Creating the Black Utopia of Buxton, Iowa

by Rachelle Chase

Overview

Some have called Buxton a Black Utopia. In the town of five thousand residents, established in 1900, African Americans and Caucasians lived, worked and attended school together. It was a thriving, one-of-a-kind coal mining town created by the Consolidation Coal Company. This inclusive approach provided opportunity for its residents. Dr. E.A. Carter was the first African American to get a medical degree from the University of Iowa in 1907. He returned to Buxton and was hired by the coal company, where he treated both black and white patients. Attorney George Woodson ran for file clerk in the Iowa Senate for the Republican Party in 1898, losing to a white man by one vote. Author Rachelle Chase details the amazing events that created this unique community and what made it disappear.

Product Details

ISBN-13:	9781467140461
Publisher:	History Press, The
Publication date:	01/28/2019
Series:	American Heritage
Pages:	176
Sales rank:	222,727
Product dimensions:	6.00(w) x 8.90(h) x 0.50(d)

About the Author

Rachelle Chase is a senior business analyst for Fortune 500 companies and a published romance author with an interest in African American history. She currently lives in Iowa. Eight years ago, after stumbling upon Buxton, Iowa, while visiting a friend, she began researching it, promising herself she'd write a book about it one day. When she moved to Iowa four years ago, she finally did. Rachelle hopes that this book will raise awareness about the historical significance of Buxton--a town way ahead of its time--and help preserve what little is left of Buxton.

Editorial Reviews

"Rachelle Chase provides a historical overview of one of America's most enlightened Black-dominated communities, Buxton, Iowa, located in the coal-mining county of Monroe. This racially progressive town of more than 6,000 residents claimed a black YMCA, black baseball team, and black physician. Although a company town, controlled by an affiliate of the Chicago & North Western Railway, and lasting for only several decades, Buxton gave blacks personal advantages in the Age of Jim Crow. Extensively researched and pleasantly written, Chase covers all facets of daily life. Rare photographs augment her coverage of this unique Hawkeye State place." H. Roger Grant, professor of history, Clemson University, and author of The North Western: A History of the Chicago & North Western Railway System




"Rachelle Chase has elevated herself into a position of deep knowledge and understanding of a great American story, the legacy of Buxton, Iowa. Her unparalleled research and imagery of this incredible time is captured, including how events developed towards the magic of Buxton." John Busbee, The Culture Buzz

From the Publisher