By SHERRI SMITH BROWN

Georgia > Atlanta Metro > Coweta County > Newnan

Slave cemeteries have been located all across the South, but the Farmer Street Cemetery next to the Coweta County African-American Heritage Museum and Research Center is the largest in the United States. 

This little museum in Coweta County is dedicated to helping folks research and archive information on African Americans in the area, but a must see for anyone who visits the Coweta County African-American Heritage Museum is the Farmer Street Cemetery that lies adjacent to it.

The following is a 2001 article by Helen Bowles about the discovery of the cemetery that is posted on the museum’s website.

“Local resident Bobby Olmstead grew up on Murray Street. As a child, the plot of land nearby was revered and an unwritten rule placed it off limits for play. It had for years been known as a “slave cemetery.” The land held no markers, no one kept the property but still the story of it being a burial ground for African Americans lingered. Early in 1999, Mr. Olmstead happened by a City of Newnan crew preparing to make walking paths through the property. He told them they couldn’t do that because the site was a grave yard. He realized at that time, this bit of history had been forgotten. Mr. Olmstead went to Newnan Mayor Brady, told his tale and convinced the Mayor to cease development of the land. (more…)

By SHERRI SMITH BROWN

Georgia > Coastal Georgia > Chatham County > Savannah

Any railroad enthusiast will find a lot to explore at the Central of Georgia Railroad Shops and Terminal, a National Historic Landmark in Savannah.

Huge transportation complexes with shops and necessary services are not a modern concept. To understand that, just step back in time in Savannah and visit the Central Georgia Railroad Shops and Terminal.

This 32.5-acre complex, a National Historic Landmark, was begun in 1835. It is dominated by the Central of Georgia Depot and Trainshed, which were begun in 1860, before the Civil War broke out. Other notable structures, including a cotton yard and a blacksmith shop.

According to the Coastal Heritage Society:

“The Central Railroad and Canal Company was chartered in 1833. The purpose of the railroad was to bring products of Georgia to Savannah for export, especially cotton. The idea of a canal was soon dismissed, but the railroad grew rapidly. Two years later, this facility was built for the construction and maintenance of the growing fleet of steam locomotives and rail cars. By 1843, the Central Railroad & Banking Company of Georgia had constructed 190 miles of rail forming the longest continuous railroad under one management in the world. The Central also increased their rolling stock to over 50 locomotives and 500 cars, making it the second largest holding in the pre-civil war South. (more…)

By SHERRI SMITH BROWN

Georgia > Atlanta Metro > Fulton County > Atlanta

The APEX Museum on Auburn Avenue is the only museum in Atlanta dedicated to relaying the history of African Americans.

The APEX (African America Panoramic Experience) Museum on Atlanta’s historic Auburn Avenue has been educating the world about history from an African American perspective for more than 30 years. It is Atlanta’s only museum dedicated to celebrating the rich and often untold history of African Americans.

The current main exhibit at APEX, “Africa: The Untold Story,” tells about the continent as the first civilization, the richest continent in the world; and its origin of art, medicine, science, architecture and family life.

Permanent exhibits at APEX are a replica of the Yates and Milton Drug Store, one of Atlanta’s first Black-owned businesses; The Hall of Achievement, where you will find information on the progress of African Americans in Georgia in a number of different categories; and the Black Inventors exhibit. (more…)

By SHERRI SMITH BROWN

Georgia > Southwest Georgia > Quitman > Omaha

Indian points, like these, are just some of the Paleo Indian artifacts on display at the Kirbo Interpretive Center at Florence Marina State Park.

If you are visiting Florence Marina State Park on Lake Walter F. George, an excellent place to learn more about the Native Americans who once lived in the area is the Kirbo Interpretive Center, an educational museum located on the park grounds.

Displays here depict the removal of the Creek Indians from the Florence area from 1715 to 1836 as well as artifacts from the prehistoric Paleo-Indian period through the early 1900s. There are also displays about the influence of cotton on the development of towns along the Chattahoochee River and the story of the steamboats which traveled the river from 1828 to the 1930s. (more…)

By SHERRI SMITH BROWN

Georgia > Atlanta Metro > Cobb County > Powder Springs

Swimming in what’s called the largest pool in the Southeast is the major attraction at Sun Valley Beach.

Sun Valley Beach, a family-operated beach and water park in Powder Springs, doesn’t have the thrill rides that some of the other water parks in the state have, but it does have a huge pool, one that they advertise as the largest in the state – 1.5 acres that is surrounded by white, sandy “beach,” which makes it somewhat unique.

There is something for every member of the family at the 40-acre park. There are 10 different slides that empty into the pool, a large dolphin fountain, a showering umbrella and various diving platforms. For the more adventurous, there is a Lumber Jack log roll, Tarzan swinging ropes and a zip line. Beach lounge chairs are available on a first-come, first-serve basis. (more…)

By SHERRI SMITH BROWN

Georgia > East Central Georgia > Richmond County > Augusta

The first black kindergarten in Augusta was started by Lucy Craft Laney at the Haines Normal and Industrial Institute in what is now the Laney–Walker North Historic District.

Augusta is a beautiful, historic town in Richmond County with a significant amount of African-American history. To begin putting it all together, an interesting area to tour is the Laney–Walker North Historic District.

The construction of the Georgia Railroad in 1833 and the building of the Augusta Canal from 1845-47 brought many laborers in need of housing to Augusta and triggered the development of this neighborhood. Until the end of the 19th century, it was a well-integrated, multi-ethnic working-class community associated with three of Augusta’s historic minority populations—Irish, Chinese, and African American.

The district is significant for its wide variety of modest residential, commercial, and institutional buildings dating from the mid-19th through the early-20th century. By that time, Jim Crow “zoning” laws, requiring blacks and whites to settle in blocks designated by race, quickly transformed the district into Augusta’s principal black neighborhood. New companies located in the area to provide service to the black population. One of these, the Penny Savings Bank, was one of the first independently owned black banks when it was started at the turn of the 20th century. (more…)

By SHERRI SMITH BROWN

Georgia > West Central Georgia > Troup County > LaGrange

Built by Benjamin Harvey Hill in the early 1850s, Bellevue in LaGrange is a National Historic Landmark and one of Georgia’s finest examples of Greek Revival architecture.  

There are numerous lovely antebellum homes across Georgia. Bellevue, listed on the National Register of Historic Places and designated a National Historic Landmark by the National Park Service in 1973, is one of the finest examples of Greek Revival architecture in the state.

Sitting atop a gently sloping hill, the beautifully restored home originally presided over a 1200-acre plantation owned by Georgia orator and statesman Benjamin Harvey Hill. It was built from 1853 to 1855 for his wife, Caroline Holt Hill. Ionic columns grace the wide porticos on three sides of the home. Inside, massive wood cornices around the doorways and large windows were hand carved by slaves. All of the original fireplaces were made of Italian black marble. There are original heart pine floors, carved pediments, and plaster ceiling medallions

The home is furnished in the style of the 1850s. Many donated antiques of the period are on display, including a half-tester bed in one of the upstairs bedrooms. The rosewood piano Hill gave his wife as a wedding present is the only piece of original furniture now in the mansion. Portraits of Hill and Caroline hang in the main drawing room. In the main entry, there is a large oil portrait of the Senator as well. (more…)

By SHERRI SMITH BROWN

Georgia > Southwest Georgia > Lowndes County > Valdosta

Wild Adventures Water and Theme Park mixes animals, amusement rides and water park rides like the Wahee Cyclone, a four-person tube ride that swirls down a dark, 45-foot funnel.

Thrill rides, water rides — and animals!

A combination amusement park and water park sounds like a lot of fun, but Wild Adventures Water and Theme Park in Valdosta captures both of those and throws in an extra – wild animals – to give you a three-way adventure that is hard to beat.

Wild Adventures is divided into seven sections, each with its own collection of rides and animals.

When it comes to amusement park rides, Wild Adventures offers plenty of family rides – everything from the Century Wheel ferris wheel to the Dizzy Dragons. There are numerous Thrill Rides, including the 50-mph vertical loops of the Boomerang with its six inversions and two hills; The Bug Out – a wild mouse ride with single cars, hair-pin turns, and sudden drops; and the Cheetah, a 90-foot tall, 3,000-foot long wooden roller coaster. And, of course, the gentler Kids Rides, such the Rio Grande Train and Saddle Up Pony Rides, are also plentiful. (more…)

By SHERRI SMITH BROWN

Georgia > Atlanta Metro > Fulton County > Atlanta

Kayaking along the Chattahoochee River is just one of the many recreational activities you can enjoy in the Chattahoochee River National Recreation Area. 

In 1997, I co-authored a book with Fred Brown about the Chattahoochee River. The Riverkeeper’s Guide to the Chattahoochee River was a grand learning experience about rivers, in general, and about the wonders of the Chattahoochee, specifically.

One portion of the river that is especially accessible for everyone to explore and enjoy is the Chattahoochee River National Recreation Area (CRNRA), a 48-mile stretch of the river that consists of 16 land units, or parks, along both sides of its banks. The CRNRA begins at Lake Lanier’s Buford Dam, near Buford in Forsyth County, and continues downstream through four counties to Peachtree Creek near downtown Atlanta in Fulton County. The CRNRA provides outdoor recreation for more than three million visitors a year. The parks are day use facilities only, made up of hiking trails and picnic grounds. The river running through the recreation area is a stocked trout stream that includes 19 other game fish.

The Chattahoochee corridor has a colorful and interesting history that has been preserved within the National Recreation Area. Numerous rock shelters, once used by nomadic Indian families and later Indian hunting parties, can be explored on the trails at both Island Ford and Palisades East. During the 19th century, the river was the dividing line between the Cherokee and Creek Indian Nations. The Creeks, on the south side of the line, were forced west to Oklahoma in 1828, and the Cherokees, on the north and west side, were forced out in 1838. (more…)

By SHERRI SMITH BROWN

Georgia > Coastal Georgia > Liberty County > Sunbury

British soldiers collide with American patriots and the roar of cannon and muskets fill the air in reenactments of American Revolution battles at Fort Morris Historic Site.

Previously, I wrote about touring Kettle Creek Revolutionary War Battlefield and Wilkes County to learn about events that occurred during the American Revolution in the Georgia Piedmont. Another area of Revolutionary War activity in Georgia that makes for a nice weekend trip is Liberty County on the Georgia Coast.

Coastal fortifications were important to the defense of Georgia from its days as one of the original 13 colonies to after the Civil War. One fort along the Georgia coast, Fort Morris in what is now Liberty County, played an integral part in the fight for independence and makes for an interesting American Revolution road trip.Fort Morris – now Fort Morris Historic Site – was built to defend the now long gone town of Sunbury. Established on the Medway River in 1758, Sunbury was a bustling seaport in its early days. Lyman Hall and Button Gwinnett, both signers of the Declaration of Independence, lived in the Sunbury area. Delegates at the 1776 Continental Congress realized they needed to protect the growing seaport from the British, so a low bluff on the Medway River at Sunbury was selected as the site of a fortification and garrisoned by 200 patriots. (more…)