A new trail marker is coming to the African American Heritage Trail in Columbia, just as soon as the funds are raised to erect it. It will commemorate Noble Court, the first Black subdivision in the city.
Lewis Monroe Noble platted the land for the L.M. Noble Subdivision on May 10, 1956. Noble was a Black man who had moved to Columbia in 1931. In addition to developing Noble Court off of Worley Street, he was also an entrepreneur who owned several businesses in town. He owned Noble's Merchandise Exchange and was a trustee of Nora Stewart Nursery School and Second Baptist Church.
At a recent luncheon to raise money for a marker honoring Noble Court, attendees answered trivia questions about Columbia history to earn prizes. Guests gathered in the Frederick Douglass High School gymnasium, where they mingled, ate bundt cakes and sat at different tables that recognized the families who were important to the research about Noble.
Noble’s granddaughter, Donna Cavitte was one of those in attendance. She's writing a book about her grandfather's life, which she said will include "both the beautiful things that he did and the foibles."
Cavitte said while her grandfather would have been honored to see the community coming together to celebrate his achievements and donate money to commit them to memory, he wasn’t one for fanfare.
“He probably would have come to this, but he would’ve been— he didn’t like to dress up that much. He wore bib overalls pretty much every day except when he went to church or a funeral.”
Fanfare or none, Cavitte said she’s grateful Noble’s subdivision will be remembered because she hopes his legacy can inspire the Black community to forge their own.
“He started out from very humble beginnings on a farm in Callaway County, and ended up owning a great deal of property, building homes with an eighth grade education," Cavitte said. "We all have God-given talents. Some of us utilize them, and a lot of us don't, and that's what I say: We need to take it upon our own self to find the things that resonate with us and move them forward.”
Home ownership has long been seen as a marker of success. But the homeownership rate for Black households in the United States is 43 percent — more than 20 points lower than the national rate of around 65 percent. According to the Urban Institute, that gap is wider now than it was in 1968, when fair housing laws were enacted. And Black applicants for mortgages are facing disproportionately high denial rates.
So, The Noble Court marker would recall a significant moment of Black homeownership and entrepreneurship in Columbia.
Donna Clayborne is the chairman of Our History! We Must Not Forget, the nonprofit that’s organizing the Noble Court marker effort. Until the first grade, Clayborne lived with her grandmother, who lived near the Nobles.
“I can remember his wife," Clayborne said. "She used to give out the best popcorn balls for Halloween. And the kids, we would all run over to their house.”
Clayborne said she remembers L. M. Noble, too — but he wasn't very talkative.
Tanajia Douglas attended the luncheon with her daughter, Patsyjane.
Patsyjane received an award at the luncheon for her artwork that depicted her rendition of a Black neighborhood. She made a Black Lives Matter symbol into a road, with people and houses lining either side. Tanajia Douglas has lived in Columbia on and off, and about a year ago, she moved to a house a couple of blocks away from Noble Court.
Even though the Black community in Columbia has spread out since the '50s, Douglas chose her home because she likes being in a Black neighborhood and wanted her daughter to attend school in the area.
“It's also important, as our communities are changing, as the city develops that we make sure and keep things in the Black community that belong in the Black community, make sure that we have ownership of the land, that we have historical ties to, and have a say of what goes on in our community,” Douglas said.
Douglas hopes maintaining Black ownership in neighborhoods can also combat gentrification and other factors that contribute to Black cultural erasure.
For now, Clayborne’s next step is to coordinate with the city and the Sharp End Heritage Committee to purchase the Noble Court marker and host a dedication ceremony. The committee said anyone can raise the funds to create a marker, and they will help facilitate its placement on the African-American Heritage Trail.
Clayborne is still accepting donations toward the development of the marker.
