Construction of the Hinesville Shaw Rosenwald School, as it was originally known, began in 1930 and was completed in 1931, fulfilling the goal of the Rosenwald Fund to provide state-of-the-art schools to black children in the segregated Jim Crow South who otherwise would not have had access to quality education. The Trustees of the Hinesville Colored Schools (Alonzo Simpson, J. H. Gause, and Robert Duggan) helped secure the local funding required to match the gift of the Rosenwald Fund.
The Rosenwald School was originally a comprehensive facility housing grades 1-11. I’m unsure when it became an elementary school, but the addition of a wing to the original Rosenwald structure, and a later separate building, were likely constructed during the era of Equalization Schools (1950s). It has long been known as the Hineshaw School/Hineshaw Elementary School. Neighborhood resident and businesswoman Rebecca Hargrove Shipman sold property adjacent to the school for the nominal fee of $1 to ensure street access to the campus. Two of those streets bear her name today, Rebecca Street and Shipman Avenue. Trustee J. H. Gause was also honored with a street bearing his name.
The campus remained in use in one form or another until the early 2000s but has been abandoned for many years. Neglect and storm damage have endangered the building and immediate stabilization is needed. It has recently been announced that Hinesville Downtown Development Authority is planning to restore the Rosenwald School.
Though it has been extensively modified, the William Scarbrough House is nonetheless a significant example of Greek Revival domestic architecture in Savannah. Built in 1819, it was designed by English architect William Jay, the most accomplished architect of his time in Savannah. Not long after its completion, the Scarbroughs hosted President James Monroe when he visited Savannah.
William Scarbrough (1776-1838) was a wealthy shipping merchant and the first president of the Savannah Steamship Company. He was an investor in the SS Savannah, which, as the first steamship to cross the Atlantic Ocean, in 1819, was internationally famous and a source of great pride to its namesake city. Unfortunately, the Savannah‘s glory was short-lived and an initial lack of interest in this new mode of travel led to financial ruin for its investors, including Scarbrough. After being converted to a sailing vessel, the Savannah sunk off Long Island in 1821. William Scarbrough went into a deep depression around this time and was essentially bankrupt, though a wealthy relative who purchased his home allowed him to remain there. He worked with Upper Darien Steam Rice and Saw Mill in McIntosh County in the late 1820s and early 1830s, returning to Savannah in 1835. He died in New York City while visiting his son-in-law, Godfrey Barnsley, in 1838.
From 1873-1962, the Scarbrough House was owned by the City of Savannah. During this time, the West Broad Street Colored School was housed here.
This building was the last school to serve the historically Black community of Harrisburg, south of Milledgeville. I’m unsure if it was just a part of the school or if it was the whole entity.
Prior to construction of this facility, there was at least one earlier school in Harrisburg, which operated from 1871-1952. The present structure was almost certainly an Equalization School, and as a result, was probably only open for a couple of decades at most.
In 2021, the building was initially slated to be revived as a library, but now serves a broader purpose as the Collins P. Lee Harrisburg Community Center. Collins P. Lee (1937-2008) was the first African-American city councilman in Milledgeville and later served as a county commissioner. He had a 30-year career as an educator, working as a teacher and an assistant principal.
Update: The Georgia High School Basketball Project, which researches these forgotten schools more than any other entity I know of, notes that Harrisburg was open, in one form or another, from 1956-1988. They also found that Harrisburg had around 15 teachers for all of its existence. Historic Aerials confirmed this was only the front section and that it looks like a cafetorium on the side. A long wing stood behind it.
Holt Chapel was an historic Black congregation located north of Haddock. Its establishment dates to the late 19th century. Though no longer active, a foundation maintains the property to some extent.
The church building, which replaced an earlier wood frame structure, is typical of second generation structures for rural Black congregations.
Of much greater architectural significance is the Holt School building, adjacent to the church. It is of a common style once found throughout this section of Middle Georgia of which few survive. [I have personally documented examples in Hancock, Baldwin, and Jones Counties]. Upon its construction in the 1930s it served a dual purpose. The first floor was an elementary school for children of the church and surrounding community while the second floor was home to the Sunlight Brothers and Sisters Society, a church-based benevolent society.
Thanks to the Holt School Foundation and Jones County History and Heritage, Inc., it was saved about 20 years ago and appears to be well-maintained.
Ellis Chapel Baptist Church was established by freedmen in 1883. It is variously identified as being in both Ethridge and Haddock, so I’ll just say it’s in Jones County for simplicity’s sake. I don’t have a date for the present brick-clad structure, but would guess 1930s-1950s for the building and a bit later for the commercial brick siding.
Front
Of particular interest and concern is the collapsing structure across the road. It has been identified in resource surveys as a lodge and former schoolhouse, and was still in good condition as recently as 1988.
Side
The cornerstone of the church notes a Prince Hall affiliation. While most Prince Hall lodges I’ve documented have been in towns and cities, it’s not unusual to find them in rural locales, as well. It’s also possible that the Prince Hall affiliation is more recent and the lodge was a church benevolent society lodge.
The Peabody School served the African-American community of Eastman, first as a comprehensive school and later as an elementary school. An earlier wooden school (also named Peabody) was located on the current Peabody School site. The earlier school burned in 1925. It is not known whether that school served the white or African-American community.
From the National Register of Historic Places: “According to a December 10, 1937 article in the Eastman Times Journal. “It has been recognized that the Negroes of Eastman should have a more satisfactory school building…” Plans for the new school were drawn by E.C. Hosford and included classrooms, offices, and an auditorium. The construction was supervised by Lawrence Noles, a local Works Progress Administration (W.P.A.) foreman. The federal government paid one-third of the materials cost and supplied all of the labor. The building was completed in June, 1938. The school housed all grades (1st through 11th , and later 12th) and served all of Dodge County. In contrast, during the same time period, there were 14 schools serving the white students of the county. Professor Burton served as the first principal, and some of the teachers were Mrs. V. Yopp, Mrs. Alberta Hamilton, Mrs. Letish Speed, and Mrs. Letic Edwards. One or more grades were taught in each classroom.”
“There is no documentation regarding the name Peabody and its association with the school. In newspaper articles referring to the school during its construction, the building is referred to as “Eastman Negro School.” There is some speculation that the school was named for George Peabody, the noted 19th century philanthropist, or possibly a well-known black educator. As stated above, the earlier wooden school building was also named Peabody School. In the early 1950s all grades were still housed at the Peabody campus with the 1st grade and 8th through 12th grades in the brick building, and 2nd through 7th grades in wooden barracks that had been moved from the Air Force base at Warner Robbins, Georgia. These also served as a lunchroom for the school. In 1953, Peabody School was one of seven black schools countywide. The others were Chauncey Junior High, Chester, Copeland, Lisbon, Mt. Olive, and Rhine Junior High.”
“According to Dodge County Board of Education minutes from January and February, 1954, there were plans to construct a large addition to Peabody School in order to accommodate the rising enrollment. By May of that same year, the board decided to construct a new African-American high school (extant, located southwest of the 1938 building, now serves as Dodge County Middle School) in order to reduce the overcrowding of Peabody and reduce the size of the addition.”
Peabody added a lunchroom to its campus and became an elementary school in 1957 and continued to serve the Black community until ceasing operation in 1967. The school buildings became the Dodge County Early Childhood Center in the late 1960s and closed in the late 1980s. They were acquired by United Concerned Citizens of Dodge County in 1994 for use as a community center.
Peabody School Mascot. The Peabody Tigers girls basketball team won at least two Class A State Championships .
Considering the endangered status of most early 20th century schools in Georgia, the survival of these structures is amazing. Demolition by neglect is the leading cause of the loss of historic schools, so the fact that the Peabody School was saved by a community coalition makes it all the more inspiring.
The long-abandoned Peabody School lunchroom, which was designed by the architectural firm of Stevens and Wilkinson in the International Style in 1957, was transformed into a beautiful work of public art with the creation of this inspiring mural by Kevin “Scene” Lewis celebrating Juneteenth. Kevin told me the mural was completed in 2021.
Juneteenth became a federal holiday in 2021, but it has been an important day of remembrance and optimism since it was first celebrated in Black churches in Texas in 1866. It recognizes the end of slavery, which occurred at different times in various locations. The date of 19 June 1865 is the source of the holiday’s name, recognizing Major General Gordon Granger’s General Order No. 3, which forcibly freed all the enslaved people of Texas. This is significant since many planters and slaveholders from Eastern states fled to Texas to escape the war, bringing their slaves with them. Amazingly, the enslaved people of the border states of Delaware and Kentucky did not achieve their freedom until the ratification of the Thirteenth Amendment on 6 December 1865, but since Texas first began observing the holiday, the Juneteenth moniker has been used for all celebrations of emancipation.
Kevin “Scene” Lewis, has a story as interesting as his murals. Born in Youngstown, Ohio, he grew up in southeastern Virginia, and embraced art from childhood. His talent for drawing and graffiti led him to a double major in Communication Arts and Illustration at Virginia Commonwealth University. After graduating near the top of his class, he was headed to California when his car broke down in Kansas. While working to get it repaired, Lewis met his future wife, Reatrina, who was serving her first year in the Air Force. After they married, they were stationed around the world for several years but eventually landed in Warner Robins, as Reatrina wanted to be closer to her family in Unadilla.
Lewis had already embraced the Macon arts scene when he learned that his grandfather was a native of the city. In 2022, he told the Middle Georgia Times, “I just want to keep letting the city know that I know I’m not from here but this is my home. My grandfather was from here and I want to put roots here in the city and make an impact.” He is definitely making an impact. An accomplished muralist, his work can be found all over the state, and his smaller scale works have attracted a growing number of collectors. Visit his website here.
This American Foursquare house is located across from the Girls Dormitory of the Gillespie-Selden Institute. It was the home of Dr. Augustus S. Clark (1874-1959) and his wife Anna Clark, visionaries who established the institute, and is also known as the Founder’s Home. Tax records and real estate listings date the house to 1941. This seems a bit late for the style, but variations of American Foursquare are still popular today, so the date may be correct.
Dr. Clark, a native of North Carolina, received his theological training at Lincoln University in Pennsylvania and after teaching for a year at the Haines Institute in Augusta, was sent by the National Board of Missions of the Presbyterian Church to Cordele in 1898 to help revive the struggling congregation of the Portis Presbyterian Church, a Black congregation. A new church was built and named St. Paul Presbyterian.
In 1902, the Clarks established the Gillespie Normal School to improve the educational opportunities of local African-American children. It was named for a Pittsburgh family who gave money for the school. It quickly outgrew the basement of St. Paul, where its first classes were held, and moved into two wooden buildings. By 1904, donations made it possible for the construction of three more buildings. The school continued to grow and attract students from all over the Eastern United States and eventually included a hospital. Though the school closed in 1956 due to consolidation, most of its structures survive to this day, and some have even been restored.
Gillespie-Selden Historic District, National Register of Historic Places
According to Voorhees University: “Elizabeth Evelyn Wright (1872-1906) was an African-American educator, social reformer, and founder of Voorhees College in Denmark, South Carolina. She was born [one of 27 children of a carpenter father and a mother who may have been full-blooded Cherokee] on April 3, 1872, in [the Smith Hill neighborhood] Talbotton, Georgia, during a time of racial segregation and limited educational opportunities for African Americans.
Wright was raised in poverty but was determined to receive an education. At the age of 16, she left home and traveled to Tuskegee, Alabama, where she enrolled at the Tuskegee Institute. She worked as a domestic servant to support herself while pursuing her studies.
Inspired by the educational philosophy of Booker T. Washington, the founder of Tuskegee Institute, Wright believed in the transformative power of education for African Americans. After completing her studies at Tuskegee, she returned to South Carolina and started teaching at the Macedonia School in Denmark.
Realizing the need for higher education opportunities for African Americans in the region, Wright embarked on a mission to establish a college. She started by raising funds and gathering support from local communities, churches, and philanthropists. In 1897, she founded Denmark Industrial School, which later became known as Voorhees Industrial School and eventually Voorhees College.
Voorhees College provided vocational training and academic education to African-American students, focusing on agriculture, carpentry, home economics, and other practical skills. Wright believed that education should not only prepare students for employment but also instill character, discipline, and moral values.
Elizabeth Evelyn Wright’s dedication to education and her tireless efforts to establish Voorhees College played a significant role in expanding educational opportunities for African Americans in South Carolina. She passed away on December 14, 1906, but her legacy lives on through Voorhees College, which continues to educate students to this day.“
The church was originally known as St. Phillips A. M. E. Church, but later changed its affiliation to Methodist. It was organized by freedmen on 15 April 1870. The original building was destroyed by a storm in 1875 but under the guidance of Rev. A. S. Grangin, was rebuilt later that same year. Part of Jefferson Street which runs beside the church, was renamed Elizabeth Wright Avenue in her memory.
