Our ‘This Day In History’ Facebook posts often receive interesting and enlightening reactions.

As we concluded our “Black History Month” series in February, many fond reflections of well-known court bailiff Eugene Bailey and his community activist wife, Minnie, were shared.

Eugene and Minnie Bailey

“Eugene Bailey and Rev. Tom Mullin of New Castle First Friends Meeting desegregated New Castle barbershops,” Douglas Sloan wrote. “At the first barbershop, the barber decided to take his lunch break – for 3 hours. Eugene and Tom waited until the barber returned. The barber cut Eugene’s hair, but refused to cut Tom’s hair because it was too kinky. Prior to this effort, black men in New Castle had to travel to Muncie to get their hair cut.

“Prior to being a bailiff, Eugene had been a Pullman porter.”

“They lived across the Street from us on Vine Street in New Castle,” Krista Benson Raines commented. “Great neighbors! Very sweet and kind.”

“I served on two juries when Eugene was the bailiff,” Becki McKown wrote. “He was extremely professional and helpful, friendly and kind.”

Interestingly, on March 1, when our Black History Month series had already concluded, we posted about Henry County’s links to Lincoln. The Murphey Building at the corner of Broad and Main streets, recently was improved with fresh painting on the outside.

Murphey Building at southeast corner of Broad Street and Main Street in New Castle, Ind. (1922)

The building is one of the oldest in Henry County, dating back to the 1840s when early merchant Miles Murphey had it constructed for his dry goods business. Today, it is home to the Chamber of Commerce and the New Castle-Henry County Economic Development Corp.

Every time I drive by it, I think of Murphey and his relationship with Abraham Lincoln. Herbert Heller wrote in his “Historic Henry County” books that Murphey and his wife were invited guests to the Lincoln home in Illinois. It is, in my view, a golden nugget of Henry County history.

Albert T. Clark agrees and suggests we include it in our Black History month posts next year.

“Having enjoyed the Black history posting all of February this is even more interesting and should be included. Black history is American history.”

We invite you, if you haven’t already, to like us on Facebook and follow our daily “This Day In Henry County history” posts. We sincerely appreciate our sponsors for this page, Destination Henry County, Indiana.