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to So Vibrant I'm your host The Wonderful Lady
AC When you think of the word resistance, what
often comes to your mind? Typically people think
of marches, protests, song and chants, call and
response, grassroot movements, lobbying, organizing.
But solemnly do we think of the concepts of love,
fun, and joy. Today's episode will highlight
a space that encapsulates all those aspects,
proving history and knowledge never dies, but
is simply waiting to be discovered and retold.
This is Ode to Mac Miller Park, the Joyful Resistance.
We'll be right back.
Great time in life back then. We just didn't
realize it at the time. And they come from way
down South Jordan or something from Hamilton.
They remember Mac Miller Park. Mac Miller Park
was just the place to be. Located half a mile
north of Hamilton, Georgia, off of US Highway
27. Mac Miller Park opened its gates in the fall
of 1954. My understanding it was built by Mr.
Casey Calloway for the people, for the black
people. in this community which ended up being
not only black people in this community but it
was black people that came from all over Georgia
because after it opened it became a recreational
center really for all black people. The 40 -acre
development included a swimming pool with a bathhouse,
picnic and barbecue area, fishing pond, two swimming
pools and a baseball field that hosted local
and regional games. Do you remember what the
price was? 50 cents or 75 cents. It wasn't a
whole lot. When it first started it was just
the summer and then I think later on it would
open on some weekends maybe in early spring or
in the fall. It was when it first started, it
was just summer. It was worth coming to because
it was so much freedom. And people would be sitting
all around up on the hills and things like that
because you've got the baseball field would be
sitting down in the middle. And then you've got
your dance floor in here. So a lot of people
watching the dance floor. There are other people
watching the baseball game. Then you've got everybody
in the world in the booth. So you've got people.
I mean, it was all around. It was the best thing.
that I think would happen and happen to full
black people. It was real nice. We thought it
was real nice because they had a changing room,
a great big old changing room for the boys, a
great big changing room for the girls, and some
of the best, the music sound better at the park
than it did anywhere. Prior to its opening, Southern
black folks didn't have much to look forward
to outside of their homes, work, and church.
We really didn't have anything to do as a community
except go to church. And at that time, the church
that I attended only was having service once
a month. And then my grandmama was a member of
the Methodist church. I would go to her church
once a month. And I can't remember anything we
really did up until that point because we mostly
just... Played around the house and did the little
things that we do at home, but that's boys are
being entertained or having fun or anything There
was nothing there was nothing for us to do on
the weekend. I don't think like head then would
like say they come to your house Yeah, and they
my daddy we have a big house sitting down there
in front of how we're talking to me, you know
We are there could have Daddy couldn't have all
guys be rhyming and be selling liquor, you know?
Sold liquor, that's the way they had to make
it. And then you make killer hogs and barbecue
their hogs, you know, to raise money because
the black didn't have no good jobs. You see,
didn't have no good jobs and then you had to
raise your children and then all... Here, where
the house was there, all the way back there,
going back there, where you could see nothing
but corn and peas and cotton. It was rough to
get by somebody. You get in your star. What people
would do when they did with my dad, how we had
four or five guys in the neighborhood help him
build a house. Come over there on Saturday, every
Saturday, and they have work on it. So those
people in the neighborhood, they'll come give
you a hand. Some of them will... Like the rest
of the South, Georgia also believed. in the concept
of separate but equal. However, the southern
states were going through an interesting transition
as in 1952, Brown v. Board of Education was currently
being deliberated in the Supreme Court. And it
was that kind of thing, but it would never, you
know, I never did experience any really bad racial
stuff, but you knew it was there. But, you know,
everybody that did what they needed to do. It
was, you know, everybody, we kept to ourselves
and they kept to themselves and they tried to
make sure that we kept to ourselves. It wasn't,
you know, as hard on me as it was on the ones
before me and the ones who lived close into town
because the ones who could go to stores every
day, they really got, you know, they talked about
how it was when you went into the store. On May
17, 1954, the Supreme Court ruled in favor of
Brown, declaring they United States law establishing
racial segregation in public schools was unconstitutional.
Even if the segregated schools was otherwise
equal in quality, the Supreme Court's decision
caused heavy reaction for all citizens of the
state. From radio topics, newspapers, and television
interviews, to the courts of public opinion and
politics, segregation was the top issue and concern.
Since I didn't live right in the city, you know,
we lived kind of out in the country. We knew
it was segregated, but we didn't feel it as much
as the ones who lived right in town and who could
go to stores every day because very seldom do
we even go to the stores. But when we used to
ride bus to Columbus, there was a bathroom over
in the courthouse. that people had to go they
could go in the courthouse and use it and then
they find the open one it was a round back under
in the basement counter that had colored on it
and we could go use that if we needed to and
I know the water fountains were marked colored
or white and I never could understand that because
the same water was coming out. State of Georgia
was determined to maintain its stance on segregation.
According to the Harris County Journal Just three
days after the Supreme Court's decision, the
then Lieutenant Governor Mavis Griffin was reported
saying, as long as I am your public servant,
I will maintain segregation in the schools of
this state. And the races will not mix, come
hell or high water. And we couldn't vote. You
couldn't vote, and then the clinic, they just
tore the clinic down with a two day rule. Yeah,
and you remember to have a thing on the right
side thing on the left side right on the left
side And on the right side there were the blacks
going in it a different off you go in sit Yeah,
you see and everything and my mama they live
with babies there all through the fifth and early
sixties My mama live with babies and and you
could go in there She's little baby. They're
saying about to come in because I'm a you and
the baby you go home My mama doing all the work
According to the Harris County Journal, in August
19, 1954, the Callaway Foundation, in partnership
with the Negro Betterment Association, invested
$27 ,000 to fund the building of a Negro Park
in Harris County, Georgia. After a series of
discussions, negotiations, planning, money, and
investments, this park later became Mac Miller
Park. was really over that part of the property
area was a white man named Skinny William. That
was responsible for the property from my understanding.
I think that would mainly open up Mac Miller
Park for the black people won't go. and mixed
with the white people. Because during that time,
Calloway Gardens was a big thing. It wasn't enough
for black people to go. And so in order to keep
them from going up there, eventually, if they
haven't put a park down for black, then they
were going to get in there. It was going to be
too much trouble trying to keep them out. So
that's when they created a park for us. And everybody,
you know... And then you couldn't afford to go
because the prices were high. Back then, you
didn't have that kind of money to go. They had
a high enough where you couldn't pay your way
in there. One person might could, but you got
a whole family. All y 'all can't pay all that
money. We wasn't making that much money back
then. Some buses would come and mistake that
place for Matt Miller Park and would try to go
in there. Once they saw that you were black,
they would turn away. They turned away all black
from you. Once you got to the gate, they would
not let you go in. When the park came, we thought
we had arrived because people from all over were
coming to Magnum Park. We used to have school
days called May Day. All the kids from different
schools, from Tarleton, all around, even Muscogee
County. kids came up there on that particular
Saturday. And he also taught Sunday school at
Friendship at one time. And he was an educator.
I believe he was a principal at Thomas Elementary
in Cotala. Mr. Barnes was a principal. He was
my principal in Cotala at Thomas Elementary.
We had to build five schools in 1953. Six schools.
Four I'm still standing. Carver, Miller School,
the original Carver, over there where I graduated.
One in Wiesland. One in Pine Mound, one in Gatoa,
one in Waverly Hall. But they told them one down
in Waverly Hall, they got a park down there now.
It's a Lainey Park. His house was right there
at the park. He lived on the premises. Yeah.
Because they had a house up there for him. Somebody
told me it was like a brown house, like this,
kind of off. OK. It's set up on the hill, right
above where the park was. was laid out at. He
lived in that house. Him and his family lived
there for many years. I don't know exactly how
many years, but they lived there for many years
until he was no longer... I think when he left,
there was no other manager. I think they were
getting ready to close it up. And his wife was
also an educator, and they had two children.
He also helped start that nursing home. He was
also well -known in the community, so it just
made a great choice for him to be in that park
and invest in it. He always seemed to be a nice
person. Did he patrol a lot, or was it just kind
of like observing, make sure, you know, if things
weren't moving? He would come through and, you
know, he'd go in all areas, just walking through,
and then a lot of times he'd just sit and talk
with the other men who were there. We did get
in trouble with Mr. Vaughn. He always handled
it. Right. He knew he was good enough or strong
enough to handle any kind of miscommunications
or misunderstanding between people. And he kept
us in line. Right. Because if we went in there,
we knew how we were going to have to act. So
he was a friendly man. So that was just like
going to Hollywood. because we didn't have any
other recreation or any other activity besides
being at school at a basketball game, and it
was predominantly black. So going over there
and meeting a whole lot of different people from
a whole lot of different areas, so it was just
like a hometown. It actually was the best thing
that was going around. I had a good time. That's
why I learned how to swim. Really? Swim at Macmillan
Park. The lifeguards that were there when they
first opened it, they started out giving swimming
lessons. And a lot of us young boys that were
around here in this area, we took swimming lessons.
That's how we learned how to swim. We didn't
have a car at that time, so we had to walk. We
had to come out to the highway. and walk. And
we lived about a mile from coming to the highway.
You walk that mile and then have a turn and go
back to the park. Caught the bus and got off
at the park. Picked up paper. The park opened
at 10. We picked up paper that got out of all
the trash and we made five dollars. So you don't
suppose to get back in the water after you eat.
We did it all day long. Ate the whole five dollars
up. And like they had to walk back up with every
easy one. We didn't have no car. We hitchhiked.
Walked the 208. Somebody pick you up. Either
caught a ride to 208. Then walked from 208, took
a taller. A lot of time. There was a lot of stuff
going on over there. To me, it was exciting because
it was so many. different things that you were
able to do while you were there. It was just
certain enjoyment to go to watch the ball game.
They were so competitive. We enjoyed, you know,
the sports and the swimming, the concession stand,
you know, the picnic area. It was a wonderful
place to go. It wasn't boring or anything like
that because there was something always to do.
Just as intriguing as the history of the park's
creation, so is the individual that the park
is named after. black men in the county. The
reason they named the park after him is because
he was one of the first black businessmen here
in Hamilton. Mac Charles Miller was born to formerly
enslaved farmers on September 14th, 1886. It
was in farming that Miller learned self -efficiency,
community, and importance of ownership. From
what my mama told me he had a mind for business
and he was able to work. Due to his light complexion,
Miller took advantage of the opportunities to
educate himself in business communications and
management. He was a deacon at Friendship and
he helped design those rainbow steps at Friendship.
Heavily involved in the church, Miller believed
that faith could get him through anything and
that God did not design the Negro to be second
class, but be just as successful as anyone. On
that same street, he had his home house, and
then two rental houses that he had. Well, the
house we bought, your Auntie Leah May bought,
the lumber. When we tore the old part out of
the house and remodeled it, inside the walls,
back then, if you took some trees to the sawmill,
you'd have sawed them into lumber. And they had
four, two by four, four, two by eight, four,
two by ten, and they put your name on their lumber.
Mac Miller Lane was inside the lumber on the
house we stayed in. Miller understood the importance
of community and helping his people by stating
there's a specific duty God created in you to
fulfill his will and the greatest disservice
is not doing so. He built and operated the Hamilton
funeral home on Miller Lane. They named the Even
as he sold insurance, he would help others who
couldn't read or write or legally understand
the obligations and ensured the power in their
ownership and their property. He spoke up for
the black people to try to get them better educated
and a better life here in Hamilton which was
hard at that time because if you didn't own more
property here you didn't have really no rights
here. Mac Miller Park provided a sense of normalcy
in the separated but equal state. Well, I worked
there in a number of capacities. I worked there,
I first worked there in the concession stand.
Yeah, but they used to have some good food. I
remember everybody loved their ice cream. I used
to go up to their little booth and ask for some
ice cream. You remember the banana split? Now
that was good. Nah. The banana split was good.
The banana split. The banana split. Yeah, they
were good. The chair on top of... Okay, I can't
remember that. I was waking up that thing. I
never had no other good, that good split. Growing
up, I used to hear him talking about them milkshakes.
Yeah, they have ice cream though. They have some
great food. That's a good food. They have some
hamburgers. The ice cream corn was just, it was
that, you know, we don't go anywhere. And this
is the only place you can get this at. Right.
It was just like, oh, we're gonna step up a little
bit, you know. And the food was really good.
They had good hamburgers, hot dogs, french fries,
they had milkshakes. And they made, oh, the milkshake
was so good. They have a good stone down there.
We used to have to grind all the ice for the
concession stand. Yeah. Because we couldn't really
buy ice. You can't say that. So ice would come
then in blocks. Yeah. And we had to chip that
block up to a quarter. You know, you'd get a
hundred pound block and you'd chip that block
off. You'd chip a quarter square off of it and
put it in there. a grinder. And then you had
to grind that. You had to grind that ice. That's
where all the concession ice came from. She used
to walk up that she had a dog, but that she used
to walk all the way down to all the way up there.
I'm not mad at that. I mean, it wasn't a great
day to let her walk up there. That's a long walk.
But she taught me, she taught me about it now
that she used to walk up there because she had
a dog. Then I later went on to be one of the
assistant lifeguards, really. Probably in about
two summers. It was a lot to learn just being
a lifeguard. We would go through the lifeguard
training. You had to become a... get to be an
immediate swimmer you had to go through two three
stages most of it you had to swim laps in the
pool you had to be able to stay in the pool so
long you had to be able to tread water so long
you had to know how to get people out of the
water if they were drowning you had to because
if you didn't know how to do that they could
drown you as well as you trying to get them out
so you had to learn how to do all of that You
were either a junior lifeguard, or a senior lifeguard,
or an instructor. We got patches at that time
that you wore on your trunks that said what you
was. Back then, we had four lifeguards that came
out of LaGrange. One was Gwen Page, and he was
the head lifeguard there. And we had one lifeguard,
Clay Michael Lumb, they called him Big Bird.
And he had his brothers and two more guys that
were lifeguards. What they did, with the young
folks down there, we had like a swimming meet.
He would practice and train us to swim, and we
would go to La Grange at a swim meet. And then
they would come there. It was just like a regular
field day. And so, yeah, we did that. Well, they
actually had three areas to dance. floor and
a dance stand on one side of the pool, and then
they had another one on the other side of the
pool, and they all had, both had jukeboxes. So
we used to dance to the music on the jukebox.
They later had a jukebox down in the wooded area,
when you first went into the wooded area, down
by the concession stand. And on busy day, people
would fill up both of those, all three of those
places, just dancing. Just dancing and having
a good time. Oh, I call it back in the day. Yeah.
The music was like really a swing dance, you
know, like back then. It was all similar to the
same dance we do now, but it was just slower.
And we did like the stroll. They got the line
dance now. We call it the stroll back in the
day. And so it was just a... kick thing, walk
back, you know, it's the same thing, it was just
on different levels. They would have had to ride
your pony, something like Soul Train. If you
could dance, you didn't have to dance, you just
follow the lead and walk around the whole, the
dance floor was longer than the house in Wilder,
too. I had jukebox to get down all the time.
Your mother and father can tell you about it
all the time. That was some good music. They
play soul music. Not this stuff y 'all listen
to nowadays. It was music that had meaning. We
had like Johnny Taylor music and we had... like
BB King and all and it was just the temptations
and uh it was just a variety of old school music
back in the day music yeah mostly blues you know.
Those that didn't dance they swam? Well I couldn't
swim okay and I really couldn't dance but I enjoyed
the music. We knew so many of the people that
was there but some we didn't know so that was
good too. We got to mingle with people that we
didn't know, and that was a good thing. Cousins
that we hadn't seen all week, especially in the
summer. Some of the friends from school we hadn't
seen all week. We'd meet at the park on the weekend.
Some events, they have like a horseback ride.
bring the horses over there and they'd pay, I
don't know, I forgot how much, it was a little
or nothing to ride the horses. Yeah. But they
had it down in a section down in the woods and
they had all kinds of picnic tables where you,
and then they had grills where you could cook
out if you want to and it was a lot of families
that, you know, that came because really that
was the only place we had to go but we had people
coming from everywhere. It was just a fellowship.
And it wasn't just for children. A lot of adults
went. They would go and, you know, sit in the
shade and watch the children play and watch children
in the swimming pool. They'd come and watch the
baseball games. So a lot of grown -ups enjoyed
it too. They came to the swim. And those that
didn't swim on the weekend, they would watch
the ball game. baseball team. So was the baseball
team part of the park or was it like for like
the local area? It was part of the park. Okay,
because they played for that team. I can't remember
exactly what the team was named, but it was strictly
for the park. They had kind of a connection with
some of the black baseball teams in the area.
They had a baseball team in, Columbus All Stars.
out of Columbus. Hamilton had a team too. Mr.
Bowen, the man ran the park. He saw more interest
in the people out of Columbus because they got
them some uniforms. They made the first step.
But the ones from Hamilton, they didn't want
to buy nothing. That man out of Columbus, Richard
Street, came up there and presented his team
to Mr. Bowen. He accepted them. So that was their
home team. Then you had the invaders out of Phoenix
City. A couple of them guys could have went pro.
And the baseball stadium would be jam -packed
with grown folks and everything. I was a baseball
player that played several games at Mac Miller
Park. Can't remember the name of the team right
now, but it was something. All those people packing
and cheering and hollering, good times. Playing
-wise, I did all right. It was more about the
sport than the points for me. Played with some
good men, almost like a brotherhood, just laughing
and showing off our skills. Hell, some of my
teammates could have went pro until life got
a hold of them. But yeah, that was a game for
everybody. I even remember this girl I was courting
playing on the softball team there. Most of us
players. were hard working men. I mean, we worked
in the plants, mills, farms, and as such. Baseball
kept our dream alive. For a colored man, Negro,
what have you, weren't many things that gave
you hope or a chance to dream. Playing on the
field gave us something. It was fun. It was freedom,
like a child. Yeah, I played baseball. You played
a little bit? Uh huh. Yeah. I played baseball.
So was it like on teams or like... Yeah, uh huh.
Leagues? Like with folks on the... But they didn't
get, they weren't getting paid for it. Oh, okay.
They didn't go on no deal. Uh huh. They played
baseball. When people come from Alabama, a different
part of Georgia, then they have a baseball team
come in and play against a different team, you
see, and whatnot. But now they had some guys
back then that had been like this. Now here's
a lot of folks who come out of that kind of...
You see go ahead one guy in Catawba with named
Benny Greig and Allen Greig. Flaunt lead nobody.
Benny Greig, Allen Greig, and Tom, what's that?
Bill Howard. He was three guys. And them guys
could be out there and one in left field, one
in right field, one in center. And they'd be
up back in the little park playing baseball.
And you knock a ball coming out. So center field
or right field, the guy over on the left, he
was so fast, he'd come on through there and pick
it up. They'd get that fast and that good. And
one of the guys from Catawla, Alan Green, he
had won a, he was going for championship, played
baseball, and he had it there, got his paper
and everything. And he got to drink a milk and
walk around on First Avenue showing his paper,
and they went on to get inspired on him. There
were other black teams that would come up and
play on Sunday and then they had, sometimes they
played themselves. It was an energized place
to go. You just go and sit. If you didn't want
them to sit down up under the stand where they
were dancing and you could sit. They had rocking
chairs and everything. You could sit down and
watch the dance, or you could sit on the other
side and watch the game. But the game was down
there. It was just a play, a piece. And it wasn't
really rowdy or anything. We didn't do all that,
but they did. They might have had a few people
might have got a little agitated, might have
got a little drunk, but otherwise it wasn't nothing
but a big one. And they were quickly hooked up,
and they would stop. Nobody throwin' no rocks
or nobody pullin' no good or none of that never
happened over there. But then my brother found
a shortcut to the park going that way and that
was where your grandmama and them Leah would
come through the woods and just come on in and
start playing. Back of our houses here, there
was a pan that we had made over the years that
went straight into the back of the park. We went
through that path. Especially when we didn't
have no money. Right, right. Yeah. And we didn't
have the money to pay to get in. And that's the
way we went in. There ain't one man walking around
trying to catch you coming in. Frank Sherman.
Mr. Frank Sherman from the tall. He was working
on that full security. He couldn't be everywhere.
Same place, same time. Watch him be easy and
then walk around. They had lights down in the
woods. You stay over there, the dog. Your grandma
and bunch of us used to walk through from Park
Elementary School, that road going back through
there. We used to have a fence down there and
everything. You had to go in through the front
to get in and pay to come in. But we used to
slip in through that way. You see, we could walk
back through there, into Bicarbonate School.
You know, where the gym is back there now. We
used to walk right on through there all the time,
you see. But yeah, it's like my brother and me
were slipping. They slipped that lip in there
and sailed that lip and stuff. And then there
was somebody that'd be walking and going chilling
on them. You know, and the police come in. And
me and my brother, we'd be sitting there watching
baseball. We weren't playing baseball. We'd be
watching. And see the police come in. We'd let
my brother and them know that the police coming
in. Everybody was there. Y 'all were lookouts.
Yeah, we were lookouts. for everybody who was
together back then. But a lot of times, the man
who was at the gate would come walk down through
the building and he said, y 'all didn't come
through the gate, y 'all got to come up here
and pay. And he'd line us all up and march us
up to the highway, to that little booth, and
make us pay at what, it probably was about a
quarter, 50 cent or something. But he'd march
us up there and make us pay. We thought we had
gotten away with something. But either way, that
didn't stop you from enjoying it. We enjoyed
being there. And across the creek, you go up
a hill that was called Blueberry Hill. My cousin,
you know, Sarita was older than me. I had a cousin,
Linda Pitt. You know Linda Pitt? Mm -hmm. And
I would be with Linda Pitt down there. I'd see
them going up the hill. Would they let me? I'd
go halfway up there. I remember that ditch. Oh,
didn't you? Going up the hill. I remember one
time we were there. Linda Pitt. I was with Linda.
Linda went up the hill. I went up here and called,
Linda! Let me look, let me get back down the
hill. Get back, get back. And if they wasn't
up there hill, it used to be a swing way over
there in the back. In the bushes. That's where
they'll be at too. It's a swing way back there
in them bushes. I remember when I got my first
kiss at Mac Miller Park. Chy, I was messing with
some little boy I shouldn't have, but I thought
I was in love, girl. We went on up to Blueberry
Hill and Followed the little lights they had
you know strung up there in the middle of the
park near a jukebox he brought me up near a pole
or some another and Stroke my face then leaned
in all kinds of thoughts ran through my head
Mostly hoping my rouge wasn't too much then Felt
the lips touch his and whoo -chai I felt like
a woman. If I knew then what I know now, I wouldn't
have gave that joker much credit. But at the
time, that kiss meant everything to me. Still
does, hell. You're sneaking off to be with your
boyfriend. OK. That's exactly what it was. OK.
And you know, you see a lot of couples go there.
They stay sitting and talk. You know, you get
time to spend time with your friends. Right.
And they call it Blueberry Hill because everybody
spread it out like blueberries. You know, you
got a couple here and a couple there. And then
sometimes people just up there sitting. Sometimes
they have the picnic, you know, up in there,
but most of the time it was like a couple bags,
you know. That's where a lot of older kids went
and made out. They said they're dead bodies.
And why y 'all couldn't go up the hill? I hope
they won't let us go up there and see them pankages.
And we wasn't going up. Y 'all going up there
and dead folk. Yeah, that's how they scared us
from going up. Like the little kids? Mm -hmm.
I think my age, I remember being younger. Okay.
Mm -hmm. Back in the day, your folks didn't allow
you to be with no guys, no boys, you know, like
they are now. Right. You had to almost sneak
and talk to these guys and make sure you got
your mom. Now, they ain't watching you up on
Blue Bear Hill. you're supposed to be somewhere
else but you're up there talking to this boy
you know right he gets you and do a lot you know
it was quite interesting as the park grew in
popularity it began to attract celebrity attention
such as rudy rutherford of rocking with the deuce
rutherford was the first african -american in
the south to host a television show which aired
on WTVM in 1958. songs. So he did a lot of that
and he'd start off the evening show by saying,
we got a bail of mail. And then he goes down
the list of the different people who wrote to
him and asked for different songs. He would come
up there on Saturday about one or two o 'clock
and DJ that too. It was on the air Monday through
Friday. And on Saturday, he had a group of young
fellas called Rockin' with the Deuce, the Deuce
Dancers. They would be some guys who used to
dance. One of them was named Curtis Jackson,
Herman Jacobs. he was a real tall guy. And they
all got together and they used to go and do record
hops back in those days. And then they used to
go down to different places and a record hop
is, as you know, is you take your PA system and
your records and you go down to the school and
have a good time with the kids and they dance
and just enjoy it and have a good time. He had
a, what do you call it, a deuce dancer. He'd
go to Columbus there and say it in the morning
and dance on TV. The common nickname I heard
growing up was, you know, they were the Black
American Bandstands. It was, it was. Way before
American Bandstands started. Yeah. Or Soul Train.
Rocking with the Deuce was a Saturday morning
program that came on from nine until ten o 'clock
on Saturday morning on, back in the day it was
Channel 28 or when they eventually changed it
to Channel 9. It was on WTBM and the Deuce, Rudy
Rutherford, was the MC of Rocking with the Deuce.
And what he would do, he would... He was a celebrity
with us. He used to be on from three until six
in the afternoon sometimes. He'd come on and
he'd look -a -poo and how you do and lay together,
gotta split, gotta go, yay, yay, and those kind
of raps he brought to the city back in those
days. Most of the dancing we did that was...
from that TV show. And those guys, they had a
bunch of guys that would have a group of dancers
that danced on TV every Saturday morning. And
there were times that they would come up to Matt
Miller Park and they would dance. We would go
out and pull guys or girls or whatever to the
stage and... You know, we sing to them and stuff.
You know, like Out of Sight with James Brown
and Try Me with James Brown. Papa's Got a Brand
New Bag, I Feel Good, all those songs that were
historic songs back in those days. They'll make
you get up and dance. What was the crowd like?
Packed. Real packed. then we would play the hit
songs back in the day like in the 60s. The Monkey
Time by Major Lance. We did The Impressions.
Impressions is, well I'm just a real winner,
real winner back in those days. Keep on pushing.
the impressions uh for your precious love jerry
butler and we did a lot of those those kind of
songs we did a lot of hip hop songs hit the hit
songs was back they're like johnny taylor okay
uh who's making love to your old lady while you
out making love uh jordy got your girl and gone
endless is going on go home take on your love
bones and uh a lot of those songs that were 60s
going into the early 70s with those smooth, smooth
soul songs that you can't get anymore now. But
just as it grew in popularity, the park also
created a stir controversy as well. In 1964,
the blights decided not the local blights. from
Atlanta and everything decided they wanted to
go to Callaway Gorge. They wanted to go to the
beach at Callaway Gorge. Girl, it ain't never
been that many helicopters with state patrol
there to meet the blights that was trying to
get in. And nobody talk about it, though. But
it happened. I imagine it happened more than
once, not just once, but I imagine it happened
because there were some buses that came out of
Atlanta. They probably really didn't know the
area and stopped at the first place that they
saw people and a big, you know, big recreation
area. But yeah, you were turned away. There was
no doubt about that. If you tried to end it,
you was going to be turned away. Yeah. And we're
not going to let you in now. Like that at all.
We got where a lot of the white people wanted
were going to start coming over there, because
they didn't use any. They liked the pool, and
it had a lot of room for them to stretch out
on that, to be hot, because then, like we got
up there where we had the parking lot at, that
hill there was like run from all the way down
from the pool all the way up to the road. It
was like a bank. And you could lay on that bank
up there all the way around. I mean, you could
do it all the way around the ball field. And
you could really just sit up there and think
they're going to get blown up, you know. I mean,
that's what they did, you know, they got her.
I guess they figured they'd keep all of them
from starting because some of them couldn't really
afford to go up there. The mission to Matt Miller
Park during the week was a dime. And on Saturday
and Sunday, it was a quarter of 50 and 50 cents,
depending on your age. The price was $3 or $4
higher at Calloway at the beach. And that was
the reason they closed it, because the white
kids started coming out. Matt Miller Park was
to keep them separated, the whites from the blacks.
Occurrences like these prove that integration
was inevitable. And towards the 1970s, Calloway
Gardens officially integrated. And that was much
more going on, you know, because by going to
the beach, you had access to the whole garden.
You know, people got excited about being able
to go to Callaway. And even though it was more
expensive to get in, it was just the thought
that, you know, black people were finally able
to go into Callaway. We had this access. Kind
of neglected McMillan Park, and it just finally
closed. As a result, by 1978, MacMiller Park
officially closed. How did you feel when you
found out the park was closed or it closed? Oh,
I was devastated, you know. And I was so devastated
until you, you know, to the point, you know,
I never did go to Calloway Garden. I never have
been there, you know. And you know, I just, you
know. I felt like that had a lot to do with it.
You know, we could have gone up there, but I
enjoyed that a lot more, you know, McMillip Park.
It was kind of, well, bittersweet, I guess. It
closed up, but then you had the opportunity to
go to the beach. They hated it because they still
couldn't afford to go to Callaway Garden. That's
the purpose of the Callaway damn building, McMillip
Park. The blacks could afford to go up there.
They started to try to build a wall with their
wifes, but they didn't go nowhere. They can't
get off the ground. The black man tried to put
one out there. That's the only reason that one
got there, the only kind of counterweight. I
really hated it, because it was always a liar
place to go to without any trouble. It was just,
you could sit and be in the cool. You could get
yourself something to drink. You could get yourself
something to eat. You could watch a good ball
game. I mean, they had some good games over there.
And they had a lot of different, you get a chance
to meet a lot of different people. Because there
was a lot of soldiers from Fort Benning was up
there. And they had baseball teams, they do.
So they would come there. You get a chance to
meet all kind of different people. Because they
were like Puerto Ricans and people from everywhere
that were there in Fort Benning. And you got
a chance to meet different. You know, because
it's only black people. You got to meet all kind
of people. Well, I was kind of sad because I
would have liked for my children. to experience
it. But, unfortunately, they didn't get a chance
to do that. Well, those of us who really connected
to it, hated that it closed, because at that
time they needed a school, a place to build a
school. And by the 1980s, Park Elementary, that
once was Macmillan Park, open to all students
of the area. Most of the land is still there.
Yeah. because where they built the school from
the front of the school to where the back of
the school is was only about half of that front
property there because if you go in there now
you can still see what the baseball field was
right and you can still see where the pool area
was only they covered it in but that building
over there was the bath house that's still there.
I think that it should have been some kind of
recognition somewhere to say about Mac Miller
Park and the history of Mac Miller Park, it should
have been some kind of thing put somewhere, you
know, like they do all these historic things.
So then I think it should have been a historic
thing done for Mac Miller Park because it was
set for the black people. And that's history.
Don't you think? Oh no, I think you agree completely.
Time has passed since the times of Mac Miller
Park but patrons reflect on the legacy and the
importance and history that the park leaves behind
in their hearts as well as the land of the county.
It was a good place for blights and uh you had
to be there you had to be there. Yeah. To really
get how that felt. How it felt. Our whole life
was light up when we started talking about it
because we were there together. It had a big
influence on us. Well, it was like something
of ours, you know. It was something, you know,
that I could relate to so much better, you know.
But I guess it was okay up there too, but I just
enjoyed that because it was just like history,
you know, that was a part of us. I guess we took
all my frustrations out of that little park,
jumping in the pool or whatever, but it saved
us and it gave us something to do. Well, a lot
of these kids now, they're walking the streets,
they ain't got nothing to do. But we had something
to do, and it was all in that little park. I
wish it hadn't ever closed. because it was a
place that I would always want to go and I mean
everybody just seemed to enjoy it. They had something,
a little something for everybody. It represented
to me family time. Okay. Family time and getting
away from the house and the family as a group
as a whole going to the park and I remember seeing
the smiles and the laughter and the dancing and
it was just a good time. That's history. It's
good black history. Well so little is known about
black history in Harris County. I mean, nobody
seemed to have recorded anything. And if any
pictures were taken, they magically disappeared.
And even at the courthouse where records are
supposed to be kept, I don't think there are
any records about the opening of the park or
the closing. So it just didn't seem like it was
important then, but I think it's important for
young people to know that we did have something
to do way back then. A lot of that stuff goes
unnoticed, and it's very important that we know
what our ancestors forefathers have done. you
know before us you know and so we can pass it
on to the younger generation because there's
a lot of history has gone on that you know we
know very little about. It was a new outlet for
us to show the skills and and the different ideas
that we had back in those days. That allows you
to express yourself with your creative ability,
but they also had style with it. We had emotions,
but we never let our emotions get to the point
where we would shame ourselves or our family
or what we were doing at the time. We just wanted
to have fun. That's what it was all about. It's
happy. I'm fortunate, like, you know, to have
grandma and them talk about it a lot. you know
their experience of like I grew up hearing about
it, but what do you think stopped like a lot
of people from sharing that and keeping it or
documenting about the part? Well, like I said,
nobody probably didn't think it would ever come
up in history. Like a lot of our history, a lot
of our black history, very little of it ever
get told because nobody kept up with it, even
in our family. It needs to be told. It needs
to be told. The older blacks don't talk about
this because they just kept it up under the rug.
Why do you think that is? They just kept it.
It's just like now. It's right now. Y 'all don't
go to the meeting. Nobody goes to the council
meeting. No blacks go to the council meeting.
And it's all because when they did try to go,
they were told that their word didn't mean a
damn thing. So now they don't even bother about
it. Once you know your history, you won't repeat
it, let it happen again. Nobody is born prejudiced.
Nobody else. Right. This is learned. This is
stuff that we learned. We learned this from our
pole pair. And it's time for us to get out. It's
time for us to break away from tradition. Even
before the park became what it was, Mac Miller
had passed away. But in your opinion, if he had
lived to see the park, what do you think he would
have thought of it? I believe he would have did
something that kept it up. Even if they built
the school there, you couldn't still kept the
baseball field, the picnic area. You got what
I'm saying? And they had a nice set of stands
there. So you find a place like that and keep
it alive. Keep it going and let it grow. I think
he would have been proud of the park because
it represented... mostly him as a black man.
And then all of his people, you know, he was
kin to a lot of people and they were using their
power. And so that was the thing that gave some
people, you know, that was coming to the park,
ideas about what kind of life they might want
to be. He loved to see black people do anything
in this town. He tried so hard, from my understanding
of what Mamalyn said, he tried so hard to do
stuff for the black people. With his influence
and his finances, he probably would have made
it even better than it was. Because, you know,
for us, it was a big thing to have concession
stands and a swimming pool and a pavilion and
fields to play sports. He probably would have
made it even greater than that. I can truly say
that I think everyone that went there had a great
experience there. One that, you know, that they
will remember forever. You know, the memories
that they had got when they were going there
is something that, you know, they will remember
forever My genuine hope is that by the end of
this episode you leave with not only the knowledge
of knowing this history and understanding its
importance but also how important and beneficial
it is for us to pass down this information which
ultimately empowers us, motivates us, and instills
in us the greatness to persevere. within not
only ourselves, our communities, but in the world
at large. If you would like to connect with me
on Facebook .com, it is Queen Lady AC. On Instagram,
it is underscore I am Lady AC. And on Twitter
or X and TikTok, it is I am Lady AC. Until next
week, y 'all. Signing off.