GOWDY
WASHINGTON ADDITION

Prior to the development of the Gowdy Community and surrounding area, land was characterized by a rural landscape with woodlands and expansive agricultural fields. As early as 1863, a portion of present-day Lynch Street was in use, though it did not yet fully extend east into the city. University Boulevard/Terry Road was also in use by 1863, following its present path. It was named Raymond Road in 1863. The map further depicts the presence of four buildings that once dotted the landscape within the study area.

In addition to general population growth and the natural outward expansion of the city, several key components influenced the development of the project area and its subsequent growth. The first was the construction of the Yazoo & Mississippi Valley Railroad (Y&MV RR) in 1883. Incorporated in 1882 as part of the Illinois Central (IC) Railroad system, the Y & MV line extended from the IC line in a westerly direction, following down the center of present-day Morehouse Avenue. In 1892, the Jackson Cemetery Association established the first private black cemetery in the city, named Mt. Olive, and located on the south side of Lynch Street. In 1899, Campbell College, founded by the African Methodist Episcopal (AME) Church in 1890, relocated from Vicksburg to west Jackson fronting the north side of Lynch Street. The school initially began as a grammar school and junior college with the purpose of educating black youth in Mississippi. Shortly following the arrival of Campbell College, in 1903, Jackson College, which initially began in 1877 in Natchez as the Natchez Seminary College, relocated to its present location on the south side of Lynch Street opposite Campbell College. Another contributing factor to the early development of the Gowdy community was the construction of various industrial concerns sited near the Y & MV Railroad. The Delta Cotton Oil Company opened its plant (not extant) at the northeast corner of the intersection of Valley Street and Florence Avenue in October of 1914. Built that same year, the Chicago House Wrecking Company further provided job opportunities for future residents of the neighborhood. The Rathborne Hair & Ridgeway Company Box Factory (not extant) was adjacent to the south of Mt. Olive Cemetery. By 1925, it employed 100 as early as 1925. City directories confirm several residents of Gowdy were employed at these facilities. Together, these contributory factors, coupled with Jim Crow segregationist laws, led to the establishment of a cohesive, vibrant and self-sustaining community of working and middle-class African Americans. Throughout the 20th century, the community emerged as a religious, educational, commercial and social hub for Jackson’s black citizens, and played a pivotal role in the national Civil Rights movement.