Reflections- Georgia African American Historic Preservation Network, Vol. 3, no. 2 (Mar. 2003)

THE LEGACY OF HORACE KING
Volume III, No. 2 March 2003
A Program of the Historic Preservation Division, Georgia Department of Natural Resources
This rendering of the Pee Dee River
bridge appeared in Thomas and
Edward French’s Covered Bridges
of Georgia.
Horace King was born in
bondage in Chesterfield
District, South Carolina on
September 8, 1807. At that time,
remnants of the Catawba Indian tribe
had intermarried with slaves of South
Carolina planters. His dying father,
Edmund King, and his mother, Susan,
were slaves who shared mixed African,
Catawba, and white ancestry. In 1830,
King’s master died, and Horace King
and his mother were sold in the estate
settlement to John Godwin.
John Godwin was a
contractor who specialized in building
houses and covered bridges. He was
familiar with a bridge design
developed by Ithiel Town, a
Connecticut bridge builder. Town
patented his design, known as Town Lattice Truss, in 1820. His
design consisted of a truss constructed with crisscrossed sawmill
lumber similar to a garden trellis, with wooden pegs reinforcing
each intersection and horizontal chords at the top and bottom.
Town’s design concept was easily employed by carpenters to
construct single-span bridges over creeks. Horace King and John
Godwin successfully used the Town lattice truss design of a bridge
that crossed the Pee Dee River. Recognizing King’s talents, Godwin
sent him to Ohio for training
to enhance his architectural
skills. Godwin was a shrewd
businessman who realized
that master covered bridge
builders were needed to
oversee construction of
bridges to link rivers to the
expanding western frontier.
In the early 1830s, Columbus was the largest border town
on the Chattahoochee River. When the Creek Indians ceded land
in the 1832 Treaty of Cusseta, Alabama was opened for further
westward expansion, and settlers migrated to the region. On the
Columbus side of the Chattahoochee, an investor established a
ferry to cross the river, but soon Columbus recognized the need for
a bridge to connect Georgia and Alabama. The city issued an ad for
bids to construct the bridge, and John Godwin’s proposal was
accepted in 1832. Soon Godwin and Horace King moved to Girard,
(presently Phenix City) Alabama to build the first public bridge
connecting the states.
Godwin and King quickly began construction of the first
bridge across the Chattahoochee River, guaranteeing their
craftsmanship with a five-year warranty. The first bridge, spanning
over 900 feet, was completed in 1833, and stood firm until 1838,
when a flood washed it away. King rebuilt the bridge, and it stood
until 1865, when it was destroyed during the Civil War. It was
known as the City Bridge and later the Dillingham Street Bridge.
With this accomplishment, Godwin’s reputation as a contractor
was established, and
he and Horace, the
construction foreman,
continued their unique
partnership, erecting
bridges across the
Chattahoochee River,
and solidifying their
reputation as master
covered bridge builders.
Godwin and King built a 540-foot bridge south of Columbus
at Irwinton (presently Eufaula, Alabama) for $22,000. In 1838, Godwin
and King built the first bridge across the Chattahoochee River at
West Point. In the fall of 2002, an underwater archaeologist project
team documented a surviving pier from this bridge. This training
initiative was organized by Charles Kelly, historian for the Troup
County Archives. Ronnie Rogers, staff archaeologist for the
Historic Preservation Division, also participated in the dive.
This circa 1850 photo of
Horace King appeared on the
cover of Our Town, an
Introduction to the History
of Columbus, Georgia.
continued on page 2
Dillingham Street Bridge, circa 1870.
2
continued from page 1
THE LEGACY OF HORACE KING
John Godwin and Horace King also built houses and
government buildings in Girard and Columbus from1830-1840. Upon
their arrival in Girard, Godwin built the first house constructed by a
white man in that town. King was the construction foreman for City
Mills in Columbus, and
worked on the Muscogee
County Courthouse in
Columbus, and the Russell
County Courthouse in
Crawford, Alabama.
Throughout this decade,
King continued to improve
his Town truss bridge
designs, perfecting his
technique for spans
assembled over water
without power machinery.
Horace King married Frances Thomas in 1839. Like King,
she had mixed ancestry, and was the daughter of a free woman of
color. The couple had four sons: Washington, Marshall Ney, John
Thomas, and George, and one daughter, Annie Elizabeth. The King
children were born free since Frances Thomas was a free black
woman. King personally trained his sons to build covered bridges,
and after the Civil War, they started the King Bridge Company.
Annie Elizabeth also worked for the company.
As Horace King’s reputation as a builder spread, his skills
came to the attention of other southern businessmen who partnered
with Godwin on construction projects. Robert Jemison, a
Tuscaloosa lawyer, Alabama legislator, and owner of a successful
saw mill business and stagecoach line, coordinated a number of
building contracts for Godwin with King as the construction
foreman. Among their joint ventures were roads in Georgia, bridges
spanning the Chattahoochee, and the reconstruction of the Alabama
State Capitol in 1849 following a fire.
In spite of King’s
successes, John Godwin’s
financial fortunes declined. In
1846, Godwin was faced with
financial ruin, and numerous
businessmen were offering
him as much as $6,000 for
Horace King. Godwin and
King had developed a special
friendship that transcended
the master-slave relationship.
Godwin, with the assistance of
Robert Jemison, submitted a
petition to the Alabama
legislature to manumit (free)
Horace King. Jemison’s legal maneuver was successful, and Horace
King became a free man by an act from the Alabama legislature on
February 2, 1846. During this antebellum period in Alabama history,
free blacks were required to leave the state. To circumvent this
possibility for Horace King, the act stipulated a deposit of a $1,000
surety bond with Russell County. King personally paid the bond,
ensuring his movement freely between the two states on
construction ventures.
In 1858, Nelson Tift, an Albany entrepreneur, developed a
concept for a toll bridge across the Flint River. Tift failed in his
attempts to convince city
officials to build the bridge,
and decided to implement the
project himself, with Horace
King as his construction
foreman. At the time, King was
scheduled to build a bridge
across the Oconee River near
Milledgeville. He had already
cut timbers for the project
when a dispute developed on
the terms of the contract.
When Tift contacted King, he
shipped the timbers by rail to
Albany for the house and
tunnel that connected to the
bridge.
Though Horace King was legally free, he continued to
work on bridges and houses with John Godwin. In 1859, John
Godwin died, leaving no estate for his wife and children. Horace
King paid his burial expenses, and provided a residence for his
widow and children. The Godwin family still owned a sawmill
business in Girard, and Horace King and his sons continued
operation of the business during the Civil War, while Godwin’s son
served as an artillery captain in the Confederate Army. Horace
King erected a $600 Masonic monument in honor of John Godwin
in the family cemetery in Girard. The inscription reads “this stone
was placed here by Horace King in last remembrance of the love
and gratitude he felt for his lost friend and former master.”
The metal section in the center of City
Mills was constructed by Horace King.
Photo by William Hover
The Red Oak Creek Covered Bridge was built by Horace King circa 1840.
It is the oldest covered bridge in Georgia, and was listed in the National
Register of Historic Places on May 7, 1973. The bridge truss is constructed
from heart of pine boards, and over 2,500 treenails, each approximately a
foot long, hold it together. Photo by Jeanne Cyriaque
Horace King is credited with
rebuilding this spiral staircase in the
restored Alabama State Capitol.
Photo by Jeanne Cyriaque
The Bridge House in Albany,
Dougherty County, was listed in the
National Register of Historic Places
on November 19, 1974. A tunnel in
the rear of the building connected the
house to the Horace King bridge.
Photo by Jeanne Cyriaque
3
After Godwin’s death, Robert Jemison secured building
contracts in Alabama for Horace King. Their largest venture was
the construction of the (Bryce) Alabama Insane Hospital, built in
Tuscaloosa in 1860. The hospital and the spiral staircase in the
state capitol are the only existing historic resources built by Horace
King in Alabama.
Horace King built numerous bridges for the Confederacy
during the Civil War. In 1863, James H. Warner, chief engineer for
the Confederate Navy, hired Horace King to build a rolling mill.
King supplied logs, treenails (wooden pegs) and over 15,000 feet of
lumber for the construction of the Jackson, an ironclad gunboat.
The Jackson now resides at the Port Columbus National Civil War
Naval Museum. During the war, King suffered both professional
and personal losses. His wife died in 1864, and by the end of the
Civil War he witnessed the burning of many of his bridges by the
Union Army. Once union forces took two of his best mules, but
when King displayed the Masonic sign to the union officers,
the mules were returned with an apology.
After the war, Horace King and sons established the King
Bridge Company, and helped to rebuild bridges and factories along
the Chattahoochee River. They rebuilt the City Mill in Columbus
and a railroad bridge for the Mobile and Girard Railroad. Horace
King married Sarah Jane McManus in 1869, and gradually turned
over the bridge business to his sons.
In 1867, Horace King was appointed as a registrar to enroll
voters in Alabama’s first post-war election in Russell County.
Respected by both races, King was drafted to run for a seat in the
legislature. Though he had not actively campaigned for public
office, Horace King served two terms in the Alabama General
Assembly, from 1868-1872.
At the end of his
political career in Alabama,
Horace King moved his
family and business to
LaGrange. Washington,
Marshall, and George King
constructed a chapel for the
Southern Female College,
LaGrange Academy, the city’s
first school for African
Americans, and Warren Chapel
Methodist Church. John
Thomas King became a
prominent Methodist minister in LaGrange, and Horace King lived
with him until his death on May 28, 1885. Horace and Marshall
King are buried near the Confederate Cemetery on Miller Street
in LaGrange.
In Georgia today, two of Horace King’s bridges remain.
The Meriwether County Historical Society is the steward for the
Red Oak Creek Bridge. The bridge was restored by the Georgia
Department of Transportation and is open to foot traffic. Located
in a community known as Imlac near Woodbury, it is appropriately
accessible off “Covered Bridge Road” and connects to Georgia
state highway 85. In 1965, the Wehadkee Creek Bridge in Troup
County was soon to be immersed in water with the construction of
the West Point Dam, and county officials donated a 60ft section to
Callaway Gardens. The Ida Cason Callaway Foundation, a nonprofit
organization, assumed stewardship of this historic resource.
Though not currently available for public view, the foundation plans
to incorporate the bridge as the gateway to a natural grass pasture
reserve in its future development plans.
Horace King, master bridge and community builder, is
remembered in Georgia and Alabama for his achievements in
architecture and human relations. A permanent exhibit in the
Columbus Museum features his building and rebuilding of the
Dillingham Street Bridge. Signs and historical markers on both
sides of the Chattahoochee River honor the
places where his bridges once spanned the
two states. The street where he lived in
LaGrange is now appropriately named Horace
King Street, and the Troup County Archives
is a repository for family papers and research
materials documenting his achievements.
In February 2003, Russell County
loaned a portrait of Horace King to the
Alabama State Capitol. The portrait was
unveiled at a special tribute to Horace King,
sponsored by the Black Heritage Council of
the Alabama Historical Commission. David
King, great-great grandson of Horace King, attended the tribute.
Columbus landscape architect Thomas L. French, Jr. spoke about his
“tenacity and veracity” during both the high and low points of his life.
Georgia Senator Ed Harbison, chairman of the Georgia Legislative
Black Caucus, called Horace King a “coalition builder,” a testimony
to the man known as Horace, the master covered bridge builder.
After the 1994 flood, a canoe paddled through the
Red Oak Creek Covered Bridge. A plaque inside
the bridge marks the water level.
Photo by Jeanne Cyriaque
This art gallery on Lafayette Square
in LaGrange, Troup County, was built
by Horace King.
Photo by Jeanne Cyriaque
This section of the bridge that once spanned Wehadkee
Creek in Troup County is preserved by stewards of
the Ida Cason Callaway Foundation.
Photo by Jeanne Cyriaque
4
THE OLD COLORED SCHOOL
Davia Brown, African American Programs Assistant
Historic Preservation Division
From 1924 until 1953, the Alapaha Colored School served as the
sole educational resource for African American children in the
northern part of Berrien County. It is a rare African American
schoolhouse, as few buildings of this type still remain in Georgia.
The wood-framed building is two-story, with hipped metal roofing,
an interior chimney, and paired double-hung windows. Built in
1924 with four classrooms, the Alapaha Colored School was larger
than most schools, as only one out of every five rural schools for
African Americans in Georgia had more than one classroom.
Inside the school the entrance foyer leads into two separate and
equal-sized classrooms. Located by the foyer is an indoor restroom
that previously had been the book room. There is a staircase in the
foyer that leads to the second floor. Originally, the second level
was split into a large classroom area and the lunchroom. On this
level there was a pot-bellied stove and kerosene stove. Around
1945, an additional wood-framed, one-story building was connected
to the rear of the original building. This helped to accommodate the
growing student body by providing them with another classroom.
The students, under supervision of the principal, built the new
addition themselves. It was also the responsibility of students to
keep the stoves fueled by bringing in coal. For a long time, the only
THE BRIDGES OF WASHINGTON W. KING
As a young man, Washington W. King
(1843-1910) ran pole-boats along the
Chattahoochee River until the Civil War.
After the war, he worked for the King
Brothers Bridge Company. Following the
death of his father, Horace King,
Washington W. King established a
construction business in the Atlanta area.
His daughter, Georgia taught classical
languages at Clark College, while he
taught his son Ernest the craft of bridge
building. Some of his
bridges remain in
Georgia today.
In 1885, King
received a contract to
build a bridge across
the South Fork of the
Broad River near the
border of Madison and
Oglethorpe Counties.
He designed a Town
lattice bridge that is 236
feet long. It provided transportation for workers to the nearby
Watson gristmill, and sits above rocky shoals that form a fall. In
1973, the Georgia Department of Transportation restored this bridge.
Today, it is the centerpiece of Watson Mill Bridge State Park, one of
the most picturesque parks managed by the Georgia Department of
Natural Resources. Park stewards carefully maintain over 1,000
acres of campgrounds, walking trails, and picnic shelters. Remnants
of the mill remain at the site, and a historical marker acknowledges
Washington W. King as its builder.
When you enter the
town of Euharlee near
Cartersville in Bartow County,
signs welcome visitors to view
their old covered bridge.
Washington W. King built this
137ft bridge across Euharlee
Creek in 1886. It is located
near the ruins of a mill that was
owned by Daniel Lowry. Near
the bridge, in a restored
cowshed, visitors can view
memorabilia about the bridge.
In 1891, Washington
W. King built a bridge spanning the Oconee River near Athens in
Clarke County. University of Georgia students called it Effie’s
Bridge, after a nearby bordello. In 1965, Stone Mountain Park
acquired it for $18,000 and moved it to the present site, providing
access to the Indian Island picnic area at the park.
Washington W. King
Watson Mill Bridge has the longest covered
span of any existing wooden bridge in Georgia.
Photo by Jeanne Cyriaque
Euharlee Creek Bridge is the site of an
annual covered bridge festival each
Labor Day weekend.
Photo by Jeanne Cyriaque
The Stone Mountain Park Bridge was once known as the
College Avenue Bridge in Athens. Photo by Jeanne Cyriaque
The Alapaha Colored School was listed in the National Register of Historic
Places on July 11, 2002. Photo by James R. Lockhart
5
THE ALFRED AND JANE ABLES HOUSE
Davia Brown, African American Programs Assistant
Historic Preservation Division
At the time of his birth in 1863, Alfred Ables was a slave. By the
late 1800’s, he was considered to be one of the most successful
African American businessmen of his era. Moving his family to
Marion County in 1880, he was a foreman for the Georgia Central
Railroad Company. The Ables family settled in an African American
community east of Buena Vista. After leaving his position at the
railroad, Ables managed a funeral home and opened a grocery store.
He delivered goods by horse and buggy with his overnight delivery
service before expanding into farming, real estate, and timber. Ables
owned 26 farms operated by sharecroppers and his family. His real
estate sales included over 20,000 acres in and around Marion County
before his death in 1916. He sold timber to lumber companies, and
invested the profits in stocks and bonds. He shared his wealth
with the community by building housing for the poor. When Alfred
Ables died in 1916, his will provided a college education for his
children and 16 acres of land for an African American school. Today
the school is the headquarters for the Marion County School Board
and the Head Start program.
In 1892, Alfred Ables built a one-story house with Folk
Victorian details and a hipped roof for his wife, Jane, and their eight
children. The Ables New South cottage is located alongside the
Georgia Central Railroad line that links Columbus and Americus.
Although this home style was typical for middle and upper-middle
class white families, it was highly unusual for African Americans.
Many of the original features of the house are still remaining,
including four fireplace mantles, interior doors, and windows. An
addition to the home is connected by a corridor, and includes a
dining room and kitchen. The last family member lived in the house
in 1978.
For 15 years the house stood vacant until Beverly Woods,
a Buena Vista resident, and Bettye Lovejoy-Scott, the
granddaughter of Alfred Ables, began the restoration in 1993. The
restoration project had an unexpected setback with the 1994 flood
that damaged two chimneys and the foundation. Beverly Woods
and Bettye Lovejoy-Scott restored it with technical assistance from
the Historic Preservation Division and a Georgia Flood Recovery
grant. The grant provided funds to install a new metal roof and
repair masonry. In 2001, the Middle Flint Regional Development
Center nominated the Ables house for recognition by The
Georgia Trust, and the Ables House received an Excellence in
Restoration award.
restrooms were outhouses
located at the back of the
schoolyard. There was one for
the boys and one for the girls
situated at opposite ends of the
school property. The school
utilized a well with a pitcher pump
until 1947, when running water
was added to the building.
Eleven grades were held in the
four classrooms. Completely enclosed in these wooden rooms
with a few windows, teachers taught with one blackboard and a
light bulb that hung from a cloth cord from the ceiling. The
outdoor playground area had a basketball court, softball field,
and wooded area.
The Alapaha Colored School was closed in 1954 due to
consolidation of African American schools into the Nashville High
and Elementary School. The school board used the old Alapaha
building as a site for summer GED classes for veterans of World
War II who were unable to complete their education. Eventually,
the property was bought by St. Mark Masons and used as their
lodge and meeting hall. In 2001, the Historic Preservation Division
awarded $37,000 to the town of Alapaha through the Georgia
Heritage grant program. The grant was used to stabilize and restore
the building.
In November 2002, the Alapaha Library & Museum was
dedicated. Laura Mae Lewis, now 85 years old, was the oldest
former student at the ceremony. She joined alumni, teachers, and
Mayor James Boone in the preservation celebration. Boone was a
former student and currently works on the museum collection.
The Alapaha Library & Museum, staffed by community
volunteers, is open each Saturday from 9 a.m. to 5 p.m. Next time
you’re in Alapaha, be sure to visit the old colored school, a special
place in Berrien County’s African American past.
This view of the school shows the rear
classroom addition.
Photo by James R. Lockhart
The Alfred and Jane Ables house was listed in the National Register of
Historic Places on August 9, 2002. Photo by James R. Lockhart
A wooden smokehouse is located about 15 feet from the rear of the house.
Today it is used for storage. Photo by James R. Lockhart
6
THE EDDY SCHOOL AND SALLIE ELLIS DAVIS
When the Civil War ended, freedmen began to establish
churches to meet both the spiritual and educational needs of
communities throughout the south. Churches often became
schools, where community residents would hear sermons by day
and learn basic reading skills at night. Reverend Wilkes Flagg
founded a church school in Milledgeville, Baldwin County. Flagg
was born a slave in Virginia, and when he was transported to Georgia
and purchased by a Milledgeville physician, he became a
blacksmith, and learned to read and write. He eventually bought
freedom for himself, his wife and son. Flagg built a blacksmith
shop, family residence, and donated land to the Milledgeville free
black and enslaved community to organize the Flagg Chapel Baptist
Church. He was a minister during the Civil War, acquiring property
valued at $25,000. At the end of the Civil War, Flagg Chapel Baptist
Church established a school for Milledgeville freedmen.
The educational accomplishments at Flagg Chapel soon
came to the attention of Reverend Hiram Eddy of the American
Missionary Association (AMA). This philanthropic society
provided teachers and equipment for schools built by the
Freedmen’s Bureau. By 1868, Milledgeville was selected by the
AMA and the Freedmen’s Bureau as the site of the Eddy School.
The AMA sent five white teachers to instruct 350 African American
students until a school building was completed. In 1869, students
moved from classes previously held at Flagg Chapel Baptist Church
to the Eddy School, the only educational institution for African
Americans in Milledgeville. From this modest beginning just a few
years after emancipation, the Eddy School continued its legacy for
African American education in Milledgeville into the 20th century.
Sallie Ellis Davis was born circa
1877 in Baldwin County. She was the
mulatto daughter of Elizabeth Brunswick,
an African American, and Josh Ellis, an
Irishman. She attended the Eddy School
and enrolled at Atlanta University. While
Sallie was a brilliant student, she yearned
to return to Milledgeville to teach at the
Eddy School, since most of the faculty did
not have a college education. After a few
years at the Eddy School, she returned to Atlanta University,
graduating with a normal (teaching) degree in 1899. Davis attended
Atlanta University while W.E.B. DuBois and Adrienne Herndon,
wife of Alonzo Herndon (founder of Atlanta Life Insurance
Company) were faculty members. Inspired by these successful
role models, Sallie Ellis Davis was determined to improve education
for the African American community in Milledgeville. As she neared
graduation, Sallie Ellis Davis secured a position at the Eddy School.
For more than 50 years, Sallie Ellis Davis served as a
teacher and principal for the Eddy School. She was married to John
Andrew Davis, a shoemaker. They adopted two girls, and often
boarded rural female students whose families could not afford to
pay them anything but groceries. Sallie Ellis Davis taught at a
school that was overcrowded and understaffed. In 1925, the first
Eddy School building burned, and skilled tradesmen from the African
American community rebuilt the school while the Davis family
contributed sweat equity and one year of her salary. Sallie Ellis
Davis invested her time and talents in her students and was known
for her compassion in the classroom and leadership in the
community. Although she was a strict disciplinarian, Davis believed
education was a crucial element for further economic advancement
of African Americans.
In 1930, John Davis
died, leaving Sallie Ellis Davis
to care for their daughters. She
continued to teach at the Eddy
School until 1946, when
arsonists destroyed the
second school building. Her
grief over the loss of the second
Eddy School and failing health
led to her retirement in 1949.
Davis died the following year
in her home.
In 1967, Baldwin County named the Sallie Ellis Davis
Elementary School in her honor. By 1990, former students and
Milledgeville residents formed the Sallie Ellis Davis Foundation,
Inc. Georgia College & State University leased the Davis home to
the foundation to develop an African American heritage museum
and small meeting facility. In 1993, the nonprofit received a $14,417
Historic Preservation Fund grant for exterior repairs on the roof and
foundation of the Davis home. On March 31, 2000 Sallie Ellis Davis
was inducted into the Georgia Women of Achievement. This
posthumous recognition honored her pioneer accomplishments in
educating African Americans in Milledgeville.
In 1869, the Eddy School and Flagg Chapel Baptist Church were community
landmarks for African Americans in Milledgeville.
Photo courtesy of the Sallie Ellis Davis Foundation, Inc.
African American craftsmen added an
auditorium to the second Eddy School
for assemblies and a public meeting
place. Photo courtesy of the Sallie
Ellis Davis Foundation, Inc.
Sallie Ellis Davis
7
Corinne Blencoe
Newnan, 770/254-7443
M.M. 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
Kennesaw, 678/445-5124
Jeanne Cyriaque
African American
Programs Coordinator
Reflections Editor
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
Davia Brown
African American
Programs Assistant
Voice 404/656-2840
Fax 404/651-8739
davia_brown@dnr.state.ga.us
THE GEORGIA TRUST VISITS MILLEDGEVILLE:
THE OLD STATE CAPITAL
Milledgeville, Georgia’s old capital, is celebrating its
bicentennial this year. Visitors to Milledgeville are welcomed
to sample Georgia’s past in the restaurants and shops that occupy
buildings in the historic downtown district, or the Old Statehouse
and Old Governor’s Mansion. The Georgia Trust will join this
celebration on its 30th anniversary by hosting the annual meeting
weekend, March 28-30.
On Friday, downtown sites will be featured, and tours are
planned to see the restoration project of the Old Governor’s Mansion
that was the residence of nine governors from 1839 to 1868, and the
refurbished Old Statehouse, recipient of a 2002 Excellence in
Rehabilitation award from the Trust.
The Saturday schedule includes the annual meeting and
breakfast at the Georgia College & State University Arts & Sciences
Auditorium. Winners of the 2003 Preservation Awards and
scholarships will be
announced at the
meeting. Following
lunch, attendees will
ramble historic sites,
including the Sallie
Ellis Davis house.
Annual meeting
activities conclude
with Sunday brunch
at Lockerly Hall and
Arboretum. Visit the
Trust’s website for
further information:
www.georgiatrust.org
or call 404/881-9980.
MACON’S AFRICAN AMERICAN HERITAGE
Hay House, a National
Historic Landmark, is
hosting a March 8th seminar in
Macon on preservation of
African American history.
Lorraine Johnson-Coleman,
renowned storyteller, will be
the keynote speaker at the
seminar. Johnson-Coleman is
the author of Just Plain Folks.
She has keynoted at the 2000
National Trust for Historic
Preservation and the 2002 Southeast Regional African American
Preservation Alliance annual conferences.
Local organizations will discuss their efforts to preserve
African American history and long-time area residents will share
oral histories reflecting Macon’s historic African American
neighborhoods. Muriel Jackson, genealogy librarian at the
Washington Memorial Library in Macon, will discuss the unique
challenges that African Americans face in conducting genealogy
research. Jeanne Cyriaque, African American Programs Coordinator,
will discuss the Georgia African American Historic Preservation
Network, a program of the Historic Preservation Division,
highlighting Macon’s contributions to Georgia’s built resources
and cultural heritage.
Hay House is developing a new tour about slaves and
servants who worked at the landmark mansion. Research on
Invisible Hands: In Service at Hay House will be shared, and
seminar participants will receive complimentary passes to the tour,
which will start Saturday, March 15. It will be offered the third
weekend each month, Saturdays at 9:30 a.m. and Sundays at 2 p.m.
The cost is $10 and reservations are required.
The March 8th seminar will be held at the historic Douglass
Theatre, 355 Martin Luther King, Jr. Drive. Registration begins at
9:30 a.m. with sessions running from 10 a.m. to 4 p.m. For further
information, visit the Hay House website at www.hayhouse.org or
call 478/742-8155. The seminar is free and open to the public.
Discover Macon’s rich African American past and current
preservation initiatives.
John and Sallie Ellis Davis lived in this home
constructed by Will Steele, an African American
contractor. The home is located at 301 South
Clarke Street in the Milledgeville Historic District,
listed in the National Register of Historic Places
on June 28, 1972. Photo by Jeanne Cyriaque
Lorraine Johnson-Coleman
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 GAAHPN Steering Committee 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 1,400 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.gashpo.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
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