Buxton: A Black Utopia in the Heartland, An Expanded Edition

6. Ethnicity

6 ETHNICITY N 1902 the editor of the Bystander observed: "Buxton is a new mining town.... Old Muchy used to be the most thoroughly colored town in Iowa, but now Buxton wears that mantle, for she is destined to be when completed , the largest, nicest, and most modern mining town in Iowa and perhaps in the United States." In the next eight years, the Bystander editor was to see his prophecies come true. In 1905 he wrote: "Buxton is the colored man's mecca of Iowa;" and in 1910, he referred to "the far famed Buxton, which has been truly styled the Negro Athens of the Northwest."1 With perhaps less-colorful rhetoric, this same view of Buxton was expressed by almost all black former residents interviewed for this study. Blacks reported that Buxton was a special experience for them, virtually a racial utopia and one that they never experienced again. But while Buxton was biracial, it was also multiethnic. People from many foreign countries lived and worked side by side in Buxton. This chapter will explore the experiences of these ethnic groups, first by examining the ethnic communities and second by exploring the interaction between ethnic groups in the areas of work, housing, education, and public accommodations . Throughout the chapter, the experience of black residents will be emphasized, partly because of their dominant position, but also in an effort to answer the question: did racial or ethnic discrimination exist in Buxton? Although Buxton remained a biracial, multiethnic community throughout its existence, the ratio between groups underwent considerable change. In 1905 black residents accounted for 55 percent of Buxton's total population of 4,921. By 1915 blacks still comprised the largest single ethnic group, but with 40.4 percent of the total popula148 Ethnicity 149 tion of 4,518, they no longer represented a majority. On the other hand, the foreign-born never accounted for more than 14 percent of Buxton's total population, and in 1905 it constituted only 7 percent. This underestimates the importance of Buxton's immigrant families, however, since American-born children of immigrants were not included in these figures, though they were in fact members of ethnic communities. By 1915 the first and second generations of European immigrants accounted for nearly one-third of Buxton's population.2 Buxton's three largest and most significant European ethnic groups were the Swedes, Slovaks, and immigrants from the British Isles (Table 6.1).3 By 1915 the number of Italians had increased considerably , but because there were only a few Italians in Buxton in 1905 they have not been included in this analysis. Similarly, Buxton included immigrants from Belgium, Bohemia, France, Germany, Norway , and Russia, though these groups were small both in 1905 and in 1915.4 It should be noted that the majority of Buxton residents were native-born and had native-born parentage. Most of Buxton's residents , moreover, were native-born Iowans. In 1905, 42 percent had been born in Iowa, and in 1915, 54.6 percent. Of special interest are the birthplaces of Buxton's largest ethnic group, the blacks (Table 6.2). Black Americans were the largest ethnic group in Buxton and constituted the majority of its population until 1910. No doubt because of this, blacks had the most well-developed Table 6.1. Percentage of Swedish, Slovakian, and British Isles Immigrants in Total Population , Buxton, 1905 and 1915 Percentage of Total Population Birthplace 1905 1915 Slovakia 2.0 4.8 Sweden 3.0 1.9 British Isles* 2.0 2.2 Source: Iowa, Census of Iowa, 1905 and 1915, Manuscript Population Schedules for Bluff Creek Township, Monroe County. * Although the British Isles do not represent a single ethnic group, "British Isles" is used as an ethnic category for our purposes here. It is composed of people from England, Scotland, Wales, and Ireland. The people share a language, one that is different from that of the Swedes and Slovaks, and one that was spoken in the United States. 150 BUXTON Table 6.2. Birthplace of Black Residents, Buxton, 1905 and 1915 Percentage of Black Residents State of Birth 1905 1915 Virginia 33.0 27.0 Iowa 24.0 41.0 Missouri 8.9 8.4 Alabama 6.6 3.7 Tennessee 4.8 2.9 Source: Iowa, Census of Iowa, 1905 and 1915, Manuscript Population Schedules for Bluff Creek Township , Monroe County. ethnic community there. At the center of...