Charles Young Buffalo Soldiers National Monument: the Ohio home of a Buffalo Soldier

The National Park Service's Buffalo Soldiers story is not told on the western frontier but on a small parcel of land in west-central Ohio. A "National Park Getaway" piece by two park staff, Robert Stewart and Tom Engberg, introduces Charles Young Buffalo Soldiers National Monument in Wilberforce.

Who the Buffalo Soldiers were

In 1866 Congress passed legislation giving African Americans the right to serve in the Regular Army. Adventure, respect and dignity were among the reasons thousands of African American men enlisted shortly after the Civil War. They became known as the Buffalo Soldiers, and the piece says their legacy continues to inspire Americans. That legacy began on the vast Western frontier, yet the site that houses the Park Service's Buffalo Soldiers story is a small one that, on closer examination, bursts at the seams with African American history.

Youngsholm and the man who lived there

The main feature of the 60-plus-acre site is a grand two-story home called Youngsholm, once the home of Charles Young, whom the piece calls arguably one of the most important and influential Buffalo Soldiers in history. Young was the third African American graduate of the U.S. Military Academy at West Point. The piece says he overcame stifling inequality in his personal and military life, earned the respect of peers, and set an example for later generations.

Early in his career he was detached to teach the new Military Science and Tactics courses at Wilberforce University in Wilberforce, Ohio. The assignment shaped his life: although the Army sent him across the United States and the world, he eventually put down roots in Wilberforce. The last home he bought there is the cornerstone of today's monument.

While the home is renovated

When the piece was written, the park was starting a massive multimillion-dollar renovation of the home and grounds that would close the home for an extended period and move visitor services off site. It pointed visitors to a nearby partner, the National Afro-American Museum and Cultural Center, a few miles away on the Central State University campus. The museum has a fine collection of early Buffalo Soldiers artifacts relating to Young and other notable Buffalo Soldiers, particularly Benjamin O. Davis, Sr., who was mentored by Young early in his military career and became the first African American brigadier general in the U.S. Army. It also holds other significant African American collections.

Visiting from home

The park invites virtual visitors to follow its website and its Facebook and Twitter pages for regularly updated Buffalo Soldiers history and facts, and for links to historical resources and partners. One partner is the Colonel Charles Young Foundation, which aims to promote civic involvement and leadership development among youth based on his legacy. The park's short introductory film, "A Triumph of Tragedy: The life of Charles Young," is available online, and its website lists things to do and a calendar of events in and around the community. The piece is part of the Park Service's National Park Getaways series, which helps people find new places to connect with nature, history, family and friends.

Sources

• National Park Service, "National Park Getaway: Charles Young Buffalo Soldiers National Monument," by Robert Stewart and Tom Engberg of the monument (https://www.nps.gov/articles/000/getaway-chyo.htm); the ceremony photograph with guests and the related-topic thumbnails are left out, and the source's claim about Young's rank, which is unclear, is not repeated; rewritten in hubnx's own words.