John Henry Pinkard
John Henry Pinkard | |
|---|---|
| Born | 1865 Franklin County, Virginia, U.S. |
| Died | 1934-01-08 Roanoke, Virginia, U.S. |
| Occupation(s) | Entrepreneur, banker, herbal healer, spiritualist |
| Known for | Managing African-American banks; herbal medicine; Pinkard Court development |
John Henry Pinkard (1865 – January 8, 1934) was an entrepreneur, banker, and herbal healer based in Roanoke, Virginia. He was also recognized as a spiritualist and reputed clairvoyant. Some critics labeled him a charlatan and accused him of quackery.
Biography
Pinkard’s birth took place in Franklin County, Virginia during the closing year of the Civil War. Although he asserted he was born in 1866, census documents suggest an earlier birth year. Growing up in poverty during the Reconstruction era, he left formal education at eleven to help support his family. By age fifteen, he was managing a "dirt cut" crew for the Norfolk and Western Railroad.
Around the early 1900s, Pinkard ran a confectionery business in Pittsburgh, Pennsylvania. After spending time in Philadelphia and other locations, he eventually settled back in Roanoke, where he lived for the final 27 years of his life. Known for his unique appearance—dressing in a black coat, carrying a gold-headed cane, and traveling in a chauffeur-driven Packard—he married three times but did not have children and died deeply indebted.
His first marriage was to Mary Alexander from South Carolina in 1903; she passed away two years later. In 1905, he wed Hattie Saunders of Franklin County, Virginia, but their marriage ended in divorce five years later on grounds of abandonment. In 1914, he married Mary Joyce from Floyd County, Virginia.
Banking and real estate
During segregation when African Americans faced restricted access to credit, Pinkard managed three banks that primarily catered to black customers. These institutions focused on providing small loans, agricultural financing, and savings services. Among them was the "Acorn Small Loan Company," officially licensed in Roanoke. Nearby, he also operated the "Acorn" Drug Store.
He held the position of president at the Afro-American Bank located on Salem Avenue in Roanoke. Beyond banking, Pinkard owned substantial real estate holdings in Florida.
Medical work
Although lacking formal medical credentials, Pinkard adopted the title "Doctor" and gained local recognition as a "yarb doctor," denoting an herbal practitioner. He was also known as a spiritualist and clairvoyant. In 1917, he faced charges for practicing medicine without a license but was acquitted; subsequent legal actions possibly initiated by the Roanoke Academy of Medicine followed.
By 1919, he had established a reputation for diagnosing illnesses without physical examinations, drawing thousands of patients—both black and white—from at least fifteen states. His weekly product sales ranged between $1,000 and $1,500. From his drugstore, he sold various remedies including "Pinkard's Hydrastic Compound," "Pinkard's Great Liniment," and "Pinkard's Sanguinaria Compound." The latter, derived from bloodroot, was confiscated in 1931 for breaching the Food and Drug Act; Pinkard pleaded guilty and was fined $25. Many of his formulations were influenced by slave-era medicine, rural Virginian folk remedies, and Native American herbal traditions.
Pinkard Court
In the 1920s, Pinkard developed Pinkard Court—a segregated residential area for African Americans in Roanoke—spanning 25 acres along the National Highway. He also founded the Pinkard Court Filling Station and Tourist Camp.
A 2017 retrospective by the Roanoke Times showcased Pinkard Court with photographs highlighting its historical importance. The Pinkard Court School—a single-story circular structure—served African American students before being converted into a special education facility following desegregation.
Adjacent to the entrance of Pinkard Court stood his personal home, which was sold in 1972 to White House Galleries. Local legends claim the house was haunted by former patients and that deceased patients were interred in its basement; however, no evidence supports these stories. Additionally, he erected a fence made from ceramic potion containers that created eerie sounds when wind passed through. The house was demolished in 1999.
Death and burial
Pinkard passed away in 1934, with tuberculosis frequently cited as the cause; however, his death certificate indicates liver cancer. He was laid to rest in an unmarked plot at Byrdview Cemetery, located in Franklin County, Virginia. Throughout his life, Pinkard remained a devoted member of the Bethel AME church in Rocky Mount, Virginia.
Bibliography
- Blankenship, Michael E. Dr. John Henry Pinkard: African American Legend of Franklin County and the Roanoke Valley. Rocky Mount, Virginia: Franklin County Historical Society, 2015.
- Blankenship, Michael E. 2006. "John Henry Pinkard and the African-American Banks of Roanoke". Journal of the History Museum and Historical Society of Western Virginia. 16, no. 2: 46-50.
- Blankenship, Michael. Dr. John Henry Pinkard: African American Legend of the Roanoke Valley : an Exhibit Honoring the Life and Career of Dr. Pinkard. Roanoke, VA: Harrison Museum of African American Culture, 2006.
- Dew, W. D., and Andrew J. Oliver. Biographical Sketch of the Life, Work and Medical Skill of Dr. John Henry Pinkard, Roanoke, Virginia. [Roanoke, Va.], 1920.
- "Dr. John Henry Pinkard." Roanoke Times. Discover History & Heritage: Exploring the People and Places of Southwest Virginia. 2015.
- Jones, G. Robert. Dr. John H. Pinkard: A Negro Medical Genius. Suffolk, Va: The Stone Printing and MFG. Co, 1920.
- "John H. Pinkard Dies at Home on Rocky Mount Road." Roanoke Times. January 8, 1934.
- "Recalling the Yarb Doctor." By Kevin Kittredge. Roanoke Times. July 18, 2006.