Reflections- Georgia African American Historic Preservation Network, Vol. 13, no. 4 (Feb.-Mar. 2013)

Volume XIII, No. 4 February/March 2017
Corey Rogers, Chief Historian
Lucy Craft Laney Museum of Black History, Augusta
with introduction by Melissa Jest, African American Programs Coordinator, HPD
Preserving A Historic Haven: The Walker Home
The modest two-story frame house that served as the
home of Reverend Charles Thomas (C.T.) Walker
stands quietly on the bustling boulevard that bears his
name near downtown Augusta. One could imagine it
was a quiet respite for the preacher who drew crowds
and became know as the Black Spurgeon for his dynamic
oratory.
Although the home long
ago passed out of the
ownership of the Walker
family, Historic Augusta
Foundation, Inc. (HAF)
worked with heirs of a
later owner for several
years to prepare the
property for preservation.
Last fall, HAF purchased
the home. It will
move forward to
rehabilitate the house
and to help stabilize the
neighborhood. Located
at 1011 Laney-Walker Boulevard.
the Walker home is a contributing
structure within the Laney-Walker North National
Register Historic District. Rev. C.T. Walker lived here
from about 1905 until his death in 1921 when the street
was known as Gwinnett Street. His widow, Mrs. Violet Q.
Franklin Walker, remained there until her death in 1928.
This home joins many local tributes to Walker such as the
first African American Legion in Augusta, C.T. Walker
Elementary School; Gwinnett Street renamed LaneyWalker Boulevard in 1976.
Rev. C.T. Walker was born on February 5, 1858, near
Hephzibah, Georgia to Thomas and Hannah Walker.
Although his father died
the day before he was born,
Walker was surrounded
by an extended family that
not only assisted in his
upbringing, but also served
as role models that would
inspire his spiritual and
professional life.
On October 1, 1877, at
the age of 19, he was
called to pastor Franklin
Covenant Baptist Church in
Hephzibah. Between 1877
and 1885, Reverend Walker
would lead no less thank
seven different congregations. In 1883
he accepted the call to Central African
Baptist Church in Augusta. Many of the members were
impressed with the young, charismatic minister who was,
“quiet of demeanor and graceful in movement;
Continued on Page 6
The Walker home on Laney-Walker Blvd
Courtesy of The Georgia Trust
2
Gordon County’s Gift To The World: Remembering Roland Hayes
Chris Hillyard, The Daily Citizen, Dalton, GA
From humble beginnings
as the son of a former
slave in Curryville, Georgia
to performing on some of
the world’s most famous
stages as the world’s first
internationally renowned
African-American concert
singer, Roland Hayes never
stopping persevering.
The lyric tenor rose to fame
early in the 20th century
and eventually became the
highest paid singer in the
world in the 1920s. Hayes
has been memorialized in
many ways, including an
induction into the Georgia
Music Hall of Fame in 1991. The Roland Hayes Museum
at the Harris Arts Center in Calhoun also stands as a
tribute to his life.
Despite all his success, he never forgot his roots in
Gordon County. And though many who live here now
may not know of him or his accomplishments, to those
that do, he is a marvel. “I think Roland Hayes is such
treasure for Calhoun and Gordon County,” Harris Arts
Center’s Executive Director, Toni Molleson, said. “His life
is so inspirational. I think so many people do not know
who he is, and you probably wouldn’t if you don’t have a
music or a historical background. He had such humble
beginnings and he persevered his whole life to follow his
dreams.”
Those that do know Hayes’ story likely remember him
because of his skills as a performer. Others simply
remember him as a loving uncle who would come visit
every summer.
“He was a great person to know,” his nephew, Robert
Hayes, said. “Each year he would come down when he
had his summer place (in Curryville). We would see
this big black car coming up the driveway and knew it
was him. We would all go running out to see him. But
whatever we were doing around the farm, he would jump
right in and start helping us.”
Hayes was born in Curryville in 1887 to Fanny and
William Hayes and lived there on the plantation where his
mother had once been a slave. Roland’s father was a music
teacher and was an accomplished hunter with a propensity for
mimicking animal sounds. Molleson believes that talent was
passed down to Hayes and was something that helped him
learn to sing in seven different languages later in his career.
“That’s my personal favorite story about Roland,” Molleson
said. “I think that must have helped him have his wonderful
ear for languages. It’s a small thing but I like that fact.”
Robert Hayes remembers fondly the first time he heard
his uncle perform. “The first time I heard him sing was at
Calhoun High School,” he said. “I was six-years-old and he
sang in the auditorium there. I thought it was so wonderful. I
thought it was one of the greatest things I had ever heard.”
Hayes’ father passed away when he was 11, and his mother
moved the family to Chattanooga. He began receiving singing
lessons and would go on to study music at Fisk University in
Nashville, despite the fact he only had sixth grade education.
Hayes then pursued a career in Boston where he received
further instruction and eventually began to arrange his own
music and perform in the northeast.
However, despite sold out venues and financial success, Hayes’
reputation was prevented from flourishing because of race
relations in the United States. Looking for a way to build his
success, he traveled
to Europe in 1920.
For the next three
years he traveled
from country to
country and even
received a summons
from King George
V to perform at
Buckingham Palace
in London.
Once he received
acclaim overseas,
Hayes was more
well received in the
United States.
But another of
Molleson’s favorite
Roland Hayes
Courtesy of Harris Arts Center
Fanny Hayes, called “Angel Mo” by Hayes
Courtesy of Harris Arts Center
3
stories about Hayes occurred in Germany in 1924 when
Hayes encountered a hostile audience.
“One concert in Germany he was booed for a very long
time, almost 10 minutes,” Molleson said. “But he was so
brave and did
not move until
the crowd
hushed. They
changed the
order of his
program and
he sang his first
song in perfect
German.
They were
astonished
and gave him
a standing
ovation and he
had them from
then on.”
Hayes never abandoned his roots and would often
incorporate spirituals he was taught as a child into his
concerts. These songs helped him gain popularity as a
significant portion of his audiences, which were usually
segregated, had never heard them. But, it also kept him tied
to his humble beginnings.
As he became the highest paid musician in the world, Hayes
bought the 623 acre farm in Curryville where he had lived
as a child in 1927. Robert remembers the place fondly.
Unfortunately, even being a performer and aristocrat of
Hayes’ status, he wasn’t immune to the time period. Robert
was alive and remembers one such incident in 1942.
“He and his wife went to this shoe store in Rome and she
wanted to sit down under a fan,” Robert Hayes said. “But
they didn’t want her to sit there because people of color
wasn’t allowed to sit there. They called the police and put
her and (Roland) in jail. The word got out and the governor
made sure they was released. I was about eight when that
happened.”
In addition to being arrested, Hayes was beaten by police
while in custody. Soon after, he sold his property in
Curryville.
Hayes continued to teach and work in Boston, but sparsely
performed from the 1940s through the 1970s. Instead,
he gave freely of his time and knowledge in order to
mentor younger musicians and to raise funds for different
foundations. He performed for the final time in Cambridge,
Mass. in 1973 and died January 1, 1977.
Hayes was posthumously inducted into the Georgia Music
Hall of Fame in 1991 and is remembered as one of the
greatest African-American concert performers ever. To
have gone so far in his career and in his life was remarkable
considering where he came from. That’s what resonates the
most with his nephew, who still lives near that quiet place in
Curryville.
“He grew up less than an eighth of a mile from where I live
right now,” Robert Hayes said. “To grow up in a farm like
that and to get to the place where he was, that’s wonderful.
That shows that perseverance and hard work will get you a
long way if you don’t give up.”
Hayes is the first African American classical singer to have a
career on the interenational concert stage. His remarkable
story is featured in the Roland Hayes museum at the Harris
Arts Center in Calhoun. Admission is free. Guided tours
available with a reservation; please contact the Harris Arts
Center at cgarts1@bellsouth.net.
This article was originally published in Jan/Feb 2017 issue of
Calhoun Magazine, a bimonthly publication of the North Georgia
Magazine, a locally operated part of Community Newspapers
Holdings, Inc.
Roland Hayes at Royal Albert Hall, London
Another Nickel In The Machine.com
Hayes with wife Helen Alzada Mann and daughter Afrika
Detroit Public Library Digital Collection
4
Destination: Equality -- Integrating St. Andrews Sound
on Jekyll Island
“Travel is fatal to prejudice, bigotry, and narrowmindedness, and many of our people need it sorely on
these accounts. Broad, wholesome, charitable views of
men and things cannot be acquired by vegetating in one
little corner of the earth all one’s lifetime.”
--Mark Twain, The Innocents Abroad/ Roughing It
Vacationing at the beach or taking a family on a
road trip free of violence and harassment was a
rarity for African Americans in the 1940s and the 1950s.
African Americans who wanted to enjoy a vacation with
their families often had to utilize word of mouth to find
accommodations that would be available to them.
This led an African American U.S. postal worker, Victor
Hugo Green, from Harlem, New York, to create travel
guides, known as “The Negro Motorist Green Book” or
just “Green Book” for short.1
Green was able to gather information on travel
conditions in various
states from other
African American
postal workers
nationwide.
These postal workers
would identify
businesses that were
either owned and
operated by African
Americans or accepted
African American
patrons. Green got
the idea for a travel
guide from seeing
Jewish travel books.
Green books helped
to identify “sundown towns,” areas that were typically
all white and that used violence and intimidation to
enforce segregation.2
There were Georgia businesses listed in the Green
1 To learn more visit: https://digitalcollections.nypl.org/collections/the-green-book#/?tab=about
2 To learn more visit: http://sundown.tougaloo.edu/sundowntowns.php
Book, one in particular was the Dolphin Club and Motor Hotel
located on Jekyll Island.
In 1956, African American residents from coastal Georgia
created the St. Andrews Beach Corporation to develop the hotel
and club after learning of inadequate facilities for blacks on the
island. The corporation included successful African American
investors from the mainland, and by 1959 the hotel was open to
visitors.
The hotel offered 58 rooms for $8.50 a night. The resort offered a
club and restaurant that consisted of two private dining areas, a
kitchen, dining room, and a night club.
Jekyll Island still lacked adequate accommodations for African
American visitors. In an
effort to force the Jekyll
Island Authority to provide
convention space, an
African American dentist
of Brunswick, Dr. J. Clinton
Wilkes, invited the Black
Dental Association of
Georgia to meet in 1960.
Prior to this planned
conference, the island did
not have a meeting space
designated for African
Americans.
The Dolphin Motor Hotel, c. 1950s
Tyler Bagwell/ Jekyll Island History,com
Kayla Morris, African American Programs Assistant
Historic Preservation Division
1956 Green Book
Courtesy of Candacy Taylor
Dr. James Clinton Wilkes
Savannah Morning News
5
disembarked at St. Andrews Beach. There is a monument
to the African captives, and the survivors that were sold into
slavery.
Upright information panels, in the shape of boat sails,
include photographes of survivors whose children went
onto settle in nearby communities such as St. Simons Island
and Savannah.
Today, as many more discover Jekyll Island, the hope is
that the Jekyll Island Authority will continue to identify
its African American resources like the site of the Dolphin
Club and Hotel, St. Andrews Auditorium that tell a more
full history of Jekyll Island.
St. Andrews holds important stories of both the Africans
brought to Jekyll Island, and of their descendants who
continued the fight for freedom.
In about one month, the Jekyll Island Authority built a oneroom tin structure called the St. Andrews Auditorium.
The creation of the Dolphin resort and the St. Andrews
Auditorium brought along the development of an African
American neighborhood in this area now known as historic
St. Andrews Beach. The neighborhood contained vacation
rentals and personal homes of African Americans in the
area, who wished to combat ‘Jim Crow’ segregation by living
on the island. Dr. Wilkes built a home in the St. Andrews
subdivision in 1964.
The Dolphin Club and Lounge provided entertainment to
African Americans who visited Jekyll. As part of the Chitlin’
Circuit, the club held performances by B.B. King, Millie
Jackson, Clarence Carter, and Percy Sledge. The Chitlin’
Circuit is the collective name for nightclubs and venues in
the eastern, southern, and upper Midwest America that
allowed black performers during legalized segregation.
In 1960 the Dolphin was taken over by Dave Jackson of
Adel, GA, who ran the business with his family. Though
the resort was popular, the Dolphin Club and Motor
Hotel began to lose visitors once integration occurred. It
eventually closed in 1966.
The location of the
Dolphin Club and
Motor Hotel is now
used as an extension
site of the University
of Georgia, and as
Camp Jekyll for the
4-H Club. Some
of the structures
on the campus are
still standing, and
have been recently
renovated, to house
visitors of UGA and
Camp Jekyll.3
St. Andrews Beach
is also the site of the
1858 landing of the
illegal slaveship, The
Wanderer. Reports
say 409 of 490 captives survived the journey and were
3 Historic Information on Historic St. Andrews, Jekyll Island
from Benjamin Allen’s “Black Series: Glynn County, Georgia”
and Tyler E. Bagwell’s “Triumphs and Challenges: The Segregation Years of Jekyll Island”
Annabelle Robinson and Dave Jackson
(courtesy of Judge Isaac and Vernice
Jenrette) Jeykyll Island History.com
Educational panels stand throughout the former Dolphin site.
Melissa Jest/Historic Preservation Divison
The Wanderer Memorial was installed in 2008
Melissa Jest/ Historic Preservation Divison
6
Preserving A Historic Haven: The Walker Home
Corey Rogers, continued from page 1
with a sweet, clear orotund
voice, enunciating every word
distinctly.” His popularity
and scholarly background
however put him at odds
with members of the church
that favored a preacher with
a more “old school” delivery
in the pulpit. This attitude of
some members, along with
other internal issues at the
church, led to a division where
half the church chose to follow
Reverend Walker and leave
Central African Church.
On August 21, 1885, he and several members formally of
Central African Baptist Church met in the fellowship hall of
Union Baptist Church and organized Bulah Baptist Church,
later changed to Tabernacle Baptist Church. In December of
that year the church family moved into their first permanent
location, with ministers from all over the state coming to
Augusta to take part in the inaugural festivities. One of the
three ministers that preached on the first day the church
opened its doors was Reverend Emmanuel K. Love, pastor of
First African Baptist Church in Savannah and a good friend
and classmate of Reverend Walker at the Augusta Baptist
Institute.
Reverend Walker created an excitement throughout the
city. People from all over the Augusta would venture to
the church every Sunday to hear his dynamic oratory
and Biblical understanding. Soon speaking engagements
poured in from around the city, region, state, and country.
After the speaking engagements came offers from churches
for Reverend Walker to leave Tabernacle and lead their
church. Reverend Walker stood firm in his pursuit to grow
Tabernacle and declined all of the offers early on.
In 1891 Reverend Walker decided to take a three month
leave and travel to Jerusalem. During his pilgrimage to the
Holy Land, Walker made a lengthy stay in London, England
and connected with well known 19th century theologian
Charles Spurgeon. After the meeting with Reverend
Spurgeon many on this side of the pond began referring to
Walker as the “Black Spurgeon.”
In 1898 Reverend Walker, appointed by President William
McKinley, served as a Chaplain in Cuba during the
Spanish-American War. Upon his return from Cuba
thousands of Augustans packed the church and many
more stood outside to hear of Walker’s exploits in a
foreign land.
In 1899 Walker welcomed his good friend Booker T.
Washington to Augusta. When Walker introduced
Washington he referred to Mr. Washington as the “Moses
of the Colored Race.” That same year Walker opted for a
change and announced his resignation from Tabernacle
to become pastor of Mount Olivet Baptist Church in
New York City. Rising up to become Reverend Walker’s
successor was his business partner and dear friend
Reverend Silas Xavier Floyd. Reverend Floyd was pastor
of Tabernacle until Reverend Walker’s return in 1902.
During his tenure at Mount Olivet Reverend Walker
became just as popular as he was in Augusta. He became
acquainted with John D. Rockefeller while in New
York. Mr. Rockefeller would visit Reverend Walker at
Tabernacle thrice between 1907 and 1908. Walker also
established the first colored YMCA in Harlem during his
time in New York. While in New York Reverend Walker
made frequent
trips to Augusta
for various
reasons. One in
particular was to
raise money for
the Tabernacle
Colored Old Folks
Home, a home
he set up for the
comfort of elderly
former slaves (pictured above).
Reverend Walker would permanently return to Augusta
in 1902. His second stint at Tabernacle was just as
productive as his first. He served as moderator of the
region-wide Walker Baptist Association for many years.
Through the auspices of the Walker Baptist Association,
he spearheaded the founding of the private boarding
school Walker Baptist Institute, which spawned numerous
pioneering leaders in education, religious ministry,
journalism, politics, medicine, social work, and business.
Walker also was a general manager for the Pilgrim Health
and Life Insurance Company.
Rev. Charles Thomas Walker
Courtesy of Lucy Craft Laney
Museum
7

Morgan County Exhibit Open Through April
The 2017 exhibit “In
Plain View: African
American Women
Entrepreneurs of
Morgan County”
honors Jessie Andrews
and Anna Charleston
and the legacy of Black
land ownership.
MCAAM presents
this compilation of photographs, memorabilia and
artifacts in honor of these ancestors, descendants of
the Lowe, Charleston and Andrew families and the
Plainview Community.
Morgan County African American Museum
156 Academy Street | Madison, Georgia 30650
706-342-9191 | http://mcaam.org
Photo credit: MCAAM
Announcements
Beulah Rucker Living History Play April 30
Actor Jonathan S.E.
Perkins portrays
exemplar Dr.
Emmitt Ethridge
Butler in a one-man
play on April 30,
2017 in The Burd
Ctr/ The Hosch
Theatre of the
Brenau University.
The Beulah Rucker Museum and the Northeast
Georgia History Center bring living history to the
stage in Gainesville. For tickets, contact Mr. Rojene
Bailey at brmuseum1@gmail.com or 404/401-6589
The Beulah Rucker Museum
2101 Athens Highway | Gainesville, GA 30507
404-401-6589 | www.beulahruckermuseum.org

Photo credit: Waymarking.com
State WWI Centennial Seeks Missing Names
Georgia’s WWI
Memorial Book of 1921
contained names of
about 1,200 Georgia
military personnel that
died serving in World
War I. However, African
American soldiers are
missing.
To commemorate WWI,
the Georgia WWI Centennial Commission seeks
names and data for an expanded Memorial Book.
Please contact Lamar Veatch at lamar.veatch@usg.edu
and visit their searchable database at ww1cc.org/ga.
Georgia WWI Centennial Commission
University System of Georgia | 4270 Washington St.S.W.
Atlanta, GA 30334 | 770-274-5117
Photo credit: GWWICC/Shiloh Bpatist, Milledgeville GA
SAVE THE DATE : Statewide Historic
Preservation Conference May 18th - 20th
Calling all preservation
advocates and
colleagues to the
2017 Georgia
Historic Preservation
Conference in Madison.
Georgia HPD and its
partners plan two days
of informative sessions,
interactive tours, and
useful networking opportuntiies at the James
Madison Inn & Conference Center. Please visit
http://www.georgiashpo.org/StatewideConference
Georgia Historic Preservation Division
2610 Georgia Highway 155 SW
Stockbridge , GA 31792 | 770-389-7844
Photo credit: HPD/Melissa Jest
The Georgia African American Historic Preservation Network (GAAHPN)
was established in January 1989. It is composed of representatives from
neighborhood organizations and preservation groups. GAAHPN was formed in
response to a growing interest in preserving the cultural and built diversity of Georgia’s
African American heritage. This interest has translated into a number of efforts
which emphasize greater recognition of African American culture and contributions
to Georgia’s history. The GAAHPN Steering Committee plans and implements ways
to develop programs that will foster heritage education, neighborhood revitalization,
and support community and economic development.
The Network is an informal group of over 3,000 people who have an interest in
preservation. Members are briefed on the status of current and planned projects and
are encouraged to offer ideas, comments and suggestions. The meetings provide
an opportunity to share and learn from the preservation experience of others and to
receive technical information through workshops. Members receive a newsletter,
Reflections, produced by the Network. Visit the Historic Preservation Division
website at www.georgiashpo.org. Preservation information and previous issues of
Reflections are available online. Membership in the Network is free and open to all.
About GAAHPN
This publication has been financed in part with federal
funds from the National Park Service, Department of
the Interior, through the Historic Preservation Division,
Georgia Department of Natural Resources. The contents
and opinions do not necessarily reflect the views or
policies of the Department of the Interior, nor does
the mention of trade names, commercial products or
consultants constitute endorsement or recommendation by
the Department of the Interior or the Georgia Department
of Natural Resources. The Department of the Interior
prohibits discrimination on the basis of race, color,
national origin, or disability in its federally assisted
programs. If you believe you have been discriminated
against in any program, activity, or facility, or if you desire
more information, write to: Office for Equal Opportunity,
National Park Service, 1849 C Street, NW, Washington,
D.C. 20240.
Published quarterly by the
Historic Preservation Division
Georgia Department of Natural Resources
Dr. David Crass, Division Director
Melissa Jest, Editor
Velmon Allen
Jeanne Cyriaque
Lillian Davis
Barbara Golden
Terry Hayes
Richard Laub
Isaac Johnson, Chair
Dr. Gerald Golden, Vice-Chair
Steering Committee
Isaac Johnson
Chairman
Melissa Jest
African American
Programs Coordinator
Reflections Editor
Voice 770/389-7870
Fax 770/389-7878
melissa.jest@dnr.ga.gov
Staff
8
Since its first issue appeared in December 2000, Reflections has documented
hundreds of Georgia’s African American historic resources. Now all of these
articles are available on the Historic Preservation Division website
www.georgiashpo.org. Search for links to your topic by categories:
cemeteries, churches, districts, farms, lodges, medical, people, places,
schools, and theatres. You can now subscribe to Reflections from the
homepage. Reflections is a recipient of a Leadership in History Award from
the American Association for State and Local History.
About Reflections
Kayla Morris
African American
Programs Assistant
Voice 770/389-7879
Fax 770/389-7878
kayla.morris@dnr.ga.gov