Writing Alcorn Village
One small subdivision on the south side of Collierville has a big history that almost no one knows.
Alcorn Village was established in the 1960s as a “Colored Subdivision” named after a prominent Black clergyman, Rev. James Alexander Alcorn (1870-1944). We’re writing justice for Alcorn Village to preserve and elevate the Black history of Collierville.
Commercial Appeal article from November 15, 1964 about the dedication of Alcorn Village, Collierville.
Rev. James Alexander Alcorn—for whom Alcorn Village was named—was born in 1870 to parents that had been enslaved in Mississippi. He was a teacher in Mississippi before moving to Texas where he joined the Pullman Porter service. (Info about Pullman Porters here: https://bit.ly/3vsoyrR).
In 1899 he married Mattie Ingram (of LaGrange, TN) in Shelby County.
That same year, James and Mattie purchased 5 acres of farmland on the South West side of the intersection of Rowlett and Highway 72 where they raised three children: DeWitt, Eva, and Seward.
In the 1910s and 1920s, Rev. Alcorn was a minister and presiding elder of the Colored Methodist Episcopal Church. He founded several churches in Shelby County including Martin Memorial Temple CME, Greenwood CME and he was also pastor at Smothers Chapel.
In 1927, Rev. James Alcorn chaired a local committee that met with Herbert Hoover after the Mississippi flood that displaced thousands of people (according to his obituary).
The location of the Alcorn farm is where Alcorn Village-- the town’s first planned “Colored Subdivision”--was built in the early 1960s. (see early map of the subdivision)
After the death of Rev. Alcorn and his wife, real estate man Homer Wilkins aimed to make home ownership accessible to Black families in Collierville by selling lots in Alcorn Village for only a $50 deposit to any Black person with a stable job. He didn’t ask about credit or savings, and once the lots were purchased, he built 3 bedroom 1 bath homes for about $8,000. Many homes are still owned and occupied by the same families that purchased them all those years ago.
Prior to the development of Alcorn Village, Black home ownership in Collierville was uncommon. Many of the homes in Alcorn Village are still owned and occupied by the same families that purchased them all those years ago.
Sadly, neither James or Mattie were alive to witness the ceremony in their honor when the subdivision was dedicated on November 15, 1964. The event was attended by residents of the neighborhood, developer Homer Wilkins, and Collierville’s mayor, A.G. Neville, Jr. They declared November 15th “J.A. Alcorn day"! (see Commercial Appeal story at the top of the page).
Mattie Alcorn died in 1928. Their son Seward died in 1925 at the age of 24. They are buried along with Rev. James A Alcorn (who died in 1944) at Saint James Cemetery which is at the heart of Alcorn Village.
Rev. James Alcorn’s only daughter, Eva, married George Christian, Jr. and they were active residents in Orange Mound, owning several properties. Prior to her death in 1990 at the age of 87, Eva Christian deeded her share of Mt. Zion Cemetery to the CME church. Mt. Zion Cemetery was established by Reverend Morris Henderson and other former enslaved individuals in 1876 in Memphis. Ownership of the cemetery was passed down to descendants of the original founders. The last remaining owners in the 1980s were Eva Alcorn Christian and her husband George. As far as we know, Eva and George did not have any children. Read more about the preservation of Mt. Zion Cemetery here.
Rev. DeWitt Talmadge Alcorn (1899 - 1982) son of Rev. James A Alcorn and Mattie Ingram Alcorn
Rev. James Alcorn’s oldest son, DeWitt Talmadge Alcorn became a minister in the CME church and later the presiding elder of the Jackson (TN) District. He was born in Collierville in 1899 and lived on the farm until adulthood.
DeWitt Alcorn left Collierville to settle in Orange Mound near his sister Eva. There he was active in the local and national NAACP, was elected president of the Orange Mound Boosters Association, and was on the executive board of the Memphis Negro Chamber of Commerce.
He attended Gammon Theological Seminary in the 1930s.
Rev. DeWitt and W.E.B. Dubois were the only Black folks allowed to be present during the trial of the Scottsboro Boys.
Telegram sent by Rev. Dewitt T. Alcorn to the national NAACP office in 1932 from Alabama where he and W.E.B. Dubois attended the trial of the Scottsboro Boys.
In 1935, Rev. DeWitt Alcorn was recommended by the people of Collierville, the state of Tennessee, and numerous southern congressmen to be a special U.S. envoy to Liberia. Ultimately, he was not appointed minister to Liberia, but being nominated was an honor he recalled with pride throughout his life.
In 1942, he was a nationally-syndicated Black newspaper corespondent and radio broadcaster. The transcripts of one of his radio addresses was entered into the congressional record for its significant contribution to race relations. In the closing remarks of that address, he mentions his hometown of Collierville.
In 1945, while Rev. DeWitt Alcorn was living and working as a minister in Coffeyville, Kansas he was forced to give up his seat on a public bus in Oklahoma. Several passengers left the bus in protest of the action and the police were called to remove him and his colleague from the bus. This was ten years before Claudette Colvin and Rosa Parks refused to give up their seats on public transportation.
1945 article from the Pittsburgh Courier about Rev. DeWitt Alcorn’s encounter on a public bus in Oklahoma.
In 1949, Rev. DeWitt Alcorn was part of a Southern Black delegation that attended and participated the presidential inauguration of Harry S. Truman.
In the 1950s, Rev. DeWitt Alcorn was beaten by Memphis Police at the Greyhound bus station, and the attack rose to national attention when the national NAACP decried the violence.
Rev. DeWitt Alcorn was the pastor at several churches in West Tennessee and spent the later years of his life living in Jackson Tennessee where he was Presiding Elder of the Jackson District of the CME Church. He was a Trustee at Lane College where he received an honorary doctorate, and established an annual scholarship.
Prior to his death in 1982, Rev. DeWitt Alcorn was interviewed by the Jackson Sun about his long public life that began in Collierville in 1899.
July 1978 article from the Jackson Sun newspaper about Rev. DeWitt Alcorn
Alcorn Village on the south side of Collierville, named after Rev. James Alcorn, is a small and unassuming subdivision with a rich history that needs to be preserved. The Alcorn family has an incredible story and had a profound impact on people across the country.
With our Southside Oral History Project, we hope to record and preserve the stories and personal histories of our neighbors in Alcorn Village.
If you would like to share your story with us, or if you have any knowledge of Alcorn Village history, we would love to hear from you!
Contact us at ColliervilleJustice@gmail.com
