April 23: Verna Laboy-Reviving the past
On April 23, 2024, Verna Laboy will bring to life renowned African-American millionaire Annie Fisher, highlighting the importance of historic preservation.
Laboy will impersonate Fisher in a performance at the 6 p.m. CoMo Preservation meeting in the Friends Room at the Columbia Public Library. This meeting is free and open to the public.
What? Don’t know who Annie Fisher is? That may be because both of her mansions, one a 14-room brick house at 608 Park Avenue and the other a restaurant/mansion known as the Wayside Inn or as Fair Oaks at 2911 Old Highway 63, were demolished, erasing reminders of her as a historical figure and an against-all-odds successful entrepreneur.
Fisher was born in 1867, the child of formerly enslaved parents. She was a successful African-American entrepreneur whose estate was valued at nearly $100,000 before her 1938 death at 71, according to a May 20, 2015 Columbia Daily Tribune article. Today, her holdings would be worth $2 million, according to the U.S. Bureau of Labor of Statistics’ inflation calculator.
Fisher made her fortune through catering, making beaten biscuits she sold throughout the nation, and real estate.
But Fisher’s story nearly faded from history because neither of her mansions were preserved. Her 608 Park Ave. mansion was demolished during the 1960s Urban Renewal and her restaurant was demolished in 2011. These mansions were in addition to a portfolio of 18 rental properties Fisher accumulated during her lifetime, several of which still exist.
Without a building to mark Fisher’s story Verna Laboy is determined to keep her story alive through her impersonations of Fisher.
Laboy moved to Columbia in 1989 but didn’t learn about Fisher until the 1990s when the Boone County Historical Society named Fisher to the Hall of Fame. Laboy dove into finding out about Fisher and began to impersonate the historic figure. Laboy says the story of Fisher is crucial to Columbia, adding people have to see themselves in the information, in history, to value themselves.
Laboy works as a program manager for the Boone County Community Services Department. Previously she worked for Columbia/Boone County Public Health & Human Services. In 2015, she founded the Worley Street Roundtable, a community organization dedicated to helping connect people and organizations within the public school system to help children succeed.
CoMo Preservation is devoted to helping homeowners, landlords, and institutions prevent the destruction of historic architecture. Original period styles might be replicated, but will forever lack the social history of authentic structures. The preservation of historic places and spaces gives people a sense of place and boosts Columbia’s economy. You can get involved by volunteering, signing up for our mailing list, attending an event, becoming a member or donating.
Questions? Suggestions for speakers or events? Email CoMoPreservation@gmail.com.
