Appleton exhibit uncovers Black history in the Fox Cities, including sundown town era

APPLETON, Wis. (WBAY) - An exhibit in Appleton is documenting stories of Black residents who built businesses, served in the military and shaped the city’s history — while also examining the racial barriers they faced.

Dr. Sabrina Robins, public historian for African Heritage Incorporated, said it took years of research to compile military records, census data and local archives documenting Black families in Appleton.

“We had a group in the late 1800s that were called the aristocracy, the Black aristocracy. They were thriving community members that owned stores and businesses and were a vital part of Appleton history,” Robins said.

Among those documented is Horace Artis, a Civil War veteran who settled in Appleton with his wife, Bercina, and purchased a home. Joseph Elmore operated a barbershop downtown, while his wife Emma hosted gatherings that brought Black and white leaders together.

Historians said Black residents’ right to belong was constantly challenged by communities known as sundown towns.

“The term sundown town suggests that Black people could be in a community during the day, but had to leave by dark. The reality was often more extreme than that. So in communities, Black people were told to leave immediately or were never permitted to arrive at all,” Robins said.

In 1885, Artis — despite being a homeowner and veteran — was arrested under a vagrancy law.

“When you can arrest a homeowner and a war veteran as a vagrant, you’re not enforcing a law, you’re enforcing an identity about who was allowed to be here. And that’s what sundown towns was about. It was about belonging — who gets to belong to a community and who does not,” Robins said.

The exhibit also highlights milestones in Appleton’s history. In 1941, singer Marian Anderson performed at Lawrence University and stayed at the Conway Hotel but was not allowed to eat in its restaurant. In 1961, the restaurant served jazz musician Ella Fitzgerald. The exhibit also notes Appleton’s first Juneteenth celebration in 2010.

Dustin Mack, executive director of the History Museum at the Castle, said the exhibit is intended to present a full account of local history.

“It brings truth and honesty to history, which just because it’s uncomfortable doesn’t mean that we should necessarily avoid it. So we want to understand what happened — the positive and the negative — so that we can make adjustments and improve for the future,” Mack said.