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Black business topic of upcoming program

The Middlesex Museum Black Business Committee will present a program on black entrepreneurship at 3 p.m. Sunday, Feb. 23, at the Historic Courthouse, 865 General Puller Highway, Saluda.

A slide show, curatorial talk, and roundtable discussion will explore objects and themes that are included in “Enterprising Spirits: African American Entrepreneurs in Middlesex County,” an exhibition on display at the Middlesex County Museum and Historical Society, a release said. Those attending will be encouraged to share their recollections of 20th century black businesses in Middlesex.

While facing the challenges of Reconstruction and Jim Crow, African Americans created economic opportunities by establishing their own businesses which ran the gamut from retail to the building trades, from personal services to the professions, and beyond, the release said. Black-owned businesses provided goods, services, and employment that were often not otherwise available to the black community.

The exhibition, which includes artifacts and documents from a wide variety of businesses throughout Middlesex County, may be viewed at the museum (777 General Puller Highway, Saluda) on Feb. 23 from 1-3 p.m., and again after the program. Following the program refreshments will be served at the museum.

The exhibition may also be viewed during regular museum hours from 1-5 p.m. on Wednesdays and Fridays, and from 11-3 p.m. on Sundays. is sponsored by the Middlesex County Museum and Historical Society, Inc., with support from River Counties Community Foundation. For more information, call the Middlesex Museum at 804-758-3663.