The Telfair family’s Regency townhouse, which after a bequest to the city became the first art museum in the American South, was designed by architect William Jay, and stands as one of his few surviving designs.
Alexander Telfair, portrait, public domain image via Find a Grave
Originally designed for Alexander Telfair (1789-1832), a bachelor son of early Georgia governor Edward Telfair (1735-1807), the house eventually passed to his sister Mary Telfair (1791-1875), who was known for her outstanding art collection.
Mary Telfair, contemporary photograph, public domain image via Find a Grave
Mary, who never married and was the last of the Telfairs, left the home to the Georgia Historical Society to be operated as an art museum. It was remodeled for use as a museum in 1886 by architect Detllef Lienau. It is one of three properties that now make up the Telfair Museums. Her bequests also included the Mary Telfair Women’s Hospital, now a part of St. Joseph’s Candler Hospital.
In front of the building are sculptures of Phidias, Rembrandt, Rubens, Raphael, and Michelangelo. Perhaps the most famous work inside the museum is Sylvia Shaw Judson’s Bird Girl sculpture, known for its appearance on the cover of Midnight in the Garden of Good and Evil.
Detail of Tempest Storm’s grave, Lovely Grove Baptist Church
Thomas Wolfe titled his posthumous final novel “You Can’t Go Home Again” and the phrase has come to represent those who leave their small hometowns and go on to bigger things. Tempest Storm did come back to her roots in Dodge County, to the Lovely Grove Baptist Church graveyard.
Tempest Storm (29 February 1928-20 April 2021)
Tempest Storm, born Annie Blanche Banks on Leap Day 1928, lived a remarkable life far from her Baptist roots in Dodge County. She quit school in seventh grade, survived sexual abuse, and was married to a Marine in Columbus, Georgia, at age 14. This was an act of defiance, a way of liberating herself from her parents. She then married a shoe salesman, but left that marriage after six months, with a dream of stardom in Hollywood. At age 17, she landed a job in a Los Angeles burlesque review, making more money in a month than she could in a year back home, and changed her name to Tempest Storm.
Known as “The Queen of Burlesque,” she captivated audiences with her stunning performances that blended beauty, talent, and flair. Over her expansive career, she was a regular dancer in numerous western cities and went from seedy postwar strip clubs to mingling with celebrities like Frank Sinatra and Elvis Presley, leaving an indelible mark on the entertainment industry. Storm’s vibrant personality and unique style not only set her apart from her contemporaries but also earned her a loyal fan base that cherished her artistry. Married four times, she embraced the complexities of love and relationships while continuing to grace the stage with her presence. Even as the years went by, she never truly retired from burlesque, choosing instead to adapt and evolve with the changing times, maintaining a connection to her roots. Her legendary career came to a close with her passing in Las Vegas in 2021 at age 93, leaving behind a legacy that continues to inspire dancers and performers worldwide.
The Prince Hall Masons were first organized in Columbus as the Bradwell Lodge No. 4, in 1871. Bradwell later became Lewis Hayden Lodge No. 6, which still meets today. Since 1871, seven lodges have been established in Columbus, and some, including Mt. Pisgah Lodge No. 53, as well as several Eastern Star chapters, meet in the Prince Hall Masonic Temple, which was built in 1953, and is a center of Black civic and social life in Columbus.
Of historical importance, Rev. Martin Luther King, Jr., spoke to a gathering of over 1000 people here on 1 July 1958, imploring the audience to meet “physical force with soul force“, in response to increasing racial violence. He was in Columbus following the murder by white store owner Luico Flowers of Dr. Thomas Brewer (1894-1956). Dr. Flowers, a local physician and Civil Rights leader, was an advocate of King v. Chapman, the landmark U.S. Supreme Court decision that ended the white primary system in Georgia. This decision led to heightened KKK activity in the area, including a threat to bomb the Prince Hall Masonic Temple during Dr. King’s visit. Armed Prince Hall Masons kept vigil on the roof. Unable to harm Dr. King, the KKK bombed the home of Essie Mae Ellison, who had recently moved into a white neighborhood.
Friendship Baptist Church was established circa 1892 when “...a band of Christian believers, only seventeen in number organized in an old house on the corner of Fourth Avenue and Sixth Street...The ministers who took part in this organization were Rev. Henry Wright, Rev. Allen Miles, Rev. Henry Threatt, and Rev. Alberdeen McCall. The following brethren were the first deacons: Alexander Kendrix, Sam Colbert, and Samuel Cooper. Some of the first members were Sisters Anna Kendrix, Emeline Foster, and others whose names are not recorded...” [From the church website.] The historic marker in front of the church notes that Rev. J. S. Kelsey was the first minister, from 1897-1901, and that the sanctuary was begun during his pastorate.
Rev. Riley King Paschal, from History of the American Negro and his institutions, Georgia edition, edited by A.B. Caldwell, 1920. Public domain.
A remodeling and expansion which gave the church its present appearance was begun in 1919 and completed in 1922, during the 43-year pastorate of Rev. Riley King Paschal (1868-1944). His initials, RKP, are embedded in brick in the front gable. During Rev. Paschal’s tenure, Gertrude Pridgett “Ma” Rainey, who had retired from touring and returned home to Columbus, was an active member of Friendship Baptist Church.
First African Baptist Church is the oldest Black congregation in Columbus. In 1840, after 11 years of worshiping with White congregants of Ephesus Baptist Church, enslaved members, along with free people of color, formed the African Baptist Church.
They first met in the former home of Ephesus Baptist, built in 1830 and vacated for a larger sanctuary. White ministers would serve the African Baptist Church until the early 1860s. In 1862, a gift to the African Baptist Church from Ephesus allowed construction of a new chapel. The first Black minister was Rev. Harry Watson.
A fire claimed the new church in the 1870s and a brick structure replaced it in 1881. The new church was located at 6th Avenue and 11th Street and the name was changed to Sixth Avenue Baptist Church. In the 1880s and 1890s, discord among members led to the formation of Metropolitan Baptist Church and Friendship Baptist Church.
The present church was built in 1915, during the pastorate of Rev. J. H. Carter. It grew from the membership of earlier and disparate congregations and was christened First African Baptist Church. In one form or another, it has served the Black community of Columbus for the better part of two centuries. The “Mother of the Blues”, Gertrude Pridgett (later known as Ma Rainey) was baptized at First African Baptist.
Lula Carson Smith was born in Columbus, Georgia, on 19 February 1917 to Lamar (1889-1944) and Vera Marguerite Waters Smith (1890-1955). Lamar was a jeweler and watchmaker. Upon graduation from Columbus High School in 1934, Carson moved to New York City, where she began to write, publishing her first work in Story magazine in 1936. Even as she began to have success as a writer, McCullers’s life was rife with difficulty. A misdiagnosed and untreated case of rheumatic fever in childhood caused a series of cerebral strokes as she aged. By her mid-20s, Carson was partially paralyzed on her left side. She made regular visits back to Columbus at this time. In 1937 she wed Reeves McCullers (1913-1953), in what has been described as a lavender marriage.
When Lamar died at his jewelry shop in 1944, Marguerite sold the Columbus house and moved to Nyack, New York, and purchased a Victorian now known as the Carson McCullers House, also owned by Columbus State University. Carson lived in the Nyack house with her mother and sister, and after World War II, with her husband, who committed suicide in 1953. Later, Carson bought the house from her mother and lived there until her death. A final massive stroke in 1967 ended her life at age 50.
Hillcrest-Wildwood Circle Historic District, National Register of Historic Places
This modest Greek Revival Georgian cottage was the home of Ernest Woodruff (1863-1944) and Emily Winship Woodruff (1867-1939). Woodruff was a highly successful banker and entrepreneur, best known for his takeover of the Coca-Cola Company from Asa Griggs Candler in 1919. His son, Robert W. Woodruff (1889-1985), who was born in this house, would lead the soft drink behemoth for over 30 years (1923-1955), transforming it into the world’s most recognized brand. He was commonly referred to as “Mr. Coca-Cola” in the press.
High Uptown Historic District, National Register of Historic Places
This Greek Revival cottage was built circa 1838-1840 for Philip Thomas Schley (1798-1862) at the site of the present First Presbyterian Church. Schley came to Columbus at the request of his brother, Georgia Governor William Schley, to command the Muscogee Blues, a militia company active in the Indian Wars. Circa 1855-1858, the house was moved and rebuilt at this location.
The family of Columbus merchant George Henry Peabody (1807-1880) briefly occupied the house during the Civil War. Their son, George Foster Peabody (1852-1938), became a prominent financier and philanthropist. He purchased the Warm Springs property that became famous for its association with Peabody’s friend, future president Franklin Delano Roosevelt and is also the namesake of the Peabody Award.
Later owners were descendants of James H. Warner (c. 1830-1866), who was the commander and superintendent of the Confederate States Naval Iron Works (aka the Columbus Iron Works).
High Uptown Historic District, National Register of Historic Places
Savannah First African Baptist Church was organized in 1773 and built this historic chapel in 1859. It is one of the oldest Black congregations in North America.
The following history, shared from their website, notes: “First African Baptist Church (FABC) was organized in 1773 under the leadership of Reverend George Leile. The 1773 organization date for the church makes it clear that FABC is older than the United States (1776). In May of 1775 Rev. Leile was ordained as the pastor and December of 1777 the church was officially constituted as a body of organized believers. Four converts Rev. Andrew Bryan, his wife, Hannah Bryan, Kate Hogg, and Hagar Simpson would form a part of the nucleus of First African Baptist Church’s early membership.”
“In 1782, rather than risk reenslavement, Pastor Leile left with the British when Savannah was evacuated and migrated to Jamaica. He became the first American missionary, 30 years before Adoniram Judson left for Burma. He was also the first Baptist missionary in Jamaica.”
“Under the leadership of the 3rd Pastor Reverend Andrew C. Marshall, the congregation obtained the property where the present sanctuary stands. Reverend Marshall also organized the first black Sunday School in North America and changed the name of the church from “First Colored Baptist” to “First African Baptist”. The sanctuary was completed in 1859 under the direction of the 4th Pastor, Reverend William J. Campbell.”
“March Haynes, a deacon of the church, enlisted in the Civil War on the Union side and did valiant service. He was active in helping captive Africans to escape to the Union side, where they enjoyed freedom. Deacon Haynes was an unsung hero of the movement of freedom known popularly as the “Underground Railroad”.”
“First African Baptist Church has been a place of leadership and service since its inception. Reverend Emmanuel King Love, 6th Pastor, led the movement to establish Savannah State University, formerly known as Georgia State Industrial College for Colored Youth. Rev. Love also played a big role in the establishment of Morehouse College in Atlanta, GA; Paine College in Augusta, GA.”
Wishing everyone a safe and happy 2025! It’s been another great year traveling around Georgia, looking for the obscure, as well as the well-known places and people that make our state so interesting. As always, I’m grateful to you all for coming along with me. From murder and mayhem (always popular for some reason) to soul food and some preservation success stories, I think I covered a lot this year.
