What began as a small grocery store in Canton in 1963 is now a symbol of resilience and courage during the civil rights movement. This week, the site was honored with a Mississippi Freedom Trail marker, recognizing its role in the fight for voting rights and equality.
George and Rembert Washington, owners of the store, opened their doors to members of the Congress of Racial Equality (CORE), allowing activists to use the building as a Freedom House. These houses served as safe spaces for organizers working to register Black voters in Mississippi during the height of segregation and intimidation.
In 1964, the building was bombed, but the Washington family refused to back down. Their commitment to the movement continued, and today, the house remains the last Freedom House in Mississippi once used by CORE.
Glen Cotton, the Washingtons’ grandson and current owner of the museum, has worked since 2012 to preserve the site and its history. “My grandparents heavily affected me by the things that they taught me and told me about,” Cotton said. “I tried to hold as much as I could into my thoughts and memories. If you put that with a culmination of pictures, that helps because I’ve been able to accumulate a lot of memorabilia.”
The marker unveiled at the site is one of 64 commemorating the Mississippi Freedom Trail and now joins the U.S. Freedom Marker network. John Spann, director of strategic planning for the Mississippi Humanities Council, said the project is part of a partnership with Visit Mississippi to expand the trail within three years. “It shows the power of local people working together to make a difference,” Spann said.
The ceremony also highlighted the harsh realities of voter suppression in Madison County during the 1960s. Out of 10,000 residents, only 121 were Black. At the time, L. Foote Campbell was the sole registrar and used fear tactics to keep Black residents from registering, including leaving a gun on the counter and requiring literacy tests that were nearly impossible to pass.
“The Ku Klux Klan had a saying: If you want to keep a Black man from the polls on Tuesday, pay him a visit on Monday night. He won’t show up Tuesday morning,” said John Brown, CEO of the Madison County Center for Progress, during the event.
Among those attending was retired Judge Mamie Chinn; the first Black woman elected as circuit court judge in Canton. Her father-in-law, C.O. Chinn Sr., and her husband, C.O. Chinn Jr., were both active in the movement. C.O. Chinn Sr. even served as a bodyguard for CORE organizer George Raymond. “Today is a blessing to be here, to be alive, to be here at the Freedom House knowing the history,” Chinn said. “We’re standing right here where the Klan threw the bomb that night.”
Civil rights activist David Dennis also returned to Canton for the ceremony. Dennis first came to Mississippi from New Orleans to work with CORE and stayed at the Freedom House alongside Raymond. “It’s God’s will to be here, but this is my heart. My heart is here. It’s a lot of memories, a lot of history,” Dennis said. “I lost friends here, and George and I were very good friends. George recruited James Chaney, who was one of the three people killed in Meridian, Mississippi.”
The day was filled with remembrance and reflection as visitors gathered to honor the courage of those who risked everything for freedom. Hand in hand, they celebrated the life and legacy of Freedom Fighters who changed the course of history in Mississippi.
