Reflections- Georgia African American Historic Preservation Network, Vol. 3, no. 4 (Sept. 2003)

Volume III, No. 4 September 2003
A Program of the Historic Preservation Division, Georgia Department of Natural Resources
continued on page 2
COLORED MEMORIAL SCHOOL AND RISLEY HIGH SCHOOL
Brunswick, founded in 1771 by the Council of the Royal
Province of Georgia, was laid out in General James
Oglethorpe’s Savannah plan of grids and squares. The
town’s early settlement had just begun when the coast was deserted
during the Revolutionary War. By 1789, Brunswick became a port
of entry, and in 1797, the county seat of Glynn was moved from
Frederica on nearby St. Simons Island to Brunswick. In 1819,
Brunswick established its first educational institution: Glynn
Academy. The campus of Glynn Academy continued to expand,
and the 1927 restored Memorial Hall associated with Glynn Academy
is in the Old Town Brunswick Historic District today.
During Brunswick’s antebellum years, there were no
schools for the enslaved population. After the Civil War ended,
during Reconstruction, the Bureau of Refugees, Freedmen, and
Abandoned Lands (the Freedmen’s Bureau) was established in
1865 as a subsidiary of the War Department. The Freedmen’s Bureau
had no funds, and had to work with the existing staff of the War
Department. One of the
Bureau’s social services was
to establish schools to
educate the freedmen. The
Freedmen’s Bureau would
acquire land and build
schools, but the assistance of
northern missionary societies
was required to provide
teachers. The missionary
societies’ schoolmarms were
typically educated, young
white women from the north
who would teach in these
freedmen’s schools. These
schoolmarms worked in
deplorable conditions, and
were often ridiculed by other
whites. In spite of these
obstacles, the northern
missionary societies and the Freedmen’s Bureau educated
thousands of freedmen during Reconstruction.
In 1869, Captain Douglas Gilbert Risley was sent to serve
as the district commander in the Freedmen’s Bureau office in
Brunswick. Risley was a Union soldier during the Civil War. He
served from 1861-1863, and was promoted Captain of the 9th United
States Colored Troops. After the war ended, Captain Risley was
a Lieutenant in the 42nd Infantry in 1866.
In 1870, Captain Risley secured funds for the purchase of
land in Brunswick, and built a one-story wood structure called
Freedmen’s School at the corner of H and Albany Streets. The
school was later renamed Risley School in his honor. The school
contained both the Risley Grammar and Risley Preparatory divisions
in the same building. In the late 1870s, the school provided
education for 420 African American pupils. By that time, the
Freedmen’s Bureau had closed, and the school was leased to the
American Missionary Association (AMA). The AMA operated
the Risley School until 1882,
when men who represented
the African American
community near the Risley
campus petitioned for a
transfer of the institution to
the City of Brunswick.
By the turn of the
20th century, the City of
Brunswick transferred
operation of the Risley
School to the newly
established Glynn County
Board of Education. In 1903,
Glynn County divided one
large classroom into three
rooms, repaired the roof, and
repainted the school, but
enrollment soon doubled.
During World War I, the city
Colored Memorial School and Risley High School are two of the contributing
resources on the Risley campus that were listed in the National Register of Historic
Places on November 7, 2002. Photo by James R. Lockhart
2
continued from page 1
COLORED MEMORIAL SCHOOL AND RISLEY HIGH SCHOOL
became a shipbuilding port, and African American families migrated
from rural areas to Brunswick for better jobs. Risley School could
not accommodate the growth in the school population, and by
1920, the school’s eight rooms were used for 17 classes held in
double sessions. Once again, the Glynn County Board of Education
sought aid from northern philanthropists to assist African American
education in Brunswick.
In 1922, Glynn County provided $37,500 in public funds
and the Julius Rosenwald Fund contributed $1,500 to build a new
Risley School. The Julius Rosenwald Fund required partnerships
between public funds, whites and African Americans that surpassed
the fund’s contributions to build community schools. African
Americans had already paid taxes included in the public fund
portion, but the community would often donate land, raise additional
funds, and maintain the schools.
The Risley School partnership with the fund was atypical
since public tax dollars provided 96 percent of the building costs.
In 1922, Rosenwald schools built in Georgia were wooden
elementary schools. These buildings were constructed with plans
that accommodated pupils and two or four teachers and were located
in rural communities. The Risley School needed a larger building to
accommodate the growing student population, and the Georgia
Department of Education Annual Report cited the Risley School
in its Rosenwald buildings planned for the next school year. The
building plan would be much larger than the other schools and was
referenced as a “special plan” that would accommodate 12 teachers.
In 1923, a new, two-story brick school was built next to the
Risley School with 12 classrooms, one for each teacher. Seven
additional rooms and a large auditorium were added to expand the
school’s facilities. Later the 11th and 12th grades were added to
create Brunswick’s first high school for African Americans. This
building was named Colored Memorial School to honor African
Americans who served in the armed forces during World War I.
By 1930, enrollment was too high for both buildings, and
the old Risley School was demolished. The Glynn County Board of
Education secured funds from the Public Works Administration
totaling $122,726 in 1935. The building fund was increased to
$300,000 with other grants and local bond funds, and a new building
was constructed at the site of the old Risley School. In 1936, the
Risley campus was expanded to include Colored Memorial School
and Risley High School. The new building was similar to the Colored
Memorial School, as it was a two-story structure, with 11 classrooms,
a science laboratory, library, stock room, principal’s office, and rest
rooms for teachers and students. When Risley High School was
completed, the Colored Memorial School was used as a grammar
school for grades one through eight.
In 1944, a one-story, brick building with a flat roof was
added to the campus. Originally named the I Street Elementary
School, this building contains several classrooms and a cafeteria.
It is presently called the Jackson Building on the Risley campus.
Risley operated as a high school until 1955, when a new Risley
High School was built further north on Albany Street. The former
high school on the campus was adapted for use as a grammar
school, and is presently used as an alternative learning center. The
Colored Memorial School is the current home of a kindergarten
program for Glynn County children.
One of the Colored Memorial School graduates was
Cornelius V. Troup. After completing his elementary education at
the Colored Memorial School, Troup attended St. Athanasius, a
private school for African Americans. It was located near the all-
“After completing the seventh grade at Risley School,
Brunswick, there was no further opportunity for me to
continue my schooling at home at public expense, despite
the fact that my father owned property and was, therefore,
a tax payer. For me and other Negro students of that
time, the seventh grade was the end of the line.”
Cornelius V. Troup
Risley High School (now Risley Elementary School) was built by the Public
Works Administration under the New Deal in 1936. It is a redbrick, twostory building with stripped Classical details. Photo by Jeanne Cyriaque
Colored Memorial School is a two-story, redbrick building. Constructed in
1923, the building has Neoclassical style details characterized by defining
features including the original name panel “Memorial School 1922” over
the front entrance. Photo by Jeanne Cyriaque
3
COLORED MEMORIAL SCHOOL AND RISLEY HIGH SCHOOL
white Glynn Academy, and was operated by the Protestant Episcopal
Church. Though this school no longer exists, the St. Athanasius
Church is still located at the intersection of Monk and Albany
Streets in Brunswick. Troup was the salutatorian of his class,
and completed his undergraduate degree at Morris Brown
College in Atlanta. After graduation in 1925, the college hired
Troup as an instructor, but he returned to Brunswick in 1928 as
the principal of Risley High School, a post he held until 1939.
In 1937, while principal at Risley, Troup became the first
person to complete the requirements for a graduate degree at Atlanta
University solely by attending summer school. In 1939, Troup
became the registrar and director of the summer school at Fort
Valley State College, where he became president in 1945. Troup
received his Ph.D. from Ohio State University in 1947. Cornelius V.
Troup was the author of Distinguished Negro Georgians in 1962.
Walter C. McNeely came to Risley High School in 1949,
where he taught science while coaching football, girls track and
basketball teams. He was a Risley coach from 1949-1967. McNeely
also served as an official, and was a referee or umpire in three sports:
baseball, basketball, and football. A native Georgian, McNeely grew
up in Millen, where he attended the Jenkins County Training School,
a Rosenwald school. He graduated from Fort Valley State College.
McNeely completed additional studies at Tuskegee Institute,
Grambling College (Louisiana), Atlanta University, and the Oakridge
Institute of Nuclear Studies (Tennessee). He earned his master’s
degree from New York University.
In 1966, McNeely was the assistant principal at Risley
High School, and by 1968, he was promoted to principal. In 1975,
he became an associate superintendent for the Glynn County Board
of Education. He continues his educational expertise in the Georgia
Department of Education Professional Development Program,
training current administrators who aspire to become
superintendents. McNeely served on the board of directors of the
Glynn Teachers Federal Credit Union for 15 years.
McNeely was a member of the Brunswick and Glynn
County Development Authority from 1986-1999. He is chairman of
the board of trustees for the First African Baptist Church,
established 140 years ago. Reverend L.E. Williams, pastor of First
African Baptist Church, is working with McNeely and the other
trustees to preserve this historic African American church in
Brunswick. In April 2003, Walter McNeely was elected chairman
of the 18 member board of directors for the Georgia Department
of Natural Resources.
Walter C. McNeely
Chairman
Board of Directors
Georgia Department of Natural Resources
The I Street Elementary School (now the Jackson Building) was built in
1944. This one-story brick building is the third historic building on the
Risley campus that was listed in the National Register of Historic Places on
November 7, 2002. Photo by James R. Lockhart
This historic house was once the residence of the headmaster for Selden
Institute. Today, Glynn County owns the building, and operates Selden
Park at the site of the former school. Selden Institute and St. Athanasius
were private high schools for African Americans in Brunswick. Selden
Institute was operated by the Presbyterian Church. Photo by Jeanne Cyriaque
4
PRESERVATIONISTS RECEIVE GOVERNOR’S AWARDS IN THE HUMANITIES
Humanities are often
promoted through the
dedicated work of individuals
who are the unsung heroes
working behind the scenes in
our libraries, historical
societies, and museums to
ensure successful cultural
events, education of our youth,
and preservation of Georgia’s
historic landmarks and culture.
Since 1986, the Georgia
Humanities Council (GHC)
recognizes the achievement of
these advocates for the
humanities. Each year the
awards committee of GHC reviews nominations submitted by the
public and recommends finalists who are selected by the governor
to receive humanities awards. On May 12, 2003 Governor Sonny
Perdue presented Awards in the Humanities to eight individuals
and three organizations at a luncheon held at the Old Georgia
Railroad Freight Depot in Atlanta. Two preservationists associated
with the Historic Preservation Division (HPD) were recipients of
the awards.
Register of Historic Places
in 1995, Beall has aided the
congregation. Each year
Beall mentors students in
Stewart and Quitman
Counties in history and the
humanities. He coaches the
students to prepare
presentations for the annual
Georgia and National
History Day competition
sponsored by GHC.
Ken Thomas, Jr.
began his career at HPD in
1973. As a senior historian,
Thomas documented over
1,500 nominations to the
National Register of
Historic Places. One of his
special projects was coordination of extensive research on the
various landowners and families associated with Sapelo Island. He
organizes the architectural and topical files for HPD, and administers
the library. Currently, Thomas is providing technical assistance
with the production of a publication that will document Georgia’s
governors and their burial sites.
Thomas writes a
weekly genealogy column
for the Atlanta JournalConstitution. He is the
author of several books,
including a soon to be
released pictorial history
of Fort Benning. Thomas
is a native of Columbus,
and one of his favorite
projects was collecting
postcards featured in
Columbus, Georgia in
Vintage Postcards. The
Georgia Women of
Achievement seek his
expertise in the annual
selection process, and he
reviews historic marker
applications for the
Georgia Historical Society. Thomas is a member of the board of
directors of the DeKalb Historical Society.
GHC is soliciting nominations for the 2004 awards. To
nominate an individual or organization, write a letter that
describes their work in building community, character, and
citizenship through humanities education and submit it to 50
Hurt Plaza, Suite 595, Atlanta, GA 30303. The letter must be
postmarked by November 21, 2003. To learn more about the
GHC, visit their website at www.georgiahumanities.org or call
404/523-6220.
Charles Donald Beall of Columbus, a member of the
Steering Committee of the Georgia African American Historic
Preservation Network, was honored for historic preservation
services in the lower Chattahoochee region. Beall, who is a native
of Lumpkin, returned to Georgia after retiring from a career in
education and mental health in Detroit. He assists Historic Westville
with interpretive programs and volunteers to preserve Green Grove
Baptist Church and School, a historic African American complex in
rural Stewart County. Since the properties were listed in the National
Charles Donald Beall
Kenneth H. Thomas, Jr.
Jamil Zainaldin, executive director
of the Georgia Humanities Council
and Ray Luce, director of the
Historic Preservation Division,
celebrate humanities at the annual
awards luncheon.
Governor Sonny Perdue (front row, far right) with the 2003 recipients of
the Governor’s Awards in the Humanities.
Photo courtesy of the Georgia Humanities Council
5
SAPELO ISLAND CULTURAL DAY
Sapelo Island is one in a series of barrier isles that extend along
the Georgia coast. The island is ten miles long and three miles
wide, and is about the size of Manhattan Island in New York. Five
miles of tidal water and salt marsh separate Sapelo Island from
Darien, the nearest town on the mainland. In the midst of this
isolated island lies an African American community that has
survived since slavery, maintaining a culture called Gullah (Geechee
in Georgia.)
Each fall, the Sapelo Island Cultural and Revitalization
Society (SICARS) celebrates their preservation of Geechee culture.
The Sapelo Island Cultural Day festival is scheduled for Saturday,
October 18, 2003. Sapelo Island residents maintain West African
traditions in language, food, folklore, arts and crafts. Entertainment
will include gospel music, Old South songs, and African dances.
The Georgia Sea Island Singers will perform African
influenced slave songs. Since 1948, Bessie Jones, a Georgia native,
led the group to appearances at Carnegie Hall and the Newport
Festival. After she died in 1984, Frankie and Doug Quimby continued
her legacy, and preserve sea island music today.
Cornelia Bailey, island historian and Saltwater Geechee, is
the author of God, Dr. Buzzard, and the Bolito Man. Since 1992,
she has collaborated with Ray Crook, an archaeologist from the
State University of West Georgia, to capture oral traditions from
the Hog Hammock community. They have produced a book, Sapelo
Voices, to document these traditions from older island residents.
All proceeds from the sale of this book will be used for the
restoration of Farmers’ Alliance Hall, a historic resource in the Hog
Hammock community.
Louise Cohen will share Gullah folktales. The marketplace
will feature crafts, and artists will demonstrate sweetgrass
basketweaving and net making. Visitors can sample smoked mullet
and other Geechee food specialties.
The cost is $20 for non-members and $15 for SICARS
members. Children older than six must have a ticket. Tours will be
provided throughout the day for $10 per tour. Admission includes
round-trip ferry transportation and bus transportation to the festival
site. To purchase tickets, send
a stamped, self-addressed
envelope with your check or
money order to: SICARS, PO
Box 6, Sapelo Island, GA 31327
or call the SICARS office with
credit card information: 912/
485-2197. Directions will be
mailed with your tickets.
Since no bridges
connect Sapelo Island to the
mainland, visitors must catch
the ferry to access the island.
The ferry departs from the
dock at Meridian, and will
transport visitors beginning at
8:00 a.m. until 12:30 p.m. Early
arrivals can participate in an old
fashioned church service to
begin the day’s activities. Bus
transportation will be provided
from Marsh Landing to the festival site in the Hog Hammock Historic
District, listed on the National Register of Historic Places in 1996.
The return ferry will depart from 11:45 a.m. until 5:00 p.m. Join
SICARS at this annual celebration of Geechee heritage in Georgia.
The Georgia Sea Island Singers performed at the Georgia Sea Island Festival
on St. Simons Island, a cultural event sponsored by the St. Simons African
American Heritage Coalition. Photo courtesy of the National Park Service
Patricia Johnson demonstrates the art
of sweetgrass basketweaving.
The Farmers’ Alliance Hall on Sapelo Island was built by the Colored
Farmers’ National Alliance and Cooperative Union in 1929. The building
was used historically as a brokering agency for farmers and was a meeting
place for fraternal organizations. The Sapelo Island Cultural and
Revitalization Society (SICARS) received a $8,100 Georgia Heritage grant
to develop a rehabilitation plan for the Farmers’ Alliance Hall. The building
is the main site for Cultural Day entertainment.
6
GEORGIA WOMEN OF ACHIEVEMENT
RAMBLE IN HISTORIC MONTICELLO
WITH THE GEORGIA TRUST
Mary K. Roarabaugh, Executive Director
Georgia Women of Achievement
Ellen Craft’s light complexion aided her
disguise as a white planter. She
traveled to freedom with her husband
posing as her enslaved attendant. This
illustration of Ellen Craft appeared in
Wilbur H. Siebert’s 1898 publication:
The Underground Railroad from
Slavery to Freedom. William and Ellen
Craft were the authors of Running a
Thousand Miles for Freedom.
Ellen Smith Craft, the child of an African American woman and
her white owner, was born into slavery in Clinton, Georgia.
Sold, she was taken by a new owner to Macon where she met and
married another slave, William Craft. Together, they devised a plan
to escape. With Ellen
posing as William’s master,
they traveled by train to
Philadelphia. They moved
on to Boston, which was
considered safer, but under
the Fugitive Slave Act,
their Georgia owners
pursued them until they
fled to England. In 1869,
they returned to the south.
Despite many hardships,
they started a cooperative
farm for freedmen and
established a school in
Bryan County for their
children. Ellen is
remembered for her belief
in the dignity and worth
of all human beings and
her determination to
shape a better future for
succeeding generations.
Ellen Smith Craft
is one of 45 historically
important women inducted
into the Georgia Women
of Achievement (GWA).
GWA is a nonprofit
organization, created to
recognize and honor
historically significant
women, native to or clearly identified with the State of Georgia.
The organization was established in 1990 through the interest of
former First Lady Rosalynn Carter and the organizational and
financial support of several Wesleyan College alumnae. GWA is
the state’s only historical hall of fame for women.
GWA shares the stories of its honorees with Georgia’s
school children, teachers and the general public through its website,
traveling exhibit, teacher resource guides and annual induction
ceremony. In order for a woman to be inducted into GWA, she must
be deceased ten years, be native to or clearly identified with Georgia,
have made exceptional contributions to her field of endeavor, and
must inspire future generations to use their own talents. The
deadline for nominations is October 1, 2003. The 13th ceremony in
the spring of 2004 will be an inspiring, educational program that
presents the biographies of the honorees in a special video and
features a dynamic guest speaker.
All 45 honorees are on the GWA website:
www.gawomen.org and in a traveling exhibit. The exhibit travels to
museums, historical societies and colleges in Georgia. Teacher
resource guides are distributed to over 600 teachers statewide.
Visit GWA’s website and join the effort to recognize Georgia’s
inspirational women by nominating someone. Of the 45 current
honorees, nine are African American. Learn more about these
women and consider nominating more African American women to
help GWA feature the stories of more women of color. For more
information, check the GWA website or call 404/653-0800.
AFRICAN AMERICAN HONOREES
GEORGIA WOMEN OF ACHIEVEMENT
1872 - 1964
1869 - 1922
1826 - 1891
1877 - 1950
1871 - 1947
1854 - 1933
1829 - 1900
1886 - 1975
1886 - 1939
Selena Sloan Butler
Helena Brown Cobb
Ellen Smith Craft
Sallie Ellis Davis
Lugenia Burns Hope
Lucy Craft Laney
Carrie Steele Logan
Ruth Hartley Mosley
Gertrude Pridgett “Ma” Rainey
The Georgia Trust is hosting the Fall Ramble in Monticello on
October 18-19. Mayor Susan Holmes welcomes all to a weekend
of touring historic Monticello in Jasper County. Under her leadership
and a cadre of citizens who are preservationists, Monticello has a
viable preservation commission and Better Hometown program.
Mayor Holmes is president of the Georgia Municipal Association,
a Georgia Trust trustee, and a member of the Historic Preservation
Division’s Georgia National Register Review Board.
Ramblers will check in at the Monticello City Hall and
Government Complex in the revitalized town square. The square
and surrounding streets were laid out in 1808 in a grid pattern that
is known as the Washington plan, anchored by the Jasper County
Courthouse. The Monticello Historic District was listed in the
National Register of Historic Places on August 8, 1997. The district
has 478 contributing resources, including churches, Monticello
High School, and residences. Seven main road corridors lead to
Monticello’s historic homes, with predominant wood framed
structures constructed in the 19th and early 20th centuries. A large
number of one-and-two story Vernacular houses occupy the district.
Bungalows and cottages are the predominant house types.
Monticello emerged as a center of commerce and industry
between 1885 and 1930. A rail line was established in 1887, and the
town constructed manufacturing and warehouse buildings along
the rail line. Evidence of this commercial development is still present
today in Monticello. To accommodate the mill and agricultural
workers, the town established a planned African American
neighborhood on the south side close to one of the mills. The
neighborhood was named Washington Park in honor of educator
where he is both a deacon and trustee.
He is secretary of the Springfield Village
Park Foundation, Inc.
Since 1973, Johnson has
worked in health care services. He is the
former assistant administrator of the
largest nursing facility in Augusta. Isaac
Johnson is a recipient of a 2001
Achievement Award from the Historic
Preservation Division. He is a Georgia
Trust trustee and treasurer of the
Southeast Regional African American
Preservation Alliance.
Beth Shorthouse, vice chair, works for Lord, Aeck &
Sargent Architecture in Atlanta where she handles business
development and marketing for the Historic Preservation Studio.
She has a master’s degree in economic development and urban
planning from the Andrew Young School of Policy Studies at Georgia
State University. Prior to joining Lord, Aeck & Sargent in May
2003, Shorthouse was a former staff member at The Georgia Trust.
Jeanne Mills, secretary/treasurer, is a native of Atlanta
and lives in Adair Park. She participated with a team of
preservationists who supported the nomination of the Adair Park
Historic District to the National Register of Historic Places on June
2, 2000. Mills chairs the historic preservation committee of the
Atlanta Neighborhood Planning Unit V.
7
Karl Webster Barnes
Atlanta, 404/758-4891
C. Donald Beall
Columbus, 706/569-4344
Corinne Blencoe
Newnan, 770/254-7443
M.M. (Peggy) Harper
Atlanta, 404/522-3231
Linda Wilkes
Atlanta, 678/686-6243
Thomas Williams
Kennesaw, 678/445-5124
Isaac Johnson
Augusta, Chair
706/738-1901
Beth Shorthouse
Atlanta, Vice-Chair
404/253-1488
Jeanne Mills
Atlanta, Secretary/Treasurer
404/753-6265
GEORGIA AFRICAN AMERICAN
HISTORIC PRESERVATION NETWORK
STEERING COMMITTEE
Jeanne Cyriaque
African American
Programs Coordinator
Reflections Editor
Voice 404/656-4768
Fax 404/651-8739
jeanne_cyriaque@dnr.state.ga.us
STAFF
GAAHPN STEERING COMMITTEE
ELECTS NEW OFFICERS
Booker T. Washington. In 1908, African Americans purchased lots
through the Farmers National Bank, and built small one-and-two
room houses that still survive today. The African American middle
class also settled in the same community, building larger homes in
the 1930s and 40s.
Today, the main road leading from the town square to the
Washington Park neighborhood is Funderburg Drive, named in
honor of Dr. Frederick Douglass Funderburg, an African American
physician. Both the home and office of Dr. Funderburg are located
in this community. When the flu epidemic hit Georgia in 1938, Dr.
Funderburg was the only physician in Jasper and Putnam counties.
Dr. Funderburg served hundreds of residents during the epidemic,
and 45 percent of his patients were white. His thriving, biracial
practice continued until he retired in 1987 after more than 50 years
of service. Jacqueline Smith, a member of the Monticello City Council
and a Funderburg descendant, remembers her ancestor. “Every
week, he would pick up neighborhood children and take us to
Sunday school, where he was a great speaker.”
The Fall Ramble is a great opportunity to see Dr.
Funderburg’s office and residence, and other contributing resources
in the Monticello Historic District. Join Mayor Holmes and other
preservationists in Monticello for the weekend. For more
information, contact Natalie Perrin, member events coordinator, at
The Georgia Trust: 404/881-9980.
Ayanna Cummings
African American
Programs Assistant
Voice 404/657-1054
Fax 404/651-8739
ayanna_cummings@dnr.state.ga.us
At the July meeting, the Steering Committee of the Georgia African
American Historic Preservation Network (GAAHPN) elected
officers who will lead the organization from 2003-2005. The chairman
is Isaac Johnson of Augusta. Johnson is one of the founding
members of GAAHPN. He is the treasurer of Springfield Baptist
Church, where his family has worshiped for five generations.
Johnson chairs the history committee at Springfield Baptist Church,
Isaac Johnson
Chairman
This residence was once the home of Dr. Frederick Douglass Funderburg,
an African American physician who operated a biracial medical practice for
over 50 years in Monticello. Dr. Funderburg purchased two small lots in
the Washington Park neighborhood, and joined two houses for his family
residence. The home is a contributing resource in the Monticello Historic
District, listed in the National Register of Historic Places on August 8, 1997.
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 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 1,500 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