Warren Thomas Museum, Hickman (Fulton Co.) Ky. The first black church, in Hickman, Fulton County, KY, was organized in 1867, by a group of newly freed slaves.   These men were Warren Thomas, the leader and organizer, Cato Thomas, Valentine Matson, Samuel Tyler, Henry Clark . The group signed a promissory note for $242.99 to purchase the church site from the East Hickman Operation, a local land development company owned by whites.   Blacks were now receiving pay for their labor.  However, in 1867 the Freedmen’s Bureau, under the auspices of the federal government, paid the balance due making Thomas Chapel the…

Mickey Stubblefield giving autographs October 19, 2009 after speaking to the October meeting of the Ellis Wilson Society. A native of Mayfield, Mr. Stubblefield played baseball for the Omaha Rockets (1947), the Kansas City Monarchs (1948-49), the Nebraska State League (1950), and the Pittsburg Pirates farm team called the Mayfield Clothiers (1952).  A pitcher, he made history when he took the mound on June 26, 1952, in Mayfield’s War Memorial Stadium, to become the first African-American baseball player in the KY-IL-TN Class D Minor (Pro) League (commonly referred to as the Kitty League). Mr. Stubblefield was born February 26, 1926…