Frazier Estates, Union County, Ohio

I grew up in a Union County, Ohio community approximately six miles from Plain City called Frazier Estates, in 2008, enjoying fifty years of existence. The original neighborhood was composed of twenty-two African American families, who bought land during a time when land in much of Ohio had deeds that were restrictive to selling to nonwhites.

The acreage that became Frazier Estates was formerly a farm owned by Ross (Pop) and Mamie (Mom) Frazier, located in Rural Route Three, Plain City, on U.S. Route 33, one and a half miles northwest of Hall’s Corner (U.S. Rt. 33 & OH. Rt. 161., four miles north of the Village of Dublin and Three miles southeast of New California. Six miles north of Plain City in Union County. The farmhouse was originally built by a White farmer named Mr. Weldon, who built it for his bride using materials from the forest on the acreage. There is a Weldon Road located one mile east of Frazier Estates.

The Fraziers had four children; Jack (Vivian), Barbara, Edith and Artist (athlete/basketball, killed in auto accident), all children were Tuskegee University graduates. Ross was a farmer and sold goods at Columbus Central and East Markets. .

By the mid-1950s, the Fraziers were planning their retirement, and possibly mimicking a successful Shawnee Hills/Dublin area housing development, Lucy Depp Park, that began sheltering Black families in 1925. The Fraziers began selling one acre home sites in 1955. The first purchaser, according to The Frazier’s grandson, Robert Major, was Gerald Pace, followed by Jack and Mildred Pace.

The first home was completed by Mary Stribling, a legendary educator at Champion Junior High School, across from Poindexter Village in East Columbus. She pioneered the settlement in 1958.

Here is a rough estimate of families that followed; Mr. and Mrs. Eddie Abercrombie, 1959, Mr. and Mrs. Wilmon Carroll, 1959, Mr. and Mrs. William (Opal) Leftwich, 1959, Mr. and Mrs. Tommy (Jean) Crump, 1959, Mr. and Mrs. George (Delores) Howard, 1959.

From 1960 through 1970 followed Mr. and Mrs. Sherman Morrison, Mr. and Mrs. George (Bonnie) Blackwell, Mr. and Mrs. Early, Mr. and Mrs. Joe (Viola) Turner, Mr. and Mrs. Jack (Mildred) Pace, Sherman and Elsie Dooley, Mr. and Mrs. Arnold (Mevelyn) Estis, Mr. and Mrs. Charles (Virginia) Davidson, Mr. and Mrs. Willie (Pat) Thompson, Sr., Mr. and Mrs. Efflie Brooks, Mr. and Mrs. James (Lottie) Mayo, Mr. and Mrs. Roy (Gladys) Winston, Mr. and Mrs. George (Ethel) Ware.