We’ve spent the last year working on a National Register multiple property document, The Twentieth Century African American Civil Rights Movement in Ohio, for the Ohio History Connection with a grant from the National Park Service. Part of the our project was to go out and see how many future historic sites were still left.
One exciting find was, what we believe, is probably the last standing building that was a National Committee to Combat Fascism headquarters. NCCF chapters were precursors to Black Panther Party chapters. Members had to institute social programs for the community. Our building is located at 126 E. 4th Street in Lima, Ohio. It was briefly a NCCF headquarters in 1969-70. Members started a breakfast program for local youth.
The NCCF headquarters was formerly a restaurant space before the group rented it.
Photo credit: Ohio History Connection)
The Ohio National Guard raided the building on August 6, 1970, during the uprising in Lima stemming from a bicycle being left in the street and subsequent police involvement.
The building is currently used as an ice cream shop.
A chat with some workers during the visit revealed that the entire building interior was covered in Panther graffiti when the new owner purchased the building. We pulled the drywall above, cut out for a drive-through window, out of a dumpster (with their permission). Other parts are preserved under the drop ceiling and paneling.
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