Grant Chapel African Methodist Episcopal placed brochures at the Tangipahoa Tourism Center

Tangipahoa Tourism Convention Center

The Grant Chapel African Methodist Episcopal Church experienced significant enthusiasm surrounding its activities today. A meeting was convened to organize the placement of brochures at the Tangi Tourism Convention Center, an initiative led by Dr. Antoinette Harrell. The committee’s efforts were warmly received by Carla Tate, President and CEO, and Dana Monistere, Executive Assistant and Operations Manager. The involvement of the Tangi Tourism Convention Center is significant because it provides a platform for visitors who are looking to explore Tangipahoa Parish's rich history, culture, heritage, and cuisine. The church hopes to raise awareness of its cultural and historical significance by placing brochures there.

The brochure will provide comprehensive details about the church's establishment, significant historical milestones, and its enduring role within the community over the years. It will also showcase photographs of the church's architecture and notable past leaders. The founding of the church in 1886 by Rev. Charles Grant Malone and Frank Hughes marked a pivotal moment in the community's history, serving as a spiritual and social center for its members for 139 years. It offered a space for worship, fellowship, and mutual support, developing a strong sense of unity among residents. This foundational role has continued to influence the church's significance and impact within the community over time.

Vera Wheeler
Photo Credit: Dr. Antoinette Harrell

Black churches have historically served as vital hubs for community support, cultural preservation, and

spiritual enrichment. Grant Chapel AME, the first Black church in Tangipahoa Parish to install a historical marker, exemplifies this legacy by preserving its rich history and cultural significance. The church is working to attract tourist and local alike to highlight its historical and cultural significance. 

Pictured from left to right are Dana Monster,  Pete Boykins, Winthrop Walker, Carla Tate, Ella G. Williams, Vera Wheeler, Dr. Antoinette Harrell and Rev. Herman O. Kelly, Jr. 

For more information about the Tangipahoa Parish Convention & Visitors Bureau, please visit the website at tangitourism.com

There was a landfill in Butler Town

Josefine Linnea Jonsson/Wikimedia

I remember my mother visiting friends and family in Butler Town an African American settlement within the city limits of Amite City. I remember walking to the landfill when I was around eleven years old  with my friend who lived near the lanfill to see what it looked like. There may have been about two block measurements between their home and the landfill.  In the course of walking about a block, the odor intensified and the unsightly view of mountains of trash were overwhelming to my young eyes. 

Different species of birds were noticeably. the "Gulls" was flying and diving into the piles of trash savaging for discard food straps. Crows and blackbirds joined the flock of gulls. There were people digging in the trash looking for anything they could salvage. I lived out in the country. Leaving this site, I appreciate the beautiful trees, fresh air, fruit trees, and picturesque landscape of the county. I never returned back to the site again.

There was something wrong with it and it certainly didn't smell right. Due to the foul odor in the air, I didn't like visiting the community. My friends used to say it smelled like that all the time, especially when the wind was blowing. Several years ago, I met a lady who had lived in the same house for sixty years. Due to the smell, she cannot open her windows for fresh air or sit on her porch to enjoy the outdoors.

It closed somewhere in the mid- to late 1970s. Where the landfill was, it is currently, a sewer plant , which is giving off terrible odors. Sometimes I wonder if  residents ever brought this before the Amite City Council and Mayor. If so, what took place? Should the water and soil be test for toxic waste that can be very dangerous?

There is a significant danger to people living around landfills from the mountains of solid and liquid waste. Butler Town's safety was compromised while other communities were kept safe. Recycling is a bare minimum requirement in rural communities across the country. What was the environmental impact of the landfill on the community? Natural habitats and wildlife are destroyed by landfills. The effects it can have on human beings are incalculable. 

Did the landfill contaminate ecosystem and water system? Was there every a study done on the subject of the landfill? Is it something that the community should be talking about?

The History of Butler Town in Amite, Louisiana

Butler Memorial Park
Photo Credit: Antoinette Harrell

In Amite, Louisiana, there is a black settlement called Butler Town. Amite is 70 miles north of New Orleans, LA. Lawerence Williams embarked on a genealogy quest to find out how and when this black settlement was established and to discover the ancestry of his maternal line. Almost a decade has passed since Lawerence began researching his family history. My question to Lawerence was how did he start researching his family history? My mother told me we're related to the Butlers. His mother Idella Williams is a 2nd great-granddaughter of Fredrick Butler. As a result, he shares his findings with his mother, who is his motivator. His Butler roots date back to 1808, with Fredrick's father and mother. Winifred Butler and Julia Ann Butler were from the East Coast. But their children was born St. Helena, Louisiana and this is where his Louisiana roots starts. There is something mysterious about Lawerence Butler's Butler family history that led him down the lonely gravel dirt roads of St. Helena Parish, which are filled with whispering pine trees. Fredrick was born in St. Helena Parish, which makes perfect sense. due the fact that Tangipahoa Parish was created  in 1869. 

In 1876, Frederick Butler bought most of the land, which was later named Butler Town. African Americans interested in owning land and building their own houses started buying lots from him. In the 1880 United States Census, Winnie Butler was listed as his spouse. They were the parents of: Waterson Butler, Leander Butler, Julia Butler, Dora Butler, Newsom Butler, William Butler, Minerva Butler, Amanda Butler, Conway Butler, Sherman Butler, and Coot Butler.   A black owned cemetery, Butler A.M.E Church, and Butler Memorial Park can be found inside Butler Town.

Butler A.M.E. Zion Church
Photo Credit: Antoinette Harrell

From slavery to sharecroppers to a large landowner, Fredrick was determine to purchase land as a form of freedom for himself and his family. One year after the issuing the United States Declaration of Independence in July 4, 1776 from Britain. Fredrick embraced what he defined  as freedom in the United States.

Frederick and several of his children signed a Freedmen Bureau Labor Contract with George Phillips McMicheal in 1867 in St. Helena, Louisiana and worked as sharecroppers before purchasing his own land. According to the 1870 United States Census, his Real Estate value was one thousands dollars. The follow people was listed on the Freedmen Bureau Contract: Jack Bulter age 51, Janet Butler age 41, Fred Butler age 48, Winey Butler age 38, Minerva Butler age 17, Amanda Butler age 15, Lee Butler age 11, Judy Ann Butler age 9, Pinky Butler age 7, Steel Butler age 5, Bobby Butler age 4, Joseph Butler age 46,  Waterson Butler age 13, and Emily Butler age 38. 

Fredrick's son William Butler donated the land for Butler A.M.E. Zion Church  in 1894.  On the cornerstone of the church says the church was established in 1874. The  land for the cemetery was donated to the church in 1904 by John Butler and Barrow Butler. John and Barrow descend from Jack Butler lineage. Lawerence believes that Jack and Fredrick were brothers.  Lawerence have spent long  hours in the Amite Clerk's Office looking through hundred of records on his Butler family. He also use the Amite Genealogy Library to help find the missing pieces  to his family puzzle. 

Butler Cemetery in Amite, LA
Photo Credit: Antoinette Harrell

Lawerence to  continue researching his Butler family tree. Specifically, he wants to know when Butler Memorial Park was established. It was revealed to him that his grandmother Idella was buried by the church, and that the cemetery had been relocated. People who live next door to the church told him that the cemetery was moved when the new church was built. Lawerence is very proud of his history and want to share it with others. Butler Town is over one hundred and forty years old.