Barrier breaking legacy of Elkhart family stretches back decades
ELKHART COUNTY, Ind. -- One Elkhart family's legacy is a story of resilience and entrepreneurship during segregation. The 1950s was a time of breaking ground and building dreams.
The Barnett family's journey finding opportunity after the Great Migration stands as a perfect example of overcoming adversity.
In the 1950s, African American families in Elkhart were shaped by segregation and limited opportunity but not for the Barnetts. The family’s hard work and determination opened doors that had been closed.
Before breaking barriers at Miles Laboratories, Horace Barnett worked as a janitor in the Elkhart school system, a common job for Black men during that time.
In the 1970s AG Bayer purchased Miles Laboratories, one of the largest employers in Elkhart where they invented Alka Seltzer and One-A-Day Vitamins sold in stores today.
Daryck Barnett, Horace's son, mentioned that his grandfather's ambition was matched by his father Golden Barnett, where he sought opportunities beyond the limitations of segregation
“My dad learned at an early age from his dad, who was a very hard worker, very conscientious, and a very Christian man. He always said, 'You don't get anything out of life unless you put out the effort.' He was the first person of color to get hired at Miles Laboratories,” said Daryck.
While living in Elkhart, Golden got a job at the railroad but like all the hard workers in the Barnett family he had greater ambitions.
This led him to Idlewild, Mich., a resort away from home for African Americans to escape racism and segregation in the area.
In a time defined by struggle Golden dreamed big. Leaving Tennessee, he fully embraced the promise of the north from Elkhart to Idlewild where he found his true calling.
Idlewild was known as the "Black Eden," where Black families spent their day swimming and boating on the lake and at night listening to the country’s top Black performers. Across the Midwest this was the only place people of color could perform their craft.
Segregation sparked a burst of entrepreneurship making Idlewild not only a place for African Americans to relax, but also somewhere they could own their own property.
Barnett built a six-unit motel named “The Golden Bee,” which provided refuge for Black families.
Sadly, Golden's journey as an entrepreneur was cut short when he died in a car accident in Idlewild in 1959.
His wife kept the motel and his legacy going until she was elderly and unable to maintain it. Then her grandson Daryck helped sell the building that is now a hunting lodge,
Now the lifelong Elkhart native passes on his family’s contribution to his son hoping that the legacy continues.
“It was an opportunity for him because now he is sort of becoming an entrepreneur and charting his own path in life and that’s what I think, that’s what he always wanted to do is be his own boss,” said Daryck, “How to do things, how to repair things, how to fix things, and I got it from my dad and my grandfather and so I’m glad, and I didn’t really think about it, but hopefully I can pass it on to my son and hopefully he can pass it on to his son.”