During segregation in the twentieth century, Ash Street was the social and commercial heart of Blytheville's Black community. On Saturdays, sharecropper families dressed up and came to town, and Ash Street could become so crowded that people had to walk in the street. Civic groups such as the Blytheville Social Arts Club and the Royal Brotherhood Club organized many community services and events there and inaugurated a community leader as the honorary Mayor of Ash Street. Pilgrim Rest Baptist Church, which stood at this spot, often hosted graduations and state conventions. The annual National Cotton Picking Contest was celebrated with a street dance there. Black-owned businesses on Ash Street included beauty shops and barbershops, clothing stores, dry cleaners, dental and doctors offices, a pharmacy, a market, restaurants, funeral homes, and a taxicab stand. Two churches there also served the community. Entertainment included two movie theaters, a pool hall, and night clubs. In the 1960s, an Ash Street variety store was listed in the Green Book. Celebrities such as B.B. King often performed in the night clubs, and the movie theaters also hosted live programs, including the internationally renowned Wings Over Jordan gospel choir.