Volume VII, No. 4 March 2008
A Program of the Historic Preservation Division, Georgia Department of Natural Resources
FROM PIONEERS TO MASONS:
PRESERVING THE AFRICAN AMERICAN LEGACY OF NORTHWEST GEORGIA
Jeanne Cyriaque, African American Programs Coordinator
Historic Preservation Division
continued on page 2
On January 12, 2005 the Marsh-Warthen-Clements House
was listed in the National Register of Historic Places as the
Marsh-Warthen House. The house was significant in the
areas of architecture, exploration and settlement, and social history.
Like many historic properties, the house required rehabilitation so
that it could become a place where visitors to LaFayette and
northwest Georgia could learn about its past. The Historic
Preservation Division (HPD) awarded an $11,000 Georgia Heritage
grant to aid in the preservation of the structure, but it took the
active participation of the community to interpret the house and its
diverse heritage for future generations.
When Spencer Marsh moved his family to Walker County
around 1834-35, he became one of the first white settlers in the
region. He also brought with him enslaved African Americans, who
provided labor to construct this
house. Two slave cabins once
existed on the east side of the
Marsh-Warthen property.
Spencer Marsh was a
visionary merchant for his time
in Georgia’s past, and he
partnered with Andrew Allgood
and William Briers to form Trion
Factory in 1845, the first cotton
mill in northwest Georgia.
Andrew Allgood was Spencer
Marsh’s son-in-law, as he married
Mary Ann Marsh in 1842.
Trion Factory was
located about 11 miles south of
LaFayette on the Chattooga
River in nearby Chattooga
County. Andrew Allgood and
Spencer Marsh were some of the wealthiest men in northwest
Georgia. By 1857, they each had equal interest in Trion Factory.
The factory operated under the name of Marsh & Allgood by the
eve of the Civil War.
Sarah Adaline Marsh, another Marsh daughter, married
Nathaniel Warthen in 1859. These families were impacted by the
Civil War. The Warthen family moved with 100 enslaved African
Americans from their home in McLemore Cove south to
Warthenville. Spencer Marsh and his wife took refuge in Cassville
with two of his slaves. However, the Allgood family guarded their
investment in the Trion Factory. After Spencer Marsh died, the
Warthen family and their servants moved into the house around
1876. When Nathaniel Warthen died in 1895, his only son, Spencer
Marsh Warthen, became the head of the family.
Spencer Warthen, who
was a bachelor, lived in the
house with his sisters and
mother, and according to the
1900 census, seven African
Americans, including Anna
Allgood and her five children,
lived in the house. About that
time, Spencer Warthen built the
two-story, east addition to the
house to bring the kitchen from
the basement to the first floor.
The addition created living
quarters on the second floor for
the servants who provided the
helping hands to the Warthen
family. African Americans
continued to live on the property
and provide services for the
The Marsh-Warthen-Clements House is located in LaFayette, Walker
County. Spencer Marsh built this house circa 1836 with the assistance of
enslaved craftsmen. It was listed in the National Register of Historic
Places on January 12, 2005. Photo by James R. Lockhart
Anna Allgood was a servant for the
Warthen family after emancipation.
She lived with her five children in the
servants quarters at the MarshWarthen-Clements House in 1900.
Photo courtesy of Helping Hands: In
Service at the Marsh House Committee
Reverend Wiley Marsh was a
carpenter and preacher in Walker and
Chattooga Counties. Photo courtesy
of Helping Hands: In Service at the
Marsh House Committee
2
Jeanne Cyriaque, continued from page 1
FROM PIONEERS TO MASONS:
PRESERVING THE AFRICAN AMERICAN LEGACY OF NORTHWEST GEORGIA
At the outbreak of the Civil War, Wiley Marsh was working
in the Trion Factory area, and it is believed that he may have been
a free man or enslaved by Spencer Marsh’s daughter, Mary Ann
Allgood. It is possible that Spencer Marsh may have manumitted
(freed) Wiley Marsh on his 21st birthday or he may have given
Wiley to his daughter as a wedding gift. By the 1870 census, Wiley
resided in the Trion Factory Post Office and married a former slave
named Millie Penn, and they had six children before the Civil War
ended. By 1880, they returned to LaFayette. The couple may have
been the progenitors of many African Americans who, like other
former slaves, took surnames of former slaveowners like Allgood,
Marsh, Penn or Warthen after emancipation.
The Helping Hands: In Service at the Marsh House
Committee has become an integral part of the interpretation
initiative, as they document the Native and African American
heritage of the Marsh-Warthen-Clements House. In February 2008
the committee unveiled a historic marker that commemorates the
African American contributions to the Marsh-Warthen-Clements
House. The marker was placed in front of the servants’ quarters
that comprised the east wing addition of the house.
The keynote speaker for the marker dedication was Hubert
Marsh, the great grandson of Wiley Marsh. Hubert Marsh said
that he always inquired about his ancestor’s photo when he was
growing up, as Wiley Marsh appeared to be a white man. His
grandmother would always tell him that Wiley Marsh was his
great-grandfather.
The Helping Hands: In Service at the Marsh House
Committee is but one of several preservation initiatives that the
Walker County African American Historical and Alumni
Association (the association) has implemented to recognize the
African American legacy of northwest Georgia. The association
unveiled markers to be placed in the Lytle Cemetery in Chickamauga
Warthen family until the 1990s.
Descendants of the Warthen
family occupied the house well
into the 20th century, but by the
1940s, the entire second floor
of the house was closed off.
When the final Warthen family
members died, the Clements
family purchased it in 1992.
They sold the property to
Walker County in 2003. The
county formed a community
task force to restore and
interpret the house for future
generations.
 By 1850, Spencer
Marsh owned 12 slaves, and
among them was a mulatto
named Wiley Marsh. Wiley
Marsh was born around 1834-
35, and was approximately 16
in the 1850 Marsh slave
schedule. According to oral
history accounts, this child
was believed to be the son of
Spencer Marsh and an
enslaved woman. He became
a skilled carpenter in the
region, and because he learned
how to read, probably from the
Bible, he was also called to
preach. He was associated
with Rev. George Wheeler,
who started the North Georgia
Baptist Association in 1870.
Wiley Marsh built churches
and houses throughout
northwest Georgia. His story
may have been omitted from
the history of the MarshWarthen-Clements House,
were it not for the efforts of the
Helping Hands Committee,
who worked in partnership
with the Walker County
Historical Society to interpret
his story and the stories of the
slaves of Spencer Marsh and
his children to the public.
Evelle Dana, chair of the Task Force
and Beverly Foster, president of the
Walker County African American
Historical and Alumni Association
unveil the African American marker
in front of the east side of the MarshWarthen-Clements House.
 Photo by Jeanne Cyriaque
African Americans who have the Marsh and Allgood surnames gather in
front of the historic marker that recognizes the African American pioneers
associated with the Marsh-Warthen-Clements House.
 Photo by Jeanne Cyriaque
3
continued on page 4
(Walker County) and the Mount
Joy Cemetery in Subligna
(Chattooga County). Members
cleared debris and cleaned up
these cemeteries last fall.
Trustees of the
Mount Joy Baptist Church
established the Mount Joy
Cemetery in 1910. Though the
church is no longer standing,
the association is collecting
pictures of the church and its
members. A grave in Mount
Joy Cemetery documents
Caroline Salmon, who lived
from 1831 until 1909. The grave
of Homer E. Harrison in Mount
Joy bears the symbol of the
Odd Fellows. Claude Rollins,
who was a Buffalo Soldier, is
buried at Lytle Cemetery in
Chickamauga. This cemetery
was established in the 1890s.
These are important vestiges
of the African American legacy
in both the antebellum era and
post-Civil War Georgia.
The association has
not restricted their recognition
of African American history
to the 19th century, as they are
working to preserve the
Pleasant Grove School, one of
the historic resources in the
McLemore Cove Historic
District. Located in the
Kensington community, the
Pleasant Grove School was
established by the Pleasant
Grove Baptist Church in 1931.
The church preserves this
historic African American
school, and adaptively reuses
the building for a fellowship
hall and community meetings.
The Walker County Historical
Society presented a plaque to
the church to recognize their
stewardship during the MarshWarthen-Clements House
marker dedication.
The association is
preserving the Chickamauga
Lodge #221. The Prince Hall
Masonic Temple in Atlanta and
African American Masonic
lodges in Chickamauga and Dalton are listed in the National Register
of Historic Places. Chickamauga Lodge #221 has received two
Georgia Heritage grants from HPD to preserve this building. The
pre-development grant created a preservation plan in 2005. The
plan pointed out structural deficiencies in the building that required
immediate stabilization. In 2007, Chickamauga Lodge #221 received
a $20,000 development grant to rehabilitate the structure and address
safety concerns for public use.
Chickamauga Masonic Lodge # 221 was originally
organized on the Haslerig family’s property on Cove Road (Georgia
Hwy. 341). This was known as the District Hill area. The District
Hill School was once located next to the lodge and the District Hill
Cemetery still exists in the area today. In 1921, a fire destroyed the
school and lodge. In 1924, the Masons completed construction of
the present lodge on Hwy. 341. Students attended school at
Friendship Missionary Baptist Church until a Rosenwald school
was built in the Wallaceville community in an area that was known
as The Black Folks Alley. The Masons assist African American
Hubert Marsh stands beneath a
portrait of Spencer Marsh. He is a
descendant of Rev. Wiley Marsh.
 Photo by Jeanne Cyriaque
Caroline Salmon’s grave inscription
says “A good old mother to both white
and black.”
 Photo courtesy of WCAAHAA
Claude Rollins was a Buffalo Soldier
who served in the 24th Infantry. He is
buried at Lytle Cemetery.
 Photo courtesy of WCAAHAA
The Pleasant Grove School was built by the Pleasant Grove Baptist Church
in 1931. It is a contributing resource in the McLemore Cove Historic
District, and was listed in the National Register of Historic Places on
August 11, 1994. Photo by Jeanne Cyriaque
When Chickamauga Masonic Lodge #221 was awarded a pre-development
Georgia Heritage grant, red asphalt siding covered the building. The
lodge is a Prince Hall affiliate, Free and Accepted Masons.
 Photo by Jeanne Cyriaque
4
FROM PIONEERS TO MASONS:
PRESERVING THE AFRICAN AMERICAN LEGACY OF NORTHWEST GEORGIA
Jeanne Cyriaque, continued from page 3
churches through monetary gifts for fuel or laying cornerstones.
The Masons provide aid to widows and preside at funerals in the
community, and assist with burials and maintenance of cemeteries.
The Chickamauga Masonic Lodge #221 is a two-story,
wood frame structure that was built by lodge members. It is the
only remaining African American Masonic lodge in Walker County.
The lodge hall’s first floor space is used for community meetings,
while the second floor is reserved for the Masons and Eastern Star
meetings. The original handcrafted Masonic stations and pedestals
occupy this space. The lodge was also the meeting space for the
African American Odd Fellows of Chickamauga. In 1952, red rolled
asphalt siding was added to the exterior, along with plumbing
and heating. A cornerstone on the building’s exterior denotes
these changes.
Across the highway from Chickamauga Masonic Lodge
#221 is the property of the Haslerig family, who established one of
northwest Georgia’s earliest African American dairy farms. Charles
Haslerig purchased land for the dairy farm around 1905. He was
one of the founding members of Chickamauga Lodge #221 and
served as Worshipful Master. His sons worked with him in
establishing his business, and Willie Haslerig is still a Mason today.
By 1949, Haslerig began pasteurizing milk and his business service
area expanded about 30 miles to Chattanooga. Today, a display in
the Chattanooga African American Museum interprets the story of
this African American farming family.
In the 1960s, the Haslerig family sold the dairy to Happy
Valley Dairy Farms. The old Haslerig homeplace and a few
outbuildings from the dairy still remain on the property, along with
the District Hill Cemetery that their ancestors established to provide
Chickamauga Masonic Lodge #221 is the site of the African burials for African Americans.
American Veterans of Foreign Wars Camp that was established
after World War II by Walker County veterans who could not
participate in other camps due to segregation policies. The lodge
hall is also the meeting place for the Esther Chapter #476 Order of
Eastern Star. The chapter received their charter in 1944.
The preservation plan revealed several structural deficiencies and safety
issues. The red asphalt siding was removed and revealed the original
wood siding. Photo courtesy of WCAAHAA
The Haslerig family homeplace still exists on their property
today. Photo by Jeanne Cyriaque
This barn, built by Mr. Marylen Foster, and the Haslerig
homeplace still remain on the property that once was C.D.
Haslerig & Sons Dairy. Photo by Jeanne Cyriaque
The Walker County African American Historical and Alumni Association
members cleared debris and erected signs in Lytle Cemetery last fall.
Pictured from left to right are: Homer Benton, Eddie Foster, Sr., Eddie
Foster II and Gerald Tinson. Photo courtesy of WCAAHAA
5
continued on page 6
One of the persons whose final resting place is District
Hill Cemetery is Mark Trash. He was once the oldest registered
voter at age 123, as he lived from 1820-1943. Beverly Foster, in her
book about African Americans in northwest Georgia said “He arrived
in Walker County in search of his master’s son. There, ‘Uncle’
Mark Trash (as he later became known) helped bury the dead of the
Confederate and Union Armies.”
Beverly Foster is
particularly proud of the
association’s recent project to
establish an African American
Heritage Trail in northwest
Georgia. The association was
awarded a $4,376 grant from
the Georgia Civil War
Commission to inventory
African American sites that are
associated with the Civil War
in several northwest Georgia
counties, including Chattooga,
Dade and Walker. The Walker
County Commission has
provided a matching grant for
the project. “With the State of
Georgia preparing for the 150th
anniversary of the Civil War,
and wanting to tell the story
of the military campaigns and
the civilian home front, this survey will be a valuable resource to
obtain an accurate account of history,” said State Senator Jeff
Mullis, who supports the project. The association hopes that the
inventory will provide enough information for a driving brochure
for the sesquicentennial celebration.
FLAT ROCK ARCHIVE GRAND OPENING:
DOCUMENTING AFRICAN AMERICAN
FAMILY AND COMMUNITY HERITAGE
Hermina Glass-Avery, African American Programs Assistant
Historic Preservation Division
The Flat Rock community emerged between the Johnson and
Lyons plantations, two large slave-owning estates east of
Atlanta in Lithonia along the South River, which separates DeKalb
and Henry counties. Descendants of the former enslaved
population still live in Flat Rock and they have established the Flat
Rock Archive, Inc. to preserve the history of their beloved
community. On December 15, 2007 the archival center celebrated
its grand opening with a ribbon-cutting ceremony. The community
and public officials were on hand to support this historic occasion.
Historical records show that Flat Rock is the oldest African
American community in DeKalb County. The boundaries of the
community are Browns Mill, Evans Mill, Salem, and Crossvale
Roads. Situated on four acres in the midst of aggressive
development, the archive is housed in the century-old home of
Rev. Theodore A. Bryant, who was instrumental in grounding the
community in Flat Rock at a time when changing social roles,
urbanization, industrialization, and northern migration presented
attractive alternatives to rural farm life. The property contains
outbuildings that were utilized until the 1950’s: a barn, a smoke
house, and outhouse. During slavery, whites, enslaved African
descendants, Native Americans, and free men and women of color
all lived in the area. Johnny Waits said, “Flat Rock was located on
the South River, the dividing line between Henry and DeKalb
counties. There were river barges all along the South River, and of
course farming. But by 1848, industry shifted from the river to the
railroads. And, also there were the quarries.”
The goal of the archival center is to collect records that
document the lives of African Americans from the plantation era
through the modern Civil Rights Movement. The current collection
consists of genealogical records, historic photographs, church
records, and other farm-related artifacts. Johnny Waits, a descendant
Beverly Foster, president of
WCAAHAA, is a leading force in
documenting the African American
legacy of northwest Georgia.
 Photo by Jeanne Cyriaque
Johnny Waits stands in front of the Flat Rock Archive. T.A. Bryant, Jr.,
the son of one of the early community leaders, donated this century-old
house to the archive. Photo by Hermina Glass-Avery
A smokehouse and outhouse still exist behind the Flat Rock Archive today.
 Photo by Hermina Glass-Avery
6
of one of the first slave families in the area, is executive director of
the Flat Rock Archive and his vision is to collect as many
photographs, maps, genealogies, and stories as possible to create
a national database for average citizens, scholars, and researchers
to retrieve historical information about black life in America.
According to Waits, many Flat Rock residents have ancestors that
are buried at the old slave cemetery. His great great-grandmother,
Eliza Waits, who was 60 years old according to the 1870 census, is
buried at Flat Rock Cemetery. It is believed that Creek Indians may
have been buried there also. Other families buried there are the
Shoemakes, Lyons, and Bryants.
U.S. Congressman Hank Johnson and State Senator
Ronald Ramsey, Sr. were among the guests to commend the Flat
Rock Archive and its board for its noble goal to preserve the history
and memories of the way it was for black folks in the South. Johnson
invited attendees to close their eyes and imagine someone sitting
on the porch or in the fields hard at work on this site, which should
be “…a state and national treasure.” State Senator Ramsey stated
that the rural setting and sense of place in Flat Rock reminded him
of his early years in North Carolina and that the residents of Flat
Rock should be proud that their history is being preserved. Melissa
Forgey of the DeKalb Historical Society attended the community
event and continues to offer research assistance to the organization.
Kelly Jordan, of the Arabia Mountain Heritage Alliance, is an advisor
to the archive.
But for the clarion calls from Johnny Waits, T. A. Bryant,
Jr., Vira Whitaker, and other old timers, the Flat Rock community
would have remained virtually invisible. It appeared on the 1839
Hermina Glass-Avery, continued from page 5
FLAT ROCK ARCHIVE GRAND OPENING:
DOCUMENTING AFRICAN AMERICAN
FAMILY AND COMMUNITY HERITAGE
DeKalb County map, but sometime thereafter the small town of Flat
Rock vanished from official Georgia maps, particularly DeKalb
County maps, and only as recently as 1998 did it reappear. Blacks
in Flat Rock have held psychological repositories of their own
history in the area. Now, the history and memories are being
documented and digitized to share with generations to come. A
documentary film on the history of Flat Rock is in progress.
The organization has a two-year plan to remain open as an
archival center while they address preservation standards for
rehabilitation of the building. Afterwards they will apply for listing
the house in the National Register of Historic Places. The building
will be a house museum offering hands-on experiences of slavery
and farm life to future visitors. “Blacks, and the world, need to
know the history. How real slavery was. How black folks survived.
The archive will provide that service,” said Waits.
Flat Rock Archive is a non-profit organization and is open
for tours of the site as well as the Flat Rock Cemetery each Tuesday
from 10:00am to 6:00pm. For more information, contact the
organization at 770-808-0030. You can also e-mail them at
flatrockarchive@bellsouth.net.
Spencer Bryant was chairman of the board of trustees of the Flat Rock
United Methodist Episcopal Church. He is shown above, seated in the
middle of a crowd, in an undated photo. He was born into slavery in 1863.
He is the Rev. T.A. Bryant’s grandfather. He is also actor and comedian
Chris Tucker’s great-great grandfather. Photo courtesy of Flat Rock Archive
U.S. Congressman Hank Johnson was the keynote
speaker at the dedication of Flat Rock Archive. He and
Kelly Jordan of the Arabia Mountain Heritage Alliance
are supporters of the initiative.
 Photo by Jeanne Cyriaque
DeKalb County map, circa 1839 courtesy of Carl Vinson
Institute of Government, University of Georgia
Hermina Glass-Avery
African American
Programs Assistant
Voice 404/657-1054
Fax 404/657-1040
hermina.glassavery@dnr.state.ga.us
Lillian Davis
Dr. Gerald C. Golden
Terry & Cynthia Hayes
Richard Laub
Christine Miller-Betts
Kris Roberts
Isaac Johnson, Chair
706/738-1901
Linda Cooks, Vice-Chair
404/936-2614
Velmon Allen, Vice-Chair
GAAHPN Network
912/261-1898
STEERING
COMMITTEE
Jeanne Cyriaque
African American
Programs Coordinator
Reflections Editor
Voice 404/656-4768
Fax 404/657-1040
jeanne.cyriaque@dnr.state.ga.us
STAFF
7
Hermina Glass-Avery, African American Programs Assistant
Historic Preservation Division
SOUTHERN RURAL BLACK WOMEN’S INITIATIVE
GEORGIA HALL OF FAME INDUCTION
I
n January, Congresswoman Maxine Waters (California) was the
keynote speaker at the Southern Rural Black Women’s Hall of
Fame Induction Ceremony. It was hosted by Shirley Sherrod, director
of its lead organization in
Georgia, the Southwest
Georgia Project for Community
Education. The event was held
at one of Georgia’s premier
Historically Black Colleges
and Universities, Albany State
University. Congressman
Sandford Bishop was also in
attendance to show his
support for the honorees. The
congresswoman applauded
the five inductees for their
courage and strength to stand
up and fight against the struggles to overcome racial, economic,
and gender discrimination in the rural South. She affirmed
sisterhood and stated: “I love and appreciate black women who
have done so much for me – who have help to keep my feet
firmly planted on the ground.”
The congresswoman
acknowledged her delight in
visiting Albany for it is very
seldom that she has the
opportunity to visit and talk to
rural women about their unique
issues. With fiery enthusiasm,
she roared that her job in
Washington, DC is to represent
all women in America. “I
represent Ms. Jones, and Ms.
Sallie – women who don’t have
paid lobbyists, children who
don’t have childcare and
healthcare…They are my
sisters and friends who live in
shacks in Alabama, Mississippi,
and Georgia...These are my
sisters.”
The Hall of Fame celebrates Black women who have overcome
the odds in their communities and assisted countless others through
their sphere of influence. The 2007 inductees were: Mary Jo
Haywood, Dr. Lillian Patricia Johnson, Carol R. King, Leila Walker
and Leola Williams. The exhibit, Just Stand, Anyhow, was on display
to acknowledge the 2005 inductees: Gladys Mae Spencer Coley,
Mary Young Cummings, Josie E. Miller, Bernice Johnson Reagon
and Mary Shipp.
Congresswoman Maxine Waters signs
programs following her address to the
SRBWI Georgia Hall of Fame inductees.
 Photo by Hermina Glass-Avery
Congressman Sanford Bishop
Photo by Hermina Glass-Avery
Anthony B. Knight, Jr. is the curator of
the SRBWI Hall of Fame Exhibit: Just
Stand, Anyhow!
 Photo by Hermina Glass-Avery
This evening of celebration
and remembrance emphasized
the importance of working
together. Congresswoman
Waters reiterated this point
stating, “We all have a lot of
work to do. Let us remember
all of the sacrificing, sharing,
and giving. And let us honor
African American women
who are still doing and giving
so much.”
Isaac Johnson
Chairman
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 2,600 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
34 Peachtree Street, NW
Suite 1600
Atlanta, GA 30303-2316