David Ruggles, First African-American Bookstore Owner David Ruggles was the first African American to own a bookstore. Ruggles promoted several publications that supported the end of slavery. This was astonishing when at the time in many places blacks were not allowed to read. In 1835 a white anti-abolitionist mob burned down his stores. Ruggles traveled…
The Man Behind Homer G. Phillips Hospital. The story behind Homer G. Phillips and the hospital’s creation is known to some and not at all by others. Surprisingly Homer Gilliams Phillips was not a doctor at all, but an attorney in the St. Louis area. Phillips was born in Sedalia, Missouri in 1880. Raised by…
LA County May Return Beach Property Back to Rightful Black Owners Willa and Charles Bruce purchased beachfront property at what is known as Manhattan Beach. The family originally bought the property to use as a beach resort for Blacks in 1912. In 1929 the Manhattan Beach City Council seized the property stating that it was…
The Significance of the Du-Good Chemical Company may be unknown to some. Dr. Lincoln Diuguid founded the Du-Good Chemical Company in 1947. The building housing the company was converted from a veterinarian building built in 1886. They remained at the same location of 1215 South Jefferson until closing in 2010. The actual name Diuguid…