Historic photos courtesy of the National Afro-American Museum and Cultural Center; modern-day photos by Jamie Rhein.
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Opposite: “Youngsholm,” shown as it appeared in Charles Young’s day, was a social hub for students and faculty of Wilberforce University. Top: Young is shown with some of the cavalry troops under his command. At right are the house and historical marker in present day.
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He was assigned to command the famed Buffalo Soldiers — black cavalry troops who served in the Indian Wars after the Civil War and so nicknamed by the native American warriors they fought against. He spent the majority of his military career serving in those regiments. In 1903, Young became the first African American national park superintendent when he was assigned to protect Sequoia and General Grant (now Kings Canyon) National Parks. Several of the roads and park trails still in use can be credited to Young and the Buffalo Soldiers he commanded. Starting in 1894, Young taught military science and tactics at Wilberforce University, between military stints that included serving as a captain in the Philippine American War; as military attaché in Haiti, the Dominican Republic, and Liberia; and as a major
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leading the U.S. 10th Calvary against Pancho Villa in Mexico. His home became his refuge where he recharged with his wife, two children, and friends such as W.E.B. Dubois and poet Paul Laurence Dunbar. The house was a center of social life for students and faculty as well. In 1917, Young was promoted to colonel, but racism still dogged him. He was denied the rank of general at the start of World War I and forced to retire, a decision he fought and eventually got overturned. After the war, on assignment to Nigeria, Young died of a kidney infection. He is buried in Arlington National Cemetery, where his was one of only a handful of funerals to be held in the cemetery’s amphitheater.
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The museum is located at 1120 U.S. Rte. 42 E., Wilberforce, OH. Tours are available Sat.-Sun., 9 a.m.-5 p.m. by appointment only. Call 937-352-6757. FEBRUARY 2017
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