Commerce
A spirit of entrepreneurship and hard work characterized the historic Beacon community – from the midwives, the bakers, the launderers, and the shop-owners to all the young people who were always expected to do their part.
The first African-American business in Decatur was a blacksmith shop owned by Henry Oliver. Other prominent businesses in Decatur’s African-American community included Cox Funeral Home, Rogers Cab Company, LC’s Rib Shack, the Ritz Movie Theater, Bussey Florist, Williams Beauty Shop, Tyler Funeral Home, Tom Steele’s Café, and Clark’s Grocery. While some of these businesses were lost or relocated because of urban renewal, the memories and values they stood for made a lasting impact on those who grew up in the Beacon area.
In the photo
Left: Tom Steele’s Café was the place to go for splits — split sausage sandwiches. Steele was also a community leader, and the first African-American to serve on the board of the Decatur Housing Authority. Pictured are Tom Steele, wife Ethel, and Winfred Mills. Right: Cox Funeral Home, on the site where the DeKalb County parking deck now stands, provided office space to Narva Jane Harris, assistant superintendent for African-American schools in the county. Harris wasn’t permitted to share office space with white workers.
The Beacon community’s spiritual needs were met by at least eight churches, all within about four blocks of each other. These served as the backbone of the community, and included Antioch African Methodist Episcopal Church, Apostolic Holiness Church, Faith Tabernacle Baptist Church, Lilly Hill Baptist Church, Mount Zion Baptist Church, Thirkield Methodist Church, Trinity Presbyterian Church, and Thankful Baptist Church.
