Kalen Howell can map his family history without moving a single step.
From one spot on Market Street in Urbana, he pointed to the former living spaces of much of his lineage. The home where his grandmother grew up is on the corner, and just to the west, his great-grandparents made their home. He grew up in this neighborhood too, just a couple doors down.
“We used to play like the whole neighborhood was our playground,” Kalen said. “We played in the alleys. We climbed the trees. We were just all over the neighborhood.”
That was before this lot became an actual playground with slides, swings and a basketball court. In 1998, this park was dedicated to his grandmother: Barbara Howell.
The small city of Urbana, around 40 miles northeast of Dayton, is in a period of revitalization. Many of the facades of old buildings have gotten facelifts and ribbon-cuttings of new businesses have become commonplace.
Howell is working to see that same resurgence at the park that bears his grandmother’s name. He wants to revitalize the city’s historically Black neighborhood and his family heritage within it.
The legacy of Barbara Howell
In the 1960s, Barbara Howell was the first director of the local Tri-County Head Start program. She dedicated more than 30 years of her life aiding low income families. She’s also credited with founding the first Black girl scout troop in the city.
In everything she did, Kalen says, she uplifted those in Urbana who were most in need.
“She was focused on the kids that are not as fortunate as family-wise as other kids,” Kalen explained. “They're starting out in school already behind because they haven't got the support or the resources.”
Through Head Start, Barbara implemented programs that gave these children access to medical screenings, nutritional food, developmental support. The neighborhood recognized those contributions when they named the park after her in the '90s. Kalen was in his 20s.
“At the time, I really didn't understand what my grandmother had done or what the community meant to her and what she meant to the community,” Kalen said.
The neighborhood’s history
But around 2020, Kalen began to dive deeper into his family’s history. When his father died in 2021, he started collecting stories of his father and grandmother’s contributions. It wasn’t long until Kalen realized that his family is far from the only Market Street resident worth celebrating.
“In the late 1800s to 1900s, this [area] was the historical black neighborhood. This was like the hub,” Kalen said. “So there were a lot of Black-owned businesses on this street … which was kind of exceptional for a small town in that era to have the city support Black businesses.
The neighborhood was home to Urbana’s first Black elected politicians, influential singers, funeral home directors and ice salesmen. Kalen and his family have been documenting their stories on the website of their nonprofit, Barbara Howell Park Conservancy. Kalen also founded Urbana’s annual Black Heritage Festival to celebrate the contributions each summer.
But he thinks they deserve something more permanent, more present in the community.
Preserving the park
That brought him back to Barbara Howell Park. He’s working to transform the space into something both honors those contributions and the liveliness of his grandmother’s spirit and mission.
Right now, he says the park, with its rundown picnic tables and barren basketball court, falls short.
“65% of the park is blacktop,” Kalen said. “And it makes use, but when you think about a park we want to have a little bit more green space.”
On the patches where there is grass, mud peeks through. The park’s seesaw hardly teeters and the bright paint of the swings has faded after decades of use.
Kalen has a vision for restoring it to a true community hub. He pulled out a rendering of a park with exercise equipment, walking trails, a small amphitheater. In it, historical markers would permanently tell the contributions of people like his grandmother.
“Where people can see [that in] 1920, this was here. These people were here,” he said.
It will be a while before the upgraded equipment and plaques can take their place. Kalen’s team is still fundraising and applying for grants to transform this dream into reality. But, he’s hopeful the community will rally around the idea.
“I'd like this to be a really special place for people to come to and build memories and relationships,” he said.
That’s what his grandmother did: forged connections and formed community in her little corner of Ohio.
READ MORE:
