A Look Back…
How it all began…
C B Mims and his wife Annie D (pictured here) relocated from Texas to the west coast during the early days of the Second World War. Even as a black man, he had no trouble finding work supporting the war effort. However, when the war ended, C B and scores of other people of color were dismissed, leaving them to find work elsewhere.
Moving to Eugene, C B was able to find employment only as a busboy in the Osburn Hotel. At the time, the city’s strict Exclusion Laws prevented non whites from owning property, but with the backing from the hotel’s owner, Joe Earley, C B and Annie eventually were able to buy a dilapidated piece of property on High Street near Skinner’s Butte.
This misguided culture of prejudice persisted for many years to come, even affecting black athletes attending the University of Oregon. As a result, off-campus housing became an unfortunate necessity for non white students.
For over two decades, the Mims home was a sanctuary for University of Oregon students deprived of living on campus, as well as black visitors to Eugene solely because of their skin color.
Regrettably, Mister Mims died in 1960, before the significance of the Mims family’s contribution to the local black community gained the recognition it deserved. Acknowledging this, in 1980 Historical Preservation funds helped begin restoration of the two houses sitting on the property.
Today the site is listed on the National Register of Historical Places, now known as The Historical Mims Houses. A tribute to the Mims family and other First Black Families stands on site at 330 High Street for all to view.
Acknowledging the Past,
Looking Forward
In the 1940s, Black Oregonians could not locate safe housing within the city of Eugene due to widespread deed restrictions against selling or renting to people of color. Black residents established a settlement across the Willamette River, which they referred to as “Across the Bridge.” On August 24, 1949 a bulldozer entered the settlement and razed all of the makeshift shelters in the area, and their makeshift church, displacing the Black families who lived there.
On August 8, 2024 Oregon Governor Tina Kotek acknowledged this history and the harm done by proclaiming August 24, 2024 to be the “75th Anniversary of Eugene’s forced demolition of the Black settlement known as ‘Across the Bridge’.” The proclamation reminds us that there is still much work to be done to ensure a society in which all are equal, and encourages all Oregonians to join in this important acknowledgement. On that day, copies of this proclamation were presented to members of those displaced families in a ceremony held on the front lawn of the Historical Mims Houses on High Street in Eugene, Oregon. Click here to see photographs from that special event.
To learn about the full story of “Across the Bridge” watch this documentary, by Tiffany Lewis of KVAL TV.
