Longley Park & African American Leisure During Segregation

During the Jim Crow era, African Americans could unwind, connect, and enjoy community at the Longley Park grounds at minstrels shows, agricultural fairs, sermons, livestock shows, rodeos, baseball games, and so much more. Image Credit: www.searchablemuseum.com During the Jim Crow era, African American communities developed their own social and recreational spaces to minimize the effects of segregation. These spaces for leisure and entertainment included beaches, resorts, and parks where they could gather and enjoy recreational activities.  In Pine Bluff, Arkansas, one such area where African Americans could unwind, connect, and enjoy community was Longley Park. The Longley Park grounds were located at the corner of Linden and Scull Streets (in the vicinity of what is now the Pine Bluff School District bus terminal). Longley Park was the site of a diverse range of social activities within the African American community. In November 1905, Longley Park hosted a popular African American preacher, Reverend “Sin Killer” Griffin, who was known nationally. On Sunday, November 19, he preached two sermons, with his morning message focusing on “Solomon’s Temple” and his evening message highlighting the story of a child who “sneezed seven times after death.” “Sin Killer’s” sermons featured vocal music, and seats were reserved in advance for white Pine Bluff residents.  The very next month, the Pine Bluff Graphic reported that a large crowd of African Americans had gathered for two consecutive days to see “The Arkansas Minstrels,” an African American minstrel show, with the second day ending in a ball.  In July 1907, Longley Park heralded the appearance of an entertainer who performed feats of fire-eating and other exhibitions. “Prince” Oskazuma claimed to be of royal South African blood. From August 24th to 30th, Oskazuma also planned to hold a centennial and exposition for colored men at the park to highlight their businesses and entrepreneurial endeavors.  In 1913, Longley Park held a week-long livestock show and fair. During the fair, breeders and owners presented their best specimens for evaluation, competition, public education, and sale. In October 1915, African American farmers displayed their best produce to packed crowds at the Jefferson County Negroe’s Agricultural Fair. This event was backed and coordinated by the Jefferson County Negro Progressive Farmers’ Association. The fair featured more exhibits than first anticipated, with the highlights being the boys of the corn clubs and the girls of the canning clubs.  On July 13, 1920, two African American baseball teams competed at Longley Park. The Pine Bluff Yamacraws beat the Chicago Black Sox in an hour-and-a-half-long game, one of the fastest ever seen at Longley Park. They were scheduled for a rematch the very next day.    In August 1921, a miniature rodeo featuring riding and roping was staged at Longley Park by the Dillingham Wild Wild West show. A free exhibition on roping was given in front of the Jefferson County courthouse the next afternoon.  In 1922, the Pine Bluff Athletics competed against the McGhee All-Stars in the Colored Interstate League at Longley Park. The league had been organized during a two-day meeting in McGehee, AR. The League included clubs from Little Rock, Pine Bluff, El Dorado, McGehee, and Helena in Arkansas, and Monroe in Louisiana. A well-known Pine Bluff educator, Professor William J. Townsend, helped to enlarge the impact of Longley Park to the African American community in the 1940s and beyond. Towards the end of Townsend’s tenure as principal of the African American Merrill High School, he set in motion the expensive purchase of Longley Park, which would serve as a playground and athletic field for the school. Although he died before the project’s completion, the incorporation of Longley Park into the campus of Merrill High School was completed by his successor, R. N. Chanay. Thus, the legacy of Longley Park lived on for a time as part of historic Merrill High School.  Sources:  https://arkbaseball.com - Pine Bluff Athletics (1922) https://arkbaseball.com - Colored Interstate League (1922) www.explorepinebluff.com - Merrill School: A Look Back www.newspapers.com www.searchablemuseum.com - Black Leisure in Segregated America Written by: Ninfa O. Barnard