Leigh Community Center and Health Unit

Duane's take

Here's my telling of what the official marker says about the Leigh Community Center and Health Unit in Harrison County. Now, some stories don't start with a single moment. They start with an idea, planted early, that just keeps growing.

This is one of those stories. Back in the days of Reconstruction and beyond, the African American community in Leigh had a pastor named the Reverend James H. Patterson.

He led Antioch Baptist Church from 1873 to 1889, and the man had a vision that went well past Sunday morning. He encouraged his congregation to buy land, build homes, and fund schools and other community enrichment. That was the seed.

Several decades passed. The seed never died. By as early as 1936, a group of residents started picking up that same idea and carrying it forward.

Leading that group was Uriel Rosborough Weisner, born in 1891, the principal of Antioch school. Weisner and his neighbors suggested establishing a community center and a health unit. Not a distant dream.

A plan. Then came World War II, and here is where the story really starts to spread its roots. Antioch leaders and residents from nearby Black school communities, including those of Annie Glade, Carver, High Ridge, Lake Chapel, Pleasant Hill, and Smithsonia, all joined in.

They furthered the plans the original group had laid down. And on May 13, 1943, the Leigh Community Center and Health Unit was officially established. U.

R. Weisner became its first director. After the war ended, the group made a move that says everything about who they were.

They purchased a building that had formerly been owned by Longhorn Ordnance Works and moved it right to Leigh. Then the community pitched in together to update it. The front of the building became community space.

The back was devoted to health center operations. In May of 1947, they dedicated that building. Think about that for a moment.

A building that once served the machinery of war, now given over entirely to the health and life of a community. Doctors came at regular intervals, bringing immunizations, prenatal and pediatric care, tuberculosis screening, and health classes. Later, Red Cross instruction and dental services were added to the work.

The center sponsored Christmas community outreaches, leadership conferences, and annual fairs. It was woven into the life of Leigh like thread through cloth. But perhaps the most quietly remarkable chapter came in the 1950s.

The health unit found contamination in the area's well water. They didn't stop there. They identified uncontaminated water sources and eventually assisted in the creation of the Leigh Water Supply Corporation.

An idea a pastor planted before the turn of the century. A principal who refused to let it fade. Communities from six surrounding areas who showed up when it mattered.

One building moved from the work of war to the work of healing. And water, clean water, for the people of Leigh. That organization's work, the marker tells us, continues to benefit the Leigh community to this day.

Some seeds, it turns out, just keep growing.

What the marker says

Among the African American community in Leigh, the Reverend James H. Patterson, pastor of Antioch Baptist Church from 1873-1889, encouraged his congregation to buy land, build homes and fund schools and other community enrichment. Several decades later, Leigh Community Center and Health Unit was founded as a continuation of that same idea. As early as 1936, a group of residents led by Antioch school principal Uriel Rosborough Weisner (1891-1979) suggested establishing a community center and health unit. During World War II, Antioch leaders and residents from nearby black school communities, including those of Annie Glade, Carver, High Ridge, Lake Chapel, Pleasant Hill and Smithsonia, furthered plans by the original group. The Leigh Community Center and Health Unit was established on May 13, 1943. U. R. Weisner served as the first director. After World War II ended, the group purchased a building formerly owned by Longhorn Ordnance Works and moved it to Leigh. The community pitched in to update the building. The front of the building provided community space, and the back was devoted to health center operations. The building was dedicated in May 1947. Doctors came at regular intervals to provide immunizations, prenatal and pediatric care, tuberculosis screening, and health classes. Later, Red Cross instruction and dental services were offered. The center sponsored Christmas community outreaches, leadership conferences and annual fairs. Most significantly, in the 1950s after the health unit found contamination in area well water, they identified uncontaminated water sources and eventually assisted in the creation of the Leigh Water Supply Corporation. The organization's work continues to benefit the Leigh community. (2022)