Stories
Access resources for each story by clicking on the Get Resources button.
STORY 1
“A LONG WAY TO FIND HOME”
George Edwin Taylor as a child
How does a 5-year-old child survive on a wharf for three years alone in Alton, Illinois? After arriving in La Crosse he is arrested and taken in by two formerly enslaved people in West Salem. What is the nature of the relationship George develops with Nathan and Sarah Smith? Later, George becomes the first Black man to run for President of the United States in 1904.
STORY 2 | Coming Soon
“I WANNA BE A BARBER LIKE MRS. MOSS”
STORY OF LYDIA MOSS BARBER SHOP
Isabell Mc Collon was living with at the Burt Boarding House with her widowed father and eight-year-old brother when she met Mrs. Lydia Moss at the Moss Barber Shop. It was a marvelous world to know two women who owned their businesses, but then she met the African American Literary and Debating Society. She thought she would never leave La Crosse.
STORY 3 | Coming Soon
“Stormy Weather”
STORY OF KIDS IN THE MOSS BOXING RING
“Stormy Weather”, story of Lillian Smith Davenport
Lillian Smith was 10 years old when her older sister, mother and grandmother were catering parties for some of the wealthiest families in La Crosse.
She had chores preparing for these parties, but her favorite was listening to the music from the butler’s pantry.
Lillian Smith Davenport grows into a vaudeville and jazz singer.
Music is included in story.
Consider the juxtaposition between her home/life and the homes/lives she visited.
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