Next June, the Jackson Home will open in Greenfield Village, appearing inside and out the way it did in 1965 Selma, Alabama. The home comes to The Henry Ford with inspiring stories from the forefront of the Civil Rights Movement. It also carries stories of three African American dentists and their families who lived there between 1919-1965, each leaving their own marks on the home.
For Dr. William and Leola Whitted, the home was a new build, an Arts & Crafts single-story southern bungalow commissioned as a wedding gift by Leola’s father. Later, in the early 1950s, Dr. Eric Portlock (a cousin of Leola) and his wife Bennie moved in as tenants and made changes: a large rear addition, fashionable new salmon-colored siding, and floral wallpapers that reflected Bennie’s love for gardening, flowers and colors.
The home changed hands again when it was inherited by Richie Jean Sherrod Jackson, also a cousin of Leola Whitted. From 1958 onward, Richie Jean and her husband Dr. Sullivan Jackson added modern touches to the home, painting over aging wallpaper and installing new carpet. It was during this time period that Rev. Dr. Martin Luther King Jr. and his associates were frequent guests in the home as they planned the 1965 Selma to Montgomery marches.
In 2023, Sullivan and Richie Jean Jackson’s daughter, Jawana, asked The Henry Ford to acquire and preserve the home. In a tireless journey, the home was relocated to Greenfield Village, where it is being restored to its appearance during those pivotal moments when it was a safe haven for Dr. King.
➡️ Read the fascinating history of the Jackson Home and the families who lived there: links.thf.org/47QLVhu.
📷 Image 1: Dr. Sullivan Jackson in front of the Jackson Home, circa 1999 📷 Image 2: Birthday party for Rose Marie Foster (seated) hosted by Bennie Portlock (behind Rose), circa 1953 📷 Image 3: The kitchen of the Jackson Home, 1959 📷 Image 4: Jawana Jackson in front of the Jackson Home, circa 1963 📷 Image 5: Jawana Jackson in the front of the Jackson Home, Easter 1967
The Henry Ford
Next June, the Jackson Home will open in Greenfield Village, appearing inside and out the way it did in 1965 Selma, Alabama. The home comes to The Henry Ford with inspiring stories from the forefront of the Civil Rights Movement. It also carries stories of three African American dentists and their families who lived there between 1919-1965, each leaving their own marks on the home.
For Dr. William and Leola Whitted, the home was a new build, an Arts & Crafts single-story southern bungalow commissioned as a wedding gift by Leola’s father.
Later, in the early 1950s, Dr. Eric Portlock (a cousin of Leola) and his wife Bennie moved in as tenants and made changes: a large rear addition, fashionable new salmon-colored siding, and floral wallpapers that reflected Bennie’s love for gardening, flowers and colors.
The home changed hands again when it was inherited by Richie Jean Sherrod Jackson, also a cousin of Leola Whitted. From 1958 onward, Richie Jean and her husband Dr. Sullivan Jackson added modern touches to the home, painting over aging wallpaper and installing new carpet. It was during this time period that Rev. Dr. Martin Luther King Jr. and his associates were frequent guests in the home as they planned the 1965 Selma to Montgomery marches.
In 2023, Sullivan and Richie Jean Jackson’s daughter, Jawana, asked The Henry Ford to acquire and preserve the home. In a tireless journey, the home was relocated to Greenfield Village, where it is being restored to its appearance during those pivotal moments when it was a safe haven for Dr. King.
➡️ Read the fascinating history of the Jackson Home and the families who lived there: links.thf.org/47QLVhu.
📷 Image 1: Dr. Sullivan Jackson in front of the Jackson Home, circa 1999
📷 Image 2: Birthday party for Rose Marie Foster (seated) hosted by Bennie Portlock (behind Rose), circa 1953
📷 Image 3: The kitchen of the Jackson Home, 1959
📷 Image 4: Jawana Jackson in front of the Jackson Home, circa 1963
📷 Image 5: Jawana Jackson in the front of the Jackson Home, Easter 1967
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