John C. Claybrook (June 11, 1872 – July 21, 1951) was a logger, farmer and businessman in the United States.[1][2] He owned property in Arkansas.[3] He owned a semi-professional baseball team and developed Claybrook, Arkansas.
He was born in Florence, Alabama.[4] He received a William E. Harmon Foundation Award for Distinguished Achievement Among Negroes.
He cut timber, acquired land, grew cotton, and developed a timber industry town of Topaz into what became known as Claybrook with a boarding house and mill. Ernie Pyle wrote a column about him in the Memphis Commercial Appeal June 18, 1936 (republished in 1947 in Pyle's Home Country.[1] His semi-professional baseball team the Claybrook Tigers played in the Negro Southern League, winning a couple of championships with Ted Radcliffe.[1]
He married, became a widower, remarried, and had a son John Claybrook Jr. and three daughters with his second wife Emma G. Claybrook.[1]
He retired to his home in Memphis and is buried at Elmwood Cemetery (Birmingham, Alabama).[1]
The documentary film Swingin' Timber by David D. Dawson was made about him and his baseball team.[5][6]
References
edit- ^ a b c d e "Film "Swingin' Timber" will be shown at Mosaic Templars Cultural Center today at 3pm". July 6, 2019.
- ^ "The story of Mr. John C. Claybrook - Saturday, March 5, 1938. "An outstanding business man of his race", March 5,1938 | Auburn Avenue Research Library on African American Culture and History". aafa.galileo.usg.edu.
- ^ "Encyclopedia of Arkansas". Encyclopedia of Arkansas.
- ^ Kirk, John (31 January 2016). "African American Businessmen- John C. Claybrook". www.ualrpublicradio.org.
- ^ Singleton, Nichole. "John C. Claybrook Archives".
- ^ "Culturalist: July 2019". Arkansas Online. 2019-07-25. Retrieved 2021-10-12.