Professor Young A. Wallace

Subject

People; School

Description

This is a collection of articles relating to Professor Young A. Wallace. According to Florence historian Lee Freeman: " Prof. Young A. Wallace (1848-1937), a graduate of Fisk University (he paid his own way) was a teacher and principal in Florence's African-American schools for several decades. He was also well-respected in the community, both by blacks and whites. On pp. 11-13 of his autobiography Father of the Blues WC (1873-1958) Handy described his eccentric former teacher. Nothing definite is known of his early years. Anecdotal tradition has him born in Florence and having a brother Beverly however no records of Wallace prior to 1878 have been located nor have any records of a brother named Beverly. Wallace apparently had relatives in Alabama (possibly in Florence), Ohio, South Carolina and Washington, DC.

By 1878 Wallace was a teacher in Florence's District School for Negroes, by 1879 with FH Smith; by 1882 he was principal of the school. Wallace later taught at the Carpenter High School founded in 1876 and still later served as principal of the John F. Slater School for Negroes founded in 1900. He was instrumental in getting the American Missionary Society to relocate its Burrell Normal School to Florence in 1903. Some sort of controversy involving Prof. Wallace erupted in January of 1898. It involved paying the debt on the District School for Negroes building and electing new trustees, as for some the former trustees had all resigned. At a January 27, mass meeting of African-American citizens at the court house chaired by Prof. Henry Hopkins, a new board of trustees had been elected and a statement from Wallace obtained concerning how much money he was owed.

A member of St. Paul AME Church where he was a chorister, besides being a noted local educator Prof. Wallace was also an active member of Florence's Republican Executive Committee, of which he was chairman several times in the 1890s. At his death in 1937 he was also the only black member of Florence's Chamber of Commerce.

In November of 1889 Wallace built a nice house on Handy's Hill in West Florence. By 1921 he owned a 3 acre farm on West College Street in Florence and at least one rental property. After retiring from teaching Wallace operated a small truck garden and fruit tree orchards.

In February of 1921, a controversy involving Wallace erupted when WJ Calloway, writing to the Florence Daily News, accused Wallace of failing to comply with city health ordinances regarding proper “sanitation connection” at his rental house on West College Street, which was vacated for this reason but then re-occupied, without being brought up to code, after Mayor Delos Bacon took office, this despite repeated citations by the city. Callaway accused Wallace of attempting to jeopardize “the health of a community or otherwise barter community welfare, for the sake of personal political advancement.” To which Wallace responded via a letter to the editor of the Florence Herald which was published on the front page of its February 18th issue defending himself.

Sunday night, November 22, 1925 an unidentified assailant broke into the Professor's home and when Wallace returned home unexpectedly, surprising him, struck Wallace "a vicious blow to the head" but thankfully the the aged educator was not seriously injured. The Florence Times wrote that Wallace "has the wishes of a host of friends for his early recovery and the prosecuting of the persons who attacked him. He is well thought of by hundreds of white people of Florence and has done a great good among the members of his own race."

Prof. Young A. Wallace died on Monday, June 27, 1937 at 89 years old was was buried in the black section of the Florence City Cemetery after funeral services at St. Paul AME Church."

Source

Florence Gazette (1)
Lauderdale News (2)
Florence Herald (3, 5, 7, 9, 10, 11)
Florence Times (4, 6, 8)
W.C. Handy Home and Museum (12)

Publisher

Florence Gazette (1)
Lauderdale News (2)
Florence Herald (3, 5, 7, 9, 10, 11)
Florence Times (4, 6, 8)

Contributor

Lee Freeman

Rights

Images are available for educational and research purposes. This image may not be reproduced for commercial purposes without the express written consent of the copyright holder. It is the responsibility of the interested party to identify the copyright holder and receive permission.

Format

JPG

Language

English

Type

Still Image

Identifier

YA_Wallace_FG_Wed_Feb_5_1879_p_3.jpg (1)
propertysold.jpg (2)
building11.jpg (3)
Woodfaulk_to_Wallace_and_Foster.jpg (4)
callowaycharges.jpg (5)
Burglar_Hurts_Young_A._Wallace.jpg (6)
Assault_Upon_Old_Colored_Citizen.jpg (7)
Negro_Educator_Dies_at_89.jpg (8)
Negro_Educator_Dies_After_Brief_Illness.jpg (9)
Notice.jpg (10)
Non_Resident_Notice.jpg (11)
Prof._YA_Wallace_Photo.jpg (12)

Original Format

Newspaper

Files

YA Wallace FG Wed Feb 5 1879 p 3.jpg
propertysold.jpg
building11.jpg
Woodfaulk to Wallace and Foster.jpg
callowaycharges.jpg
Burglar Hurts Young A. Wallace.jpg
Assault Upon Old Colored Citizen.jpg
Negro Educator Dies at 89.jpg
Negro Educator Dies After Brief Illness.jpg
Notice.jpg
Non Resident Notice.jpg
Prof. YA Wallace Photo.jpg

Collection

Citation

“Professor Young A. Wallace,” Shoals Black History, accessed March 28, 2024, https://shoalsblackhistory.omeka.net/items/show/687.