McCall Neighborhood Center, El Paso, TX, circa 1985

The McCall Neighborhood Center was the home of Marshall McCall and Olalee McCall. Marshall McCall was the first black mail carrier in El Paso. His wife was an English teacher at Douglass School, the only school for blacks in El Paso until 1956. In 1937, she became the first female high-school principal in the El Paso Independent School District. The McCalls built their home at 3231 East Wyoming Avenue out of stone and rock. The sturdy structure and property was purchased in 1985 by the city, and it became the McCall Neighborhood Center. The building has been expanded and is home to a historical marker for Henry O. Flipper and Dr. Lawrence Nixon. It also has a historical Buffalo Soldiers exhibit, a Douglass School room, a library full of African-American history books and a variety of displays chronicling the history of the African-American community in El Paso. The historic building is the community center of the African American community.

Image Description:In this black and white photo, a stone home structure is pictured in the center. It has terracotta roofing and a black iron fence around it. The house is on the street corner of Wyoming. In the background, the mountains are seen in view, and in the foreground there are trees and shrubs surrounding the building.

Area: Central / Five Points

Source: C.L. Sonnichsen Special Collections, University of Texas at El Paso Library. Collection Name: Leona Washington Photograph Collection. Photo ID: PH033-2-19-3.jpg.

Uploaded by: UTEP Library Special Collections