Black-owned Businesses 1865-1900

Farming was by far the preferred way to gain financial stability for Blacks during the antebellum period. Only eight people prior to 1900 were able to post financial gains in occupations other than farming. They were: stonemasons Jackson Shipman and Henry King; blacksmiths Samuel Williams and Hall Pool; wagon maker Toney Green; accomplished carpenter Columbus Dwinn; railroad hand W. W. Williams; and gardener John Jackson.

From A Brief History of the Black Presence in Henderson County by Gary Franklin Green