Historic black resources: a handbook for the identification, documentation, and evaluation of historic African-American properties in Georgia

HISTORIC
BLACK RESOURCES
A Handbook FOf" Ihe JdlJ7ltlJitation, /JoIlumeMati01l, and E.'alua/m
oj Historic African-American Propertju in Gf(ff{lia
Carole Merritt
lIi'\(Iric PrellervallOn 8E'ction GC<lrg;" Department of Natural Resources

HISTORIC
BLACK
RESOURCES
A Handbook For the Identification, Documentation, and Evaluation
of Historic African-American Properties in Georgia
Carole Merritt
Edited By Carolyn S. Brooks
Historic Preservation Section Georgia Department of Natural Resources
1984

His/oril' Hlack Rcsources has been funded with the assistance of a matching grant-inaid from the United States Department of the Interior, National Park Service, through the Historic Preservation Section, Georgia Departmentof Natural Resources, under provisions of the National Historic Preservation Act of 1966,
Copyright 1984 by the Historic Preservation Section, Georgia Department of Natural Resources
Cover Photo: James R. Lockhart for the Historic Preservation Section

Contents
Preface /5 Introduction /6 1. Historical Overview /8 2. The Resources /12
Residential /12 Institutional /25 Commercial /47 3. Identification /59 4. Documentation /67 5. Evaluation for the National Register of Historic Places /76 Appendix A: Checklist of Historic Resources /84 Appendix B: National Register Properties in Georgia
Significant in African-American History /86 Appendix C: Agencies and Organizations
Providing Preservation Assistance /90 Bibliography /94

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Preface
The benefits that historic preservation can offer to minority communities have only recently begun to be recognized. Along with this awareness, an appreciation of the importance of the historic resources of these communities, whose historical significance has long gone unnoticed, is developing. To aid the growing effort to identify, document, and evaluate the historic resources of Georgia's AfricanAmerican heritage, the state's historic preservation office is pleased to present this handbook.
The handbook is the product of recent planning activities. In 1980, Richard Dozier, former Head of the Department of Architecture at Tuskegee Institute, conducted for the Historic Preservation Section of the Department of Natural Resources a survey of black historic properties in the state. The survey focused on Augusta and McIntosh County, where the resources were particularly rich, and it initiated efforts to more adequately define the significance of Georgia's minority historic resources. This earlier survey project, including its documentary research, contributed to the preparation of the present survey project undertaken by Carole Merritt, Director of the AfricanAmerican Family History Association exhibit project and former staff member of the state historic preservation office. She was assisted by state historic preservation staff members Richard R. Cloues, Kenneth H. Thomas, Jr., and Carolyn S. Brooks.
We believe this handbook represents a significant initiative in historic preservation in the state. We hope that its use will help promote a broader understanding of the state's heritage and a deeper commitment to its preservation.
Elizabeth A. Lyon Chief, Historic Preservation Section State Historic Preservatiion Officer
5

Introduction
This handbook has been prepared to aid persons interested in the preservation of historic African-American buildings, structures, districts, sites, and objects in Georgia. It represents a special effort by the Historic Preservation Section (the State Historic Preservation Office) of the Georgia Department of Natural Resources to compile guidelines for the identification, documentation, and evaluation of those cultural resources in Georgia's built environment which have been significant in the development of the black community. These guidelines are based on the Secretary of Interior's Standards and Guidelines for Archaeology and Histon:c Preservation Act1:m:ties.
The history of blacks in Georgia is integral to the state's history, just as African-American history is essential to an understanding of our nation's development. That this fact is often ignored in historic preservation makes necessary the special attention of this handbook to black cultural resources. In accordance with federal and state provisions, the Historic Preservation Section is responsible for planning the protection of Georgia's historic and archaeological resources. The preparation of this handbook on black historic resources is one aspect of that overall planning process in which the full range of cultural resources in the state is being surveyed and evaluated, so that decisions regarding their protection can be made.
African-American cultural resources have been among the most threatened, for as an underclass, blacks have had less power over their immediate environment. Their communities have been more vulnerable to development pressures. Moreover, the significance of black resources and the imperative for their protection have often gone unrecognized. This handbook is dedicated to the greater appreciation and protection of these rich, yet undervalued, resources.
The information presented here is for use by individuals, organizations, and agencies who wish to take concrete steps to protect the significant black resources in their communities. The historical overview presented in Chapter One provides a very general frame of reference for understanding some of the resources in the context of the
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broad patterns of Georgia's history. This overview is neither comprehensive nor detailed. Rather it is a preliminary perspective on some of the historical processes which shaped the development of the black community, specifically its built environment. Much research remains to be done in this area.
Chapter Two describes a variety of cultural resources comprising the built environment. It discusses the major aspects of each category of resources, indicating, when known, the distinctively AfricanAmerican features.
Chapter Three contains a step-by-step procedure for identifying historic resources. It suggests how to organize the survey process and what information to collect for different kinds of surveys.
In Chapter Four, the major sources for researching and documenting black historic properties are reviewed.
Chapter Five discusses the criteria which assist in the evaluation of the relative significance of identified resources. These criteria are based on the standards for determining eligibility for the National Register of Historic Places. The procedures for registration are also discussed in this chapter.
There are three appendixes. The first is a comprehensive checklist of categories of cultural resources to be considered in identifying properties of historic significance. The second is a list of National Register properties in Georgia significant in terms of AfricanAmerican history. The third contains a directory of public and private agencies and organizations which can be of assistance or have had some experience in the preservation of black resources. The last section of the handbook is a bibliography of selected materials for further research on the historical significance of black resources in Georgia. References for assistance in the evaluation and protection of significant properties are also cited.

1
Historical Overview
The African-American presence in Georgia can be traced to the earliest days of the colony. Savannah was founded - its streets and lots laid out, and its first house constructed - with the assistance of four black axmen from South Carolina. Brought in temporarily by Colonel William Bull, these four slaves introduced the significant role African-Americans were to play in shaping Georgia's built environment. Black settlement in Georgia was determined largely by labor demands. However, the development of the black community has also reflected the distinctive cultural impact of an African people adapting to American life.
In 1736, slavery and blacks were prohibited. Many colonists feared slaves would discourage white settlement or create a rebellious black element in a society already threatened by the Spanish. The prohibition was not strictly enforced, however. Soon after enactment, slaves were reported tending cattle and working the larger farms on the Georgia side of the Savannah River. By the late 1740s slaves were sold openly in Savannah. As the struggle with Spain subsided and the hopes for wine and silk production dashed, the tide of public opinion turned in favor of slavery, which now seemed to promise Georgia's economic salvation.
Slavery was legalized in 1750, and within a decade the African population had increased tenfold. Georgia's early blacks came primarily from South Carolina and the West Indies. Not until the 1760s did slave cargoes arrive directly from African countries, particularly the coasts of present-day Senegal, Gambia, Ivory Coast, Liberia, Ghana, and in the latter period of the slave trade, Central Africa.
Georgia's development was reflected in the growth and settlement patterns ofthe black population. On the eve of the Revolutionary War, and during the height of African slave importation, blacks were nearly half of the colony's population. Along the coastal tidelands, huge plantations with large slave forces were engaged in the cultivation of rice, which by 1775 had become Georgia's major crop. Much of the
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coastal area at that time, however, consisted of small farms where wheat was grown and livestock raised. The Indian presence had for a while delayed settlement northwestward into the Piedmont, but with the cession of Creek and Cherokee lands in 1773, settlement northwest of Augusta was begun. The growth rate of the white population over the next few decades increased sharply with the immigration of farmers from Virginia and the Carolinas. The center of population shifted from the coast to the middle and upper counties ofthe state. By 1790, the proportion of blacks in Georgia had fallen to about 35 percent, while in the coastal area blacks maintained a numerical dominance of 70 percent.
Settlement southwestward along the Piedmont plateau came gradually as Creek Indians were pushed from the Ogeechee River to the Ocmulgee by 1803 and to the Flint River by 1821. With the last of the Creeks gone by 1827, agricultural development in Middle Georgia became a reality. This area was part of what was to be known as Georgia's Black Belt, the agricultural center that stretched eventually to the southwestern part of the state, incorporating portions of the Piedmont and the coastal plain. Large cotton plantations displaced small diversified farms, and by 1825 they made Georgia the world's leader in cotton production. The intensive cultivation of cotton with slave labor was accompanied by the large-scale influx of black slaves from the Upper South. The region became predominantly black, and by 1860 Georgia was again nearly half black.
Economic growth mandated the development of Georgia's transportation systems. River transport, which was facilitated by steam navigation, moved agricultural and forest products between the coast and the fall line - the ridge from which the rivers descend from the Piedmont to the coastal plain. The location of Augusta, Macon, and Columbus on the fall line not only established these towns as transportation centers but also gave them the water power for later industrial development. Canals and roads were constructed during the first part of the nineteenth century, but the railroad, which was chartered in the state in 1833, became the major means of transportation in antebellum Georgia. By 1841 the Georgia Railroad connected Augusta and Athens. The Central of Georgia Railroad joined Savannah and Macon in 1843. Both these railroads soon connected with the southern terminus of the Western and Atlantic Railroad at Atlanta, making that city the state's most important transportation hub. African-Americans played a significant role in Georgia's transportation development. River dredging, canal excavation, and road repair depended heavily on slave labor, as did railroad construction.
The Emancipation Proclamation of 1863 freed the slaves by official

10
decree. The end of the Civil War brought an immediate change to the political status of blacks but did not substantially alter their economic and social position in a racist society. With the failure of Reconstruction, political gains were lost and blacks continued to suffer in an increasingly hostile and repressive Georgia. Ex-slaves labored for the most part as tenants, many paying cash rents, but most before 1900 sharing harvested crops as rent payment. The crop lien system of credit, which pledged future crops to pay for a loan of supplies, subjected blacks and whites to the legacy of the plantation system. Many large plantations had been broken up, but many tenants were nearly as tied to the land and cotton production as they had been as slaves. Cotton production had been interrupted by the war, but by 1880 it was higher than ever.
Although many blacks remained in the areas they had worked as slaves, some migrated immediately after the war to towns and cities such as Atlanta, Macon, Milledgeville, Savannah, and Augusta. In time, a significant number from the older Black Belt counties moved to south and southwest Georgia, where more fertile land brought higher wages. Blacks from the coast migrated to the wiregrass area in the southeastern section of the state, which incorporates much of the coastal plain. The last area of Georgia to develop, this region eventually attracted other blacks to its agriculture and lumbering. By 1910, nearly 40 percent of the population in the wiregrass was black.
Two areas of Georgia had relatively little black settlement. In the sparsely-populated mountain region of north Georgia, the soil and climate were unsuitable for staple crops. After the Cherokees were forceably removed in the 1830s, this area consisted largely of small farms settled by white Virginians, North Carolinians, and Middle Georgians. Small subsistence farms established after the Creeks had been removed in the late eighteenth century also characterized the upper Piedmont just south of the mountains. In this area, however, by 1910 the proportion of blacks, particularly in the lower area of large plantations, was four times that in the mountain region.
Work opportunities explained, in large part, the twentieth century out-migration of black Georgians to cities in the North and West. There had been a few decades after the Civil War a small, but steady, movement to Alabama, Mississippi, Arkansas, and Florida. By World War I, however, the Great Migration was in full swing, drawing thousands of Georgians to the war industries of Pennsylvania, Ohio, Illinois, and Michigan, as well as to Florida. The boll weevil's destruction gave futher impetus to the move, as did Georgia's increasing racial violence. From 1882 to 1923, Georgia led the nation in recorded lynchings. The out-migration of blacks in the state reached

11
its peak in the 1920s. The Depression sharply curtailed, but did not stop, black flight. During World War II, migration increased, this time destined also for New Jersey, New York, and the West. The trend of black migration appears to have been reversed in the last decade, but a century of out-migration has reduced Georgia's proportion of blacks from nearly one-half to one-fourth.
The history of Georgia's black community - the development of its people and its institutions - is little known. Population changes and settlement patterns provide only the broad framework within which the struggles and achievements of a people took shape. The specific historical background of particular black communities can tell us much about present conditions and can help establish a sense of heritage and place. It is important, therefore, to know how individual communities were founded, what forms they took, and who led them. Perhaps more important, it is necessary to know who lived in the communities and what institutions, facilities, resources, and values gave form and substance to their lives.
A great deal of research must be conducted even to begin to answer these questions. However, a variety of cultural resources record some aspects of the development of the black community. The archaeological remains and standing structures of antebellum Georgia document little-known aspects of slave life. The houses, churches, schools, and other facilities which survive from the late nineteenth century provide valuable insight into the community leadership, structure, and processes ofthe freedmen. The historic resources ofthe early twentieth century - residential, institutional, and commerical, both rural and urban - help recreate the black community's steady progress under stress. All these resources reflect its history, help explain its present, and suggest options for the future.

2
The Resources
This chapter discusses some major cultural resources which have historical significance primarily to African-Americans in Georgia. It presents the general characteristics of residential, institutional, and commercial buildings, and provides some historical context within which these resources shaped and reflected the development of black communities. Although resources will be discussed by major categories, it should be pointed out that their significance is more fully appreciated when evaluated as interdependent elements of the total community.
Residential Resources
Most of the historic built environment associated with blacks is comprised of modest dwellings. In preservation efforts, these are likely to be overshadowed by houses, churches, and other institutional buildings which are more complex in structure and more elaborate in style. Greater attention to common houses, however, is essential to a better understanding, appreciation, and protection of our heritage.
Black residential facilities are organized in this section of the handbook by area (urban and rural), by time period (before and after slavery), and by tenure (ownership and tenancy).
Rural Slave Houses One-room houses of square or rectangular shape with gable roofs
were typical of slave dwellings in Georgia throughout most of the antebellum period. Both double- and single-unit structures with one family per unit were common. They were referred to as double-pen and single-pen houses. The one room was multi-purpose, having been used for sleeping, cooking, eating, and living. In many houses, the loft, which was accessible by a ladder or corner stairs, served as sleeping space for children. In size, design, and construction, Georgia's slave
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houses ..er~ apPllnntly .imila~ to those in other Irt... or the South.
Coastal dwellin.... ho....ever, had distincti,'c featura. Althol,lll'h ~t

II."" hou_ in the Ilate nn~ in size from ten III Ib~n feet in width ~d ten IOt...cnl1 fMt in length. thedimel\Jion.aof ~t&l hou_ _rt

I.~r, ranlfirll' from h'c].,., to twenlJ'-four feee. in width UId fOllrtftn

to 1"eIll1four feet in length. WhereQ ..-t .llve 110.- ...~

<:oMtr\Ieud of \op, laSt&! dw"l1inj[ materi.l, "'ut f.... me and tabby

(F'i.-.re 1). (Tabby ia .. Cml*iteof equal p&rU ohalld.lime.lIMoll. and
wauor. molded illIG I1IbI or bricks.) Chim....n Wert anolile. distill-

ruiahiq "1e "1 of coqlalll.ved....ellinp. About fifteen feet Ulland about Ii. feet ~. IMy Wert otten coMt"",ud of tabby briek and

plAlUNd with tabby (Firur-e 2). The firtboJ: .... of el~ brick; the
'inlotl of w-'. commonl,. qpraa. Log holu-.(Fip", 3) had a.hortu

ehimner- 01 hewn lop li~ with IlOna and pluteffil with mud to

''''lIllte them from W heaL The Roo... of ,lave houJa wer-e 111....:11)' of

din, which .... made hArd ... rtmeJlt by poundin.. or molding ..

w-' el-.ylike miJlure. So..... COAStal houses approre"t!)' had

fIoo ....

eo.,.tl'\lction mroter;.l. tor roofs v..-ie<! throughout Georgia. with

wood shilll"18. plsllks.or thstl'h havilll' ~II lIted. WhM sla~ houses

had willdowl. they "'Ue without I,.. and dOled with board slllllte....

Slave 1I0u_ "'ere similar in "1e and d6ign to Ille d"'ellinffl of

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15
many rural whites of that period, who also occupied small one- or two-room log houses that sometimes had dirt floors. Slave housing, it appears, was the legacy of both preindustrial Europe and Africa. African wooden houses with horizontal timbers and gable roofs shared features with American log houses. In Britain and colonial America, wattle-and-daub construction (rods and poles interwoven with branches and reeds, and plastered with mud or clay) was similar in technique to the building of mud houses in West Africa. English farmhouses and cottages as late as the nineteenth century had dirt floors made of clay, ox blood, and ashes. Likewise in West Africa, eathern floors were hardened mixtures of clay, ashes, and cow dung. Thatched roofs had European as well as African roots.
Urban Slave Houses
Housing for slaves in urban areas differed substantially from that in rural areas. Most slaves in towns and cities were domestic servants living in or adjacent to the houses oftheir masters. Spare rooms, attics, and auxiliary spaces such as hallways and alcoves sheltered many domestics. Often, however, behind the master's house was a single- or multi-unit dwelling for slaves. While the master's house faced the street, these separate slave quarters were placed to the rear of the lot, sometimes off a back lane or alley. When a wall enclosed the lot, it created a kind of compound which tended to orient the inhabitants to the master's house and reinforce slave status.
Slaves who were engaged in commercial and industrial labor also lived in or near their work places. Owners of hotels, factories, and other business partnerships and corporations were, in fact, the large urban slaveholders. Tenements attached to a factory or mill housed slaves when they could not be accommodated within the establishment itself. The practice of slaves boarding some distance from their master increased toward the late antebellum period. They rented rooms and houses, and sometimes boarded with free blacks. In Savannah, this tendency led to a concentration of blacks on the periphery of the city.
Slave housing in urban areas apparently lacked the distinctive features of design and construction that characterized the housing of most rural slaves. Although diverse building types and conditions described urban slave living, the higher population density of the city sometimes necessitated multi-storied structures. Usually made of wood, but sometimes of brick, these multi-unit dwellings afforded small, crowded rooms. Additional research is needed to determine the characteristics of size, design, and construction of these and other urban slave houses.

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Rural TeM"nl Hown,
Slave hou~, oontinued 10 be occuJ>ied by a larlf'l number of black Gf!()rgiana through the early !wcntiClh ""ntury. MOIl! freedmen
remained in or movO'd to these .mall, one-room loll' how,," wilh uri hen
nOll.. Ind wood chimneys. Some of the hou.... constructed ..fl.e_ the
Civil War would have been indiningui.hable from lhoee of the lite
antebellum period. Many 101\' I>on .... underwent alteralio... which
l.ended 10 disauiH lOme of their originlll fUIIII'fll. WeatherlK.n:I.. for tumpll!. WeN! ~ded for insulation. frivinr the appelrlnceor frame
lXllllUlIction.
Blaek unr.nl houIoes buill in the late nineteenth and early t ....Mltieth
centuria wcN! typially ''''00 or lhree-room frame buildinp with
steep pble roofl(Ficuf'l!!l4 and 5l. A p&rtilion ofl.eft divided ~~ant hou.e into t_ room. - a living room tluot .......ed 1llIo ... ~l"OOm. and I kilChen/di"i ... room that ......-1 for Ileepi .... 1OO. Somehouhad I third room in the rear. _hi.eh _u uted u a kikhen. Addition.al s~ tOf' .leepinc and IIt.orage _" ."ailahle in the upper halt.tory ... 10ft.. Neatly all ten.lnt houses had a simple shec!roofed tront pon:h.

M.,,_ ('_..,,11__ .\. ......_.11_... _ "'0.. __ MtGo..... I'lG...'_

R.

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Som~, panicul.r1y those pr,,,iousll' ""cupied by "'hile I.ndownen. had a cook hou~c or kitchen, a separ.tec.rthe" r100retl ~tructure, thc gableend of which faced tllc rear door of thc house. Weatheroo,.ni Wa.
usually of o.k or pine. lJ.oardandballcn, an exterior "<"'crin,,, uf ,'e..lical pl.nk~ lIe.led ,,-itll narro"'cr strillS, "'U .180 common, Wood nOON had ~me ~tand.rd for frame houSC'S. Roofll "'ere o~u.lly of splil Iline .hinlt:lCI which were later often repl.ced with ll"al.-.n,:te<!
mCLaI. 1100""" reoll'd on pieN. "'hieh "'ere mad" either of briek or of ,,'0001 block. 101 on lime mortar foolinlt:ll. Urick and ItoM ehim",,). ~ame comn"",, rl'dueinll the fire h.z.ud. of ,,'0001 chimnel'S; many fi..,pl_ "'ere laterdosedoffas.to'-Neame intoulIe," tenant hou...
had fe,,- ,,-,ndo,,'" They ,,'ere nnerall)' eloaed \I"lh board ahulte....
It:lued windo"" havinll beoen a laterde""lopmenl- As 1.1" U lhe 1930s. JU<I o"e. half or blad ",nant houses in lhe lIlack 6011 had ~ilinr;s. MOIl apparenllr had unpluterl'd board walls. Uni".. the ...alll ...ilh
........papers aerved not onlr todecoral" bullbo to 1_lal".
Anolher diili ""I typeof d"'"Ili"l!:came ,nto"l0 by black tenanlS in
rural C:eo.-..,a by the late ninetftnth or ...rlr I"'entieth """IUry.

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Commonly rercrred 10 lllI the sholgun.~ thla hou.-e w". ns,l'Q'" structure of three Or more ,man room, ra/lrOil in aline. Ont dirKtl)'
behind the other (Filrure 6). The gable end of the hOUM! with the cntnn~doorfued the front. Room dimen.ion. ranKed from eight 10 twelve Or more r~t3Quare.The spatial arrangement . I;rnmen!, and .i%<l <:>r the Iholgun nouse 'Ull'l/est 10 lIOme Khnls .. an alternat;,c
archite.::luraltraditinn. specifically that of West Africa. The building lYlle h bci!n tra~ from two-room mud houselamonll'lhe Yorub,of Nigeria to hou.ees in runl and urban Haili and finally to early nillet!nth~nturyva.jllin... in Ne.... Orleanl. AI earl)' at the 11170.. shotgun hou.,. "'ereoon'lrllcted ...idel)' .... chUI) rental unita. Further
.urvey and ,,""l'Ch are needed 10 determine the de"elopment and
specific chlracterist;a of these an.d otl>er ten.nt "oll_ in rllnl
Geora'i.,

UrI>o.. T~,,1It " _
)I1J11 frwdmen in urban areas. like their eoun~rparU in the
eounu')'. eont;n!>ed fiK. whit.. toOCC1.lPY the bou.in. in which tMy had li,'f(! .....ve&. Major ch.n~ in black hoMuin. in the eilycamewith the ~t.-CMI War inn.... 01 mignnlll from theeount"..n.d with the

"
tarl)' t""tntieth-nlury de,'elopment of racially WII'~~ housing paIU"".. In Savannah. for uample. the black population i""reum
....arly flO 1"'1'11' from 1860 to 1870. account,,,/( for nurly h..lf ot the
city'. total pop1.llatlon. Altl>oulJh black. continued to reside all ","f'!" the
city until the ''''entieth cen1.\ll'}'. 1' 1S80 IMy had beJ{lln lOClDf>efllUIW in arnaauch .. Y~ra..... By tMH.rly twentieth eentul"J' IMy ""r...
]"nU<! primarily in lhe outlying .~. while whitel relidM in l.he CflIlrala...... Aulf\lata'. popul..tionMperVn~".;mlla. deve\opmenL
Ahhoup blacko rosidlPd in..-l ~ of ,he city, by 1900 tMr had
bqun 14 .......e to lhe -.IMIl fri ...... nenu,.al1r de\"eloping .. .elf-
contained eommunlty rallftlthe T"rri. Adall(&, havin.r had few bLacks
durin tile IUltdlel1um Pl'riod.1Iad ~ _trMlitiol! 01 ill~mlCial houiin. lIy the turn of ,he """tory, b1acks ..~ .....fined to lfttioN
_ and ...!tI1 of downtown..."""' nearly.n ..."ud nriola kinds of ~m"'thow!inl!'(f"ir;u.... 7). o.'e. 65 ""m.nlli~in r,.med_lIinp of thl"H or mo.... rooms. ShocPIl hou.... we..... p~mil\.ntt)'pe of

",,*,.. 1. ".v' J< """._. ,. ,4J/ _ 8.F.<_ t,.., S_ i~,C._."~ ".""..JF-.,n"-'.(.""_o1IJ._noi.-

'-.rl. /;O'""". ot-.o. fS",u_. C<JIffJ'"

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11--. AU..... ,."'.... C....... C_~ 'U1_ ...." .... _ , t.# U.s. 11I1'S!

d"'"lli nil". l>etl!rm in inK Ih" varietiellof rental build inll" IYlH'!land Iheir liKn ifieance 10 the develol.ment of GeorKia'" blaek urban oom munity requirell furl her .urvey and research,
BCl/inninll" in the 19301, {ederally funded I.ublic hOUlinll" ~Il"an iii iUI'I.lemcnt hilwric renlal housinll" in many of the oounlrY'1 c;lies, Desif(ned w provide dCCi'nt, upto-date houlinf( {or poor famili.... public hou.inll" wu char""terited by larf(e lICale de"elopmenLA of sturdily buill, Iowri.... mullifamily unill. T)'pically. theie uniLA art! of muonTy ronalruclion, deaigned with optimum lIqulre fooLatre and PI'OVilionl for adequate lighl. fresh air, and open apace bet...'een buildinp, In many oommuniliea, "'hole hi.toric neill'hborlloodl lIa'"c l.ell leveltd l<> make way for thio new type of houainll', Uni"cnity Homes ill Atlanta. bllill ill 1937. il lIiltorically aiVlificanl u the fint public houa'"11: buill for bl..,u '" thio counlrr (fill"'Urt! 8~

RICral u ....loorwn H _

l.andow~iplluromehudtoAfriunAmerica ~rt>culub'

illllOUthern 1ta\elli"e~1'ia- By 1900onlyOM in

blact farnu

21
was operated by owners, and only one in five acres of farmland in the state was black-owned. The average value of black farm buildings by the turn of the century was $82 compared with $268 for the value of white farm buildings. These statistics are clear measures of the relative powerlessness of the black community in determining its housing forms and settlement patterns. Although black landowners were few, their impact on community leadership and development was significant. The land they acquired and the homes they built were the foundations of black community progress in the late nineteenth and early twentieth centuries.
Black landownership in Georgia in the decades following emancipation was a function not only of income but also of white willingness to sell to blacks. Whites tended to sell land to those blacks they considered acceptable. The land they were likely to sell, however, was the least desirable. It was no accident, for example, that by 1910 black farm ownership was much higher in the coastal region where cotton and rice agriculture was in decline than in the Black Belt area where cotton production was booming.
Blacks who became landowners soon after emancipation were likely to have built houses similar to the small log dwellings of slaves and white farmers of modest means. They would eventually alter and expand their log dwellings by weatherboarding them, constructing frame additions, installing plank floors and ceilings, and plastering walls. In time they began to build larger frame houses with rooms for specialized uses (Figure 9). Houses built in the late 1800s would probably have been designed and constructed by the owners themselves who were skilled in log construction. By the early 1900s, however, mass-produced building materials made possible low-cost construction by hired building tradesmen, many of whom would have been black.
One of the houses studied by Atlanta University students under the direction of W.E.B. Du Bois in 1908 was perhaps representative ofthe dwellings of Georgia's black rural landowners. It was a frame house of four rooms, two on either side of a wide hall. Each room was sixteen feet square. The two front rooms, which were ceiled and plastered, were bedrooms, one of them possibly serving also as a sitting room. The two back rooms were a kitchen and bedroom, which were unceiled and unplastered. Food was stored in the loft above these back rooms. Two double chimneys, presumably of brick or stone, provided a fireplace for each room. Food was prepared on the stove in the kitchen, where the family also ate. Broad front and back porches ran nearly the entire width of the house. The well was in the back yard. The outbuildings of such a homestead would have included barns, a corn crib, chicken house, smokehouse, privy, and other structures.

1." .,...,.....,.. , ,. no- /<t,.,.""'''o{W""",;",,,, S

IImrrl C..",." ,.."'1/0 .........,............

d"'-.I_ '....

t ..". fJo .... It IbV.. rll'" 1II'li1

Un",11 L.o:rlld(lM"'UO H,,_.
The,tory orblack landowne"lIip in townl and e,tiM il fundamental 10 an unde..tlndinll or the de"elopmenl of Georllia'i urban communi. tiel. In ....,.t urban are... blaek eommunitiM evolved out 01 the udulionary houlinll polieies in'liated in the late nine,",nth century a.nd IOmetilnH madeoffieial through IewiIlation in the H.rl, t_nlieth cenwry. Ironieal1,. white IUpremacist polieies foatered black independence. Mall,\' black eommunitiM acllieved a!eYel of _mit wlf. lurtieieney thai 1111 linee ,,",n unlurpaDl'd. Black landowning families. who _nted ror perhaps Ii pefteIIl of black urban howoe-
hokb around 1900. "'en. eritieal to thia d_lopnwot. n.e ........ the1
built or jlUrehued were pntf'llir I'nllie-ramib'. one-story rrame

d"'cll inp wilh pbleor hipped roof. and shed porthttl ~'ilCUrt 10). An

AII.nta Univeraity Itudy ill 1908 d....,ribed such a houle th.I .....

perhaPl rtpreetlltali,~ of blaek~....ned houltl in AtI.nta. The "L".

sh.aped l1li..... h.ad three rooms ~ a bedroom on One side of a ntr.1

hall..lId. bedroom/parlor .lId kitchoen on the Oilier side. Eaeh room

...u sist.H:n f_ ~u.rt. pt..~l"td. oeiled.1Id h.ad Iwoor thra II_

...indows. Then u . 5J)k'e h.ester ill One room.1Id an open ....tc ill

neh of the othoer t o. The kitrhen. _hoert the fsmily toOked on all.O\'e.

ilM'Ved for dininl and appa..",t1y sleeping....... TIM hou.Iec:ontaiMd a

... ide abed ilO""h ullendi ... _rly thoe full .idth of the fronL The

.....J1u abed ilO""h at the rear .... olflhe hallilld kitchen. In the bKk

ylrd "ert I III hou.e. chicken~ ller cloMt. rond Nortroom.

The more elabon.~ houses of hi

i"""me blacks. lite It- of

hirMr i"""me .hites. WC1"'t ofte1l larp. IWCHtory. framed d...e1li .....

ith aryi"l roof Ityles. venndu. and Victoriln or Neodaaieal

dttaiHlII. OM aueh ho\tIe in Columbus. built ill 1912 for William

Henry Spellftr. a Indi... Iotal educator. hueleve .. rooms Ind. b..-d

It.... 1<1. 11,11.... "",.\.... _ . , , _ . _ c....... no .... 11IlO _ _.u~~

_,It_.. - - .. _"A_ ..~w...~...

Llonrrl

", ~o,---....

,* 'l. Wilh".. II...... S"......... II""",. (,'01

" ' _ C_"" C....."""" I. '~I

ftK C<>I...I>.."I",d,.. bI.. -.I""' I/~I:_;"" .'1...."""...)

ve.......a(Filr\lre II~ On the first f\oor au tair hall. parlor. dini ....

,nd. room. 1..'0 bedrooms. kitehen. rear alair lLall and t-th; 0II1""-..d

floor. five bed..-m

bathroom open ort. eenlnl hall. M..t of

Georyia.l~eit_ haveeumplerl of IlU<:h ~

The Herndon Home in Atiatlta is In ueeptional _identi,]

I'ftOIlru associated with the black tommunity(Fi/fUre IZ). Thill910

landmark lloule "'&1 built for Alonw Herndon. 1M founder of the

Atlanta Life Inlunnea Company, from dftignl prepared by him and

his wife AdrieMe. It WM C<lnltructed primarily by black e,,,,fumen,

the mlljorill' of work beinll' executed by II black carpenter. Will

Campbell. The houlM! i thirtren-room Neoeiauicil Ityle manlion

with an ,""I~k interior featurinj( Rocoeo, Arts and C...lu. and

ClaM",al detailin,lypieal of fine houllel of the llt'riod. Amonlr itl rnall1

.,I,borate feau,l!'ft an' l!"KePtionhall inll'h'nook. loon<l and tilde<!

pluunrork eeiHnlf in lhe "'\II.~ room, mahoiruJ' paMli.... and

painted f.~ in tM livinlf ""OfII &lid dinina roo"" and RookwOM! lile

inlll)"l in ",a'U' of lbe fi~plaee Il.Irl"Ollnd... ~ntlr. lhe lI~mdon
1Iorne is """n to II", publ;" as a house m.-","'.

c.."'.. U. II,....... 11_. MI6 I ..'_

C_,M>d;. I'IO/A'-oo !I.~

6...t~.. ..y.Ad

/J._. It I_rl/ HI'SI

Lo.ndowncTi were critical 10 the developmcnt of thc black community. Thcy WCrC instrumental in loundinlf churches. schools. busin~. and othor institutions which gave distinctivc lorm and IUbol~~ 10 black life.
IIll.ll lu tiollal R.,,;uu rc"",
A monK the richeat rftOUrcellof the blaek built environment are the buildinJrlof reliKiou.. educational. and lIOCial i ...titutiolll. Theehurch has ~n the fIlOIt important or~. not only Nn'inlf the .piritual
"ftdl or ilS memben but ab,,, f~rinl their ooeial interaction. n.e
church .at alto important in the "r ~."Iopment other community
ill$titutiont IUCh at tehoools and muwa1 aid lIOCietia n.e f"'knring
aeetionl of the handbook lummariu the hltlorieal COnte,t and phytiea1 eharaeteri.tio "f rural and urban churches. tchoola.lodpt,
and~_ieI.

26
The Development of Black Churches
African-American religious life during slavery centered around what has been referred to as the "invisible institution": the distinctive forms of slave song, dance, prayer, and oratory that developed on the praying grounds and brush arbors and in the slave houses. The impact of Christian churches on most slaves was apparently minimal, even by the first quarter ofthe nineteenth century. By 1860, Baptists estimated that about 400,000 blacks in the country belonged to their churches; Methodists claimed about half that number. The Methodists had been the most active in plantation missions, although Baptists, Presbyterians, and Episcopalians were also engaged in the effort, particularly during the Great Awakening in the late eighteenth century. That more blacks were drawn to the Baptist faith was due, perhaps to the simpler process of conversion and the more open order of service, which made this church more accessible to the uneducated and more accommodating to distinctive forms of black religious expression. Furthermore, the decentralized administration of Baptist associations permitted black preachers to serve local congregations. Methodists also allowed blacks to minister in some areas of slave worship. Most slave Christians attended white churches under segregated seating arrangements, often outnumbering white members. There were, however, independent black churches, particularly in the cities, which operated under the supervision of white parent churches or the restrictions of civil authority.
Black Georgians took the lead in founding black churches in this country in the late eighteenth century. The First Bryan and the First African Baptist churches of Savannah originated from the black congregation organized in 1788 by Andrew Bryan, a slave and convert of George Liele, another black Georgian, who is considered the first black Baptist minister in this country. In 1793 Jesse Galphin, one of the founders of the Silver Bluff Baptist Church in South Carolina, the country's first black congregation, reorganized that church in Augusta (the Silver Bluff church having been organized by 1775, but disbanded during the Revolutionary War). The Augusta church was initially called First African Baptist and was later named Springfield Baptist (Figure 13).
After emancipation, the church was often the first building constructed in the black community. Although ex-slaves were likely to have lived in the same or similar dwellings that they had previously occupied, they immediately began to organize and build their own churches. Economic realities had changed little from slavery to freedom, but with emancipation came greater social autonomy and the proliferation of independent black churches. During and after slavery,

27

"".'lI'",.,It"J<IJ.""_.._4__ u. S,...Offi-U """''''' C........

Rri._ C.....,. ("_.601 ,. ''''',.
"' .. I4<S~a.,,, .........._ ..

"U. fJ<>_R. '_rl/-rHPSJ

ileparale denominations formed black asIOeiationl. The fi ..lIt tool'l(anize
nltionally ""U the Arrican Methodist Epill:opal (A.M.!::., Church,
founded in Philadelphia in 1816 by Riehlrd Allen. Allen had
I'lItabli.hed the Uethel Chureh in Philadelphia in 1700 and be<:ame the
fir$\. A.M,t:, bishop. In 1828. the Arrican Methooi.! I::pille<>pal Zion
Chureh ""AI organized in New York City. The Colored Methodist
Ep;lIC<Iprol (now "ailed the Christian ",..thodil! EpilCopall Church
nolvfd from the Methodist Epis<:orn1 Chureh South in 1870. In 1873. iUlllOnd geM."l ""n1"...,1><'e ""IJI held a' Trinity Chureh in Au~n... where Paine C<lJI~ ..... lalel' founded b)' tAle,uI Hol..y, 0"" of lUI fint bi.Mt- Unlike theoe MKhod," tder.rehiel. 1M 1-. formal Baptist orpniution e.... """..~ntion. of individual ~hlll"d_ and
or I'q'ional ~iatio In Gmrgia. mOllt the I'q'Ional .....,iatiorul
w~.... founded wilbin ~n yeua of ~mallCipation. primaril, for the purpoaeof orrani.in.. and supportin.. achoola. The tint bl..,k nation.a! Ra~~t orpniu.tion .u the F~ilfll )I.-ion Convention of the United Stateaof Ameria. founded in Montcomel"J'.Alab-ma. in 1880. Two-,",r national orpniu.tiona .~'Ilbaequentl,tor~.aillbl'ft finally merril\l"uthe National BaptiAlCon~n'ion. U.S.A in 1895.l.t I. ..-tin.. in I"riendship Rapt.., Chll...,h in Atlanta.

"
n N. _ _ fIG,.... Cuml. Ill,,. Bioi!. 00,.. .. C""'II- C_ _ ....
''''''.IHI'S!
/(.",1/ C~ .T('~t. In the yelrl following emln~ipalion. mOlt bllcke withdrew from
white COnll'~Kllion.to foo nd thei r own church~. Somet;mesland was granted by white ehurehn or individual. More often. however. acquiring land and building I chureh involvlld blaek cooptr.li'-f &l:tivilies. The u-alr.velon Sl Catherines III.nd. for example. u thoee "" otl>er tea i.llnd., MVe. """"ive<! the land IMY bad been pr"Omi.oed
by toe"",' SlIerm.n'. Spl!Cial Field Order N<>. 15 of Ja"\l11')I 186l>. Two hundred of them left 8t. Cather;"... and (ou"dlld Nk.hobonville in the White Bluff are"OIIth "fSavannah. By 1877. e;lrh~n membel'lof Ihil oommunity bought two hundred ac_ of land. one acre of which "'.. .el &aide in 1883 for 1M construction of the Nicboilonboro Baptist
Church (Fil1lnl 14). Thil and other....,h ehu",h8 loondfd by runl blacb in the late
nineteenth eenUlI"J' "ere usually limp1., on"-l'OOm fn-me Itnlnuretof ~r.anK\lI.rIII.pe, ... ilh ph'" roDfl.nd !ittleor ftO orn...... ntaliool OT
uc:llilK\un.l der.a'1inll' jFiK\l'" 15). SO"'""-,.... the tll\l~h hd

U. Cb"" ,. ",..I H._.C...... ill_Ii.,, _ _
.....,..._"" oOdi. tpfoll,..-..II ....,~ ",..I W<.d 110<"'1

I _ ...I fRidIo..l

rectangular woodcn .teeplc. & central tower mounud On the roof, or & tower at One Or both of the front corners. Often theae tower. were later addition., .. were front and rear extension., The entrancea of rural churchea were usuaUy centered. The interio... wen often unplutered and unceiled.
Then In exceptlOnL ~'or example, St. tiarlholomew's Church. built by an EpiKopal con!r"'ption in rural Chatham Count)' in 1896. has a oorner bell tower providing enlrLIICC .., lhe Ancluary and is
detailed with d_auve ollinglea. pointed windows rrouped in Ill..-. and a neatly finished ton~and~ t-n:I interior (ripre 16~
The rural church aite .... 1.u1fC ~lrh for a buriallrround and outdoorlOcial aetiYitieL Itftlllid a1&o &!Ol\'Imodate build in.: e:l~.
n - Wllen a ""' buildinlr was oonstructcd., lhe older one ofun remained in
use .. a .ct-!. ..-tinlr houR. or dininlr and fellowahip hall. ori....... frame builclinp. ........ of wh~h stillstand near the newer struetUI"& 1ft lnnluable reeords Mille church's carl1 hialOr)'.

'h"" ""',,,.,,,,, . I., .'<1 I<".',"~_." t lo,,~. I< .......".~ ( ........ / .,... " li-l""'<t.,~ "",
/'''''!>o (;""-";'" .M." ......, "lII.I,,'* !'I,.",,~..I U""
,."i,,.. IJ",..,. 1<, I,d~"" I"" 1If~1
(Jrbt". Chrrltf_
Sinee urb3.n land was at a Il~t.tr p..emium. blad;ehurch ac~ in tile ell)' was r~lallyel)' _mall. ",., . ~",,,..,(,,ri- "d ..... !door "",;Yi\J' arna that charact.trized rural church pro~rt)' _re atypieal in tile cit)', M-...".. the Ioo:ation of black ehurchel was likely iii cha.nge iii aeeommodat.t urba.n ~~Iopment and aettiemeM patt.trns. Aa black residenu be1fa.n iii eoneenltat.t in sections outaide tile eelll,al ~ 10 did their chureha A .;"ifieant number of urban black ehurehei ill Geor/t'ia today. which dat.e back to Ih~ nineteenth eentul')'. do not oec:llPY their orig'nal.'ln.
Many urban ehllrehel built in Ihe iale nineteenth and early Iwenlicth ~nturica were very much like rural ehurchea - limple. rC<:llInll'ular. frame huildinll'S w;lh few or nO Ilylistic reatu'elI, The)'

11. f~~ II"",. /l<>pt,.. 0.",.."'""' ...... COal.... C....,-. C.....~ ,. IOU""
I~"_"''''''I'''''!>Inn. 11<1,.,.... _,,,,,, I. ",pi.,...". ",>t,,,n..,,,I./C,,....
T""",,,,; ~ III~!
we~ largcr. however. and more likely to ha"e a tower ..entered Or to one aide or. more typically. ,win towen. Basement.! we~ mOre common than p.lleriea. In aceordanee wilh the rural plan. lhe enuanee of db' ehu.r""" WlUl ...... rl)" alwaya Hnlarl. _nill/l" directly into the "Mluary. Small chunhea expanded aometimea by bllildinff new e~terior brick walls or addilll" a ptlery. Chunhea ..'ere often buill ill ",aJlea. a buement len'i .... &I the ..Mtllary ulltillhe main story could be built. Brick veneen wue oneil applied ill !.he 1940. or laler.
1"II.eft ..'ere noub~exceptionsto the,eneral plan of late ninetnth. and early lwentieth.unlury chunhea. Some structllres were more nlmplex and fn.lured ..-e elabonte ard.iteeIUre. 111 IS73. riMiI Bryall Bapt,S!. Chunh in Sa"allnah OOI\Itrueted a buildilll" to replaee III rrame mee!,ol house IFilnlre 17). The plan it builican with the


u. &J~",,".M.E,0 ...... C.oI,,_ I i I _ C ' .. (. . .~ i. M'" ."i...
,........ --.J i. IIIIM. II"*,", {'....... F o6o,.-j

-

1',"" 110."" I'.

A_M.~~

A ........ 0 .... ("_oI,. C_ _ ,. IItl. fh_ It.

I""..." J- HI'SI

nave and .i.l"" III'Ip.~.tedby Outed e<>lumnlaupportinll' llltllllery. The

roof it lurmounted by ll.mallrtangulu wooden ateeple. The rront

and aide. of the Itueeoed building are each divided into rive bays Or

eompar\men\.l Iramed by tall piel'3. P.ntrance to the church ia through

.. r""eae<t pol'tiwlO .. Iman narthex or lobby. The ceil inK i. of pressed

tin. Stainfd'/flau window. depict former pulO.... and the wooden

pew. hue hand-<:r.rved detail .

Size, dellll'n. and btl ildinll: materi.l, were not emir indicaLOI'1 ohhe

conlU'('l(ation'l ec<>nomie ,tallli but abo meuul"ft CIt lhe leade ...h;p"1

Au..,.t&, abillty 10000pni:e and austain fund railing. Someehu~hellwere.ble

10 loveal in ..:complilhed ...,hitKlI ...d builden.

Uethel

A.M.E. Church wu dnigned by &I'l:hitKt Andrew W. Todd in el'ltk Vietorian Gothiell)'leand "'U bUIll in 1883 by William M. S~ford .

bl..,k carpl'nteT. St. J ........ A.M.E. Chu""h in CoIumbul (Firure 18). which .... a>nstnlc!ed in 1876 (the centnllpire and IU~ "'eff

addM in 1886). il considuftl one or the finat n.mplell or Victorian

Gothie !leYi..,,] in the "ity. Fi ...1 A.M.E. Chu""h in Au.en. ill fine n.mpioe of ~ anhited.-deoiC"! culJ twentietJl..nturr church

built by. pt'CIIpmlOIl urban oonlr""'Ption (Fipre 19).

:u

c......Ier'i<!.

During Il.very. mo6t blal':h ......... interred in pllntalion burial

groundl ""hich ...erewpar.te from. but lIOIYIetimft nearor adjI.eenl to.

tt...- of "'hi\el.. Sin~ the bodies ....... not embalmed. the dead "'ere

buried at gravelid.. ~remonies. day or two Arter dealh. ~ _ral

d&yl 10 few eekI berore the c:ommllllity ..thered for the more

elaborate fll

T1>e dKUMd....ho ..... 1I111.lly l.id oul in. pi ....

eoffill..... plal':ed illihe cra.... with his bead 1O"lrd the Wftt. On the

c.wp ~ II."", era.ft would probably ha"'" been d-.ted ..ith

brobll .......... ~ DlMr penonal .nd household item.... they .re

adorMd ill 101M ...... of the eoastal SouIM..t lOday. For the..-t

part. ""_ewer. IMre _re 110 headllOnes 10 mark the It"ra~ or

plantatioll.lava, Markenof wood.nd other materi&ll ill _ rNelI

would Iuove c1eteriorated or ben ditplaftd ill ti .... (Pi..,re 20~

M<MI rural bltcltlli""".lav....,.h..... ben bur~ ill chllrch yudlor

other pri.atel1_Md cemeteries. TheIe cemeteries eontained ~lher

IInm....ked gr...... or 1 ' - .. ith modest head,ton. . m.1IJ' of tMm

homemade. of wood. iron. 110..... alld cemellt. Rllral and ,m.ll-IO""

cemeteria 011 lite Georgia _ I had dislinctive gn.... m....ltinp. The

',.rJ._ .,""*-.,,_.$.....'" WI. l4oooIn,...... _~ ....

L....... C....

R.lMiM"jwHPSi

35
Cyrus Bowen family plot near Sunbury was a splendid example of sculptured wood and cement markers.
In the mid-nineteenth century, portions of public cemeteries near towns and cities were designated for the burial of urban slaves and free blacks. These separate facilities were often adjacent to the public burial places for whites. At Oakland Cemetery in Atlanta, blacks were buried in an area known as Slave Square, which is west of what is now the section of Confederate graves. In the 1880s, as the number of black paupers reached nearly one third of all burials at Oakland and constituted 85 percent of all pauper burials, the city designated another area of the cemetery south of Monument Street for blacks. It was not unusual for black corpses to be exhumed to make way for cemetery expansion. A City of Atlanta resolution in 1877 called for the removal of bodies from Slave Square and their reinterment in other pauper areas. Desiring their own burial ground, Atlanta blacks established a private cemetery in 1885. Located south of the city limits, the cemetery is known as Southview.
Although slaves and paupers often had unmarked graves, some blacks before and after slavery had durable tombstones. For many individuals, these markers are the only material remains of their history. Laurel Grove-South Cemetery in Savannah is a good example of the cemetery as a unique document of individual and community history (Figure 21). Now separated from white Laurel Grove-North Cemetery by a highway, it was initially a fifteen acre tract set aside for slaves and free blacks by an 1852 ordinance. It soon became the repository of slaves who were exhumed from other pauper and black cemeteries to make way for urban expansion. To mark the mass grave of the reinterred bodies, the salvaged tombstones were placed side by side forming a single row of markers along what was then the southern boundary of the cemetery. The cemetery was for the most part arranged in a grid pattern defined by sandy lanes and live oak trees. Newer areas developed less regularly, forming a modified grid.
The tombstones of Laurel Grove-South show a rich diversity of size, style, and material. Reflecting one extreme of the social scale are the simple rough stones of slaves on which sometimes the first name is inscribed. Representing the higher reaches of black society are the larger, more formal monuments, such as the lancet-shaped tombstones of Jane Deveaux, a member of a prominent family of free blacks, or the three-vault crypt housing the bodies of Andrew Bryan, Andrew Marshall, and Henry Cunningham, leading pastors of the Baptist church. For a few distinguished blacks there were mausolea, generally rectangular brick structures. Between the extremes, however, are the many small stone tablets with minimal decoration such as a wreath

"
ll. IA .wG .'i-tJ>C~s.......... 0..,.... {"..."'.. I.....I~/_ Il
'" ,lot ".,. ,. /('."', T-..; J- HI'SI
motif Or cro... Collectively these grll.vutones rorm pllrt of the
community', rord of social structu .... and Pl"OQ. iX1JI'lop,",nl oj lJIurk &h~.
The hiltory ()( black educational r-.u"," in Georgia ....n...tA ,he
evolution of raeial1y II('p.....te fadlities. from the tound inr of private institutions .rter emancipation through the development of JMIbl;" ..,0001, in lhe ''':cnlleth eentury. F'edenl uti.lanee to black ..,boob< thrnuIh tile 1'.-1""'0'. 8ureau Luted only (rom 1865 \0 1810. The aupPOrt ol black elementary and HeOodll1)' lIChool, and eol~ ._me primlrilr the miaionary _rk of white relilfious ..,iet..... ..-1 notably the F'.-tmen's Aid SorietJ' (Methodist Ep;""~1 eh,,",h). the Amer;nn MisaiolWT ~i.lion (Northern Con~ ptiona! Chu ....h). the Prub)"teI'ian Board of M'-ionI for FrMd.-n. lhe Arnorrican Chu",," Inst'lute for N~ (ProteIta"t Ep;.",p.J eh"""h). ."d the AlM1'ian Baptist Horne M"ioft Soeiety. The

37
African Methodist Episcopal Church, the Colored Methodist Episcopal Church, and the black Baptist churches through regional associations also supported black private education in Georgia. The transition from private to publicly supported institutions was facilitated by the contributions of nonsectarian philanthropic foundations such as the General Education Board, the John F. Slater Fund, the Anna T. Jeanes Foundation, the Julius Rosenwald Fund, and the PhelpsStokes Fund.
Substantial private support of black education in Georgia continued well into the twentieth century. It was a notable achievement that just forty-five years after slavery, two of every three blacks over ten years of age had become literate in a state where public elementary education was separate, inferior, and unavailable to nearly half of the black school age population. Black teachers, generally inadequately trained, received about half the salary paid white teachers. County per capita allocations of state and local funds for black students ranged from less than 10 percent to nearly 60 percent of per capita allocations for white students. Black students who worked during the cotton growing season attended school irregularly, receiving even less education than the short sessions generally afforded. The graduates of Georgia's schools and colleges, their leadership and community contributions, are the living testimony of the hard-won struggle for education in the state. The historic resources also tell the story of educational achievement in the face of great odds. The following sections describe the general characteristics of primary and secondary schools and colleges.
Primary Schools
In the late nineteenth and early twentieth centuries, black education was largely a community responsibility. Unlike the mostly publicly provided educational facilities in the white community, black school buildings had to be built and maintained by blacks; public funds only supported teachers' salaries. Schools were constructed by volunteer labor, sometimes under the supervision of an experienced black carpenter. By 1915, less than 40 percent of the buildings used for black elementary education were publicly owned, most facilities having been provided by churches and lodge halls, particularly in rural areas. Moreover, most of the publicly owned black schools at that time had been deeded to counties by black churches and lodges.
It is not surprising, therefore, that black schools were generally modest facilities. A 1920s survey of Georgia's black schools determined that 48 buildings were made of stone or brick, 2,825 of frame

-
u. .-._ _ .._<"_A.......
........ " llA/A""_l"on_'f.o'roo'1lA ........o,I

J-_"'_....

,,,,,..,,,,..,J."....... ~~ ......... G..-&Iooo/. .._ ........... O'.... ("_.. C_ _ .. I-. J - _ ..OUmo.(h ....R. Lo<tM"1o' ."'>

"OllStrlletion. and 3.:1 of lop- Rliral primary IClIoola were jfenerally o","'oom atruetllrft in wh"'h one lueber Iallll'hi all all'~ (f'if\lrft 2224). Onb' Oll<!;n fi~e ..,hool. had two or more rooma. A~nta of theM ..,hoola cell<!rally repon inadeqllate and deterioratine facilities.
Cl. .roo..... par1ieularly in lodjfe hall.. had IInfiniahed walla. aft(! _tre uneeiled and IInpe.;nted. E,.... by the 193Oa, a aipifieant number
_f:re ...itho\luaah.ea and p&lIf:S. On tOld or rain)' daya whf:n ahuUlft
_f:re elOHd. thue ..... little lit:hL lnadeqll&te hutint: al.co
eharuteriwo:! Ole ..,hoolL A fe... had firep1.aeft, Inn Il\OIt had-.-l bumint: ~ maf\1 of ...hieh _ere in disrepair and 100 AIUI1I for adequate heatin. M.-t aehoola had blacU.oanla. but 0 - _re ceMraJly uoplalled pine board .ailled black. Stlldenl d8b were orten roup n.trairbtbeck benehs. ",meti _ _iOl planb
attached 10 t bacb fOf' .rit;.... Sinee t'-e buildillP ~LT lacked plumbi O\I\.Side pri..iea .ere p.....ided. and .ater .... nrried from _ dial&n~. Urban primary achoola were COMtnlCted
of brick Or wood. They were graded. bill overcro.din. often

_ _ w.". :1. 1....." ,~ __.._ l I l .<;.n.,.;" A~.,.

;... c.._C_.. ~'""'.'H'.
IJWG-I

-.

.....,__, _ _ i.,-. t.s. '--_

_ _ M~ _ _. M _ C_.... C _ i~ ,.,~ fh_lt,I,....,,/o- Ht'S1

nee_iuted double _ions. The l.mllOnRichard..,n School in Manhllvlll" Macon Count).. i,
one of the few documented examples in Georgia of a prornsiveearly twentieth-eentury black school desirn (FiK\lnl! 25). It is a one-.tory brick structure Intaining five cl"""rooms with builtIn blackboard. patent delks. and adequate electrical lill"hting. The ..,hool's history reflectl the evolution of black education from privately to publicI}' supported institutions, Founded ;n 1887 by Ann Wade, an usl,,e. and Katl! l.mllOn, a YWCA Iunselor. it wauupported for a time b>' the American MiMionary Asaoeiation. The present bulldinr wu Inatrueted In 1915 with fund. from the Tremont Temple Baptist Church In HoalOn. Ouuide pri"ate support rradually dwindled, and b)' 1957 the schoolwuronlOlidated with the public sY1:tl!m. flentJy. the deteriorated rear winll"ofthe buildi"r h.u been demolished.
Srm.d.......~
The hiatory ..f blaC'k seo:ondaryedunlion in GIorlia is la~ly the story ..f p,.;...~"'hool.. In 1913. the............. thir\Yt..... pri"ateKboob tbat ...ned m.t of Georria's black.-ondary school students. All of t t - illStituliorw. however. bad ele~olaJ')' studenu ho rompriHd the ma.iOl"it)' of their enroll~nt. 'I'M private Rboob hich offered

"

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s_.-_.A}.o.r

.
_

.

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..

C.......
,.... -.

C_,
. .....

"
,_

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IAUct_

['., ..."...,1

11 ....,

'"'I11"11:t fOunnalso &erved primarily elementary and IoeeOndary .. hool

ItudenUl in Iheir uri)' yur. The!e ,,'ill be described in Ihe """tion of

1111. handbook on IUcret. While IIOme of the urban achool. were

rfllrieU'd 10 one or mo.-e city 10Ul. mOIl! pri"ate K<:Ondary .. hool.

Ow ned lIl!veral &<:'01 on the (Tinlfe' of town or in outlyinll' rural arc"".

Most were e.mllu~ with complexes of builrlinJl,'I and farm ac,..,all:".

The value of the land occupied by th...e ..hool. ranl/:Cfl frum $ZOO \Q

$11 JIOO: the nIne of the bu lid ings from $900 til $36.r;oo,
or MOIl the privaUl """"ndar)' ..koolo hll<! onl)' Irame buildinltS.

IIMURk about I third had both (rame and brick stTutlUN!$. MOIl!

,pose. linikI inJlS ",,'CN! muIti"pu

seTvi "i" lor inIt rue lion. ad min ill rat ion.

and lodll'inlC. A .urwy in 1913 dcuorminM that ll>ew buildinlCll

reflecud many 'arial;"... in design and ... ~rkor detailinl(. The

manur<!roorcd Or acadcmy~ st)le popular in the 188& could be

fOllnd &1 "me IChoobl. Walbr Baplist lnstillll.e in AUKUsta. for

eumpie. had I~h a buildinr. a rou.....tory. IhinyI"o room brick

""'Clure houIinr adormitory. achapel. and dininl( room. Many rural

IChool buildin,. had urboon cboorac~ristics _ compact and formal

plalll. multiple ltorie&, baMmpnu. and hiJ::h ilinp. Only l.M more

~nl buildinp were likely to haye been d... iJ(Md by architft:1I or

manual traininl( teacheR. Studenlsorten took pr.r1 in lhe roowructiort
or lheir O'Nn IChooI buildinJl1 Ceilinp wpreor wood. and flwraor pine.

42
During the early part of the century urban schools had plumbing, electric lights, and heat generated by a separate plant. Rural schools had wood privies, lamps, and stoves.
Public secondary education for African-Americans in Georgia came slowly. Between 1902 and 1914, seventy-eight white high schools were established by state expense. By 1916, however, the Athens High and Industrial School was the only four-year public high school for blacks in the state. Atlanta blacks did not have a public high school until Booker T. Washington High School was built in 1924 after prolonged political struggle (Figure 26).
County training schools were introduced to meet the secondary school needs of rural blacks. Supported by state funds, the General Education Board, and the black community, these schools were intended to serve as centralized facilities where blacks could supplement elementary school training and prepare for teaching. They offered instruction in agricultural, industrial, and domestic sciences to youths and adults. Dormitories and houses accommodated resident students and teachers. Although most county training schools offered some secondary school instruction, initially they were for the most part elementary institutions that gradually evolved into high schools. By 1931, Georgia had thirty-seven such training schools. One of the first to be established was the Washington County Training School in Sandersville, now named, after its founder, the Thomas Jefferson Elder High and Industrial School. In 1913, with the property vested in a black boa.rd of trustees, the school was supervised by Sandersville authorities. While 172 students at that time were enrolled in the eight elementary grades, 8 were in the secondary course. Manual instruction included woodworking and sewing. The school campus originally consisted of two acres near the city limits on which were eventually located a main instruction building funded by the black community and a smaller industrial building constructed with money from a northern donor. Both were frame structures. In 1917 a domestic science building was erected with the aid of the Rosenwald Fund, which assisted states and local districts in the South to build black schools and teachers' houses. Following the construction of a dormitory, a fifth building was completed in 1928 with support from the Rosenwald Fund (Figure 27). It was a brick building that today remains as one of the few structures exemplifying a Rosenwald model school. It is an intact H-plan with its original interior and exterior finishes. After a high school was constructed, the Elder school was downgraded in 1960 to an elementary school. The building now stands unoccupied, although plans are underway to put it to a new community use. Non-historic rear additions have recently been removed.

n n -... J<J1o.- AU", H;;' ~_ loJ...".,,,/ SdHI. :;.

11'. W,,",,_

C I,. C_not!.... i. 11t~ .,.,,~ "'ppo<1/""" 1M II-. M ~.... IJa_ N.

t """ "" /f/'SI

Cd//,IJ""
By tile rir~t quarter or the t"enlieth eentury. Georl!"ia had thirteen oo:hools offerinfl' <:ollelee eou ......s for blaekl. Nine of these were private: Atlanta University. Gammon Theo~eal Seminlry, Clark, Mo",houte, Morris 8m"'n, Spelman, Paine, and Central City <:on~. and the Atlanta Sc:hool of Sodal Work. AII ... ith the n~ptionof Paine
in Au.....ta and Central City in Maeon ".en. Ioeall in Atllnla. maki.."
the eity a national ~nter for blaek higher edl>eation. Moat of the private eol~ _re founded berore 1835 by relil'ioul _ieties. Initially thele IChooIa enrolled moIlly e"'~ta,., and _dar)' stlldenu. but bet.......n 192(1 and 1930 began offerinlt' primarilyeo1len ........1work.
The Atlanta aehoola ...... eomprise the Adanta Ullivenily Center (F~re 28~ The ee..ter is a varied eomplea of bIIiklinp let within a _iMfttial neilt'hborhood 01. \'ietonan eottalt"l'L The aehool bIIiklillp

"
date from 11169 ,,'hen Gai ..... Hall "'u ron.trudC'd for Atlanta
Univen;ly. to the ron.truelion of Clark Coll~e. ne .. camp... in ,....
1940s. and the development or t.... Interdenominational TM.>1oltieal
CAnter (in<:orllOratmJ( Gammon and olher theoloiulleminaris] in the 19500. The n.rl)' b"ildinftS ~ I)'pieln)' thTft-SlOry structUI'ft of r...J brick in the Iu.lianal.f. Qu"," An~. and Komlnesque Rev;,".l Ay1e5 ....... mon in the late ni",,~nlhtllllry. G.i..... Il.11........ ""rtol Marr;. Brown. M~"""",,'I Grueslb.lI. and Spelman', Il.ao.kefeller H.n ani'. 1'ft,,","1;~I}.eumplel of lhelM' styles. Tbe early t ......tieth~ntul'J' buildinp lueh as I.... old Car_ie ubl"&t)' On the Morris Bnlwnam"""lnd M,,",~.SalelIallandJohn Ilope 1l.11uel"l!d brick Geo:lryian Rninl ....""1....... r.ypieaJ of the ptriod. ~llUIT of the
buildil(S aTe distinlrUisMd 1' '"trinlte brick ~u.i1in.and I mixture
of facade materi.b. Ah.houttb the dellill:Mnof mal\Y of the buiklinp ani' unkllO"'n. aomplio.hed arehitU .nd bui1~... h.aq bftn id('1ltif"wed fortomeoithutnKlu ...... William H. Parklnaand Gotlrr~
L Norrman. noted Allanta ..,hilttts. desillTlfll )lorn. Brow..'. G.i~ 11.II.nd Found.tion Hall re5pKli,tly. Sl.tt...Ch.ptlo.. (lao

,..11. GtJ,_ r.",-,. J_. AII.o_ If.,..._,. AMo-.

c...",,. ""_ H.II rUi,..t<- ,,_._

1I.1/J. ~.,.JiIt ...t ._IIItII/Ul,..I _ JUl. _

HOIIII ,.

u....-.,.,,,.,,,,,...tJw.'lI-w. n..... ...._ ,..,... ........... I",l./AII._

11'-'."""'_1

s.."'.... lO. l/.jllloU.

~ Sht", ColI..,. $o .....u. 0<01.... C_ .... C_~;.

jfl" . . ...".."., 1M ..,II",. /I ..,. R. l"dIM" f<>r HI'SI

Sl>elman Coll~jf(! ~ampu~ is a 19'12 Neoclaukal bulldingdeaigned by Neelltcid.
Georgia'i firlt bla~k eoll~jf(! "'u the Geor/l"ia State Industrial CoHelfe. now known al Sa"annah State Coileif'! (Fi/l"ure 291. F<>Unded in 1890 ... Aland grant institution. it "'U IUpported by GeorJli....hare of reduaJ appropriation. r,."m the Morrill Act and by ltate runds. fort Valley SUte CoUeg<!, Alb&ny SUIe College, and t~ State Teac~.. and AlC'"icullUral College in fo..)'th. "'hich laler mer/l"ed with fort Vall." were the other bl..,k IUIe inatitutionl or h'!fller learninl(.
IAd".. .. rod ~;...
I.odlfel follllwed the ramilJ. church. and leI-' ill relative impor-
u ..... to the black community. Althoo.tP black Iodlfel and lOCietiea have pIIrpoee1and riluallsimilu to lhole of I~;r .hilecounle~rta,
their role ill the bl..,k commullity i. Il'OOf'e domilllnL "a1lJ"0hhem are

,man i"dellendent orj{anization. which prol iferaled at the localle~el. Othera are the arfiliat... of national ....... ialionil or fralernal ordera.
[.odscea fu nctioned larllely as mutual lid """ietielloffe.i nl( benefil$ for ,ickneaa a,,<1 death, A 19208 8ur~ey of Macon County found fo.ty-eil<'ht .uch It'rou~, all of them founded &II locil orlll"i.ati!)n. durinl<' !.he 8<'lnd dec.de of the t ....entieth century, Theile included chaplera of the
Knighl.ll of I')'thi ..., M1-IOIUo, Odd Fello"",. C<lurl.ll of Calanthe. United
G<lIpel Aid, the Bl'01hel'll and Si.lel'll of Charity, and many othe....
Rural_iation,'"ere likely to ha,'c lower monthly duea. )'et hij{her benefil.ll. than urban ....odation~ Dues ranlred from $.20 to $1.25 per month; lick benefil.ll from $.7& to $3.00 per "'eek: and death daima
from $3510 5400. While ~ balftheindependent 1odJ{ft ",,"eyed in Maeon County
did lIOl n their meelina: halls .nd had 10 ule other lodge haU..
churchs. or aba..doned d....,U ilip. !.h.-.founha of nationally an; Iiated
Iodllft o...ned their buildinp. HOIIlIodJ{ft oririn.ted in churcheaand. tn rural a~ Wen! u....lly Ioeated near them. Their he&dqU&Ttel'll "'en! renerally twlHIory frame Il~U"'" un~;nted. unoei1ecl. and with unfinilhed inlBior ....11s(Fi,u." 30). Ordinarily the Iodp melon

47
the second floor, while the first floor served as a school room. The anteroom of the upper story contained the paraphernalia of lodge rituals. Membership in the rural societies has declined steadily due to the availability of commercial insurance, the failure of some societies to meet benefit obligations, and the out-migration to urban areas. Urban lodges and fraternal orders often had substantial buildings that were the centers of black social and economic life. These will be discussed in the section on commercial resources.
Commercial Resources
Black businesses in Georgia and elsewhere in the country have characteristically been small urban enterprises engaged in the sale of goods and services to the black community. The small scale of these operations is due largely to the racism that has plagued black business, depriving it of capital and nearly eliminating it from competition. The successful ventures attest not only to individual achievement but also to community cooperation.
During slavery, a few free blacks in Georgia established significant businesses. Solomon Humphries of Macon and James Tate of Atlanta became affluent grocers catering to whites. In fact, black enterprise through the late nineteenth century often served the white market. As Jim Crow policies became institutionalized around the turn of the century, and as segregated residential patterns developed in cities throughout Georgia, black businesses and professions were increasingly restricted to the black market. In 1890, blacks had dominated the barbering trade, outnumbering whites ten to one; by 1920 they were outnumbered by whites two to one.
Of the nearly two thousand black businesses in Georgia which were surveyed by Atlanta University in 1916, over half were food-related establishments such as groceries and restaurants, and personal service operations including -barbering, shoemaking and repairing, tailoring, and pressing. These businesses had long traditions, many of them dating back to the early years of emancipation. Most of these businesses relied on black consumers in the early twentieth century. Other building trades such as blacksmithing, cooperage, bricklaying, and carpentry served primarily white patrons. Businesses which were relatively few in number, but which had significant impact on the black community and its built environment, included financial service establishments such as banks, insurance companies, fraternal organizations, and real estate companies; entertainment facilities like

e--.. 61. l.~ SIr.<f. 111_ _

M_~ _ _,.... d....... ,. 1M,....

_

"""'........... lo'n. '. II(J.S, /CIoe"'oll 11<1,,_ II'}

the..ters; ..nd health-related services or physielanl. dentlltl. drUlt"lt"lsti. and untlerlakere.
The rollowlnll" lICClion. or this handbook deecrlbe lOme or these urban and runl commercial relOureCi and lummerite the role or blll'k bulldlnll" tradesmen.., key entrcpreneure in the development or the black built en",ronmenL

UrlJd. Rldi_
MOlil or tile hillOric commBCi.ll'QOUn:e& remalnin.. in l.lle blaek buill env'ronment lire l"".ted in IOwnl and cltia Tile urban environment eneouraged !.he ~nlration of commertw acllyily. In addition. inereuln.. ~i.llCI:rep.tionin the eity made ~ and desirable IrfUler blaek IIClrallfrlCiency. This aelr,,"tflCiency WIIS
evideneed in many Geor1ria \ow"" by a small e.ep&rale commereial
dislrict near \he prillC'pal ...hlle buai_ district 00" ..ithin a black reaidentiall>Ci..hborhood (Figu ..... SI-S3). ",.. district often _iated

"

II. I4',.J_Sl_. n-.ril'-. ~C"''''J/.A
lkU ....it. '/'OJmJ i _ n-...-II,... ~""""'loI.d I.!riA." for III'S)

(J._. ~looy> ,........

,_ di"'.-m.

If.

[""n.""'" '_fJ<o_R. U. 11"rl<. H..,_

e-..,. ~ $I..... Alt,.... ,........

A

_ _ _ d.......... lw<dJr-~1'<0010Il1o<

t-iJooo.."",

H'"

50
of a main street extending for one or more blocks on which fronted one-and two-story business structures of frame or brick. These buildings were generally early twentieth-century structures that housed a characteristic variety of black businesses: groceries, drugstores, restaurants, barber and beauty shops, funeral homes, lodge halls, and in the larger towns and cities, insurance companies, profesional offices, and theaters, some of which were often located together in a single multi-story structure.
A number of developments contributed to the demise of these black business districts. The Depression of the 1930s, the out-migration of blacks from small towns and historic black neighborhoods, and the desegregation of public accommodations all eroded the economic support of these commercial areas. Black businesses lost the captive market they had relied upon under the reign of Jim Crow. Although some historic business districts remain, they are often threatened by disuse or urban redevelopment. These districts warrant further survey and research to reconstruct their characteristic patterns of development.
Somewhat better documented are the commercial resources of Georgia's larger cities. The business buildings along Atlanta's Auburn Avenue, for example, are exceptional black commercial structures, and perhaps shed light on the growth and decline of Georgia's other black commercial facilities. Black institutional and commercial development was in its ascendance in the early part of the century in response to, and in spite of, the restrictions of an increasingly racist society. The history of Atlanta's fraternal associations and insurance companies, for example, helps explain the development of what are perhaps the most significant kinds of black commercial structures in the state.
Auburn Avenue in the late nineteenth century was part of an interracial residential community. Black businesses at that time were located on Decatur Street, closer to Atlanta's central business district. As racial segregation took firm hold in the early twentieth century, black businesses left Decatur Street and concentrated on Auburn, while whites fled the Avenue. One of the most significant buildings constructed along Auburn Avenue was the Odd Fellows Building, which was owned by Georgia's largest and wealthiest chapter of a national black fraternal order. The Odd Fellows had purchased this entire block of Auburn Avenue, on which they constructed a six-story brick and stone building with a two-story auditorium addition that housed stores, shops, offices, lodge meeting rooms, and a theater and roof garden (Figure 34). Designed by white architect William A. Edwards and constructed by black mason Robert E. Pharrow in 1913,

"
the bllildlnJl' il C<IfI.;de~ archil.eCturaJly (lu\.l\.and inr.
Mul\lple-ul<I! buildinn ,,'C,.., I,'pica] or bUli_ diltrku; in other Geol1l'ia c,ttea .1_ ~'or eumple, C.ines\jlho had .. multi-uM' Odd

o.u I,"

1'-" Hw>U,. AlIo_ J'_ c-.... c_,~ I.,i. fJ-_ It

l.fd:M"'jIr HI'SJ

F~llowl 8uildinK, Alh~nl had iu Mor\.On Theater 8uildinK WilfUre 35), lor:ated in whit wu once a thrivinK black eamrm'l'<:ial ana thlt dev~loped in the early t""~ntieth century ""eat of the nntra; bUli_ d iltric:L In addition to a theater, the AlhenutrueluN', like the one in Gaineaville. housed theeha:racteriMie mi~ of blaek eammeree: barber and "beautyahopa. reIl:auranta, funeral ""mea, druK aIoref. profeuional
otfoeea. ud inlluranee eompanies.
Not all au,*"ntial blaek DDmme""ialltt'lletUrei ""ere multiple--.. The At!aJtu Life InsuraneeCompany, for~umple.<lCnIpiedan entiN' bIlildin.. 011 Aubllrn A'~n..e !hal had pt'e'tiouliy been _ned by the YMCA. The ilLluran fOflIpany appliftl a Beaux ArU el_ic:al facade in 1927 and. dud .... the nut deead~. added a win.. in the lime It)'le.
u. no.ll_ "".w... A _ au... ~ c ' .w . "111. (h_ R. -~

5.:1
M. 1....., ..... ,..;... &ot.A_. H.....-C...."'n...._ , . IIU." .. ,,_
OJ''tAr_ot'. _""" .,,. ... ("i''::'.. r....... C_,.. AII../oo. (N_nI /Jw.w.)
The hi3tory of Atlanta Lire refleets the evolution of in.urance eoml)llnifl from l>enc"olcnt and mutuala;d 8330Cia!ion. lhat oril!"imu<>d in the black ehu reh \(I meet the r; nane;...! emerllenciea or .iek neu .nd death.
Other bl.ck eomme~iRI racili!i ... ineJudinll' bank. (Fil!"un! 36). funersl hom"". hoolpitroll. !>otel. nd u.r1y lranaport.tion. food. and peraonal lief"''''' "'Itrobl'.hmcnlll requ ire mort IUf"fy and rtlItareh \(I d.,"'.",i,,,, tl",;. ""'~Iva<"'~"l ""llt<.". a",,1 archiu,"tural char",,"'r. i.lks. Ro",,1 ".......... k Ikntl"p_al
n.e inform.tion On rural mmerd.1 l"CIOIln:ell ill e,~ Jess
o:ompletcthron throt on urban l"CIOIl Undoubudlr. rural ~ had '",'cr and lNo aubltantial black busillfSltS, ~ lhe buildinllS wh ..h IoouIed 0 - boatintaltllft 1e&likeb'1o h.ve 1Uf'I~. Scvenht...... these bulintaltl.re perh....... lNo ail'nlfin.nt 10 black community

"

61.

C
t.

_....-..w,...

,-. ,...f.II

""
rru

c....;u,,-z.d C..0b7
M.,,,.jo.rHrsJ

"""

C , - .

n......t

C _. .

",.l/t ill, C_ " ........, or .... C...
".;t"_J-r (" hKlhI,. 11U1. Wo.

C......'lI' I.t,/r C,..... H"onTk 0 .."',. III'S!

55
development or no less worthy of study than those in urban areas. Much more survey and research is needed to determine the characteristic features of the small country stores owned and/or operated by African-Americans in rural black settlements. There is one unique example of rural black economic activity in the state. The CamillaZack Community Center (Figure 37 and 38), a complex of business, educational, and social institutions in Hancock County, was founded by the Camilla and Zack Hubert family to increase black selfsufficiency through landownership, improved farming methods, and economic cooperation. The Center, which was developed in the 1930s, and which thrived during the Depression, contained a cooperative store, cafeteria, health and community centers, swimming pool, and school and residential facilities for teacher training. The log structures were designed by architect W.W. Wilkes of South Carolina State College and constructed under the supervision of Antonio Orsot of Savannah State College.
Building Trades
In Georgia and elsewhere in the South, slave artisans were dominant in many aspects of building construction. Plantation dwellings for slave and free were usually the work of slave carpenters, masons, plasterers, painters, and ironsmiths. Some of these trades had precedents in West African traditions of woodwork, metalwork, and earthen house construction. The craftsmen who hired themselves out, particularly those in the city, were among the first black entrepreneurs in this country. James Sims, a Savannah carpenter, accumulated enough money to buy his freedom and achieve some measure of wealth. Acarpenter/builder known only as "Mr. Sessions of Virginia" is responsible for a number of fine plantation houses (Figure 39) and churches in Twiggs and the surrounding counties built between about 1845 and 1855. He is believed to be a black entrepreneur who worked in this state for some years. Horace King, a slave carpenter who eventually gained his freedom, became economically self-sufficient. He worked initially for Robert Jemison, a Black Belt bridge builder. In time, King designed and supervised the construction of bridges (Figure 40) and industrial buildings in Georgia and Alabama.
Following emancipation and through the nineteenth century, blacks continued to dominate some aspects of the building trades and to account for a significant proportion of the workers in other areas. By 1890, approximately 40 percent of Georgia's blacksmiths and carpenters were black, while two-thirds of the masons and three-fourths

of th.. plQter..n and cement finilMn w ...... black, In the t"'cntieth century. how,,'er. white tradesmen succeed",- in nciudilllt' bl..,u from jolla. union m.. mbenhip. .nd .pp....nticeship Pl'OlCrama. _e....ls reducilllt' th.. participation of bl..,ka in the buildin/f tradel. In spite of this r..,llm. the work or black "raha"",.. "an be _II th ...../fhout GeorJtiL A ftlw black builden eontinued 10 Pl'OIper. Alexander Hamilton. the leadin,; black eontractor i.. Atl.nta duriflJl' the early twentieth century. ~r with his ..... built hou-. churchs. IChoola, and eommeT'Ciai buildinp for bath the black and ....hite eommunitiea.
Historicall,.. eoIlqe-tra.ined black an:hiteda..-.re nrt. but wvitnl an: repreaented b,- work ill the lUte. From earl,. in ill hiatory. TuaI<~ l"""itute. eotabliahe<l in 1811. trained .,..,hiteell in the
buildintrtnldea.nd .,..,hittural drawi..... n-r..u B)nea,. T!IIbgee
Indll.te. deo.iped ~'int Atriean O.pti$t Chllreh ill Bainbridp in
.. _...-. n.--c_.oI.. c_.......... '-.,...- -M,._<1 I,......... -fh_.1t lMtJoanJ-HPSI

1902. III plan Wall aimilar to the 1896 Crttk ~rQU dttlrn of Robert Taylor for the Tu,ktlltt Chapel. John Lankrord. noted black architect and enlfinttr who au.cndtd Tuak.(tt and other univ itiea. dei.1ltd SL I'hilip A.M.E. Church in Sannnah in \91\ {t";trII 41). He. t.ojP;ethtr wilh Alennder Hamilton .. ""ntractor. rebuilt Atlanla',
Bi. Rtthtl A.U:. Church ;n 1924. after ;t had bttn IlIbatanllally
destroyed by fi ...
IUl)"_"" ,... ... ~ _W~~.Ji'".;_e-....e- ~ ..;w".. _Ku.., Uo_R. ~"J-HP$J

J". c....... j/. 'i/. ''tilip ;'.,.U:. Cbml. So"' .....

C""1. IJnigw<I lot 101.,*

.mol,......

Lo~ dod """"'l"W'fH I. 1111. IJd_. R. I _ _"J<-- II/'SI

3
Identification
This chapter presents a step-by step process for surveying historic African-American resources. The procedure can be used by public and private agencies and persons interested in identifying significant districts and individual properties as an initial step in their recognition and protection.
Surveys are conducted at different levels of detail for different purposes. A quick overview of the kinds of historic resources in a designated area can be achieved through what is sometimes called a windshield survey. Such a survey, which is conducted by automobile or foot, identifies all or selected resources, recording such features as building type, style, material, age, setting, and integrity. This type of survey is often preliminary to the more comprehensive survey which records in greater detail the physical features of individual properties and their historical and architectural characteristics.
The guidelines presented in this chapter are for the more comprehensive surveys, those which compile information necessary for determining the eligibility of resources for the National Register of Historic Places. In addition, these guidelines can be used by agencies and organizations for initial documentation in establishing historic district zoning and for preliminary assessment of the impact of governmental projects on cultural resources.
Delineating the Survey Area
Preservation objectives determine what area and what resources are to be surveyed. Frequently, the identification of all the resources in a neighborhood or community significant in terms of AfricanAmerican history is desired. To accomplish this, a survey must consider all historic residential, institutional, and commercial facilities in the area. These resources may be widely dispersed. More often, because of racially segregated development patterns, they are likely to be clustered together, indicating the possibility of historic districts significant for their association with the black community. Sometimes a more limited objective will require investigation of a single building,
59

60

or a small complex of related resources such as a dwelling, its ancillary structures, and adjacent land. In many cases preservation activity will have been generated by interest in one or more historic buildings which may be threatened by deterioration or demolition. Other related resources, however, may still be standing but not identified, and they may be part of the historical context in which the known buildings take on greater significance. It is within this larger historical context that the resources must be evaluated.
To assist in determining the survey boundaries of potential districts, the following guidelines are suggested:

1. Determine the objectives of the survey.

2. Consult with historians, local-residents, historical societies, and

preservation organizations, as well as published histories and

other information sources, to locate and determine the general

historical background of significant African-American neigh-

borhoods. Make a preliminary determination of the historical

themes and broad patterns of history associated with the area.

Research the events, individuals, patterns of development, and

'communities of people that are associated with the area.

3. Check with city agencies, local historical societies, preservation

organizations, and the Historic Preservation Section of the Georgia

Department of Natural Resources to determine if any surveys

such as county surveys have identified AfricaB-American resources

in the area.

'

4. Ride or walk the area to locate the concentration of historic

resources.

5. Delineate survey boundaries that incorporate not only the obvious

concentrations of historic properties, but also adjacent areas that

may contain related resources.

6. Consult with the preservation planner of the Area Planning and

Development Commission, or the HistoI'ic Preservation Section,

for assistance in refining the survey boundaries. If the survey is a

step to nominating a district to the National Register of Historic

Places, keep in mind that the area must have a high concentration

of relatively intact historic properties to be eligible.

7. Write a description of the survey boundaries, and explain why

they were chosen.

8. Delineate the survey area on a suitable map.

Organizing the Survey
Once the survey area has been defined, people, money, and time must be organized before the survey can begin. The following

61
guidelines are proposed to facilitate this effort:
1. Identify a person or persons who can direct or assist in the management of the survey. Identifying significant properties requires training and experience in recognizing kinds of resources, architectural styles, construction methods, and materials; in researching historical documentation; and in placing resources in a broad historical context. Survey management also requires organizational skills. The surveyor may be a local resident or an outside consultant contracted for a specific time to conduct the survey. Contact the preservation planner in the Area Planning and Development Commission, the local preservation organizations, or the Historic Preservation Section for help in finding such expertise.
2. Determine whether other personnel are required to conduct the survey. The survey may require one or more local residents who are key informants on community history, and who can facilitate the surveyor's access to the properties that will be surveyed. Volunteers may need to be trained to carry out some aspects of the survey project.
3. Estimate the amount of money required to conduct the survey, including the costs of a trained surveyor (if needed), local assistants, transportation, photography, and reproduction of survey forms.
4. Identify the financial resources available to carry out the survey. Local churches and organizations may provide some funds, as may special money-raising projects. A significant portion of the survey, however, will probably be supported by small contributions and voluntE!er services.
5. Develop or determine the appropriate survey form to be used. The survey-inventory form of the Historic Preservation Section is used as an example in this chapter (Figure 42). Public and private agencies can obtain it from the Historic Preservation Section, and are encouraged to reproduce it for local surveys.
6. Find or prepare a map for recording each property surveyed. For in-town surveys, Area Planning and Development Commission planning maps or tax maps that delineate individual properties will work best. City maps prepared by the Georgia Department of Transportation may also be used. For rural areas, Georgia Department of Transportation county road maps work well. Topographic maps such as United States Geological Survey maps may also be useful.
7. Develop a schedule for completing the survey in a reasonable period of time, and in accordance with available personnel and money.

62

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64
8. Inform the general public of the survey project, its purpose, the geographic area and kinds of resources to be surveyed, the period during which the survey will be conducted, and the ways in which the community can cooperate in the effort. Announcements in local news media, distribution of flyers, and community meetings may be effective means for informing the public and enlisting its support. The surveyor and assistants should carry identification that indicates the sponsor of the project. There should be a local contact person who can answer community inquiries about the survey.
Conducting the Survey
If carefully organized, the historic resources survey can proceed systematically without needless delays. The following suggestions are offered to help ensure this:
1. Properties should be surveyed in some order, street by street, and section by section, according to a time schedule, so that every resource in the survey area is eventually identified. The checklist of historic resources located in Appendix A' should serve as a reference to the full range of potentially significant properties.
2. As each resource is surveyed, a survey form is filled out. The survey-inventory form designed by the Historic Preservation Section is described below. Figure 42 is an example of a completed form. Identification. The first section'of the form calls for the location ofthe resource by county. A number is assigned to each property surveyed according to a system predetermined by the survey manager. Each resource is then identified by name, address, ownership, and by reference to official maps. The amount of technical information provided in this section depends on the survey's purpose. Description. The second section of the form records briefly the physical features of the property, including building type and size, architectural style, building material, and present condition (whether poor, fair, good, excellent, deteriorating, moved, or threatened by demolition). Additions and alterations to features such as siding, windows, doors, rooflines, and porches should be described. It is also helpful to record here the general environment and the relationship of the resource to manmade structures and natural features. A description of the interior may be appropriate for some surveys. History. If known, the original owner and use are recorded in

65
the third section of the form, as are the dates of construction and alterations. A brief narrative should state the property's development from its origin to the present, citing changing uses and associations with events and users. (Specific suggestions for documenting historical and architectural background are given in Chapter Four.) Significance. This section asks for the areas of significance as defined by the National Register of Historic Places. The list of areas of significance includes the following: prehistoric archaeology, historic archaeology, agriculture, architecture, art, commerce, communications, community planning and development, conservation, economics, education, engineering, exploration/settlement, industry, invention, landscape architecture, law, literature, military, music, philosophy, politics/ government, religion, science, sculpture, social/humanitarian, theater, transportation, and other (specify). (Guidelines for determining and evaluating significance are provided in Chapter Five.) Sources. In preparing the survey form, a number of information sources will have been consulted, including maps, local histories, oral testimony, and public and private records. These sources should be cited in the fifth section of the form. (See Chapter Four and the bibliography for assistance on information sources.) Photography. Each property surveyed should be photographed in black and white. Photographs should be taken from an angle that captures both the front and one side of each structure. A print of snapshot size should be attached to the survey form, with the photographer and location of the negative identified, and the date and orientation of the photograph indicated. Additional Information. A sketch plan of the resource should be drawn in the last $.ection of the survey form. If access to the resource or the information is available, the sketch should show the floor or site plan, its approximate dimensions, and the functions of rooms or areas indicated. The northerly direction and front entrance should be marked. The last section of the form can also be used for additional information or comments on the architectural and historical description and significance of the property. Other supporting documentation such as maps, interview notes, and copies of public and private documents should be kept with the survey form. 3. As each resource is surveyed, the survey map should be coded by number to correspond with the number of its survey form. 4. Each completed survey form, photograph, map notation, and piece

66
of supporting documentation should be reviewed for consistency and clarity. 5. Arrangements should be made for the permanent storage of survey forms, maps, photographs, and supporting documentation. The Historic Preservation Section should be informed of the location and accessibility of the survey data and would like to receive a copy for its files, if possible. 6. As a general rule, survey forms for non-historic resources in the survey area (those constructed within the past fifty years) may be filled out in less detail than those forms for historic resources.

4
Documentation
To identify historic properties and determine their significance, a variety of information sources must be consulted. Property records and historical narratives, for example, are keys in the documentation of a building's ownership history, its changing uses, and its importance to the community's development. This chapter will state the kinds of questions to ask in researching black historic resources and will describe information sources that help provide some of the answers.
Where is the Property Located?
Most historic resources will be identified or located during the field survey. Some, however, may come to the attention of the surveyor by word of mouth or through documentary research. Resources identified or to be identified in the field should be referenced on a map. A variety of maps depict buildings, property lines, roadways, topography, and other features which not only locate historic resources, but also give evidence of the nature and density of the built environment at various stages in a community's development.
u.s. Geological Survey Maps
U.S. Geological Survey (U.S.G.S.) maps show topography, which is the elevation of the land, and its manmade and natural features. They are highly detailed maps (commonly one inch equals two thousand feet) which record such features as civil boundaries, roadways, paths, bodies of water, railroads, utility structures, buildings, and cemeteries. Georgia maps can be purchased for $2.25 each from the Georgia Geologic Survey, Department of Natural Resources, Room 400, 19 Martin Luther King Drive, S.W., Atlanta, Georgia 30334. An index for ordering the desired quadrangle of the U.S.G.S. series can be obtained free of charge from that office. These maps can also be purchased at higher cost from some city and county offices, regional planning commissiol1s, engineering firms, and camping stores. They
67

68
can also be ordered directly from the U .S.G.S. Branch of Distribution, 1200 South Eads Street, Arlington, Virginia 22202.
Planning Maps
Cities and counties which have engaged in planning activities will probably have detailed base maps that show roadways, railroads, bodies of water, civil boundaries, property and easement lines, and structures. Maps depicting structures may also indicate address, building type, land use, condition, age, and other features useful in historic sites surveying. These usually are prepared by the Area Planning and Development Commission in which the city or county is located.
Sanborn Fire Insurance Maps
Sanborn Fire Insurance Maps (commonly called "Sanborn maps")
. are highly detailed, I" =50' scale maps of America's towns and cities.
They were published and frequently updated by the Sanborn Map Company between the 1870s and the 1960s. These large maps (21" x 25") indicate the location, plan, construction material, and number of stories of individual buildings in a community. This information is conveyed graphically, through notation, and through a color-coded system of symbols on the maps.
Sanborn maps exist for 163 Georgia communities. A complete set of the maps is located in the Map Room of the Science Library at the University of Georgia in Athens. In addition, the Georgia State University Library in Atlanta has microfilm copies of the maps available in its Microfilm Room. Information on specific Georgia communities mapped, the dates of each mapping, and the number of map sheets for each date can be obtained from the University of Georgia Science Library in Athens or the State Historic Preservation Office (the Historic Preservation Section) in Atlanta.
Photocopies of Sanborn maps can be ordered conveniently from:
Map Collection Science Library University of Georgia Libraries Athens, Georgia 30602 Attention: Tom Hardaway Telephone: (404) 542-4535
Orders are processed promptly, and customers will be billed by the University Copy Service. Copying charges are: for black-and-white

69
copies, $0.40 per Sanborn map sheet (it takes 4 sheets of II" x 17" copy paper at $0.10 per sheet to cover each Sanborn map sheet); for color copies, $3.60 per Sanborn map sheet (it takes 6 sheets of 8 1/2" x 11" copy paper at $0.60 per sheet to cover each Sanborn map sheet).
Sanborn maps are an invaluable research tool and should be consulted in compiling documentation for surveys and nominations to the National Register. They are especially useful when dealing with commercial properties, industrial complexes, and historic districts. Sanborn maps can be used to date buildings, structures, and other features, to identify historic building materials, to document historic development patterns in districts, to determine the integrity of structures and districts, and to locate historically vacant lots and the sites of demolished historic structures.
More information about Sanborn maps can be found in Fire Insurance Maps in the Library of Congress: Plans of North American Cities and Towns Produced by the Sanborn Map Company, published by the Reference and Bibliography Section, Geography and Map Division, Library of Congress, Washington, D.C. (1981).
Property or Tax Maps
These maps are developed for tax assessment. In rural areas they have sometimes been compiled from recorded deeds. Cities have also developed them from field surveys and property records. Today, property is often mapped from aerial photographs which show fence lines, structures, and other features that help delineate ownership. The county tax office and the city clerk's office will have available maps or sketches of plats.
Transportation Maps
The Georgia Department of Transportation prepares general highway maps of each county showing several classifications of roads, railroads, watercourses, and utility structures. These maps also record dwellings, and commercial, agricultural, industrial, and institutional buildings, such as cemeteries, churches, and schools. They can be obtained for $1.50 each from the Georgia Department of Transportation, 2 Capitol Square, Atlanta, Georgia 30334-1002, Attention: Map Sales.
Other Maps
Miscellaneous historical maps may be found in local government offices or in published materials. Sometimes private manuscript

70
collections in local libraries and historical societies contain informative maps. For early maps of towns, districts, and plats, also contact the Surveyor General's Office in the Georgia Department of Archives and History, 330 Capitol Avenue, S.W., Atlanta, Georgia 30334; the Library of Congress, Geography and Map Division, John Madison Building, 101 Independence Avenue, S.E., Washington, D.C. 20540; and the National Archives, Cartographic and Architectural Archives Branch, NNSC, Washington, D.C. 20408.
Who is Associated with the Property?
Identifying the owners, occupants, users, designer, and builder of a resource requires research of public and private documents. Determining ownership involves investigation of official records. However, since most African-Americans, like a significant proportion of E~ropean-Americans, have not owned the resources of their built environment, investigating the occupancy of slave and rental properties calls for the creative use of a variety of information sources, such as estate records, censuses, and city directories.
Deeds
The transfer of landownership is recorded in deeds. These can provide information on a property if the name of an owner and the approximate time of the transfer are known. The present owner, or more likely his lawyer, may have title notes that report previous transfers of ownership. To obtain the ownership history predating the information available through the present owner, it may be necessary to work back through the deeds to reconstruct the chain of ownership. Deeds will identify the buyer (grantee) and seller (grantor), give the acreage of the property, its boundaries, and sale price, and will date the transaction. Deeds are recorded voluntarily in the office of the Clerk of Superior Court in the courthouse of the county where the property is located. Recorded deeds transacted before 1900 are also on microfilm at the Georgia Department of Archives and History.
Tax Digests
. The tax digest is an annual list of taxable property. It records the amount and value of land, slaves, household goods, and capital investments. The nature and value of the property assessed are indicators of the presence of dwellings and other improvements; changes in property valuation may document the construction of structures. Tax digests can be researched at the county courthouse.

71
They can also be found at the Georgia Department of Archives and History. Those that predate 1870 are on microfilm; those dating from 1870 on can be consulted in their original form. Knowing whether and when a building was located within a city limits is essential to determining the availability of tax information for the building in the county tax records.
Estate Records
A series of records provides for the transfer of property at death. These records include wills, inventories, appraisals, and annual returns. Since estate records deal with the nature and extent of a person's wealth, the will and inventory usually identify slaves. For free blacks during slavery, and for all citizens after emancipation who either had wills or administered estates, there should be some direct or indirect reference to the ownership of land, buildings, and other capital. The county office of the probate judge maintains estate records. The Georgia Department of Archives and History has estate records prior to 1900 on microfilm for most counties.
Censuses
The household composition of owners and occupants can be determined from federal manuscript population censuses for Georgia (1820 to 1880, 1900, and 1910). Once the head of the household has been identified, the names (for available censuses beginning in 1850), ages, and relationships (for available censuses beginning in 1880) can be established. Slave census schedules identify slaves by age and sex, not by name. The slave schedules for 1860, however, record the number of slave houses for each plantation and permit an estimate of a plantation's household size. The Federal Archives and Records Center at East Point has population censuses and selected manufacturing and mortality schedules. The Georgia Department of Archives and History in Atlanta has population, mortality, manufacturing, social statistics, and agricultural census schedules. Many local libraries also have population censuses on microfilm.
Directories
City directories, which for the most part are published annually, list heads of households alphabetically and by street address. Early city directories usually indicated black residents. Classified sections are useful in the identification of black businessmen and professionals, including architects and building tradesmen. Business directories,

72
which are published for the larger cities, list merchants by name and address. The directories' advertisements may provide additional information such as the date the business was established.
Other Sources
Identifying persons associated with a structure may require collecting oral history from persons who knew or knew of the property, its designer/builder, or its owners and occupants. Building permits, newspapers, and secondary sources may also be helpful in the identification process. See the sections below for use of these sources.
When Was the Structure Built?
Dating a property is often difficult. The style, building materials, plan, and construction methods of the structure itself will in most cases suggest an approximate date of construction and the dates of later alterations. The records discussed below may help establish a more specific construction date.
Building Permits
Authorization to construct and alter buildings in a city sometimes had to be obtained through building permits. These documents are dated, and describe generally the building to be constructed or the alterations to be made, specifying dimensions and materials, builder/ architect, and sometimes the number of laborers. Some of these permits may still be on file at the issuing office. Early permits, however, may not have been maintained, having been either destroyed or deposited at a local records center. The Atlanta Historical Society, for example, has building permits for that city dating back to the late nineteenth century.
Tax Records
County and city tax assessment offices often record on an index card the approximate date of a building and a sketch of the floor plan.
Other Sources
Insurance maps, such as the Sanborn series which was prepared every seven to ten years, will suggest the approximate date of buildings. The first appearance of a building address in the city directory will also help determine the date of its construction. Family or business records may also document the date of construction of .residential or commercial structures.

73
What is the Property's History?
Locating a property, identifying the persons associated with it, and dating it provide historical background. Other information, however, must be gathered to reconstruct more fully the property's historical development and determine its historical and architectural significance. A variety of primary and secondary sources is available to assist in this. Oral information is of particular importance in researching the built environment of African-Americans, who are generally unaccounted for in traditional historical literature. Private papers, architectural records, and local histories are also valuable for research. For larger cities, newspapers may cover events and persons significant in the development of historic resources.
Oral Information
Much of the history on black resources may come from community residents, usually older persons, who know of or were involved in the development oflate nineteenth- and early twentieth-century dwellings, institutions, and businesses. These persons may be of assistance not only in identifying and dating properties but also in narrating their development and discussing their significance. Community leaders can refer surveyors and researchers to these informants. Persons presently occupying historic buildings may also be key informants, as may descendants of earlier owners and occupants. The kinds of questions that guide the oral interviews are: What purposes and uses did the resource serve at various stages of its development? How did physical alterations reflect changing uses and functions? What role or importance did the resource play in the overall development of the black community? Who was associated with the resource in the past? Interview notes should identify the sources of all testimony and any documentation supporting or conflicting with it.
Private Papers
Families and individuals possess many documents which shed light on historic properties. Personal letters as well as business correspondence may refer to plans for construction and alteration, or may describe physical features and the uses of specific spaces. Business receipts may itemize building materials and services, furniture, or other articles that suggest specific activities and uses.
Photographs document the appearance of a building at earlier stages, sometimes capturing the original environment. Picture postcards are sometimes the only available visual record of historic properties during the early twentieth century.

74
Institutional Records
Organizations often have records such as minutes, membership lists, and special publications that identify persons and describe activities in the history of a site or structure. Sometimes photographs are available. Government offices in education, health, transportation, and rural and urban development may have photographs and annual reports that identify and describe resources.
Architectural Records and Periodicals
Architectural drawings may exist for larger, more substantial structures. Generally difficult to find, some are on file at colleges and universities in the state or at federal agencies. The Historic American Building Survey (HABS) is a collection of over 45,000 photographs and 31,000 drawings that documents a wide range of American buildings (a number associated with the black community) dating from the seventeenth through the early twentieth centuries. The survey, begun in 1933, includes information on many long-since demolished structures. The survey documents are deposited in the Library of Congress in Washington, D.C. A copy of the Georgia HABS survey is at the Historic Preservation Section. Some photographs and drawings from the Georgia survey are published in The Georgia Catalog by John Linley (see bibliography). An additional collection of photographs documenting many lost architectural resources in Georgia and seven other southern states is the over 7,000 photographs taken by Frances Benjamin Johnston for the Library of Congress between 1930 and 1943. Johnston's work includes photographs of great plantation houses and their outbuildings as well as frontier cabins and crude mills. This work, too, is on file at the Library of Congress.
Architectural pattern books which contain nineteenth-century floor plans and elevations, and mail order catalogs such as those of the Sears, Roebuck and Company through which one could order houses in the early twentieth century, may serve as a reference to specific building styles and types. The Southern Architect and Building News (1889-1932), many issues of which are at the Atlanta Historical Society and Emory University, and the American Architect and Building News (1876-1938), which can be found at Southern Technical Institute in Marietta, are valuable sources of information on the work of major architects, as are The Manufacturer's Record (1882-present) and the Industrial Index (1906-1966?). These publications also contain lists of buildings constructed, architectural plans, and illustrations.

75
Newspapers
Newspapers are good primary sources of local information. Some larger towns and cities had black newspapers which covered events and personalities of significance in the African-American community. Articles often referred to facilities in which special or regularly scheduled events were held, and reported on persons and activities. Advertisements and program announcements serve as a kind of directory of local businesses and institutions. The University of Georgia Libraries at Athens have an extensive microfilm collection of early Georgia newspapers which is available through interlibrary loan. The Union List ofNewspapers and the Newspapers in Microform in the United States, which are standard references for public libraries, identify newspapers by geographic area but not by the race ofthe publisher. University libraries, however, and the Atlanta Public Library have Newspapers and Periodicals by and about Black People: Southern Library Holdings, which is arranged alphabetically by name of publication.
Secondary Sources
Secondary sources are published works which compile or analyze information derived from original documents. Typical examples are county or city histories, biographies, and monographs. They provide historical background on some resources. Generally however, the development of Georgia's black communities is either ignored or treated superficially in state and local histories. These materials may be used, nevertheless, as a starting point in gathering historical context, and before collecting oral testimony and other primary source information. Among the most helpful books are those reporting surveys or studies of specific kinds of black resources. Some of these are cited in the bibliography at the end of this handbook. Other general and special histories relevant to the development of the black community and its resources are also contained in the bibliography.

5
Evaluation for the National Register of Historic Places
Survey and documentation are initial steps in the preservation planning process. The ultimate goal of this process is the protection of significant properties. Formal recognition of a property by listing it in the National Register of Historic Places is preliminary to various protection measures. It is the official acknowledgment that a property possesses qualities which make it worthy of preservation. This chapter presents the standards by which a property is evaluated for inclusion in the National Register. The guidelines suggested here also give direction to identification and documentation, which precede registration.
The National Register, which was established by the National Historic Preservation Act of 1966, is the federal government's list of historic districts, sites, buildings, structures, and objects in American history, architecture, engineering, archaeology, or culture, which have been determined worthy of preservation. Listing in the Register carries protective and economic benefits. It mandates review of the impact offederal actions on properties listed or eligible for listing, and it makes certain properties eligible for federal tax benefits. The listing of properties in the National Register is administered jointly by the National Park Service of the U.S. Department of the Interior and the designated historic preservation office in each state, which in Georgia is the Historic Preservation Section of the Georgia Department of Natural Resources.
Historical Context
Properties must be evaluated on the basis of their significance to broad patterns or themes of history. In terms of African-American history, a significant building or district will reflect or represent people, events, and developments important to the black community in Georgia. For example, some rural slave dwellings may derive their
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historical significance from the larger context of Georgia's nineteenthcentury cotton agriculture and the social, economic, and political processes which this theme of history incorporates. The significance of a town's black business district may reflect the development of black economic self-sufficiency that characterized many urban communities in Georgia during the first part of the twentieth century. In general, properties must be fifty years old or older to be considered historic. Exceptions are made for properties or districts constructed within the past fifty years if they are associated with people or events of exceptional importance. Defining the patterns or themes of Georgia's history is an ongoing process being carried out in part by the Historic Preservation Section to provide a framework for evaluating the significance of historic resources. Agencies, organizations, and individuals are encouraged to identify, document, and evaluate properties in the context of such historical themes.
Integrity
How well a property's physical features reflect the historical context that makes it significant is a measure of the property's integrity. To be eligible for the National Register, a property must retain those characteristics of location, design, setting, materials, workmanship, feeling, and association that make it historically significant. A good rule of thumb to follow in determining the integrity of a building is to consider whether its hietoric occupants would recognize that building or district today. If too many of a building's historic features (such as exterior siding, front entrance, porches, doors, windows, and interior room arrangements and finishes) have been altered, the building will not have sufficient integrity to be eligible for the National Register. Generally, a building which has been covered with non-historic siding that obscures but has not damaged the building's important features will only be individually eligible if that siding is removed. If too many substantially altered properties, non-historic properties, and/or recent intrusions are located within a historic area, that area cannot qualify as a district. If a building has been moved or the setting of a building or district has been drastically altered, in most cases that resource will not be eligible for the National Register.
Evaluation Criteria
If a resource has retained its integrity, then it must meet at least one of four specific standards or criteria to qualify as a property of

78
historic or architectural significance. These criteria apply in the evaluation of districts, sites, buildings, structures, and objects in relation to the pertinent themes or broad patterns of history. The criteria address the property's association with important events and pers~s, its distinguishing characteristics, and its value as a source of information. What these criteria mean, how they can be applied, and what other standards must be considered in identifying significant resources are discussed briefly below. Evaluation guidelines used in the National Register program are presented in detail in a pamphlet by the National Park Service entitled How to Apply the National Register Criteria for Evaluation, which is cited in the bibliography.
Properties Associated with Events That Have Made a Significant Contribution to the Broad Patterns of History
To be recognized under this criterion, a property can be associated with a single event, such as the founding of the first public high school for blacks, or with a series of events, such as the settlement of blacks in a particular city. Both the founding of a school and the settlement of a community are linked to important themes in the development of Georgia's history. One event reflects the struggle of African-Americans for public education in the state; the other represents the development of racially separate urban neighborhoods. Historic themes and broad patterns of history are being defined as part of the state's preservation planning process. Complementary to this effort are the documentation and compilation of background history by surveyors and preservation researchers to determine the relevant themes associated with identifed properties. To satisfy the criterion, properties must have associations that are strong, clear, and documented by historical record or physical evidence.
Properties Associated with the Lives of Persons Significant in the Past
Significance according to this criterion requires that a property be associated with a. clearly identified individual who has distinguished himself or herself in the context of important themes in history. Generally one who is no longer living, this person should have had greater significance than others in the context of the particular theme. For example, the home of a publisher of a black newspaper may satisfy the criterion within the context of African-American communications development, while the home of a reporter for the same paper might not. An individual's significance comes not from his African-American identity, but by virtue of his relative importance in association with a

79
specific theme in American and African-American history. The property should represent the individual's contributions better than other associated resources. As was the case in applying the first criterion, the individual's significance must be documented.
Properties That Embody Distinctive Architectural Characteristics
A resource may be significant because it has distinctive characteristics of type, period, or method of construction, or because it represents the work of a master, or possesses high artistic values. Properties which may meet this criterion would include the following kinds of resources: a secondary school designed according to the Rosenwald Fund model; a church that is one of the finest examples of Victorian Gothic Revival architecture in a city; an archaeological site containing slave dwellings of earthen wall construction; a bridge designed and constructed by Horace King at the height of his career; and sculptured grave markings of a coastal cemetery. A property, however, need not be unique to be significant. Resources that possess representative characteristics may also be significant.
Another class of properties which meets this criterion is that which represents "a significant and distinguishable entity whose components may lack individual distinction." For example, a neighborhood, whose individual buildings may not be distinctive in style, period, or method of construction, may be a discrete district. As a whole it may constitute a coherent and identifiable historic environment, distinguishable from its adjacent areas. One inherent value of properties which satisfy the criterion of distinctiveness is their ability to enhance our understanding of a class of resources, its characteristics and variations, its changes and continuities over time.
Properties Which Have Yielded or May Be Likely to Yield In/ormation Important to Prehistory or History
This criterion is generally applicable to archaeological resources, although historic properties can be recognized by this standard, if the physical materials of a building, for example, are the only source of information for understanding a particular aspect of history. The information potential of a property must relate to human occupation or use for an identified period of time. In addition, the informational potential of the property must be measured with respect to a research design or questions that address important data needs.

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Special Considerations
Usually religious properties, cemeteries, birthplaces, gravesites, and commemorative properties are not eligible for listing in the National Register. Nor, generally, are properties which have been moved or reconstructed, and those which have achieved significance within the last fifty years. There are, however, exceptions to these rules. Some of these properties may be eligible for the National Register if they are part of an historic district, or if they fall in at least one of the following categories:
A. a religious property (i.e. a church) deriving primary significance from architectural or artistic distinction or historical significance; or
B. a building or structure removed from its original location but which is significant primarily for architectural value, or which is the surviving structure most importantly associated with an historic person or event; or
C. a birthplace or grave of an historical figure of outstanding importance if there is no other appropriate site or building directly associated with his productive life; or
D. a cemetery which derives its primary significance from graves of persons of exceeding importance, from age, from distinctive design features, or from association with historic events; or
E. a reconstructed building when. accurately executed in a suitable environment and presented in a dignified manner as part of a restoration master plan, and when no other building or structure with the same association survives; or
F. a property primarily commemorative in intent if design, age, tradition, or symbolic value has invested it with its own historical significance; or
G. a property achieving significance within the past fifty years if it is of exceptional importance.
Level of Significance
The National Register nomination process calls for evaluation of a property's level of significance. This refers to the geographic arealocal state, or national-for which a property. is considered important. Stating a property's level of significance requjres an understanding or perspective of local, state, and national historic themes. For example, the William Spencer House in Columbus is of local significance because of its association with a person prominent in the education of African-Americans in that city. The Morton Building in Athens has

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state significance. It is one of the most important buildings in the state associated with black commercial development. The First Bryan Baptist Church of Savannah is of national significance because of its association with this country's first black Baptists and its outstanding architectural qualities.
Nominating Properties to the National Register of Historic Places
Individuals and groups who wish to have properties or districts nominated to the National Register should submit property information to the Historic Preservation Section of the Georgia Department of Natural Resources. Forms for reporting this information can be obtained from the Historic Preservation Section. The forms request a detailed description of a property's or district's physical characteristics, history, and significance and ask for such supporting documentation as photographs, maps, and the identification of information sources. Although comprehensive survey data will be useful in completing the forms, additional research is usually needed to provide the required information. Based on the information submitted, the Historic Preservation Section determines whether the property appears eligible for the National Register and assigns the priority in which properties will be considered for nomination. The state office assists with the preparation of official nomination forms. Documentation on properties and districts proposed for nomination is reviewed by the Georgia National Register Review Board, a body consisting of citizens and professionals in preservation-related areas. National Register nomination forms for properties and districts approved for nomination by the Georgia National Register Review Board and the State Historic Preservation Officer are then submitted to the National Park Service of the United States Department of the Interior, which makes the final decision on listing in the National Register.
National Register Properties in Georgia Associated with African-American History
Of the more than one thousand National Register listings in Georgia, relatively few are directly associated with themes in AfricanAmerican history. However, in spite of their small numbers, these National Register listings reflect important aspects of the state's African-American heritage, and they suggest the types of black resources which can be listed in the National Register.

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Appendix B is a list of National Register properties in Georgia that includes:
1. resources whose primary significance is associated with African-American history;
2. resources whose primary significance is not associated with African-American history but which are related in some way to persons, events, or developments significant to the history of the black community; and
3. districts which include significant African-American resources.
Many National Register properties in Georgia which were designed, constructed, or operated by African-Americans are not identified in this list. These would include, for example, the plantations where blacks resided and worked. For many such National Register properties, the associations with African-Americans may not be explicitly stated or fully understood.
The relatively small number of these National Register properties in no way reflects the significance of black historic resources or the number of properties potentially eligible for listing. Rather, it emphasizes the need for a concerted effort by public and private agencies, organizations, and individuals to identify and document significant African-American resources. Only through such heightened activity can a broader spectrum of Georgia's African-American heritage be recognized and preserved.

Appendixes

Appendix A: Checklist of Historic Resources

Residential

Dwellings (single-family, multi-family) Greenhouses

Detached kitchens

Gardens

Wells

Plantings

Privies

Fountains

Smokehouses

Fences

Root cellars

Garages

Sheds

Carriage houses

Institutional

Churches

Lodge halls

Cemeteries, burial grounds

Clubhouses

Schools (primary, secondary, colleges) Hospitals, clinics

Libraries

Commercial

Goods

Physicians' offices

Groceries

Dentists' offices

Bakeries, confectioneries

Drugstores

General and department stores

Funeral homes

Specialized merchandise stores

Financial Services

Markets

Insurance company

Commissaries

offices

Coal and wood yards

Benevolent associations,

Personal and health related services

fraternal

Restaurants

organizations

Hotels

Banks

Barber and beauty shops

Real estate offices

Dressmaking and tailoring shops

Trades

Laundries, pressing shops

Carpenters' shops

Shoemaking and shoe shining

Coopers' shops

shops

Blacksmiths' shops

Photography studios

Brick yards

Lawyers' offices

General contractors' shops

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Barns Stables Dairies Animal pens Corn cribs Smokehouses

Agricultural
Granaries Threshing houses Fields Irrigation dikes, contours Fences

Industrial and Manufacturing

Mills (wheat, rice, sugar, lumber, textiles) Fisheries

Factories

Warehouses, storage bins

Processing plants

Water towers

Gins

Waterworks

Mines

Power houses

Quarries

Gas works

Forestry and naval stores facilities

Transportation

Paths

Railroad stations, depots

Sidewalks

Livery stables

Streets, roads, highways

Carriage houses

Driveways

Streetcar rights-of-way

Bridges

Streetcar barns

Canals

Garages

Docks

Gas stations

Railroad tracks

Bus stations

Hotels Restaurants, taverns Theaters

Recreational
Pool halls Parks, playgrounds Lodges, clubhouses

Governmental

Courthouses (county and federal)

Post offices

City halls

Municipal auditoriums

Fire stations

Public works facilities

Jails, calabooses

(waterworks, etc.)

Fortifications Battlefields

Military
Bases, posts Armories

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Appendix B:
National Register Properties in Georgia Significant in African-American History
Atkinson County
Willacoochee vicinity, McCranie's Turpentine Still
Bibb County
Macon. Macon Historic District (Douglass Theater*)
Brooks County
Quitman. Quitman Historic District
Bryan County
Richmond Hill vicinity. Richmond Hill Plantation
Camden County
St. Marys vicinity. High Point-Half Moon Bluff Historic District
Catoosa/Walker Counties
Fort Oglethorpe. Fort Oglethorpe Historic District
Chatham County
Burroughs. St. Bartholomew's Church Nicholsonville. Nicholsonville Baptist Church Savannah. First Bryan Baptist Church _ _ _ _. Green-Meldrim House _ _ _ _'. Laurel Grove-South Cemetery _ _ _ _,. Savannah Historic District (First African Baptist
Church, Beach Institute)

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____. Savannah Victorian Historic District _ _ _ _. William Scarbrough House _ _ _ _. St. Philip A.M.E. Church _ _ _ _. United States Custom House Savannah vicinity. Hill Hall at Savannah State College _ _ _ _. Wormsloe Plantation
Clarke County
Athens. First African Methodist Episcopal Church _ _ _ _. The Morton Building Athens vicinity. Chestnut Grove School
Clay County
Fort Gaines. Fort Gaines Historic District
Columbia County
Winfield vicinity. Woodville
Dougherty County
Albany. The Bridge House
Floyd County
Rome. Myrtle Hill Cemetery
Fulton County
Atlanta. Butler Street C.M.E. Church _ _ _ _. Atlanta University Center District (E.A. Ware School,
Friendship Church, West Hunter Street Baptist Church, University Homes, Herndon Home) _ _ _ _. First Congregational Church ____. Grady Hospital _ _ _ _. Martin Luther King, Jr., Historic District _ _ _ _. Oakland Cemetery

88 _ _ _ _. Odd Fellows Building and Auditorium _ _ _ _'. Stone Hall, Atlanta University _ _ _ _'. Sweet Auburn Historic District _ _ _ _'. Yonge Street School
Glynn County
Brunswick vicinity. Hofwyl-Broadfield Plantation
Hancock County
Mayfield vicinity. Camilla-Zack Community Center District
Jefferson County
Louisville. Old Market
Liberty County
Midway. Midway Historic District South Newport vicinity. St. Catherines Island
Lowndes County
Valdosta. Dasher High School
McIntosh County
Darien. Vernon Square-Columbus Square Historic D1:strict
Meriwether County
Alvaton vicinity. White Oak Creek Covered Bridge Woodbury. Red Oak Creek Covered Bridge
Muscogee County
Columbus. Columbus Historic Riverfront Industrial District _ _ _ _. Historic Resources of Columbus, Multiple Resource Area:
St. John Chapel, St. James A.M.E. Church, Porterdale Cemetery, First African Baptist Church, St. Christopher's Normal and Industrial Parish School, John Stewart House, William Price House, Wiley Storey House, Isaac Maund House, 1612 Third Avenue

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_ _ _ _'. Liberty Theater ____. Rankin Square _ _ _ _. William Henry Spencer House _ _ _ _. Springer Opera House
Randolph County
Cuthbert. Fletcher Henderson House
Richmond County
Augusta. Pinched Gut Historic District (Cedar Grove Cemetery, Thankful Baptist Church, Trinity C.M.E. Church)
_ _ _ _. Springfield Baptist Church
Sumter County
Americus. Americus Historic District
Thomas County
Thomasville. Bethany Congregational Church ____. Dawson Street Residential Historic District ____. Thomasville Commercial Historic District
Washington County
Sandersville. Thomas Jefferson Elder High and Industrial School
*Individual properties cited in parentheses are examples of African American resources in districts. Not all significant black properties in a district have been noted.

Appendix C:
Agencies and Organizations Providing Preservation Assistance

The following is a list of agencies and organizations which can be of assistance in the identification, documentation, and evaluation of black historic properties in Georgia. The Directory of Georgia Historical and Preservation Organizations (see bibliography) describes some of these and other such sources.

Federal
National Park Service, U.S. Department of the Interior 440 G Street, NW Washington, D.C. 20243 (202) 434-6401
Southeast Regional Office of the National Park Service U.S. Department of Interior Richard B. Russell Federal Building 75 Spring Street, SW Atlanta, GA 30303 (404) 221-5187

State

Georgia Department of Natural Resources

Historic Preservation Section

(Georgia's State Historic Preservation Office)

270 Washington Street, SW

Room 704

.

Atlanta, GA 30334

(404) 656-2840

Regional Preservation Planners Contact Area Planning and Development Commissions

Georgia Department of Archives and History 330 Capitol Avenue, SE Atlanta, GA 30334 (404) 656-2393

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Georgia Department of Community Affairs 40 Marietta Street, NW Suite 800 Atlanta, GA 30303 (404) 656-3836
Georgia Downtown Development Association 40 Marietta Street, NW Suite 800 Atlanta, GA 30303 (404) 656-3898
Georgia Trust for Historic Preservation, Inc. 1516 Peachtree Street, NW Atlanta, GA 30309 (404) 881-9980
Chatham County
Beach Institute Neighborhood Association Ki ng-Tisdell Cottage 514 East Huntingdon Street Savannah, GA 31401 (912) 234-8000
Savannah-Yamacraw Branch Association for the Study of Afro-American Life and History 514 East Huntingdon Street Savannah, GA 31401 (912) 234-8000
Savannah Landmark Rehabilitation Project, Inc. P.O. Box 8801 Savannah, GA 31412 (912) 232-6036
Clarke County
Athens-Clarke Heritage Foundation, Inc. Fire Hall #2 489 Prince Avenue Athens, GA 30601 (404) 546-1818

92
Office of Cultural Affairs Clarke County Board of Commissioners P.O. Box 448 Athens, GA 30603 (404) 546-8330
Fulton County
Atlanta Preservation Center Suite 302, The Healy Building 57 Forsyth Street Atlanta, GA 30303 (404) 522-4345
Friends of the Southwest Community Hospital 501 Fairburn Road, SW Atlanta, GA 30331 (404) 658-7088
Historic Oakland Cemetery, Inc. 248 Oakland Avenue, SE Atlanta, GA 30312 (404) 622-0733
Martin Luther King, Jr., Center for Nonviolent Social Change 449 Auburn Avenue, NE Atlanta, GA 30312 (404) 524-1956
Muscogee County
Historic Columbus Foundation 700 Broadway P.O. Box 5312 Columbus, GA 31906 (404) 322-0756
William H. Spencer Golden Owlettes, Inc. 745 Fourth Avenue Columbus, GA 31901 (404) 322-1014

93
Richmond County
Bethlehem Area Community Association, Inc. 1634 Milledgeville Road Augusta, GA 30901 (404) 722-0406
Historic Augusta, Inc. 1840 Broad Street Augusta, GA 30904 (404) 733-6768
Whitfield County
Whitfield-Murray Historical Society, Inc. Crown Garden and Archives 715 Chattanooga Avenue Dalton, GA 30720 (404) 278-0217

Bibliography
General Histories
DuBois, William, E.B. The Souls of Black Folk: Essays and Sketches. Chicago: A.C. McClurg and Company, 1903. Franklin, John Hope. From Slauery to Freedom: A History of Negro Americans. New York: Alfred Knopf, 1947. Herskovits, Melville J. The Myth of the Negro Past. New York: Harper and Brothers, 1941 Meier, August, and Elliott Rudwick. From Plantation to Ghetto. New York: Hill and Wang, 1970 (revised edition). Work, Monroe. Negro Yearbook: An Annual Encyclopedia of the Negro. Tuskegee Institute, Alabama: Negro Year Book Publishing Company, 1912.
Georgia History
Anthony, Marion E. "The Unindexed Official Record of the Negro in Georgia." Master's thesis, Atlanta University, 1937. Armstrong, Thomas F. "From Task Labor to Free Labor: The Transition Along Georgia's Rice Coast, 1820-1880," Georgia Historical Quarterly, 64 (1980), 432-47. Bacote, Clarence, "Some Aspects of Negro Life in Georgia, 18801908," Journal of Negro History, 43 (July 1958), 186-213. Bonner, James C. A History of Georgia Agriculture, 1732-1860. Athens: University of Georgia Press, 1964. Brooks, Robert Preston. The Agrarian Revolution in Georgia, 186.51912. Madison: University of Wisconsin Press, 1914. Caldwell, Arthur B. History of the American Negro, Volumes 1 and 2. Atlanta: A.B. Caldwell Publishing Company, 1917. Cate, Margaret Davis. Early Days of Coastal Georgia. Saint Simons Island, Georgia: Fort Frederica Association, 1955.
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Cimbala, Paul Alan. "The Terms of Freedom: The Freedmen's Bureau and Reconstruction in Georgia, 1865-1870." Doctoral Dissertation, Emory University, 1983.
Coleman, Kenneth, ed. A History of Georgia. Athens: University of Georgia Press, 1977.
Coleman, Kenneth, and Stephen Gurr, eds. Dictionary of Georgia Biography. Athens: University of Georgia Press, 1983.
Dittmer, John. Black Georgia in the Progressive Era, 1900-1920. Urbana: University of Illinois Press, 1977.
Fanning, John William. Negro Migrat1:on: A Study of the Exodus of the Negroes Between 1920 and 1925 from Middle Georgia Counties. Athens: University of Georgia Press, 1930.
Flanders, Ralph B. "The Free Negro in Ante-bellum Georgia" North Carolina Historical Review, 9 (1932), 250-72.
Flanders, Ralph B. Plantation Slavery in Georgia. Chapel Hill: University of North Carolina Press, 1933.
Gaston, Edward A. "A History of the Negro Wage Earner in Georgia, 1890-1940." Doctoral dissertation, Emory University, 1957.
Georgia Department of Archives and History. Vanishing Georgia. Athens: University of Georgia Press, 1982.
Georgia Writers' Project. Drums and Shadows: Survival Studies Among the Georgia Coastal Negroes. Athens: University of Georgia Press, 1940.
Gordon, Asa H. The Georgia Negro: A History. Ann Arbor, Michigan: Edwards Brothers, 1937.
Hoffman, E.D. "From Slavery to Self-reliance: The Record of Achievement of the Freedom of the Sea Island Region," Journal of Negro History, 41 (1956), 8-42.
Jones, Jacquelyn. Soldiers of Light and Love: Northern Teachers and Georgia Blacks, 1865-1873. Chapel Hill: University of North Carolina Press, 1980.
Jones, Rubye M. "The Negro in Colonial Georgia, 1745-1805." Master's thesis, Atlanta University, 1938.
Merritt, Carole. Homecoming: African-American Family History in Georgia. Atlanta: African-American Family History Association, 1982.

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Moore, John.H. "Jim Crow in Georgia," South Atlantic Quarterly, 66 (1967), 554-65.
Owens, James Leggette. "The Negro in Georgia During Reconstruction, 1864-1872: A Social History." Doctoral dissertation, University of Georgia, 1975.
Range, Willard A. A Century of Georgia Agriculture, 1850-1950. Athens: University of Georgia Press, 1954.
Sweat, Edward F. Economic Status of Free Blacks in Antebellum Georgia. Atlanta: Southern Center for Studies in Public Policy, 1974.
Sweat, Edward F. "The Free Negro in Ante-bellum Georgia." Doctoral dissertation, Indiana University, 1957.
Thompson, C. Mildred. Reconstruction in Georgia: Economic, Social, Political, 1865-1872. New York: The Columbia University Press, 1915.
Thompson, C. Mildred. "The Freedmen's Bureau in Georgia in 18656," Georgia Historical Quarterly, 5 (March 1921), 40-49.
Troup, Cornelius V. Distinguished Negro Georgians. Dallas: Royal Publishing Company, 1962.
Wax, Darold D. "Georgia and the Negro Before the American Revolution," Georgia Historical Quarterly, 43 (1959),391-409.
Narratives
Brown, John. Slave Life in Georgia. Savannah: Beehive Press, 1972 (reprint of 1855 publication).
Killion, Ronald G., and Charles Waller. Slavery Time When I Was Chillun Down on Marster's Plantation. Savannah: Beehive Press, 1973.
Rawick, George P. The American Slave: A Composite Autobiography, Volumes 12 and 13. Westport, Connecticut: Greenwood Press, 1971.
Rawick, George P. The American Slave: A Composite Autobiography, Supplement, Series 1. Westport, Connecticut: Greenwood Publishing Company, 1978.
Scott, John A., ed. Journal of a Residence on a Georgian Plantation in 1838-1839 by Frances Anne Kemble. New York: Alfred Knopf, 1970.

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Local History
Beach Institute Historic Neighborhood Association. "Survey and Planning Report for the Beach Institute Neighborhood, Savannah, Georgia." Savannah, 1982.
Blassingame, John W. "Before the Ghetto: The Making of the Black Community in Savannah, Georgia 1865-1880," Journal of Social History, 6 (Summer, 1974),463-488.
Brown, Aaron. The Negro in Albany. Albany: Albany State College, 1945.
Bullard, Mary R. An Abandoned Black Settlement on Cumberland Island, Georgia. By the author, 1983.
Bullard, Mary R. Black Liberation on Cumberland Island in 1815. South Dartmouth, Mass.: By the author, 1983.
Carter, E.R. The Black Side: A Partial History of the Business, Religious, and Educational Side of the Negro in Atlanta, Georgia. Atlanta, 1894.
Cashin, Edward J. The Story of Augusta. Augusta, Georgia: Richmond County Board of Education, 1980.
Hill, Mozell Clarence. "All Negro Communities in the United States," in Nathaniel Tillman, ed. Summaries of Research Projects, 1947-1952, Atlanta University Center and Associated Colleges. Atlanta, 1955.
Hill, Walter Barnard. Rural Survey of Clarke County, Georgia, with Special Reference to the Negroes. ("Bulletin of the University of Georgia," 15, No.3.) Athens: University of Georgia Press, March 1915.
James, Joseph C. "Sherman at Savannah," Journal of Negro History, 39 (April 1954), 127-37.
Johnson, Paul Michael. "The Negro in Macon, Georgia 1865-1871." Master's thesis, University of Georgia, 1971.
Kelso, William. Captain Jones' Wormslow: A Historical, Archaeological, and Architectural Study of an Eighteenth-century Plantation Site Near Savannah, Georgia. Athens: University of Georgia Press, 1979.
Otto, John Solomon. "Slavery in a Coastal Community: Glynn County, 1790-1860," Georgia Historical Quarterly, 64 (1979),461-68.

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Perdue, Robert E. The Negro in Savannah, 1865-1900. Jericho, New York: Exposition Press, 1973.
Raper, Arthur F. Preface to Peasantry: A Tale of Two Black Belt Counties. Chapel Hill: University of North Carolina Press, 1936.
Reed, Ruth. The Negro Women of Gainesville, Georgia. ("Bulletin of the University of Georgia," 22, No. 1.) Athens: University of Georgia Press, 1921.
Russell, Lester F. Profile of a Black Heritage. Franklin Square, New York: Graphicopy, 1977.
Schinkel, Peter Evans. "The Negro in Athens and Clarke Counties." Master's thesis, University of Georgia, 1971.
Slade, Dorothy. "The Evolution of Negro Areas in the City of Atlanta." Master's thesis, Atlanta University, 1944.
Terrell, Lloyd, and Marguerite Terrell. Blacks in Augusta: A Chronology, 1741-1977. Augusta, 1977.
Thurmond, Michael L. A Story Untold: Black Men and Women in Athens History. Athens, Georgia: Clarke County School District, 1978.
Woofter, Thomas J. The Negroes of Athens, Georgia. ("Phelps-Stokes Studies," No. 1.) 1913.
Work, Monro" "The Negroes of Warsaw, Georgia," Southern Workman, 37 (January 1908), 29-30.
Residential Resources
Barnwell, Jack. "Residential Patterns in Atlanta, 1880-1896: The Approach of Jim Crow." Bachelor's paper, Emory University, 1969.
DuBois, William E. B. The Negro American Family. Atlanta: Atlanta University Press, 1908.
DuBois, W.E.E. "The Problem of Housing the Negro: The Home of the Slave," The Southern Workman, 30 (September 1901), 486-93.
McDaniel, George W. Hearth and Home: Preserving a People's Culture. Philadelphia: Temple University Press, 1982.
Scarborough, Donald Dewey. An Economic Study of Negro Farmers as Owners, Tenants and Croppers. ("Phelps Stokes Studies," No.7.) September 1924.

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Wall, Rita Turner. "The Vanishing Tenant Houses of Rural Georgia," Georgia Historical Quarterly, 65 (Fall 1981), 251-62.
Educational Resources
Bacote, Clarence A. The Story of Atlanta University: A Century of Service, 1865-1965. Atlanta: Atlanta University, 1969.
Chambers, Frederick. Black Higher Education in the United States: A Selected Bibliography on Negro Higher Education and Historically Black Colleges and Universities. Westport, Connecticut: Greenwood Press, 1978.
Dews, Margery P. "F.H. Henderson and Howard Normal School," Georgia Historical Quarterly, 63 (1979), 252-63.
DuBois, William E.B. The Negro Common School. Atlanta: Atlanta University Press, 1901.
Johnson, Miley K. School Conditions in Clarke County, Georgia, with Reference to Negroes. ("Bulletin of the University of Georgia," 16, No. lla.) Athens: University of Georgia Press, August 1916.
Jones, Thomas Jesse. Negro Education: A Study of the Private and Higher Schools for Colored People in the United States. ("Bureau of Education Bulletin," No. 38.) Washington: Department of the Interior, 1916.
Orr, Dorothy. A History of Education in Georgia. Chapel Hill: University of North Carolina Press, 1950.
Range, Willard. The Rise and Progress of Negro Colleges in Georgia, 1865-1949. Athens: University of Georgia Press, 1951.
Sheftall, Beverly Guy, and Jo Moore Stewart. Spelman: A Centennial Celebration, 1881-1981. Atlanta: Spelman College, 1981.
Religious Resources
Bellamy, Donnie D. "Origins of the Black Church in Georgia Prior to 1861," paper prepared for a series of public forums held in College Park, Savannah, Fort Valley, Augusta, Athens, and Locust Grove, and partially funded by a grant from the Georgia Endowment for the Humanities under the project title "The Black Church in Historical Perspective," September 1982-May 1983.
Carter, E.R. Biographical Sketches of Our Pulpit. Atlanta, n.d.

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DuBois, William E.B. The Negro Church. Atlanta: Atlanta University Press, 1903.
Frazier, E. Franklin. The Negro Church in America. Liverpool: University of Liverpool, 1964.
Giles, Samuel H. "Three Studies on the Negro Church," in Nathaniel Tillman, ed. Summaries of Research Projects, 1947-1952, Atlanta University Center and Associated Colleges. Atlanta, 1955.
Hoskins, C.L. Black Episcopalians in Georgia: Strife, Struggle, Salvation. Savannah, c. 1980.
Lane, Isaac. Autobiography of Bishop Isaac Lane, L.L.D. with a Short History of the C.M.E. Church in America and of Methodism. Nashville: Methodist Episcopal Church, South, Publishing House, 1916.
Lawrence, James Bolan. "Religious Education of the Negro in the Colony of Georgia," Georgia Historical Quarterly, 14 (March 1930), 41-57.
Mays, Benjamin E., and Joseph William Nicholson. The Negro's Church. New York: Institute of Social and Religious Research, 1933.
Simms, James M. The First Colored Baptist Church in North America. Philadelphia: J.B. Lippincott Company, 1888.
Singleton, George A. The Romance of African Methodism: A Study of the African Methodist Episcopal Church Since 1786. New York: Exposition Press, 1952.
Thomas, Edgar Garfield. The First African Baptist Church of North America. Savannah, 1925.
Wagner, Clarence M. Profiles of Black Georgia Baptists: Two Hundred Six Years of Georgia Baptist and One Hundred Years of National Baptist History. Atlanta: Brothers Printing Company, 1980.
Weatherspool, W.W. Black Georgia Baptist Trail Blazers. Atlanta, 1977.
Woodson, Carter G. The History of the Negro Church. Washington, D.C.: Associated Press, 1945.
Wright, Richard Robert. The Encyclopedia of the African Methodist Episcopal Church. Philadelphia, 1947.

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Commercial and Other Resources
Alexander, Robert J. "Negro Business in Atlanta (1894-1950)," Southern Economic Journal, 17 (April 1951), 451-64.
Brown, Thomas I. Economic Cooperation Among the Negroes of Georgia. Atlanta: Atlanta University Press, 1971.
Bogle, J.G. "Horace King, 1807-1887: Master Covered Bridge Builder," Georgia Life, 6 (1980),33-35.
DuBois, William E.B. Efforts for Social Betterment Among Negro Americans. Atlanta: Atlanta University Press, 1909.
DuBois, William E.B. The Negro Artisan. Atlanta: Atlanta University Press, 1902.
Tuskegee Institute. Annual Proceedings of the Negro Business League. Tuskegee, Alabama, 1930.
Archaeological Resources
Ascher, Robert, and Charles H. Fairbanks. "Excavation of a Slave Cabin: Georgia, U.S.A.," Historical Archaeology, 5 (1971), 3-17.
Crook, Morgan R., and Patricia O'Grady. "Spalding's Sugar Works Site, Sapelo Island, Georgia," West Georgia Studies in the Social Sciences, 19 (June 1980), 9-34.
Ehrenhard, John E., and Mary Bullard. Stafford Plantation, Cumberland Island National Seashore, Georgia: Archaeological Investigations of a Slave Cabin. Tallahassee, Florida: National Park Service, 1981.
Fairbanks, Charles H. "Spaniards, Planters, Ships and Slaves: Historical Archaeology in Florida and Georgia," Archaeology, 29 (1976), 164-72.
Garrow, Patrick H. "Investigations of Yaughan and Curriboo Plantations." Paper presented at the Southeastern Archaeological Conference, New Orleans, Louisiana, November 1980.
Otto, John Solomon. "New Look at Slave Life: Excavation of Cabins at Cannons Point Plantation of J. Couper on Saint Simons Island, Georgia," Natural History, 88 (January 1979).
Singleton, Theresa A. "The Archaeology of Afro-American Slavery in Coastal Georgia: A Regional Perception of Slave Household and Community Patterns." Doctoral dissertation, University of Florida, 1980.

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Wheaton, Thomas R., Jr. "Architecture at Curriboo and Yaughan Plantation." Paper presented at the Southeastern Archaeological Conference, New Orleans, Louisiana, November 1980.
Art
Driskell, David C. Two Centuries of Black American Art. New York: Los Angeles County Museum of Art/Alfred A. Knopf, 1976.
Georgia Council for the Arts and Humanities. Missing Pieces: Georgia Folk Art, 1770-1976. Atlanta, 1976.
Vlach, John Michael. The Afro-American Tradition in Decorative Arts. Cleveland: Cleveland Museum of Art, 1978.
Architecture and Architectural Guidelines
Blumenson, John J.G. Identifying American Architecture: A Pictorial Guide to Styles and Terms, 1600-1945. Nashville: American Association for State and Local History, 1977.
Dozier, Richard K. Spaces and Places. Atlanta: Southern Arts Federation, 1982.
Linley, John. The Georgia Catalog: Historic American Buildings Survey. Athens: University of Georgia Press, 1982.
McKee, Harley H. Amateur's Guide to Terms Commonly Used in Describing Historic Buildings. Rochester: The Landmark Society of Western New York, 1970.
Poppeliers, John, et at. What Style Is It? Washington, D.C.: The Preservation Press of the National Trust for Historic Preservation, 1977.
Rifkind, Carole. A Field Guide to American Architecture. New York: New American Library, 1980.
Whiffen, Marcus. American Architecture Since 1780: A Guide to the Styles. Cambridge: Massachusetts Institute of Technology Press, 1969.
Handbooks, Directories, and Procedural Guidelines
Atlanta, Urban Design Commission. Atlanta Historic Resources Workbook, Atlanta, 1981.
Baum, Willa K. Oral History for the Local Historical Society. Nashville: American Association for State and Local History, 1974.

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Georgia Department of Natural Resources. Historic Preservation Handbook: A Guidefor Volunteers. Atlanta, 1976.
McGreevy, Brian, and Andrea Niles. A Directory of Georgia Historical and Preservation Organizations. Atlanta: The Georgia Trust for Historic Preservation, 1981.
Thomas, Kenneth H. "Documenting a Structure in Georgia." Atlanta: Georgia Department of Natural Resources, 1977.
U.S. Department of the Interior, National Park Service. How to Apply the National Register Criteria for Evaluation. Washington, D.C. 1982.
U.S. Department of the Interior, National Park Service. How to Establish Boundaries for National Register Properties. Washington, D.C., n.d.
U.S. Department of the Interior, National Park Service. How to Evaluate and Nominate Potential National Register Properties That Have Achieved Significance Within the Last Fifty Years. Washington, D.C., 1979.
U.S. Department of the Interior, National Park Service. How to Improve Quality of Photos for National Register Nominations. Washington, D.C., 1979.