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A reader recently shared some photos with me that opened my eyes to a new piece of history — in the early 1920s, High Point’s volunteer firefighters included black firefighters.

Never during my research have I run across any mention of High Point having black volunteer firemen in our early history.

This major history find might open the door as to how these volunteers were selected, and why the city decided to accept black volunteers, given the fact High Point was segregated … especially when it came to local government.

Over the years, I have gotten calls asking me if I have pictures of individuals or groups, but rarely do I get calls like the one I got from Colon Farlow on Oct. 3.

It was two weeks after my surgery, and I was not in the mood to talk with anyone, but the tone of Farlow’s voice indicated he had something important to share with me.

First off, Farlow mentioned he enjoyed reading my columns in the News & Record. Secondly, he mentioned he had some pictures he wanted to share, hoping I might be able to help him identify some of the men in the pictures.

Probably sensing I sounded out of it, Farlow followed-up a few hours later with an e-mail regarding our conversation.

These are excerpts from that e-mail:

• My father, William McKinley Farlow, came to High Point in 1920.
• In 1922, he was a volunteer firemen and slept at #1 Fire Station and worked around the corner at Wilson Motors.
• My mother had a box camera and took about 20 pictures of firemen in what looks like a parade.
• Attached are four photos of firemen, and there are some black volunteer firemen in these pictures.

Farlow can identify his father in several of the pictures as well as the Sheraton Hotel and the old Wesley Memorial United Methodist Church in the background.

We’d like your help identifying others in the photos and any details about the inclusion of black firefighters in the group.
Many of us are sitting on a gold mine of history in the form of old pictures — especially ones passed down from generation to generation.

The problem is when we look at these pictures, we have a tendency to dismiss them because we do not have a clue as to who the people are or where the picture was taken. This also applies to documents that look old, smell old and are assumed to be worthless.

Believe me; I know the frustration because I experience this all too often. I have a box of pictures taken by my father and his brother, Carl Chavis, when they were in high school, and most of the people cannot be identified.

Unfortunately, most people do not have the resources to get the public involved in helping identify these mystery history jewels.

This is the major reason why so much of our history is still locked away waiting for folks to say, “I want to know more about this” or “Who are these people?”

Maybe my column will help salvage some of this history before it makes its way to the city dump.

Glenn Chavis researches and writes about High Point’s black history. Contact him at Storytime40@aol.com