Believing the skirmish had ended, the Spanish stacked their rifles
and began preparations for an evening meal. The British, aided by
Scottish Highlanders and Indians, led a surprise attack known as
the “Battle of Bloody Marsh.” The site of this battle, the fort, and
the town are today part of the Fort Frederica National Monument
on St. Simons Island.
After their defeat at
Bloody Marsh, the Spanish
destroyed Fort St. Simon and
returned to St. Augustine,
while the British assumed
control of the Georgia coast.
In 1748, following a treaty
between England and Spain,
Fort Frederica’s military role
was diminished, and most
inhabitants left the island to
settle on the mainland.
Several plantation
owners remained on St. Simons
to expand their estates. Captain
Raymond Demere was left in
command of the reduced
garrison. His home was known
as Harrington Hall, and the
settlement that developed
nearby was called Harrington.
Retreat plantation was the
property of Major William Page,
and subsequently Thomas Butler King. Captain Gascoigne
established his plantation near a bluff downriver from Frederica.
Gascoigne Bluff was a major wharf, and James Hamilton acquired
this property and amassed a fortune through shipping and
agriculture. When Hamilton left St. Simons, James Hamilton
Couper purchased his plantation, while John Couper acquired
Cannons Point.
PRESERVING AFRICAN AMERICAN HERITAGE ON ST. SIMONS ISLAND
Volume II, No. 4 September 2002
A Program of the Historic Preservation Division, Georgia Department of Natural Resources
continued on page 2
St. Simons is one of several islands that form a natural barrier
to the Atlantic Ocean. These “sea islands” extend from the
coastal region in North and South Carolina through Georgia,
into northern Florida. In Georgia, they are often called “the golden
isles” due to their yellow marshlands, immersed between an intricate
system of rivers and inlets separating them from the mainland and
the sea.
Several centuries ago,
Creek Indians settled on St.
Simons, naming their village
Asao. By the 1500s, Spanish
explorers had established three
missions on Asao, and one of
these missions was named San
Simon. When James Edward
Oglethorpe began the settlement
of Georgia in 1733, he chose St.
Simons to build forts to protect
the colonists. On the south end
of the island, he built Fort St.
Simon. On the west side of the
island, Oglethorpe selected a
site near a river bend that
provided a natural vantage
point against invasion. Fort
Frederica, the river, and the town
within its walls were all named
in honor of Frederick, Prince of
Wales. A diverse population of
British, German and Scottish settlers built Fort Frederica. Each
colonist had a 50-acre homestead, while wealthier settlers received
land grants that were developed into plantations near the town.
In 1742, Spanish forces invaded the Georgia coast, and
Oglethorpe ordered the colonists to abandon Fort St. Simon and
retreat to Fort Frederica. After easily capturing Fort St. Simon, the
Spanish fought a British platoon that retreated into the woods.
This cottage in the Harrington community is the office of the St. Simons
African American Heritage Coalition. The office lies on a nine-acre site
known as the Sullivan tract. It was donated to the Coalition by Emory
Rooks and Judith Stevens, descendants of Ben and Mary Sullivan. In the
1930s, the Georgia Writers Project documented Ben Sullivan’s African
ancestry in Drums and Shadows. Photo by Jeanne Cyriaque
First African Baptist Church was founded
in 1859. Photo by Jeanne Cyriaque
2
continued from page 1
PRESERVING AFRICAN AMERICAN HERITAGE ON ST. SIMONS ISLAND
These planters developed large plantations and imported
slaves to toil rich fields of indigo and rice, crops grown in West
Africa. The planters experimented with these crops, but ultimately
they developed a variety of long-staple (sea island) cotton,
conducive to production in the semi-tropical climate and sandy soil
on St. Simons. The enslaved Africans produced the crop with little
supervision, as the planters and their immediate families were often
the only whites present, and few could afford an overseer. The
continued growth of a predominant African population in isolation
led to the preservation of African language and customs.
Separated by the sea and salt marshes, these West
Africans and their African American descendants maintained West
African traditions including language, folklore, arts, and crafts
through a creole culture and language known as Gullah, or Geechee
in Georgia. In 1999, U.S. Congressman James Clyburn of South
Carolina introduced enabling legislation leading to a three-year,
special resource study of this endangered culture by the National
Park Service (NPS). The study area extends from North Carolina to
Florida, including Gullah communities in South Carolina and Geechee
communities along the Georgia coast. In 2000, NPS held a series of
meetings in neighboring states, St. Simons Island, and Savannah
to gain community input for documentation of the Gullah/Geechee
culture. NPS has completed extensive demographic analyses and
gathered oral histories from study area communities. Also, NPS
completed a historic resource inventory and mapped sites. This
information, along with analysis of 2000 U.S. Census information,
and input from additional community meetings, will be presented to
Congress in March 2003.
These ruins were once the hospital for the slaves of
Retreat plantation.
 Photo courtesy of the National Park Service
This Retreat plantation slave cabin is a gift shop
today on St. Simons Island. Photo by Jeanne Cyriaque
 By the 19th century, both the Georgia and U.S.
Constitutions prohibited slavery, but the illegal slave trade
continued to flourish. Slave ships could easily avoid detection in
the rivers and isolated marshes of the coastal region. In 1803, the
York landed at Dunbar Creek on St. Simons with captured Africans.
The 75 Igbo (Ibo) tribesmen rebelled, and walked back into the
creek in their chains. At least 13 Igbos drowned in this act of
defiance at Ibo Landing. As late as 1858, the Wanderer, another
slave ship, brought Africans to St. Simons.
When the Civil War ended, the Union Army destroyed the
plantations of St. Simons, but many of the new freedmen had remained,
or returned home. On January 16, 1865, General William T. Sherman’s
Special Field Order No. 15 set aside land for the former enslaved
Africans. President Andrew Johnson rescinded the order eight months
later, but many freedmen on
St. Simons held on to their
property, passing it on to
their African American
descendants.
Freedmen from
Cannons Point plantation
and Captain Demere’s
Harrington Hall estate settled
in the Harrington community.
Their single-story residences
were set back from the road
on wooded lots. The
residents used the adjacent
salt marshes for baptisms,
fishing and recreation in an
area known as the Camp.
They soon established the
First African Baptist Church.
Other freedmen settled in
South End on land from the
former Retreat plantation.
Amid majestic oak trees draped by moss, these residents built
bungalows, businesses, and Emanuel Baptist Church.
During Reconstruction, some freedmen settled in a
community across from the former Hamilton plantation property
near Gascoigne Bluff. In 1876, the Dodge-Meigs Lumber Company
purchased the plantation, developing it for a timber mill. The mill
employed both African
American and white
residents. Jewish brothers
Sig and Robert Levison
established a store in the
community, and it became
known as Jewtown. Within
ten years, the timber supply
was depleted, and St.
Simons began a new era as
a resort community.
Emanuel Baptist Church was founded in
1890 to serve African American residents
of South End. Photo by Jeanne Cyriaque
Since 1800, slaves and their descendants
were buried in the King cemetery. This
sacred place lies on the grounds of the
Sea Island golf course today.
Photo courtesy of the National Park Service
3
At first, summer
vacationers, mainly from
Brunswick, reached St.
Simons by boat. In 1924,
the Torras causeway was
built, making the island more
accessible, and within ten
years, the airport was
completed. Newcomers flocked to St. Simons, and summer homes
became subdivisions with permanent residences. Howard E. Coffin,
a Detroit automobile magnate, purchased Retreat plantation, and
developed it as a golf resort. Coffin was an owner of Sapelo Island
and eventually developed the Cloister on Sea Island.
By 2000, the population of St. Simons had increased to
13,381, and the traditional African American communities of
Jewtown, Harrington and
South End became potential
sites for new residential
developments. Within the last
decade, owners of “heirs”
property in these communities
were offered $40,000 - $50,000
for their homes, and new
developments soon replaced
them with $250,000 estates.
Due to increased taxes and
insensitive development, the
African American population
on the island dwindled from
631 residents in 1990 to 494 in
the last census, a 27.7% decrease.
Because of continuous encroachment in their communities,
100 residents organized a biracial coalition to save their historic
resources and educate property owners. Since 2000, the St. Simons
African American Heritage Coalition (the Coalition) has implemented
several initiatives and partnerships to preserve their endangered
communities. The Coalition conducted workshops to provide
information to the community
about managing “heirs”
property. They organized
summer programs for youth,
educating them about St.
Simons and other African
American historic resources on
Florida’s American Beach and
South Carolina’s Penn Center.
They collaborated with the
Coastal Georgia Historical
Society to document African
American heritage on St.
Simons.
In January 2002, the
National Trust for Historic
Preservation chose St. Simons
as a working laboratory for
Preservation Leadership
Training (PLT) participants.
Amy Roberts, executive
director of the Coalition, and
Ruthie Cobb, Jewtown
resident and vice president
of the Coalition, joined a national team of preservationists for PLT.
Shirley Roberts, a Harrington resident and president of the
Coalition’s board of directors, organized tours and meetings at
historic African American resources. During this one-week
intensive training program, the participants organized into teams,
interviewed government and business representatives, and
developed strategies and reports to recommend preservation
solutions to assist the Coalition. Team projects included
development of an African American heritage tourism plan and
strategies for growth management, including zoning and land use.
In May 2002, the Coalition sponsored “Old Fashion Day”
on the grounds of the Sullivan tract near their office in the Harrington
community. By August, the Coalition revived the Georgia Sea Island
Festival to promote heritage tourism. The festival featured traditional
Gullah/Geechee arts and crafts, food, and musical performances,
including the Georgia Sea Island Singers. The group performs
African influenced plantation slave songs. Lydia Parrish, a white
St. Simons resident, preserved their music in her 1942 book, Slave
Songs of the Georgia Sea Islands. In 1948, Alan Lomax, filmmaker
and folklorist, organized the group, led by Bessie Jones, a Georgia
native. The Georgia Sea
Island Singers achieved
national acclaim with
appearances at the Newport
Festival and Carnegie Hall.
Bessie Jones died in 1984, but
Doug and Frankie Quimby
continue her legacy,
preserving sea island music
into the 21st century.
The St. Simons
African American Heritage
Coalition achieved another
milestone in August 2002
when they were certified as
a 501 (c) (3) nonprofit
organization. With this
additional tool, the Coalition
continues their partnerships
with local preservation
organizations to “educate,
preserve, and revitalize
African American heritage
and culture.” For membership
and information, visit the
Coalition website: www.ssafricanamerheritage.org or call
them at 912/634-0330.
Hazel’s Cafe provided meals for
vactioners on St. Simons. Today it is used
for banquets. Photo by Jeanne Cyriaque
This South End boarding house
provided lodging for African
American domestic workers during
the St. Simons resort era.
 Photo by Jeanne Cyriaque
“Don’t Ask, Won’t Sell” signs are
posted on properties throughout
endangered communities by
members of the St. Simons African
American Heritage Coalition.
Photo courtesy of the National Park Service
Frankie and Doug Quimby lead the
Georgia Sea Island Singers.
Photo courtesy of the National Park Service
The St. Simons lighthouse greets visitors
to the island. Photo by Jeanne Cyriaque
In 1868, the state legislature incorporated the town of West
End, created from the old White Hall crossroad community. Since
its beginning, West End had a main street and adjacent grid pattern
streets. The original developers built West End to support their
streetcar line. West End is the southern point on the Peachtree
Ridge line. Consequently, today if you are walking or driving an
auto in West End, you can make three right turns and end up exactly
where you started. By 1870, in the first census that counted African
Americans as U.S. citizens, fully one-half of West End’s population
was colored, and the other half was white.
I
n the West End neighborhood in Atlanta, where I have lived
since 1974, there exists an excitement - a sense and continuity of
place and community. There is a sufficient amount of intact cultural
and built fabric that serves as a basic guide for revitalization efforts.
This is remarkable when you understand all that has happened to
West End in the past 165 years. Let’s examine West End’s story.
In 1835, the old White Hall
(now known as West End) resulted from
the Indian cession of the1820s, and was
part of old DeKalb County, as Fulton
County was not created until 1853. The
area was named after a two-story
building painted white when most
buildings of the period were unpainted.
White Hall was the stagecoach stop,
tavern, post office, home of the 530th
Militia District, and election precinct. It
was located at the convergence of three
old Indian Trails.
White Hall was situated on a
portion of the old Indian trail named the
Stone Mountain/Sandtown Trail. The
trail branched to Augusta and included
Stone Mountain, the DeKalb County
seat in Decatur, and Five Points at
Underground Atlanta. From Five Points,
a portion of the trail included White
Hall; this portion was renamed for the building. The Sandtown
portion of the trail was the main route from the Creek Indian Village
of the same name on the Chattahoochee River. The Stone Mountain
trail intersected the Sandtown trail as they both converged at White
Hall. These trails were part of an elaborate network of Indian
“trading routes” that crossed early Georgia. The routes connected
Augusta and Charles Town (Charleston).
Between 1835
and 1868, the demands
of the railroad provided
the White Hall area with
significant potential for
future growth. Before
the Civil War, the tracks
led to mercantile houses
and depots in Atlanta,
and carried food and
cotton to the seaport of
Savannah. After the
war, during the period of
federal occupation and
town rebuilding, the
rebuilt railroad tracks
provided access to the
McPherson Barracks
for federal troops.
4
YOUR VISION, YOUR MEMORY, YOUR CHALLENGE:
PRESERVATION IS GOOD FOR YOUR AFRICAN AMERICAN NEIGHBORHOOD REVITALIZATION
Karl Webster Barnes, Chairman
Georgia African American Historic Preservation Network
The block that was once the site of the old
White Hall tavern is featured in this circa
1950 photo. A branch of the First National
Bank was located at the intersection of
Ralph David Abernathy Boulevard (formerly
Gordon Street) and Lee Street. Photo
courtesy of Georgia State University Archives.
The north end of West End housed federal troops and the
freedmen who lived near McPherson Barracks. In 1886, shortly
after the end of Reconstruction, the barracks moved two miles south
and became Fort McPherson. The old barracks became the home
of the Spelman Seminary for Colored Females. The streetcar
developers excluded the north end from the new residential village
of West End, and West End Avenue, a 56ft. wide street, was the
racial dividing line. On January 1 1894, West End was no longer a
separate village, as it was annexed into Atlanta.
West End has experienced many changes in land use and
zoning that impacted its cultural and built fabric. In the early 1910s,
Atlanta enacted its initial segregation ordinances, later declared
unconstitutional by the U.S. Supreme Court. Next, to ensure racial
segregation, the city engaged in new tactics involving land use,
building types, and tenant categories. This strategy controlled the
migration and growth of Atlanta’s African American community
and created barriers between white and black neighborhoods. In
West End, this plan kept African Americans north of West End
Avenue (south and west of Spelman College) and east of a proposed
North-South Parkway. The proposed parkway connector - a racial
Karl Webster Barnes,
GAAHPN chairman, has
lived in the West End
community for 28 years.
His assessment of this
Atlanta neighborhood led to
its local, state and national
designation as a historic
district. Barnes received a
MS in architecture from
Georgia Tech, and a MBA
from the Wharton School,
University of Pennsylvania.
This current view shows the historical plaque erected in 1937 at the site of
the old White Hall tavern and post office in West End. A Wachovia Bank
branch and the MARTA rail lines have replaced the First National Bank
branch and the old rail terminals. Photo by Jeanne Cyriaque
barrier - was planned to run
parallel to the railroad west
of the Washington High
School area at the Hunter
Street (presently M. L.
King, Jr. Blvd.) railroad
overpass. However, WWII
interceded. During this
period, Atlanta rezoned
West End from singlefamily residential to duplex
or two-family residential.
After WWII, the
city used numerous
roadway and land use
tactics (Urban Renewal
and Model Cities) to
manage the migration and
growth of the African
American community.
Although the north-south
parkway was partially
built (the Southwest
Connector), the postWWII federal interstate
highway program altered the concept. The Connector was a sixlane truck route that was planned to connect railroad freight yards
in northwest Atlanta to warehouses and the airport. Some of these
warehouses replaced two former West End golf courses.
The West Expressway (Interstate 20) replaced the parkway
connector concept for racial segregation. White citizens lived south
of I-20 (West End and southwest Atlanta) while black citizens resided
north of I-20 in the Washington High School area. Another buffer
was inserted between the interstate and the black community when
the city built a white public housing project (Joel Chandler Harris
Homes) in 1957. This public housing further separated West End
proper from its African American neighbors to the north. In addition
to race, this barrier introduced “class” into the equation.
5
continued on page 6
 All these programs significantly altered the cultural
landscape, economic, and built environment in West End, and had
a significant long-term impact to the city’s land use and
transportation policies. While these programs were altering or
destroying traditional African American neighborhoods and their
presence and connectivity to the urban memory, the strategies had
“unintended consequences.” White West Enders, protected by
the artificial southern and western boundary, moved out of the city
into suburbs, creating sprawl, and West End lost much of its sense
of place through time.
In 1974-75, when Atlanta developed its first Comprehensive
Development Ordinance, a new West End began to slowly take
shape. After years of minimal African American presence, the black
population again reached 50%. The new homeowner’s association,
West End Neighborhood Development (WEND) was formulated to
protect homeowner investments while preserving the local, regional,
and national significance and memory of the community’s cultural
landscape. When the Georgia General Assembly passed the
Georgia Historic Preservation Act in 1980 that established a
uniform procedure for use by counties and municipalities in
enacting ordinances to protect historic communities, WEND was
ready to act.
In 1989, WEND used Atlanta’s new preservation tool, with
the assistance of the Atlanta Preservation Center, The Georgia Trust,
and the Historic Preservation Division. We researched our history
and documented our building design and types, land uses and
zoning. We galvanized our neighbors and held public hearings on
the benefits of historic preservation. By 1991, WEND presented an
assessment to the Atlanta Urban Design Commission (AUDC).
The AUDC, the local historic planning commission, recommended
approval of the West End Historic District to the Atlanta City Council
in 1991. The West End District, with its architectural controls, overlay
zoning, and land use, was the first locally designated historic district
in the City of Atlanta under the new and strengthened 1989 historic
preservation ordinance. Subsequently, the West End Historic
District boundary was expanded, and placed on the Georgia Register.
These circa 1900-1930 Craftsman-style
bungalows are the most prevalent house
type in the West End Historic District.
 Photo by James R. Lockhart
On this West End block, a two-story
residence is adjacent to bungalows.
 Photo by James R. Lockhart
Ralph David Abernathy Blvd. (formerly Gordon Street) is the major business
corridor in the West End Historic District. Photo by James R. Lockhart
WEND placed a historical marker at the entrance
to Howell Park. The site is located on the former
estate of Evan P. Howell, mayor of Atlanta and owner
of “The Atlanta Constitution.” When he died in
1905, he bequeathed ten acres of land to the West
End community where he lived, and the site became
known as Howell Park.
 Photo by Jeanne Cyriaque
6
continued from page 5 YOUR VISION, YOUR MEMORY, YOUR CHALLENGE ...
In February 1999 the West End Historic District was placed on
the National Register. Local AUDC designation provided land
use, zoning and architectural guidelines. Through these local,
state, and national designations, the West End Historic District
was preserved.
Today, there are different decision-makers at the table;
however, they are slow in changing the region’s re-occurring themes.
All across Atlanta and Georgia, we are seeing a significant case of
removal of cultural memory. Traditional African American
neighborhoods are being systematically moved or removed from
their historical locations adjacent to town centers. Historical African
American neighborhoods are being marginalized and removed from
their historical locations at a time when the region is developing
strategies to increase heritage tourism. As preservationists, we can
and must make a difference in our neighborhoods and stop the
marginalization of African American memory from our cultural
landscape. Your involvement and influence in these redevelopment
discussions will benefit both your neighborhood and your
community’s anticipated town center’s economic revitalization.
Atlanta is not much different than most communities across
Georgia. Whether your community is a small town of 3,000 citizens
or a metropolitan area of 150,000, the only difference between your
community and this community is that Atlanta is comprised of
more neighborhoods. In fact, in some parts of the state, your
neighborhood may be larger than the West End neighborhood.
This neighborhood has a population of less than 5,000 citizens and
is located about 21/2 miles southwest of the Georgia State Capitol,
Fulton County Courthouse, Atlanta City Hall and the U.S.
Courthouse. Since the early 1980s, the West End has been the
gateway neighborhood adjacent to a prominent African American
community in southwest Atlanta.
WEND members recognize that West End is now our
neighborhood. We not only share the vision of its original
developers, we share their challenges. For our neighborhood to be
all that we want it to be, West End must be a site of our cultural
memory. We must identify, protect, enhance and perpetuate the
use of buildings and sites in the district. We must protect the
historic interest in and aesthetic value of our neighborhood. Thus,
we identified the benefits of designating West End a local historic
district and ensured its inclusion in the city’s Comprehensive
Development Plan.
The local West End District provides a means to ensure
that growth, development and change take place in ways that respect
important architectural, historical, and environmental
characteristics. Local designation encourages sensitive
development in the District and discourages unsympathetic changes
from occurring. In spite of the designation, West End still has
challenges. Today, we fight speculators that have no vision of a
“residential and commercial village,” and garden apartment
developers have flocked to our “undesignated” commercial area.
These developers have no sense or perspective of urban scale and
density. They build two-story suburban style walk-up apartments
with surface parking and amenities. They do not understand or
acknowledge that the West End Village is the southern portion of
Atlanta’s Central Business District and, like Midtown Atlanta is
the gateway to Buckhead, West End is the gateway to southwest
Atlanta. West End deserves the same quality and type of
development as you see in Midtown. The city and the Atlanta
Regional Commission should encourage mixed-use buildings that
surround parking decks. By using our local historic preservation
commission (AUDC), Georgia, and National Register designations
in documenting our neighborhood, WEND has initiated a successful
strategy to save our African American community’s spirit of place.
In the next issue of Reflections, a second article will
discuss current challenges and strategies the West End Historic
District is implementing to improve land use and transportation
initiatives to enhance the commercial corridor and surrounding
historic neighborhood.
Hammonds House is a gallery and resource center
for African American art. This Queen Anne-style
home was named to commemorate Dr. Otis T.
Hammonds, an African American physician who
renovated the former home of Madge Bigham,
furnishing it with 19th century antiques and African
American art. When Dr. Hammonds died in 1985,
Fulton County purchased this West End community
landmark building.
Brown Middle School (former high school) was built
in 1923. The Romanesque Revival-style school was
named in honor of Joseph E. Brown, governor of
Georgia from 1857-1865. This community landmark
building in the West End Historic District was one of
the first schools in Atlanta to be integrated in 1961.
 Photo by Jeanne Cyriaque
I
n Georgia, there are primarily three ways to designate and protect
irreplaceable treasures that make individual communities historic.
The first is listing at the federal level in the National Register of
Historic Places. The National Register is the official listing of
buildings, sites, structures, and objects that have local, state, or
national significance. National Register designation identifies
properties and districts for general planning purposes. National
Register designation does not restrict private owners from the use
or sale of a property, or require conformance with design guidelines.
National Register designation does not prevent demolition or stop
federal projects. Like the National Register, the Georgia Register of
Historic Places designates historic resources at the state level. Both
National Register and Georgia Register listing may make certain
properties eligible for federal and state tax credits, grants, and other
incentives, but neither listing directly protects the owners’ financial
investment in historic properties or districts.
7
HISTORIC DESIGNATIONS THROUGH LOCAL PRESERVATION COMMISSIONS
Corinne Blencoe
Newnan, 770/254-7443
Peggy Harper
Atlanta, 404/522-3231
Jeanne Mills
Atlanta, 404/753-6265
Chrys Rogers
Macon, 478/318-7115
Velma Maia Thomas
Atlanta, 404/755-0732
Linda Wilkes
Atlanta, 678/686-6243
Thomas Williams
Atlanta, 404/331-4811
Jeanne Cyriaque
African American
Programs Coordinator
Voice 404/656-4768
Fax 404/651-8739
jeanne_cyriaque@dnr.state.ga.us
Karl Webster Barnes
Atlanta, Chair
404/758-4891
Isaac Johnson
Augusta, Vice-Chair
706/738-1901
Donald Beall
Columbus, Treasurer
706/569-4344
Beth Shorthouse
Atlanta, Secretary
404/881-9980
GAAHPN STEERING COMMITTEE
Christine Laughlin, Georgia Certified Local Government Coordinator
Historic Preservation Division
Local historic districts are designated and protected
through ordinances enacted by the local governing body. Local
designation provides the greatest level of protection because of a
design review process. In some areas, historic resources are
maintained because individual property owners understand and
appreciate their historic and aesthetic value. In other cases, wellintended property owners make inappropriate changes that
compromise the integrity of historic resources. Communities and
interest groups often find that they cannot rely on the good
intentions or promises of property owners, developers, or absentee
landlords, and voluntary compliance with design guidelines is not
enough. In these cases, a local historic district and design review
are needed.
Through the process of design review, local governments
maintain the architectural character of historic properties and
districts. Home and business owners are assured that their
neighbors will not make inappropriate changes that will adversely
affect their financial investment. Local district designation can
also protect historic resources from demolition by neglect and severe
deterioration that occurs when properties are not maintained.
Design review is not an arbitrary process: it is a very
democratic and participatory community improvement strategy.
Historic preservation commissions use established design
guidelines to review proposed material changes in appearance to
properties within local districts. A Certificate of Appropriateness
(COA) is required for all material changes in appearance to properties
within the district. Minimum maintenance and upkeep do not require
COAs. Design guidelines are based on the historic fabric and
character of the area. Design guidelines may include landscaping,
signs, lighting, new construction, and other exterior features. Design
review is rarely applied to interior features.
Local district designation is a two-step process. The first
step is the creation of a historic preservation commission. The
second step is the designation of local sites or districts. Designation
is accomplished by a separate ordinance approved by the local
government. Prior to implementation of a designation ordinance,
the historic preservation commission must undertake an
investigation and prepare a designation report. An architectural
survey of the area is needed to determine the boundaries of the district.
Many local governments find that a combination of federal,
state, and local designation programs work best. In Georgia, over
100 communities have historic preservation commissions. A
historic preservation commission can apply for Certified Local
Government (CLG) status, increasing eligibility for federal grants
and additional technical assistance. Work with your local government
to develop programs that ensure your community’s character.
For further information about local preservation
commissions and Georgia’s CLG program, contact: Christine
Laughlin at 706/583-8047 or laughlin@arches.uga.edu.
Jeanne Cyriaque
Reflections Editor
The Wren’s Nest, located on Ralph David Abernathy Blvd. in the West End
Historic District, was the home of Joel Chandler Harris, author of Uncle
Remus and Critters tales. The Wren’s Nest was designated a National
Historic Landmark in 1962. Photo by Jeanne Cyriaque
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 ethnic 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 Network meets regularly to plan and implement
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 1,200 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. 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
W. Ray Luce, Division Director &
Deputy State Historic Preservation Officer
Jeanne Cyriaque, Editor
A Program of the
Historic Preservation Division
Georgia Department of Natural Resources
156 Trinity Avenue, S.W.
Suite 101
Atlanta, GA 30303-3600