Reflections- Georgia African American Historic Preservation Network, Vol. 5, no. 4 (Feb. 2006)

Volume V, No. 4 February 2006
A Program of the Historic Preservation Division, Georgia Department of Natural Resources
BUILT TO SEPARATE, STANDING UNIFIED:
THE GORDON CAMPUS OF THE GEORGIA SCHOOL FOR THE DEAF
Tiffany Tolbert, African American Programs Assistant
Historic Preservation Division
Prior to the 1830s, the education of the deaf was overlooked in
Georgia. Since most of the African American population was
enslaved during this period, the opportunity for an education
was available to whites for many years before any education for
Georgia’s black deaf population was implemented. The earliest
effort to educate Georgia’s deaf was in 1834 when an act was passed
that appropriated funds for the education of Georgia’s deaf and
blind. In 1847 this act was amended and called for the establishment
of a school and asylum for the deaf and dumb in Georgia. The
Georgia School for the Deaf was established in 1848 by an act of the
Georgia General Assembly. The newly formed institution was
located in Cave Spring (Floyd
County) and named the
Georgia Asylum for the Deaf
and Dumb.
Beginning in the
1860s, some southern states
began establishing either
separate deaf schools or
“colored” departments in the
white schools. The first of
these state schools was
created in North Carolina in
1869. In the following years,
Georgia and other states
established African American
deaf schools.
Near the end of
Reconstruction era, Georgia
began to address the
education of deaf African
Americans. On February 23,
1876 the Georgia General
Assembly passed an act that
authorized the purchase of a building
and ten acres of land for the
establishment of a school for African
American deaf. The building that was
chosen was located on a hill above the
white campus in Cave Spring. The
school for African American deaf
opened on March 15, 1882. The
school’s first principal was F.M.
Gordon. Gordon was born in 1853 and
graduated from Clark University. He
was a Methodist minister,
and remained principal of
the school until his death in
1928. Mrs. Maria Lucinda
Gordon served at the school
in a dual role as both teacher
and matron. During their time
as leaders of the school, the
Gordons became well
respected in the community
due to their commitment and
devotion to the African
American deaf students.
With the creation of
an African American school,
the education of Georgia’s
black and white deaf were
F.M. Gordon
Principal, 1882-1928
Photo courtesy of
Georgia School for the Deaf
continued on page 2
The classroom building on the Gordon Campus at the Georgia School for the
Deaf was constructed in 1939 and is still in use today. It is located in the central
part of the campus, and was built as the academic building for African Americans
on the segregated campus. Photo by Tiffany Tolbert
2
Tiffany Tolbert, continued from page 1
BUILT TO SEPARATE, STANDING UNIFIED:
THE GORDON CAMPUS OF THE GEORGIA SCHOOL FOR THE DEAF
equal by law yet separate in many ways. The black deaf school was
not adequately funded or maintained. For example, Georgia’s African
American deaf school did not receive heat or electricity until 1913.
By the 1930s, building issues were problematic on both
the white and black campuses. After his appointment as
superintendent, Clayton Hollingsworth soon realized that the
buildings on these separate campuses were unsafe and in disrepair.
In 1937 a campaign was started to upgrade the schools’ facilities.
In that same year, the federal government implemented a repair/
building program through the Public Works Administration and
Works Progress Administration. With these additional federal
funds, several new buildings were erected on the white campus
and the black campus was relocated to the outskirts of Cave Spring.
A new dormitory and classroom building was constructed
for the black students by Robert and Company of Atlanta. A stone
barn, constructed circa 1892, already was located on the property,
and the black students immediately used this building for farming.
The new dormitory, classroom building and Rock Barn officially
became known as the Gordon Campus of the Georgia School for the
Deaf. It was named in honor of F.M. Gordon, the African American
school’s first principal.
The classroom building was the first building completed
on the new campus. Designed similar to other educational structures
of the period, it is a single-story, red brick building with a centrally
located doorway along it’s front façade. The building is still intact
and has continuously been used as a classroom building since it’s
construction. The dormitory was completed shortly after the
classroom building and soon became home to many African
This historic photo of the dormitory on the Gordon Campus was taken
shortly after its construction in 1939.
Photo courtesy of Georgia School for the Deaf
American students as well as new teachers who moved to Cave
Spring. It is a large, one-story, red brick building with separate
wings for boys and girls. It also contains the former dining hall
and kitchen.
Beginning in the 1950s, another campus improvement
program began and new buildings were added to the campus. During
this time, the dormitory and classroom buildings were renovated
and additions were added. Despite these changes, both buildings
The 1939 classroom building on the Gordon Campus
is used for academic purposes and is the home of the
school store. Photo by Tiffany Tolbert
A circa 1892 granite and wood barn already existed on the farm when the
African American campus at the Georgia School for the Deaf was relocated
just outside of the town of Cave Spring. Photo by Tiffany Tolbert
Today, a concrete walkway stands in front of the old dormitory on the
Gordon Campus and provides a shelter for students. It extends to the
dormitories that were added for boys and girls in the 1960s.
Photo by Jeanne Cyriaque
3
still contain much of their historic integrity and are easily
recognizable as they make up the core of the Gordon Campus.
As medical advancements controlled rubella and the
population of boarding students declined over the years, the need
for the dormitory ceased. Separate boys’ and girls’ dormitories
were constructed around the
campus quadrangle, and the
old dormitory that is located in
the central part of the campus
is presently in disrepair.
Asbestos in the building
presents a health issue for its
continued use. It has stood
vacant since the late 1980s,
and due to its condition is
slated for demolition.
The Georgia School
for the Deaf has been an
integral part of the Cave Spring
community throughout its
history. Not only did the
school provide jobs for many
in the local community, it also
caused a lasting connection
and devotion to the education
of deaf children. Many Cave
Spring residents are members
of families who have long been
associated with or worked at
the school. Katrina Jones is
the third generation of her
family to work at the Georgia
School for the Deaf. Her
mother, Esther Neal, worked as
a houseparent for 28 years and
her grandmother, Juanita
Boone Neal, worked for the
school for approximately 20
years. While coming to work
with her mother, Katrina
learned sign language, and it
helped her to communicate
with the students as well as
her deaf sister.
The availability of
qualified teachers willing to teach African American deaf students
remained a problem for many schools. States such as North Carolina
and Virginia tried to solve this problem by locating their schools
near black colleges in order to recruit graduating teachers. Other
states allowed former students, both black and white, to work on
the black campus in order to fill vacant positions. This practice was
common on both the black and white campuses of the Georgia
School for the Deaf.
Gabe Sinclair was a student on the African American
campus during the 1950s. He was born in Jeffersonville, and became
deaf at the age of five after suffering from meningitis. To address
his illness, doctors removed
part of his ear and vocal
chords, leaving him with
limited hearing and speech.
For a few years he attended
the local public school, where
a classmate taught him how to
read lips. Since the teachers
were inexperienced with
working with the deaf, he was
sent to the Georgia School for
the Deaf (GSD) at the age of
15. Sinclair recalls that during
his time at GSD, there were approximately 75 students on the African
American campus. The campus was surrounded by land where the
students raised their own food. There was also a dairy and the
Rock Barn was used as a cow barn. As a student, Gabe Sinclair
lived in the old dormitory and was trained in brick laying. He played
basketball for the school and became a barber while practicing the
art of cutting hair on his fellow students.
Gabe Sinclair graduated from the Georgia School for the
Deaf in 1957. In 1960, Gabe returned to Cave Spring where he
began a 29-year career at the school. His first job was a house
parent in the old dormitory on the African American campus. Sinclair
recalls that during this time they were permitted to discipline the
children, but he never needed to result to corporal punishment.
“All I had to do was go up to them and look at them, and they would
stop.” He attributes this to the fact that even though he had fun
continued on page 4
This historic photo illustrates an African American teacher instructing
students on the Gordon Campus.
Photo courtesy of the Georgia School for the Deaf
A teacher poses for a class photo with her
students in 1953. Photo courtesy of the Georgia
School for the Deaf
The wooden doors and arched
entrance to the main hallway of the
dormitory are defining features of the
building. Photo by Jeanne Cyriaque
Katrina Jones
Photo by Jeanne Cyriaque
Gabe Sinclair
Photo by Tiffany Tolbert
4
BUILT TO SEPARATE, STANDING UNIFIED...
Tiffany Tolbert, continued from page 3
and played with the children, they still respected him. After
integration, Gabe Sinclair became the home-life coordinator for the
high school boys. This is a position that he held until 1989 when he
retired from GSD. For the last 30 years, Sinclair has lived in nearby
Cedartown, where he owned a barbershop. A father of four children,
he presently spends his time fishing and periodically visits the campus.
Integration officially occurred at GSD during the 1960s.
As early as the 1950s, children began going back and forth between
the white and black campuses in order to play on sports teams.
Some of the white students voluntarily chose to live on the black
campus, preferring it to the white campus. The process of
integration had many effects on the Georgia School for the Deaf. It
not only integrated the races, but it also integrated the teaching
methods of the white and black campuses.
In the 1970s, many of the operations of the Georgia School
for the Deaf began to move to the Gordon Campus. By the 1980s
the historically white campus was used mainly for administrative
purposes and in 1985, the white campus officially closed.
All of the operations of the Georgia School for the Deaf
are now located on the Gordon Campus. Since the consolidation of
the Georgia School for the Deaf onto the Gordon Campus, there has
been concern over its history. Unlike many African American
resources that are endangered, it is not the buildings that are in
jeopardy but the history that is attached. John Johnston, a retired
art teacher from GSD, is leading the effort to document the history
of the Gordon Campus. Johnston is currently developing an oral
history project focusing on recording the experiences of students
and staff associated with the Gordon Campus. It is his hope that
this project will aid in teaching future GSD students about the
history of the school and foster a greater understanding of the
significance of the Gordon Campus to the education of African
Americans during the early 20th century.
Jeanne Cyriaque, African American Programs Coordinator
Historic Preservation Division
RETURNING TO THE ANCESTRAL HOME:
THE DANIEL FAMILY REUNION
Since 1973, the Daniel family visits states where their family
migrated from Georgia during the 20th century to host a family
reunion. Like many African Americans, they are interested in
seeking cultural heritage sites that reconnect them with places that
are significant to their family. In fact, this family is representative of
the $90 billion minority travel market, as travelers combine a reunion
with the annual family vacation. In July 2005, six generations of the
Daniel family attended their reunion in the hometown of their
ancestors: Crawfordville, Georgia.
Crawfordville is the county seat of Taliaferro County in
east central Georgia. Crawfordville was an agricultural town when
cotton was booming in Georgia. In the 1860s, the town’s population
was about 2,900 and 1,200 residents were enslaved. Today,
Crawfordville is home to approximately 542 residents, and it is the
place where the Daniel family called “home.”
The Daniel family progenitors are William “Billy” Daniel
and Adeline Gaines Daniel. Both William Daniel and Adeline Gaines
Daniel were born enslaved in Georgia in the 1850s. Billy was an
entrepreneur in his time. He was a farmer, and after enslavement
ended, he acquired considerable land.
Billy Daniel was a lifelong member of the Level Hill Baptist
Church. He was a deacon at Level Hill from 1888, and used an old
gin house that he owned to operate the Level Hill Sunday School.
In 1896, Billy Daniel was elected president of the Level Hill Builders
Club. As the church membership grew, Daniel was instrumental in
the construction of the present Level Hill Baptist Church.
John Johnston, Jeanne Cyriaque and
Gabe Sinclair have a laugh outside
the old dormitory while Gabe tells
stories about some of the students who
lived there while he was a houseparent.
Photo by Cherie Bennett
Photo courtesy of the Daniel family
While William Daniel was president of the Level Hill Baptist Church Builders
Club, the church was constructed in 1906 that still stands today.
Photo by Jeanne Cyriaque
5
Adeline Gaines married Billy Daniel in 1875. They were
married for 56 years and raised 13 children. Adeline Daniel was a
local midwife and active member of the Level Hill Baptist Church,
where she was a founding president of the “Willing Workers Club.”
Llewellyn “Lew” Daniel is the oldest direct descendant of
William and Adeline Daniel. He is now 92, and was born in
Crawfordville. He lived in Crawfordville as a child, where he attended
Level Hill Baptist Church and School. He still remembers William
Daniel’s house as the finest one owned by an African American in
the region. William Daniel was his grandfather.
Lew Daniel’s father
moved his family to Springfield,
Ohio when cotton prices
plummeted, and eventually
they migrated to Chicago. In
1942, he was drafted for service
in the U.S. Army. He served in
the Pacific in World War II, and
published a weekly newsletter
for the segregated African
American 93rd Division. He
received the Bronze Star in
1947, but did not actually get
the medal until years later
when it was presented to him
by then U.S. President Richard
M. Nixon.
Inspired by Billy
Daniel’s business savvy, Lew
Daniel saved his military pay
to fulfill his dream of opening a restaurant in Chicago. After his
military career ended, he opened a chain of diners known as the
“Hamburger Hub” and successfully operated these and other
businesses in Chicago until he retired in his mid-seventies.
Samuel “Sam” Daniel is a member of the second generation
of the Daniel clan. He was born in Crawfordville in 1923. Sam
Daniel is a graduate of Atlanta’s historic Booker T. Washington
High School. In 1941, Sam Daniel entered the Merchant Marines,
and served until the 1960s. Sam Daniel was an instructor at the
National Maritime School in New York during his career with the
Merchant Marines. He was featured in a Public Broadcasting System
documentary that featured Georgians who served in the Armed
Forces during World War II.
Sam Daniel maintains
a second residence in
Crawfordville. He hosted a
family fish fry during the
reunion. After his military
career, Sam Daniel worked in
Atlanta at the Sheridan Hotel
as an air conditioning engineer
and eventually retired from
Fort McPherson, where he was
a boiler engineer. He taught a
program in air conditioning at
the Atlanta Technical College.
The Daniel Family
Reunion was held at the
Alexander H. Stephens State
Historic Park. The park is named in honor of Alexander H. Stephens,
who was born near Crawfordville in 1812. Stephens practiced law
in Crawfordville and served six consecutive terms in the Georgia
House of Representatives. In 1843, Stephens was elected to the
U.S. House of Representatives, and served through 1859. Stephens
was a leading southern statesman. He opposed Georgia’s secession
in 1861, but was chosen as vice president of the Confederacy that
same year. After the war, Stephens was elected to the U.S. House
of Representatives in 1873, and held this post until he was elected
governor of Georgia in 1882. He died in March 1883.
The park was constructed in the 1930s through land
acquisitions and New Deal programs including the Civilian
Conservation Corps and the Works Progress Administration. It
features tours of Stephens’ home, Liberty Hall, cottages and
recreational facilities dispersed throughout the 1,177-acre site. The
State Parks & Historic Sites Division of the Georgia Department of
Natural Resources manages the park.
William and Adeline Daniel are buried in the Level Hill Baptist Church
Cemetery. The church purchased four acres of land in the 1870s. The
Daniel ancestors’ graves lie east of the church in the oldest section of
the cemetery. Photo by Jeanne Cyriaque
Llewellyn “Lew” Daniel
Photo by Jeanne Cyriaque
Samuel “Sam” Daniel
Photo by Jeanne Cyriaque
The Daniel Family Reunion concluded with a barbeque as descendants
celebrated their Crawfordville past at the Alexander H. Stephens State
Historic Park. Photo by Jeanne Cyriaque
The Daniel Family Reunion represents a growing trend
in African American heritage tourism in Georgia. For more
information on hosting your family reunion at a Georgia state
park, visit www.GeorgiaStateParks.org or call 1-800-864-7275 for
an information guide.
6
THE L. AND M. KINDER FARM: AN AFRICAN AMERICAN CENTENNIAL FAMILY FARM
Jeanne Cyriaque, African American Programs Coordinator
Historic Preservation Division
Each fall, Georgia recognizes historic farms that remain in families
and have been continuously farmed for 100 years or more.
These farms contribute to the state’s agricultural heritage, and are
recognized each year at a luncheon on the opening day of the state
fair. In October 2005 the L. and M. Kinder Farm near Colquitt in
Miller County received a Centennial Family Farm Award. The Kinder
Farm is the seventh African American-owned farm to receive this award.
The Kinder farm had its beginnings with Littleton Kinder.
He was born enslaved in Decatur County around 1853. After
emancipation, Littleton Kinder began to purchase a series of land
tracts from A.L. Bowen. By 1890, he acquired 249 acres, and this
farm is still owned by Kinder’s descendants. The elder Kinder paid
for his farm by selling turpentine sap from the abundant pine trees
that grew on his land. Kinder cultivated his own crops and labored
in the turpentine industry that flourished in southwest Georgia and
northern Florida. Because he was literate, he aided numerous
African American farmers to protect their farms in the Jim Crow era.
The Kinder farm crops include cotton, corn, sugar cane
and peanuts. A large garden provides fresh vegetables for the
family. The Kinder farm livestock includes chickens, cows, hogs,
goats, guineas and turkeys. Some of the livestock and honeybees
are sold.
Littleton
Kinder died in 1937,
and by the onset of
World War II, his
children continued
farm operations with
economic challenges
that impacted all
farmers during that
time. Many of the
Kinder descendants
migrated during this
period, especially the
young males, who
were subjected to
death threats by
hostile white farmers
who wanted their
land. The elder
Kinder males and
females persevered,
and continue to raise
livestock and farm.
Uncle “Boss” Kinder
died in 1997, and
today the oldest Kinder, Martha, who is now 97, is the last surviving
child of Littleton Kinder. In 1952, a fire razed all the original farm
buildings except Rosie Kinder’s house that was built with timber
from the farm about 65 years ago.
With the approval
of Martha Kinder Payne,
the Kinder heirs decided to
ensure the continuation of
this African American farm
for another 100 years by
forming the L. and M.
Kinder Farm Corporation.
Only heirs of Littleton and
Millie Burke Kinder, the
family ancestors, can own
shares in the corporation.
Thirty heirs made this
commitment to protect
their ancestors’ farm.
Today, the Kinder farm sets
aside 120-140 acres in pine
and hardwood trees for a
reforestation program,
while maintaining at least
120 acres for livestock and
vegetable production.
W. Ray Luce, Historic Preservation Division director,
presents the Centennial Family Farm Award to descendants
of Littleton and Millie Kinder. Photo by Jenny Freemyer
Rosie Kinder shows off her collard greens that
are almost as tall as she is.
Photo courtesy of the L. and M. Kinder Farm
Willie Kinder, Martha Kinder Payne, David
Payne and Janice Kinder stand under
pecan trees on the farm.
Photo courtesy of the L. and M. Kinder Farm
Karl Webster Barnes
Atlanta, 404/758-4891
C. Donald Beall
Columbus, 706/569-4344
Corinne Blencoe
LaGrange, 706/884-8950
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
THE CENTENNIAL FARM PROGRAM
Isaac Johnson
Chairman
I
n 1992, Georgia joined several states in establishing a program to
recognize historic farms. The purpose of the program is to honor
Georgia’s farmers for their contributions to the state’s agricultural
heritage and to encourage preservation of agricultural resources
for future generations. To qualify, the working farm must remain in
the same family for over 100 years or the farm must be at least 100
years old and be listed in the National Register of Historic Places.
Each farm must be a working farm with a minimum of ten acres or
$1,000 annual income. Recognition is given to farms through one
of three distinguishing awards:
Centennial Heritage Farm Award – This award honors farms owned
by members of the same family for 100 years or more that are listed
in the National Register of Historic Places.
Centennial Farm Award – This category does not require continual
family ownership, but the farm must be at least 100 years old and
must be listed in the National Register of Historic Places.
Centennial Family Farm Award – this category honors farms that
were owned by members of the same family for 100 years or more.
To receive an award, an application with supporting
documentation must be completed. Applicants must submit
photocopies of supporting documents showing original family
purchase, proof of 100 years of continual family ownership, and a
brief description of the history of the farm.
Applications are approved and selected by the Centennial
Farm Program Committee. Applications are accepted throughout
the year, but must be received by April 15, 2006 to qualify for the
next award cycle.
GAAHPN STEERING COMMITTEE
Gretchen Brock, National Register Coordinator
Historic Preservation Division
Jeanne Cyriaque
African American
Programs Coordinator
Reflections Editor
Voice 404/656-4768
Fax 404/657-1040
jeanne_cyriaque@dnr.state.ga.us
STAFF
Tiffany Tolbert
African American
Programs Assistant
Voice 404/657-1054
Fax 404/657-1040
tiffany_tolbert@dnr.state.ga.us
7
African American
Centennial Family Farms
1994
John and Emma Jane Rountree Farm
Brooks County
1995
Carranza Morgan Farm
Sumter County
1996
Lewis Clark Estate
Thomas County
2000
James Fowler Farm
Worth County
2001
Dave Toomer Estate
Houston County
2002
Zack Hubert Farm
Hancock County
2005
L. and M. Kinder Farm
Miller County
African American
Centennial Heritage Farms
2001
Carranza Morgan Farm
Sumter County
2003
Zack Hubert Farm
Hancock County
For more information or an application, contact Gretchen
Brock, National Register Coordinator, at 404/651-6782 or email her
at: gretchen_brock@dnr.state.ga.us.
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 2,075 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
47 Trinity Avenue, S.W.
Suite 414-H
Atlanta, GA 30334-9006