This utilitarian cottage has always been a favorite of mine. I never stopped to photograph because there was always an old car parked on the side and it wasn’t a convenient stop on the highway. I’ve passed it hundreds of times and always wanted to document it. I finally did a few weeks ago. It’s located between Flemington and McIntosh (the settlement in Liberty, not the county to the south).
This church is located near the Brighton community. I haven’t been able to locate any history, but this is obviously a newer structure. The earliest burial I found in the adjacent cemetery was 1908. The Tabor brothers, who died in the tragic Tift County bus crash of 1959, are also interred here.
The Tift County School Bus Crash of 1959 happened nearly 70 years ago, but is still remembered by many as the county’s worst tragedy. Nine children lost their lives. Becky Taylor’s 2019 Tifton Gazette article about the anniversary of the crash highlighted survivors who still had vivid memories of the day. Two siblings who died that day, Leroy and Billy Tabor, are buried at St. Paul Missionary Baptist Church.
On the morning of 3 March 1959, a school bus carrying Black students to the segregated Tift County Industrial (now J. T. Reddick) and Wilson High and Elementary schools, plunged into the cold waters of a farm pond on Lower Brookfield Road, which was in the process of being paved at the time. The fact that the bus was overcrowded didn’t cause the wreck, but got significant attention in the press. Estimates ranged from 60-100 students on the bus. No one knows for sure, but it was definitely overcrowded, according to survivors. Driver Doyle Jones, “who had been making the bus route rounds for 23 years, said his bus hit two bumps in succession on the dirt road, causing him to lose control. The bus turned over on its right side and plunged into the water The vehicle was about two-thirds submerged.”
Per the Associated Press: “Fortunately, the bus was not alone on the road. Carl Lowry and Charles Ahrens were in a car behind the vehicle. Jack Withers saw the accident as he drove by. Ambulances and authorities were telephoned…” The driver had kicked out the windshield and with the help of students began pulling people out of the wreckage.
Those whose lives were lost were: Gloria Jean Davis, Age 7; Leroy Tabor, Age 7; Rufus Harrell Greene, Age 8; Henry Edward Johnson, Age 8; Bobby King, Age 8; Billy Tabor, Age 9; Bernice Henderson, Age 14; Artie Lee Simmons, Age 14; and Erlene Wilcox, Age 14.
Also known as Fish Trap Primitive Baptist, Mt. Pisgah Primitive Baptist Church is a Freedmen’s congregation established by Elder Aaron Munlin in 1883. It’s one of the oldest Black congregations in Bulloch County. Elder Munlin was born into slavery in South Carolina in 1843 and was sold to an enslaver in Bulloch County in 1856. After the Civil War, he helped establish other congregations of Black Primtive Baptists in Bulloch County, including Banks Creek and Bethel.
According to Alvin D. Jackson of the Willow Hill Heritage and Renaissance Center: “Mt. Pisgah Primitive Baptist Church is located in Bulloch County, Georgia. It was organized on November 21, 1883. There were only 5 people present at the time of the organization. Brother Howard and Sister Martha Kirkland, Brother Cain Parrish, Elder Aaron Munlin and a white Brother, Elder J. L. Smith, who acted as clerk during the organizational. These few met on Thursday, before the 4th Sunday in November and constituted the church (Mt. Pisgah). The door of the church was open to accept members. On came – Brother Andy Donaldson. They chose Elder Aaron Munlin to be their pastor. These few began doing work for the master in their own way and God blessed them.”
“Elder Aaron Munlin served as pastor 18 years. He was a great man, sold as a slave, the founder of Sister, Bank Creek Primitive Baptist Church and Moderator of the Mt. Pleasant Association. He departed from this life April 11, 1911. The 2nd pastor was Elder Washington Hodges. He served 20 years. The 3rd pastor was Elder Hershel Smith who served 12 years.”
The cemetery associated with historic Eureka Church is the last remaining public landmark of The Level, a Black community near Hagan. The church collapsed circa 2018. A nice collection of vernacular memorials set Eureka Cemetery apart as a historic resource for Evans County. I am sharing random shots, including commercial markers, but focusing on the vernacular pieces.
I believe the name was misspelled on this memorial, as there are others buried here whose name is Collins.
Like many in this Freedmen’s congregation, Leasan Ray was likely born enslaved.
The fallen marker notes that Mary Wright was aged 59 years at the time of her death.
This is one of the earlier commercially made memorials in the cemetery, featuring a dove.
This marker has no information, but was likely meant for a family.
The only information, other than the decedent’s name, notes that she was Bob Small’s sister.
Venus Bacon’s marker is an early commercial form with stenciled lettering.
The hearts were a nice addition on this handmade memorial.
Mr. Wright was a Private, 52 Co, 157 Depot Brigade, World War I.
I have tried to interpret the words on this memorial to no avail.
The red star likely denotes a Masonic affiliation.
All the Jones family memorials have a similar shape and were likely the work of the same maker. This small stone has faded badly.
I will try to add birth and death dates if I am able to interpret them. I believe they all may be children.
Like the memorial for Jim Jones, Mary Jones’s features the name in cursive.
The memorial for D. V. Richardson is perhaps the most notable work in the cemetery. It features hand lettering and an unusual symbol, seen in detail above. It appears to have something to do with carpentry or, perhaps, Masonry.
Elder Abraham Jackson was the patriarch of Jackson Town, a historically Black neighborhood near Collins, Georgia, and he and his family were among the earliest burials in what would become the Jackson Cemetery, still dominated by his descendants and cousins today. The cemetery is very well-maintained.
Born enslaved in Barnwell, South Carolina, Elder Jackson later served (1865-1866) in Co. C, 1st Regiment South Carolina Volunteer Infantry (Colored), which was redesignated Co. C, 33rd Regiment, United States Colored Troops. He married Rilla, whose last name remains unknown, in the 1850s.
This memorial for Anna Collins, the very wife of Henry Collins, is the earliest grave I found in Jackson Cemetery. She may have been Elder Jackson’s sister-in-law.
Nellie was the wife of George Jackson. Her vernacular memorial, which has been repaired, is very similar to that of Anna Collins. It reads: Dear husbad (sic) and children. as you is now, once was I, and as I am now you must be. Remember death and follow me.
Westwood Cemetery is perhaps the oldest and largest Black cemetery in Fitzgerald.
Though the earliest burial I could locate was in 1918, the cemetery may have been established earlier, in the heyday of the Westwood community and the AB&A Railroad shops, circa 1900-1910.
The usual variety of memorials is present, ranging from handmade vernacular headstones to stenciled and commercial examples. As always, I’m sharing only a representative sampling of what I found and was able to photograph.
Interestingly, some of the earliest memorials in the cemetery are commercially made marble headstones.
Hattie Allen’s memorial is one of the finest in Westwood Cemetery. It notes that she was born in Houston County, Georgia, and that she was a member of Bethel AME Church, one of Fitzgerald’s oldest Black congregations.
The gravestone of Mr. King illustrates the difficulty in the identification of some burials, especially those using hand writing. Some of the inscription has eroded over time. As a result, the photographic documentation of such memorials is an important step in recording their lives.
The vernacular memorials are always my favorites. Ms. Jones’s was difficult to read.
This simple vernacular memorial was painted white, as were a good number in Westwood Cemetery at one time.
The marker for Mr. Anderson was cracked, a common issue with handmade memorials.
I presume this was the son of Walter Anderson. If so, his father outlived him by a decade. Both of their memorials were likely made by the same person.
This is one of four handmade posts marking the plot of the Mathis Family. This one bears the name K. C. Mathis, who died in 1952.
A broader view of the Mathis Family plot, with the handmade boundary posts visible at the corners.
This headstone is handmade, but of a shape commonly found in commercial memorials of the Victorian era.
I love unusual names and am always happy to find them when rambling around old cemeteries. Rev. Owens may have been associated with one of the local congregations in Westwood, but I have been unable to located anything about him.
The lamb is a common symbol in cemeteries.
The government supplies headstones to all veterans who choose to be remembered for their service. This memorial indicates that Mr. Medler served in the army in World War II.
John Medler was likely the brother of J. C. Medler (previous photograph). Both served the United States in the army in World War II.
This memorial is of a vernacular style common in the last century.
This small cross is one of the finer commercial memorials in Westwood Cemetery.
Though not fully visible in this photograph, the name at the bottom of this memorial is ‘Cummings’. Cummings was one of the two leading Black funeral homes in Fitzgerald for the latter half of the 20th century.
The graves of Mr. and Mrs. Stewart are decorated with flower pots.
This marker has no identification.
The Lyons family plot is interesting for its placement of small Christmas trees near each grave.
The cemetery is not neglected but rather in a more natural state, with native grasses and wildflowers abundant throughout.
Fairview Missionary Baptist is a historic Black congregation in eastern Ben Hill County. It was established in 1912 by Rev. W. C. Tucker. The present structure was built between 1994-1999.
A small cemetery is located across the road from the church and contains stenciled concrete headstones alongside a few commercial examples. The following are meant to be representative and in no way a complete documentation. I believe some have been lost to vegetation in the surrounding woods.
Find-a-Grave is in error in noting that this is also known as Old Field Cemetery. The two are off the same road but several miles apart, and Old Field is a White cemetery.
Among legible headstones, A. J. and Laura Brown’s indicate they were among the oldest members. They were likely born enslaved and were in their early 60s when Fairview was established.
No specific birthdate for Laura is given, though the memorial notes that she was 50 when she died.
Mr. Jackson was a veteran, but details were not readable on his memorial. The date of his death may indicate that he was a casualty of World War II.
Mr. Shepherd was a Staff Sergeant in World War II. No other service details are given on the memorial.
The shoes and figurines are a tribute.
This is one of the more modern commercial stones in the cemetery.
This classic Miller Meteor Hearse served Albritten’s Funeral Service in Dawson for many years. Robert L. Albritten opened Albritten’s Funeral Service, with Bobby E. Glover, at 527 Lemon Street in 1966, and they are still in business.
The Miller-Meteor line of Cadillac hearses was made famous in the movie Ghostbusters, and as a result is one of the most recognized funeral cars ever produced. In that movie, the Ecto-1 was a 1959 custom; this hearse was likely made in the early 1970s.
Greater Saint Mark was organized in as Saint Mark AME Church in 1886 and the present sanctuary was built in 1961, during the pastorate of Rev. W. L. Brown. An old cornerstone saved by the congregation indicates an earlier church was built in 1889, during the pastorate of Rev. M. R. Wilson.