https://digitalresearch.bsu.edu/digitalcivilrightsmuseum/files/original/b3763180ea597bb22682599210f66201.jpg 809d4338a95bffd14ded75d117a79902 Dublin Core The Dublin Core metadata element set is common to all Omeka records, including items, files, and collections. For more information see, http://dublincore.org/documents/dces/. Title A name given to the resource Places Dublin Core The Dublin Core metadata element set is common to all Omeka records, including items, files, and collections. For more information see, http://dublincore.org/documents/dces/. Title A name given to the resource Pryor’s Country Place, Fox Lake Description An account of the resource In the early 1900’s, African American families often lived in poverty as they were forced to move wherever labor jobs were available, living off very modest wages for exhausting, and often dangerous, work. This left families with little to no extra money for things like vacations or luxury goods. While the majority of African Americans in the early twentieth century lived in poverty conditions, a number of African Americans emerged as wealthy, influential members of society with disposable income. Despite this market, few white businessmen were willing to sell them goods or services. The growing demand for luxury amenities and attractions in the African-American community was soon filled by wealthy white investors, who began developing land targeted at this market. One example is Fox Lake, which was purchased and developed in the late 1920’s exclusively for use by African-Americans [1]. Built in 1927, Fox Lake included a dance hall, tennis courts, horseback riding trails, watersports, a bathhouse, piers, a barn and a small farmhouse, which was converted into a quaint hotel, Pryor’s Country Place, featured in the Green Book [2]. The Green Book was a 20th century motorist guide to establishments and towns that were safe for African-Americans to visit [3]. Pryor’s Country Place sites on five acres overlooking Fox Lake and is especially significant to the past and current owners of 32 Fox Lake cottages [4]. The cottages, nearly all of which were constructed before World War II, hold great historical and personal significance for the families who have been coming to Fox Lake for multiple generations. Pryor’s Country Place was a source of lively entertainment for wealthy individuals who owned vacation homes at Fox Lake [5],[6]. Pryor’s Country Place served as a getaway for African Americans of all walks of life, including teenagers, soldiers, famous athletes, even heavyweight boxing champion Joe Louis. It offered these individuals and African American families a chance to escape from the racism that confronted them in their everyday lives and lines of work [7],[8]. Pryor’s Country Place has interesting historical connections to the past and present. For example, during prohibition, there was a still near the lakefront that manufactured liquor so Pryor’s Country Place could operate as a speakeasy [9]. Today, many residents of Fox Lake live in cottages that have been passed down through generations, including the prominent families of Freeman B. Ransom and Carl Wilson Sr., who is remembered by past and present residents as “the Father of Fox Lake" [10]. Wilson purchased the first plots of land available at Fox Lake and built three cottages, all overlooked by Pryor’s Country Place. He and his son, Carl Wilson Jr., continued to dedicate a large portion of their lives and wealth from Wilson Sr.’s successful exterminator business to the development of this “sanctuary of sorts for African Americans in the Midwest" [11]. Wilson Sr. played a major role in overseeing Fox Lakes’ development. He worked diligently throughout his life to shift power and ownership of Fox Lake primarily to African-Americans, effectively helping to organize the amenities like wells and trash pickup routes that the community still enjoys today [12]. The unique history of Pryor’s Country Place, and its historical and personal significance to the modern African American community in Fox Lake, supported its nomination to the National Register of Historic Places in 2001 [13]. Since then, however, Pryor’s Country Place has ended up on Indiana Landmarks’ list of “Indiana’s 10 Most Endangered” places twice. The first listing was in 2016, when the five-acre plot of land including Pryor’s Country Place went up for sale. Pryor’s Country Place is located in an area where developable premium lakeside property is becoming scarce, which worried members of the community [14]. In 2017, Indiana Landmarks placed it on their endangered list for a second time, with the intent to “identify a preservation-inclined buyer” in order to preserve its unique history [15]. Source A related resource from which the described resource is derived [1] Mark S. Foster. “In the Face of “Jim Crow”: Prosperous Blacks and Vacations, Travel and Outdoor Leisure, 1890-1945,” Spring 1999. PDF accessed July 9, 2020 via JSTOR. [2] “Fox Lake: Angola, Indiana,” National Register of Historic Places, 2002. Accessed July 9, 2020. https://www.nps.gov/nr/feature/afam/2002/foxlake.htm [3] “Road Tripping in the Era of the Green Book,” Indiana Landmarks, March 10, 2017. Accessed July 9, 2020. https://www.indianalandmarks.org/2017/03/road-tripping-in-the-era-of-the-green-book/ [4] Darrin Wright. “Angola Building Among “Most Endangered” Landmarks,” May 2, 2017. Accessed July 9, 2020. https://www.wowo.com/angola-building-among-endangered-landmarks/ [5] “Fox Lake: Angola Indiana.” [6] Angelica Robinson. “Hidden History: Fox Lake Grew from Era of Racism, Segregation,” February 12, 2018. Accessed July 9, 2020. https://www.wane.com/black-history-month/hidden-history-fox-lake-grew-from-era-of-racism-segregation/ [7] Ibid. [8] “National Register of Historic Places Registration Form: Fox Lake,” United States Department of the Interior National Park Service, March 6, 2001. Accessed July 9, 2020. https://npgallery.nps.gov/GetAsset/0c6b54b7-921f-4e4f-89c1-fa0f2eacaa13 [9] Ibid. [10] Angelica Robinson. [11] Ibid. [12] Ibid. [13] “Announcing Indiana’s 10 Most Endangered,” Indiana Landmarks, June 27, 2016. Accessed July 9, 2020. . https://www.indianalandmarks.org/2016/06/announcing-indianas-10-most-endangered/ [14] Ibid. [15] “Pryor Country Place Returns to State 10 Most Endangered List,” KPC News Service, May 1, 2017. Accessed July 9, 2020. https://www.kpcnews.com/news/latest/heraldrepublican/article_09a978a1-454a-5a69-b7ad-4d041d3069f2.html Contributor An entity responsible for making contributions to the resource Student Authors: Joel Sharp and Emma Cieslik Faculty/Staff Editors: Dr. Ronald V. Morris, Dr. Kevin C. Nolan, and Christine Thompson Graduate Assistant Researchers: Carrie Vachon and JB Bilbrey Relation A related resource <a href="https://nam12.safelinks.protection.outlook.com/?url=https%3A%2F%2Fnpgallery.nps.gov%2FAssetDetail%2FNRIS%2F01000360&amp;data=04%7C01%7Ctlhayes2%40bsu.edu%7Ca9ad6f224e4a4311ddae08d8c87acbdd%7C6fff909f07dc40da9e30fd7549c0f494%7C0%7C0%7C637479777153547548%7CUnknown%7CTWFpbGZsb3d8eyJWIjoiMC4wLjAwMDAiLCJQIjoiV2luMzIiLCJBTiI6Ik1haWwiLCJXVCI6Mn0%3D%7C1000&amp;sdata=qw9CYViDvGC6dh8XfMmdgZyf4H1725p%2F9pNsSFG1gag%3D&amp;reserved=0">National Register of Historic Places</a> Rights Information about rights held in and over the resource PHOTO & VIDEO: Pryor's Country Place, Angola, attributed to Indiana Landmarks, Public domain, via Flickr https://www.flickr.com/photos/historic-landmarks-foundation-indiana/26631702516 1900-40s 1950s-present Angola Entertainment Housing National Register of Historic Places Recreation Segregation Steuben County