• Sketch map for historic districts and properties having large acreage or numerous
resources. Key all photographs to this map.
• Additional items: (Check with the SHPO, TPO, or FPO for any additional items.)
Photographs
Submit clear and descriptive photographs. The size of each image must be 1600x1200 pixels
(minimum), 3000x2000 preferred, at 300 ppi (pixels per inch) or larger. Key all photographs
to the sketch map. Each photograph must be numbered and that number must correspond to
the photograph number on the photo log. For simplicity, the name of the photographer,
photo date, etc. may be listed once on the photograph log and doesn't need to be labeled on
every photograph.
Photo Log
Name of Property: Morning Star Baptist Church
City or Vicinity: Pasco
County: Franklin State: Washington
Photographer: Delia Hagen
Date Photographed: 01/30/2021
Description of Photograph(s) and number, include description of view indicating direction of
camera:
001 of 9: Looking northeast to the church property.
002 of 9: Looking east to the west(front) wall of the church.
003 of 9: Looking north to the south(side) wall of the church.
004 of 9: Looking west to the east(rear)wall of the church.
005 of 9: Looking east-southeast to the north(side)wall of the church.
006 of 9: Looking north to the south(front) and east(side) walls of the garage.
007 of 9: Looking east-northeast to the west(side) and south(front)walls of the garage.
008 of 9: Looking south-southwest to the east(side) and north(rear)walls of the garage.
009 of 9: Looking southeast over the church grounds from the northwest corner of the
graveled parking area.
Paperwork Reduction Act Statement: This information is being collected for nominations to the National Register of Historic
Places to nominate properties for listing or determine eligibility for listing,to list properties,and to amend existing listings. Response
to this request is required to obtain a benefit in accordance with the National Historic Preservation Act,as amended(16 U.S.C.460
et seq.).We may not conduct or sponsor and you are not required to respond to a collection of information unless it displays a
currently valid OMB control number.
Estimated Burden Statement: Public reporting burden for each response using this form is estimated to be between the Tier 1
and Tier 4 levels with the estimate of the time for each tier as follows:
Tier 1 —60-100 hours
Tier 2—120 hours
Tier 3—230 hours
Tier 4—280 hours
The above estimates include time for reviewing instructions,gathering and maintaining data,and preparing and transmitting
nominations.Send comments regarding these estimates or any other aspect of the requirement(s)to the Service Information
Collection Clearance Officer, National Park Service, 1201 Oakridge Drive Fort Collins,CO 80525.
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