Morton & Son Funeral Home Honored in Civil Rights Network

A Historic Landmark Recognized for Its Role in the Civil Rights Movement

The historic Mrs. A.J. Morton & Son Funeral Home in Columbia has recently been added to the African American Civil Rights Network (AACRN). This recognition highlights the significant role the property played during the modern-day civil rights movement, from 1939 to 1968. The announcement was made at the annual meeting of the African American Heritage Society of Maury County in June 2024.

JoAnn McClellan, president of the county AAHS, emphasized that the Morton property is considered a cultural institution. It represents the impact of early Black business owners in Columbia and throughout the nation. "This family business is historic because it started during the Reconstruction Era," she said. "Black-owned and operated funeral homes have a rich heritage, not only as businesses but also as cultural institutions. They were among the first family businesses established by Blacks after the abolition of slavery."

The Origins of the Funeral Home and Its Significance

The AACRN, established through the African American Civil Rights Network Act of 2017, serves as an official recognition for events, people, and places with a verifiable connection to the Civil Rights Movement. The Morton funeral home, located on East 8th Street, is where a portion of the "Columbia Race Riot of 1946" took place. This landmark incident brought national attention to Columbia and laid an early foundation for the Civil Rights Movement.

The events leading up to the riot began with a disagreement at a downtown repair shop over a radio. A 19-year-old African American Navy veteran, James Stephenson, and his mother were accused of attacking a white Army veteran who repaired their radio. A fistfight ensued, and the Stephensens were arrested. Later that day, the situation escalated when police officers were wounded while trying to enter the African American business district.

The next morning, the Tennessee Highway Patrol violently invaded the business district, arresting and beating many Black men and business owners without warrants and destroying properties, including the Mrs. A. J. Morton & Son Funeral Home. This event became known as the 1946 Columbia Race Riot, marking the first major outbreak of violence against African American veterans in the U.S. since the end of World War II.

The Role of the Morton Family in the Civil Rights Movement

McClellan described the events as an uprising of the Black community. Almost 100 men from the Black business district in Columbia were arrested that day, with many later released and 27 eventually acquitted. "The contradiction between fighting to sustain democracy throughout the world and experiencing the humiliation of Jim Crow Laws at home was very troubling and called attention to the need for full civil rights for all Americans," McClellan said about the political climate of the time.

Mary Morton, co-proprietor of the funeral home with her husband James, contacted Z. Alexander Looby, a Nashville attorney and member of the NAACP national legal committee, about the events in Columbia. Looby then informed Walter White, the executive secretary of the NAACP, about the situation. Looby, White, and Maurice Weaver, a white attorney and World War II veteran, were the first to arrive in Columbia to help with the case.

Thurgood Marshall, head of the NAACP Education and Legal Defense Fund, and Leon Ransom, Dean of the Howard University Law School, later joined the team. With Looby serving as the lead attorney, 27 of 28 men charged with crimes were acquitted.

The Impact on National Policy

In September 1946, Walter White, along with representatives from educational institutions, various church denominations, and labor unions, met with President Harry Truman to discuss the violence against veterans and civil rights issues. This political pressure led Truman to issue Executive Order 9808, creating the President’s Committee on Civil Rights. The committee’s report, “To Secure These Rights,” directly challenged all discriminatory practices in education, employment, housing, military, and voting, setting a precedent for broader societal changes.

In 1948, Truman issued Executive Order 9981, which led to the integration of previously segregated military units and the federal workforce, paving the way for the Civil Rights Act of 1964.

Women Leading the Funeral Home Through Segregation

"In addition to the civil rights history, the history of this building is crucial to understanding the role of African American women in creating commercial institutions in the challenging times of segregation," McClellan said. "After the deaths of three generations of Morton men, their widows ran the family funerary business until their sons could take the lead. These women virtually dominated the African American funerary business in Maury County for almost 100 years."

Future Plans for the Funeral Home

The Mrs. A.J. Morton & Son Funeral Home was placed on the National Register of Historic Places due to its contribution to the historical significance of the Columbia Commercial Historic District. "Plans are underway to renovate and repurpose this historic property for use as an African American museum and cultural center," McClellan said. "The museum and cultural center will offer visitors an opportunity to learn how major historical milestones affected local history; and learn about the contributions of the 'hidden figures of Maury County,' or those untold inspirational stories of the challenges, resilience, and accomplishments of the people who called Maury County home and fought for civil rights from the 1860s-1960s."

McClellan also mentioned that the AAHS would work to place the building on the Civil Rights Trail in the future. The Civil Rights Trail is a collection of landmarks across 15 states that played a pivotal role in advancing social justice in the 1950s and 1960s. "It will also provide economic opportunities for Columbia and local businesses," McClellan said.

Founded in 2012, the African American Heritage Society of Maury County is a nonprofit organization with a mission to preserve the heritage and history of African Americans of Maury County.