1921 – Iowa City’s First Black Business Owners.

Allow me to introduce you to H.D. Short (above left), Kenneth Belle (top right), and Laurence Short (bottom right). These three African-American men, plus Kenneth’s son – Haywood Belle – joined together, and beginning in 1921 and continuing until Haywood’s death in 2016, owned H.D. Short’s & Sons – Iowa City’s first black-owned business enterprise.

**Haywood Douglas (H.D.) Short – Iowa City’s first black businessman.**

Haywood Douglas (H.D.) Short was born to Alford D. & Mary Short in California, Missouri – the county seat of Moniteau County (see map below) – on March 17, 1872.

A 21-year-old black man looking for better work opportunities, H.D. Short ventured north to Iowa City in 1893, with family records indicating that Short’s first job was with Whitaker Brothers Barber Shop. Iowa City historian, Irving Weber, tells us more…

Records show that sometime around the turn of the century, the Whitakers moved their barber & bath shop into a larger facility three doors further north to 12 South Clinton, taking H.D. and his shoe shine & bath business with them. But, don’t lose track of that original 18 South Clinton Street address. We’ll return to it as H.D.’s story continues…

On January 20, 1904, H.D. Short, age 32, married Alice A. Hannan Bell, age 30, in Iowa City. Their marriage records are found here…

Alice became a widow in 1901, when her husband, Jesse E. Bell – a long-time brakeman for the Rock Island Railroad – was tragically killed in a train accident in Council Bluffs (see obituary below)…

Before his death in 1901, Jesse & Alice Bell had two children: Pauline and Kenneth Idelle. Sadly, little Pauline (1896-1904) died at age 7, but Kenneth (1899-1973) went on to play an important role in Alice and her new husband, H.D.’s story. More on that a bit later…

*Above: The **1910 U.S. Census** for Johnson County shows **H.D., age 38**; **Alice, age 35**; and their two sons: **Laurence, age 5**; and **Kenneth Bell, age 11**.*

*Above: The **1920 U.S. Census** for Johnson County shows **Haywood D., age 47**; **Alice A., age 45**; and their two sons: **Kenneth I., age 20**; and **Laurence R., age 14**.*

*Above:* In the **1925 Iowa Census**, we find **Haywood D., age 53**; **Alice, age 50;** with **Kenneth, age 26**; and **Laurence, age 19.**

In 1921, H.D. Short, along with his two sons: Kenneth I. Bell (age 21) and Laurence R. Short (age 15) transformed their roles working for someone else’s business by moving into a brick and mortar storefront of their own, opening Short’s Shoe Repair back at H.D.’s original work location – 18 South Clinton Street. Once again, Irving Weber tells us more…

***Here’s a rare photograph of H.D. Short (far right) and his sons, Kenneth (far left), Laurence (middle left), and an unnamed staff person (middle right).***

Over the next forty-nine years, this African-American-owned business truly became a ground-breaking business endeavor here in Iowa City – providing inspiration for countless other brothers and sisters of color to step boldly into their hopes and dreams.

One such example is Allyn Lemme (pictured above) who married Helen Renfrow (Lemme). Together, the Lemme’s became major reformers in the cause for civil rights here in Iowa City. You can read more here.

Back in 1901, after Alice Bell Short’s first husband died in the Council Bluffs train accident, Alice purchased a small home at 219 South Madison. That house became the centerpiece for the Short family over the next 70-plus years. As you can see from the listing in the 1934 Iowa City business directory (below), all of the Short family lived in this small home, including H.D., Alice, Lawrence, and Kenneth, his wife Hulette and their two children…

*Above: The **1930 U.S. Census** shows **Haywood, age 58**; **Alice, age 55**; **Laurence, age 24**, and **Kenneth, age 31**.*

Above: The **1940 U.S. Census** shows **Haywood, age 68**; his son **Kenneth, age 41**, with his wife – **Hulette Elizabeth Barnett Belle, age 31**, and their two children – **Audrey, age 6**, and **Haywood, age 11 month**s; son **Laurence, age 35**, and a maid – **Hazel Halliday**.

This rare photograph of the Short Family was taken around 1940. In the middle, is H.D.; on the far right is Laurence Short; and on the left is Kenneth Belle (Kenneth added an ‘e’ to his name around the time of his marriage to Hulette Elizabeth Barnett in 1933) – who is holding their son Haywood Belle, and standing next to their daughter Audrey Belle. Sadly, H.D.’s wife – Alice A. Bell Short – had passed away in 1936.

On August 15, 1946, at the age of 74, Haywood Douglas (H.D.) Short died at University of Iowa Hospital. Below is a copy of his death certificate…

This loss, of course, was difficult for the Short/Belle family, but Kenneth and Laurence – who had been running the business for quite some time – stepped up and kept the shop on Clinton Street running without a hitch. By the early 1950’s, the Short/Belle families had purchased the building that housed their shoe repair shop, creating a new Iowa City-based real estate enterprise: H.D. Short’s & Sons. Below, on March 9, 1966, Kenneth Belle relayed some of his memories of growing up in Iowa City to The Iowa City Press-Citizen, while an ad from that same time period invited customers to “an optimistic shoeshine”…

As for the Short’s Shoe Repair business, Kenneth and Laurence kept it thriving until closing it at the time of their retirement in 1970. And, it’s at this point, when H.D’s grandson – Haywood Belle – took over the management of the real estate & development company, overseeing the 18 South Clinton Street building until his death in 2016.

What an amazing family story! Above are pics (left to right) of Kenneth I. Belle, Laurence R. Short, Haywood Belle, and H.D. Short – three generations of brave African-American business leaders in Iowa City. In the 1970’s, Iowa City historian, Irving Weber, included Laurence in his 10-part series – 10 Kids Who Grew Up In Iowa City. You can read the full story here.

Generation One: Alice Bell Short (1875-1936); Generation Two: her son – Kenneth Belle (1899-1973) and his wife Hulette (1908-1997); Alice & H.D. Short’s son – Laurence R. Short (1905-1984); and Generation Three: Kenneth & Hulette’s son – Haywood Belle (1939-2016) are all buried in Oakland Cemetery in Iowa City. H.D. Short was cremated at Cedar Memorial Cemetery in Cedar Rapids, but his burial site is unknown. Family records indicate that H.D. wanted his building at 18 South Clinton to serve as his memorial…

For almost 50 years (1921-1970), Short’s Shoe Shine sent many shoes out onto South Clinton Street buffed to a high mirror shine. Today, by the graces of the Short and Belle family, Short’s Burger & Shine aims to introduce a new sort of shine, while borrowing an old Short’s motto:

Expert Workmen ∙ Best Materials Used ∙ Prompt Service.

H.D.’s grandson – Haywood Belle – was, himself, a student of art and architecture and a supporter of his own local historic preservation society. When Mr. Belle died in 2016, the care of this building fell to the trust department of MidWestOne Bank. Unfortunately without Belle’s guidance and care for this building, it has been left in disrepair. As of this writing, the future of Short’s is very uncertain, which is why we are dedicating this page to…

Please visit Historic Shorts – Iowa City – the website and support their mission: A triumph of vision. A monument to hope. Dedicated to preserving the rich history and contributions of African-American and minority businesses in Iowa City.

We suggest visiting the Historic Shorts – Iowa City website and find out what you can do to keep the memory of the H.D. Short & Belle families alive!