Mary Ellen Vaughn was one of champions of Murfreesboro’s Black community and her contributions had been nearly forgotten.
But members of the African American Heritage Society of Rutherford County made sure her memory is kept alive. On Oct. 31, a historic marker was installed by the Tennessee Historical Commission at the corner of Highland Avenue and Vaughn Street, which was named for her.
“She was a community hero,” said AAHSRC member Margaret McKinley, who was instrumental in getting the marker erected.
“Born in Alabama in 1893, Mary Ellen Vaughn, a graduate of Tuskegee Institute (now Tuskegee University), Chicago Business College and Tennessee A&I College (now Tennessee State University), lived in Murfreesboro, Tennessee the last 30 years of her life. In 1920 she founded the Murfreesboro Union, the city’s first African-American newspaper.”
There are many well-known trailblazers in Murfreesboro’s Black community who became “firsts” in the political and educational realms, McKinley said.
“But that’s not our target group. We are looking for the people, the hidden figures, the people you don’t know about,” McKinley said.
And Vaughn is one of those on the list.
“People don’t know about Ms. Vaughn. Her name kind of disappeared through history,” McKinley said.
The Murfreesboro Union was a four-page monthly paper that published news from the Black community, like obituaries, births, social events and advertisements from merchants.
“She kept the paper going until she got sick (and died in 1953),” said AAHSRC member Mary Watkins.
Vaughn was a giant back in the days of the Jim Crow South, when Black votes were squelched by any means possible, and the same opportunities — both educational and vocational — were not afforded to those who were not white.
In 1933, she opened Vaughn’s Training School in her home to provide home health-care instruction, typing, cosmetology, sewing, adult education, and literacy training to meet requirements for voting, Watkins said.
“She taught adults to read and write because back in the day, they couldn’t vote if they couldn’t read,” Watkins explained.
Not only was she focused on education and skill-building, Vaughn, who never married, made neighbors her extended family.
“She had an annual Christmas party and gave toys to those who may not have toys,” McKinley said.
Dorothy Orr, a lifelong resident of Murfreesboro, was one of Vaughn’s neighbors. She remembered Vaugh always had a Christmas tree on her porch with decorations made by neighborhood children, and lights strung on the house and tree.
Orr said presents were wrapped under the tree and a neighborhood man donned a Santa suit to give them out. She had toys for the children and treats like fruit, nuts and candy for adults.
“She was a kind of social activist,” McKinley said.
To learn more about the African American Heritage Society of Rutherford County’s efforts, follow the group on Facebook.
Reach reporter Nancy DeGennaro at degennaro@dnj.com and follow her on Twitter @NanDeGennaro.
