Tyler High School drumline members perform during Black History month event at Liberty Hall on Thursday. 

The unforgettable historic neighborhood ‘The Cut’ still roams the minds of many, especially those who grew up in north Tyler.

With the help of Larry D. Wade Sr., East Texas residents on Thursday night took a mental trip in history to keep stories alive of the Black business district that was popular during the segregation era.

The Cut was once located at the north side of Tyler and was a center for Black-owned businesses such as Green Top Cafe, Young’s Pharmacy and the Harlem Theater, Wade said.

“Across the United States and many areas in the South, because of segregation, Blacks did a lot of things separate because they had to. They had their own stores where they could go and shop and do the things they needed to do. It was no different here in Tyler, so The Cut is a place that is very dear to me,” Wade said.

Dr. Shirley McKellar, City of Tyler mayor pro-tem and District 3 councilwoman, emphasized the importance of sharing the history of The Cut and described the area as the roots of Tyler.

“North Tyler is the history, it’s the beginning, it’s where Tyler actually began,” she said. “The importance of people knowing what our ancestors did, what entrepreneurs they were and how we had our community with everything that we needed from our physicians, dentists, business people, we had our produce, our farmers.

“I want people to know here in Tyler Texas the history of the African Americans and the hard work that they provided when we were young kids growing up.”

The event, which was hosted by the Tyler Public Library, featured a presentation with music performances by Deborah Hammond and the Tyler High School Angelic Voices and Drumline.

Attendees were also shown maps of the 1930s until the 1960s that demonstrated the growth of the Cut, demonstrating where businesses were once located. The maps showed historic areas near North Palace Avenue and laid out the expansion that is now part of Tyler history.

Wade said knowing the importance of preserving family trees and taking a role as a history educator in Tyler ISD made him realize he needed to do something to remind people about African American history.

Reminiscing about his childhood, Wade spoke about his time growing up and the impact T had on him. Wade brought to life flashbacks of his childhood from when he attended school during segregation and even his first time at the barber shop.

Wade also recalls other areas and individuals such as Ruford Whitaker, owner of the Five-Point Barber Shop in Tyler, and his wife Betty Whitaker who was a hair stylist during that time. He also spoke about interviews he conducted with individuals who remember The Cut.

“Rodney Kamel, said The Cut was once called ‘The Leg’ like the back leg of a dog and that was probably 70 or 80 years ago,” Wade said.

Wade mentioned how Tyler native Robert Williams worked shining shoes at a barber shop on Front Street at Beckham Avenue in 1962 and still continues to do it.

“Guess what? He’s still doing that today. Many people have gone through that shop just to get their shoes shined,” he said. Wade also said Williams talked about the Harlem Theater with details.

“He said the Harlem Theater didn’t have a balcony, but it showed movies, old westerns, romantics and some with white characters and some with Black. They had popcorn, sodas and nice restrooms,” Wade said.

Despite the stories being told, Wade’s biggest message to event attendees was to show the importance of growing up in this area and the significance of what the neighborhood was to Tyler and the Black community, he said.

“I just want y’all to know that the Black community was a proud community during segregation,” Wade said.

Although the presentation was conducted in regards of Black History Month, McKellar said the celebration of Black history is every day and not just in February.

“Black history is very important to me and it’s not just important to me in February but Black history is important to me every single day, 365 days per year because Black History is actually American history,” she said.

McKellar also said she encourages those who are interested in The Cut and its history to go out and explore the area.

“I encourage them to take a drive down North Palace, and drive into the north Tyler community and see some of the work and some of the things that have gone on and the growth of north Tyler, we would like to see more of that just like when we saw when we were youngsters growing up,” she said.