Amid a song, a prayer, and joy, an African American man known as a 鈥渕echanical genius鈥� was honored with a historical marker in Forney on Saturday, more than 90 years after his death.
Against the backdrop of an old cotton gin and the sound of trains passing in the background, community members stood up and sang 鈥淟ift Every Voice and Sing鈥� to open the ceremony. It was to honor Reeves Henry, a formerly enslaved man who became a prominent business leader in Forney.
He was also an inventor who filed patents for cotton chopping machines and fixed locomotives.
Henry fixed the first automobile that was driven in Texas after it broke down on its way to the State Fair in Dallas, about 125 years ago. Reeves was able to fix the damaged water tank and get the vehicle back on the road.
In the 1990s, a historical marker that commemorated that moment left Henry out.
His great-grandson, Carroll 鈥淛immy鈥� Malone, wanted to make sure his great-grandfather would be remembered in Texas history. On Saturday, he saw that happen.
鈥淚'm elated. I鈥檓 just peacock proud,鈥� Malone said. 鈥淲e're just so happy that this thing finally came to manifest itself into what it is today. We finally got the marker put in place and it's been a long time coming.鈥�
The process to get here started when Malone called the Spellman Museum, located in downtown Forney, in 2021 to request a meeting. Three years later, Malone, museum manager Kendall Nobles and other Henry family descendants are seeing their efforts come to life.
鈥淚t required ... research, poring over documents, eventually compiling a narrative that the Texas Historical Commission finds particularly compelling and important,鈥� Nobles said. 鈥淩eeves Henry is compelling, and important and we're happy to share his story today.鈥�
Born in Gregg County in far east Texas in 1859, Henry and his family later moved to Kaufman County, where he set up his blacksmith shop.
鈥淢y great-grandfather was a member of this city,鈥� Malone said. 鈥淗e supported not just the Black community, he supported everybody and just imagine during the turn of the century Jim Crow, he had to go through a lot of stuff here just to do what he did.鈥�
One of the speakers at the ceremony was Henry Brown, the president of the Mesquite NAACP.
鈥淎 genius was born in 1859,鈥� he said. 鈥淚t took 150 years to get us to this point today, but we are here, and we are so daggone proud of being here. Let鈥檚 give it up for Mr. Reeves Henry.鈥�
Evans Fitzgerald, a local pastor who led the crowd in a prayer during the ceremony, said Henry鈥檚 鈥済reatness鈥� isn鈥檛 going unnoticed.
鈥淓ven though he may sleep now in an unmarked grave, he will have a marker that will show us who he has been and what he has done,鈥� Fitzgerald said.
Although never met his great-grandfather, Malone had heard stories his whole life about Henry鈥檚 mechanical genius and inventions.
Malone said many of his uncles went to Detroit to work as mechanics because of the skills Henry had taught them.
Malone invited two of his grandchildren to speak at the ceremony. He hopes his great-grandfather's contributions will serve as not only as a lesson in history, but a lesson in life as well 鈥� especially for the youth, he said. His message to them is to never give up.
鈥淭here's some roadblocks ahead," he said. "There might be some things that you might need to back up and then recalibrate and think about it."
鈥淏ut at the end of the day, the flowers are going to come to the top and that's what happened here.鈥�
The historical marker sits at the site where Henry鈥檚 shop once stood. It ends with these final words: 鈥淩eeves Henry鈥檚 ingenuity and skill during a time when Forney was adopting the new conveniences that would shape twentieth century life made him an important early citizen worthy to be remembered.鈥�
Priscilla Rice is 四虎影院鈥檚 communities reporter. Got a tip? Email her at price@kera.org.
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