Sundown towns

[anonemouse 1]

I had never really heard the term "sundown towns" until today. Apparently, they are towns that used to (and may still, depending on who you talk to) ban non-caucasians (mostly African-Americans, but sometimes Jews or Native Americans) from being in the town or passing through it after dark. That got me thinking about my hometown. I can remember having a discussion in elementary school where one of the other students (or maybe the teacher, I don't remember) mentioned that there used to be a sign posted by the interstate that passed through our town, warning African-Americans not to be caught in town after dark. I can also remember hearing about the black man that was lynched at our courthouse.

You can look for your town in this database: Sundown Towns by James W. Loewen. Just click on the map, and it will take you to a page that you can use to find suspected or confirmed sundown towns listed by state.

My hometown (Crossville, TN) is listed as a probable sundown town. Apparently, there was a significant population of African-Americans there until the early 1900s. For some reason, they all left. By the year I was born, 1983, there were few, if any, African-Americans in my town. There wasn't a single African-American student at my elementary school, and only one or two biracial students (but several Hispanic students) at my high school (more than 2000 students).

[mylapspirit 2]

To Laurend,

That was very interesting. Several towns in my area of PA are on the list. I can't wait to tell my husband about this info.

Thanks,

Michelle:ranger:

[Lucy 0]

I've never heard that phrase, but it's very interesting. I grew up in New England, but I now live in Miami Beach.

Apparently Miami Beach was sundown in the 40's and 50's except for "hotel maids and bus boys and Sarah Vaughan".

And I suppose Sammy Davis Jr., too, no?

[green 6]

I never heard the term but I do remember a story which my parents told me about travelling down south by car to Florida many decades ago. They stopped at a gas station in a southern state and my dad discovered that he really had to use the toilet. At the time there were 2 sets of toilets, white and black, and the white guy one was occupied. It seemed that my dad really had to use the toilet and being a northerner he really didn't get the difference between white bums and black bums. He argued the gas station owner into getting him into the black toilet but he came back home with a vivid memory of the disgust with which this cat viewed him. As for my dad, he was astonished by this southerner's attitude for he was a guy who had the choice between using a toilet and running the risk of pooping his pants. Old man Green told this story for years.

[bitteroldhag 0]

Holy Smoke! I never heard of such a thing and I've lived in the South most of my life. Luckily, Tahlequah is not on the list. I'd have to move!

[anonemouse 1]

I thought it was interesting that most sundown towns actually weren't in the South. In fact, the guy that did the research found that Illinois had the most sundown towns.