I love history. I always have, which is why I weave historical tidbits into my
novels, especially in the Jamieson series. I've researched other cities and
countries, but there's nothing more fascinating then digging up dirt in my own
backyard. I think St. Louis' Missouri Historical Museum in Forest Park is top
tier and their amazing showcases are free. You never know what you might find or
who you will see. That's what happened when my husband and I toured the Mill
Creek Valley: A Black Metropolis exhibit. Mill Creek Valley was an impressive
self contained city between between St. Louis and Mid-town with about 20,000
residents and more than double that number in homes, businesses, churches, and
schools that serviced African Americans that were restricted in where they could
live, work, and shop. In the 1950s, it was erased off the map but not from the
memory of those who lived there. Mill Creek Valley became a victim of eminent
domain, like many Black neighborhoods across the country. What's makes Mill
Creek Valley revelant is that I had uncovered the history while researching one
of my books, Contempt: Grandma BB's Shenanigans, part of the Jamieson Legacy.
Although I have local history in these books, this was the first time I had to
go back in time and learn that I didn't know about my city.
While admiring historic documents, photographs, fashions, I stumbled upon a film
with Blacks folks on a night on the town. I can't believe I recognized a young
woman who would later become a mother figure in teenage years. My first thought
was she made the cut--she became part of St. Louis history. Black History month
is days away. Get hooked on the Jamieson series that has American, Black
American, and African history. It just might spark your interest is tracking
down some of your ancestors.
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