On Feb. 20, the First Congregational Church, at 200 N. Main St., will be holding its 2022 Black History Month service.
"Last year, we focused on civil rights icon Mary Anderson's visits to Mount Vernon in the 1930s," the church's pastor, the Rev. Scott Elliott, said. "This year, we are lifting up local Black history that goes much further back, history from around the start of the 19th century.
“It turns out that two Black American settlers were in this area at the same time as Andrew and Catherine Craig, who have long been claimed as Mount Vernon's first settlers from the U.S. The Black Americans may even have been here before (the) Craigs, and sadly, we do not know their names. Even sadder is there's no mention of them on the historical marker lauding the United States’ first settlers in the county.
“What we do know is they settled here in Knox County and visited – and possibly even shared – the area where the Craigs resided."
Elliott added, "What's really interesting, and ought to be celebrated, is that those two Black men and their Native American spouses and the two White settlers managed to share lives together in apparent harmony living close enough for the Black Americans to be invited for visits in the Craigs' home. The story has a very tragic ending with possibly the first American bloodshed in the county that we should also be aware of, and that we will also discuss on the 20th.
“But there is good news, wonderful news, that the area seems to have started off with a community that offered the hope of racial harmony, a rarity at the time, and an unsung part of our local history."
The church's Black History Month service will start at 9:30 a.m. Masks and social distancing are required. Visitors are welcome. For more information on the church, go to mvucc.org.
