Change is Good: The Integration of Dreamland Pool

Dreamland pool

June 9^th, 1961 Portsmouth, Ohio would see the tragic and senseless death of a young boy trying to beat the summer heat. 14 year old Eugene McKinley an African American living in a predominately white town had only one option for swimming in Portsmouth at that time. The local pool Dreamland which was accessible to whites only was not that option.  Blacks wanting to swim during the hot summer months could do so at the Scioto River

Scioto River

at their own expense. It was a dangerous occupation, and most black parents did not want their children to do so at the risk of drowning. That day Eugene McKinley took that risk, and paid for it with his life. The black community had tried countless times before McKinley’s death to integrate Dreamland pool, an every attempt ended in failure. At the time Portsmouth was not 100% segregated, and blacks and whites went to the same schools.

It was not unreasonable to suggest that they also socialize at Dreamland pool as well. The unfair and unjust drowning of McKinley was the straw that broke the camel’s back, and a detailed strategic plan was put in place that would break down the doors of Dreamland’s segregation, and allow people of all races to have access to the pool. Eugene Collins Sr. was 26 years old at the time, and he was a member of the party that helped desegregate Dreamland pool. He has given a detailed account of how it all came to play, and what actually went down when the pool was integrated. Once Dreamland pool was integrated, it eventually closed its door due to a sharp decline in business. Several years later a new pool was built for everyone, and in honor of 14 year old McKinley, the pool was named after him.