Decades of history, resilience and pride live at the intersection of 5th Street NE and East Tudor Street. Known to many as Guestâs Corner, the neighborhood was a bustling hub for the Black community in Paris dating back to the 1920s when Paris was segregated and Black residents and business owners founded a place for themselves in an often hostile environment.
âWe called it âLittle Black Paris,ââ said Mary Desmond, who spent her youth at Guestâs Corner.
Paris native Elbert Desmond, Maryâs husband of 65 years, said the land was gifted to the community by a businessman, George Guest, for whom the neighborhood is named, in the early 20th century, and Black businesses began to flourish there through the 1950s.
A researchers quest led her to The Paris News, where one reporter in the 1930s stood up to defend the rights of a Black football player, Lou Montgomery, who was
A researchers quest led her to The Paris News, where one reporter in the 1930s stood up to defend the rights of a Black football player, Lou Montgomery, who was
In the late 1920s, teachers and students at First Ward Elementary accurately predicted the gangly, dark-haired boy with the big smile who could hit a ball out of the playground and across the street would play for the New York Yankees.
During a baseball career that spanned 65 years (1939-2004), Paris native and major league legend Eddie Robinson played for seven of the eight teams in existence during his 13-year career with the majors, and he drew paychecks from 16 franchises before he retired in 2004 from coaching, scouting and front office positions. He served as general manager for the Texas Rangers from 1978-82, during a time the team actually contended for playoff berths.