Greenville's Controversial Sign

At the entrance/exit of Downtown Greenville, a large, illuminating sign that read "Greenville Welcome: The Blackest Land, The Whitest People" once hung at a busy intersection for more than 47 years. Despite it being a prominent city symbol for many decades, the sign was divisive and a testament to the South's segregated influence. The sign's original phrasing was first used on a simple business card that belonged to W.N. Harrison, a local land broker. Harrison, a prominent face in Northeast Texas, traveled to Kansas City, MO, in February 1916 to lobby for Greenville to be a community through which the Jefferson Memorial Highway (now the U.S. 69) would pass en route to New Orleans. Persistent in achieving his goals, Harrison paid the hotel's bellboy to give his business card to President Woodrow Wilson, who was also staying at the hotel. President Wilson was intrigued at the "Greenville Welcome" phrase on the business card and asked to meet with Harrison. Thus, Harrison persuaded the federal government to place Greenville on the map.

A 1930s postcard image of Greenville's downtown welcome sign, which hung at Lee and Wright Streets' intersection. The sign was seen as a landmark with little meaning for over four decades.

In recognition of Harrison's efforts in publicizing the city, Greenville's Chamber of Commerce contacted the Flexlume Company of Buffalo, NY, in April 1921 and asked them to create a welcome sign for the city that used Harrison's phrase. Greenville's "Blackest Land, Whitest People" sign, which measured 24 feet long by 4 feet high and was adorned with electric lights, was installed next to the Katy Railway Depot on July 7, 1921. The two-sided sign was estimated to have cost between $300 and $500 to erect. The opening ceremony for the sign took place that evening in front of a huge crowd of proud citizens. Since W.N. Harrison had died shortly after his return trip from Kansas City, his oldest son, Hubert Harrison, was the keynote speaker and talked about Greenville's expansive growth. Greenville's citizens loudly cheered at the tribute to local prosperity. No one questioned the sign's wording since Greenville was very much a product of the segregated South; according to a 1920s dictionary, the term "white" meant people who were "honorable, trustworthy, or square," traits that blacks "did not have." Greenville's black population was restricted to "separate but equal" facilities, which included badly-managed neighborhoods, schools, churches, public areas, and occupations. Ironically, the sign in the downtown reinforced an image of perfect community with friendly and inclusive people (despite 1/5 of Greenville's population living under different laws).

President Woodrow Wilson, 1915. Despite running on a progressive campaign and granting women the right to vote in 1920, Wilson did not believe in racial equality and refused to appoint blacks to government positions.

According to the Greenville Evening Banner, a Ku Klux Klan rally was held under the welcome sign on December 16, 1921. 600 Klan members and over 30,000 spectators took part in the first Klan rally ever recorded in Northeast Texas. Besides this one instance, the sign had little meaning and was labeled by many (white and black citizens) as simply a landmark. Dewey Fitzpatrick, a black businessman, said the sign's wording did not offend him; the phrase meant "good, friendly people of all races who were trustworthy and helpful to their neighbors." Greenville's Chamber of Commerce hosted several picnics and commerce conventions next to the sign in the late 1920s, all of which were very popular among the locals and visiting businessmen. The city's clever slogan caught the attention of many mayors, who persuaded their city councils to create their own slogans. The sign garnered more attention during the Second World War when soldiers and nursing cadets on trains passed the welcome sign when entering or exiting Greenville. The "Blackest Land, Whitest People" slogan was found on planes. Also, the 1941 graduating class at Greenville High School included the slogan on their class rings. When President Harry S. Truman stopped in Greenville during his 1948 Whistle-Stop Campaign Tour, he spoke under the famous welcome sign, remarking how beautiful the City of Greenville was.

Harry S. Truman stopped in Greenville during his Whistle-Stop Campaign Tour on September 27, 1948. Underneath the downtown welcome sign, Truman promised to continue to protect farmers' economic interests if he were to be re-elected. He proclaimed that Greenville was "One of the richest farming communities in the whole United States," and urged the city to vote Democratic on the ticket, "From president to constable." (via Truman Library) House Representative Sam Rayburn was at the speech.

Following World War II, Greenville's population hovered around 15,000, and the city's black residents constituted around 20% of that total (about 3,000). The perception of the welcome sign began to change and was accelerated by the 1954 Brown v. Board of Education decision (which ended the "separate but equal" ruling). A large group of Greenville citizens saw the sign as a symbol of race and not of local pride. In spite of the grumblings, the sign continued to quietly hang next to the Katy Railway Depot. Greenville continued to be a hub of economic growth in the early 1960s. As the Civil Rights Movement was picking up momentum, Greenville's population toppled 19,000; this was a dramatic jump of 27% in one decade. Since many African Americans had sought opportunity in rural Northeast Texas and moved away from the Dallas-Fort Worth metroplex, the city's black population had slightly increased and now totaled 3,698.

Greenville's "Blackest Land, Whitest People" sign, c. 1951. Once, local resident Jack Finney wanted to put the sign's slogan on his nametag at a Jeopardy gameshow in New York City, however, was not permitted to play because the game officials considered the slogan a slur rather than a clever slogan for a progressive community.

The welcome sign's demise was slowly drawing nearer. John Connally, a former Secretary of the Navy in the John F. Kennedy administration, won the 1962 Texas governor's race, campaigning on a platform to progressively improve race relations, economic welfare, and state education. Connally was admired by many in Northeast Texas and was hailed as "the Personification of Texas." The governor visited the city on March 25, 1965, and was greeted by a huge crowd of white supporters at the National Guard Armory on Lee Street prior to having dinner with the Chamber of Commerce. Ralph Hall, a long-time state senator, introduced the governor at the dinner. Connally's speech that evening was not recorded, however, some, including black businesswoman Myrna Gilstrap, recalled the governor suggesting that "the sign's wording had taken on a new and undesired meaning that was not complimentary." Did he say the welcome sign should be taken down? This question remains a mystery, however, Connally's speech paved a new path for Greenville's Chamber of Commerce. On April 13, three weeks later, the Board decided to take down the sign (reasons are unknown). The "Blackest Land, Whitest People" slogan, which for many decades had described a proud community of decent character, was now identified with racist undertones.

Governor John Connally's 1965 speech to Greenville's Chamber of Commerce might have been instrumental in the decision to remove the controversial welcome sign.

There were some efforts to restore the welcome sign, including a movement by Sybil Maddaux, the first woman mayor, in 1968, yet the sign stayed in storage. It appeared that Greenville wanted to bury its unjust, controversial past and move towards a brighter future. The people of Greenville were very proud of their city in the 1920s and created the sign as a welcoming beacon to tourists and visitors. They had not intended to exclude the black community because that would have been counterproductive to the city's growing prosperity. However, as time wore on and society norms changed, the sign's wording was open to other interpretations, and it was decided to publicly remove that piece of history and place it in the history books in the 1960s so Greenville could focus on fostering a more inclusive community. Greenville's welcome sign is another artifact that has been labeled as a symbol of the past, but is no longer appropriate to publicly display in today's progressively-charged culture.