Member-only story

FAMILY MYTHOLOGY

Remembering the South End

A belated Christmas tale from a bygone era

Marlon Weems
The Journeyman.
Published in
7 min readJan 17, 2025
Little Rock’s W. G. Hall Building, located at 16th and High Streets. The building was sold to Lee Anthony in 1968 Photo Credit

Although I frequently reference living in Pine Bluff, Arkansas during adolescence, some of my most cherished recollections are of growing up in Little Rock in the late sixties. When I reflect upon those childhood memories, by necessity the rest of my family must endure retellings of tales they’ve heard dozens of times before. To their credit, they listen politely, casting their smiles in all the right places.

Before my family moved to Pine Bluff midway through my seventh grade year, our family of six lived in a three-bedroom rental in Little Rock’s South End neighborhood. Our parents had reunited after being separated for a time, and 2815 Marshall Street was to be the site of their reconciliation.

Our father spent weeks preparing the fixer-upper for our arrival. The tidy, one-story home, with its windowed den overlooking a big, sloping backyard, was perfect for our growing family. For me and my three younger brothers, the move was our first real opportunity to acquaint ourselves with the man who would help raise us to adulthood.

Aside from Mrs. Pearl, the elderly woman who paid me a few dollars to tend her yard, the neighborhood’s white inhabitants had fled the South End for the newly developed…

Create an account to read the full story.

The author made this story available to Medium members only.
If you’re new to Medium, create a new account to read this story on us.

Or, continue in mobile web

Already have an account? Sign in

The Journeyman.
The Journeyman.

Published in The Journeyman.

The Journeyman. is published by Marlon Weems, a former Wall Street trader, capital markets subject matter expert. His writing covers themes at the intersection of politics, the economy, and racial inequality.c

Marlon Weems
Marlon Weems

Written by Marlon Weems

Storyteller. I write about American culture and growing up Black in the South.

Responses (19)