West Eugene Tour
West Eugene TourThe Reynolds Family LegacyAlong this route, you’ll meet Sam and Mattie Reynolds, who made their way from Shreveport, La., to Eugene in 1942 as part of what’s known as The Great Migration.They struggled to find a place to live at a time when no one wanted to rent to African-American families and restrictive covenants prevented them from owning homes. With strength and perseverance, Sam and Mattie Reynolds raised their children and helped build a community and a church that stands as a lasting legacy.In The Warmth of Other Suns, Isabel Wilkerson recounts the journey of over five million African Americans who made the great migration from 1915 to the 1970s from the South to the West, Midwest and East. Like the white immigrants who migrated before them, Black migrants moved in search of a better life and more opportunity to experience the American dream. The Reynolds family was part of what is known as “The Great Migration.”Sam and Mattie Reynolds came to Eugene in 1942 with four of their 12 children. The couple had a hard time finding housing, as no one wanted to rent to an African-American family. Sam Reynolds was able to obtain a job with William Spicer, who owned a construction company and was also able to secure a house for the Reynolds family in a community of majority African-American families on the north bank of the Willamette River near the Ferry Street Bridge.In 1949, the Ferry Street Community was razed by the County to expand the bridge. Residents were given 10 days to leave and were relocated to three locations: the south side of the river near High Street, Glenwood, and a remote section of West 11th near Bailey Hill Road. The homes along West 11th had no flush toilets and no running water and often the Amazon Creek flooded the area. This is where the Reynolds family helped establish a community and a church that exists to this day.“Although the section of West 11th Avenue was beyond the city limits, by 1952 the deplorable housing conditions caused a stir in the city. The area had apparently been barred from the installation of water and sewer lines and septic tanks. A state panel called the records of racial discrimination in Eugene and Salem among the worst in Oregon.” (Eugene Modernism 1935-1965, 2003).In reaction, a local civil rights organization: the Lane County Fellowship for Civic Unity, was soon established and its main focus was to support better housing and employment opportunities for African-Americans.
Sam Reynolds Station
Sam Reynolds Station“When we look back on it, that was one of the most pleasurable times. We were oppressed and depressed, but we had one another to raise each other up.” -- Mattie Reynolds, remembering the Ferry Street community of African-American families living along the banks of the Willamette River in the 1940s. In May 2018, the City of Eugene placed a historical marker to commemorate the Reynolds family at Lane Transit District’s EmX station near West 11th Avenue and Bertelsen Street. The bus station was dedicated to Sam Reynolds, and a nearby plaque honored both Sam and his wife Mattie.The plaque reads: “In the early 1950s, Amazon Creek frequently flooded, causing the street that is now Sam Reynolds Street to become impassable. At times, the Red Cross had to rescue the families when the creek overflowed.Despite the injustices that surrounded them, the Reynolds taught their children dignity, respect and generosity. It was common for Sam and Mattie Reynolds to warmly welcome into their home someone in need of food or clothes. No matter how little the family had, nor the hardships they endured, the Reynolds led by example and fostered a strong and caring community.”
Sam Reynolds Street
Sam Reynolds Street“I never met a stranger.” -- Sam ReynoldsThe City of Eugene renamed this street to honor Sam Reynolds and his family. It is where Sam and Mattie Reynolds and others established a community and a place of worship: St Mark’s Christian Methodist Episcopal Church.Eugene City Councilor Greg Evans, a friend of the Reynolds family, told The Register-Guard in 2018 that Sam Reynolds “paved the way when there wasn’t a whole lot of us around here ... to come to this community, to live in this community and, most importantly, to thrive in this community.”
St. Mark's CME Church
St. Mark's CME ChurchSt. Mark Christian Methodist Episcopal Church was established in 1949 as a branch of the First Christian Church. It was founded by Pearl Washington, Mattie Reynolds and Annie Mims, with services initially held in the Washington home. The following year, the congregation purchased property at 3995 W. 12th Ave. and services were held in a house that sat on the lot. In the early 1960s, the congregation constructed a church building at the corner of West 12th and Sam Reynolds St.From St. Mark’s Historical Documents:“On July 11, 1949, a meeting was held at the home of Pearlie and Leo Washington to discuss the formation of a new church in Eugene. Others present at the initial meeting, in addition to the Washingtons, were presiding Elder Sears of the Colored Methodist Episcopal Church, Mattie Reynolds, Annie Mims, John Haynes, Tina Morris, Dorothy Mae Thompson, Bonnie Ray and Mary Lee Taylor. The result of that meeting was the formation of St. Mark Colored Methodist Episcopal Church.The first minister called to St. Mark was Reverend J.T. Taylor, who during his tenure from September 1949 to September 1950, spearheaded construction of the parsonage and sanctuary which stand today as the original site on the corner of West 12th Avenue and Sam R Street (named for Reverend Sam Reynolds, longtime member of St. Mark).”
Future Mattie Reynolds Park
Future Mattie Reynolds ParkThe City of Eugene is starting to build a new park, named in honor of the late Mattie Reynolds, at the corner of West 13th Avenue and Dani Street. The first trees outlining the edges of the park were planted on Jan. 18, 2021: Martin Luther King, Jr. Day.
West Eugene Tour Complete
Before you're done, take time to reflect.
