Georgia > Coast > Liberty County > Midway

The American Revolution in Georgia spring vividly to life on this do-it-yourself tour of Liberty County. See the Revolutionary War-era Fort Morris and Midway Museum and Historic District, as well as the environmental richness and African-American heritage of the region.

For centuries, Liberty County has held a mystical power over explorers. The Historic Liberty Trail is a unique driving tour offering a diverse experience integrating history, culture and ecology. It covers 10 stops, including: Midway Museum and Historic District, Cay Creek Wetlands, Geechee Kunda Cultural Arts Center, LeConte-Woodmanston Botanical Gardens, Dorchester Academy and Museum, Fort Stewart Museum, Melon Bluff Nature and Heritage Preserve, Seabrook Village, Fort Morris State Historic Site, and Sunbury Cemetery.

Begin the Historic Liberty Trail Driving Tour
Begin your tour at Exit 76 off I-95, where an information kiosk gives a glimpse of The Historic Liberty Trail. Visitors traveling the trail explore Liberty County, home of Dr. Lyman Hall and Button Gwinnett, signers of the Declaration of Independence. Your first stop is the Midway National Historic District. Leaving the kiosk, turn right (west) on US 84. Drive 2.2 miles, turn right on Martin Road. Drive 1.3 miles to arrive at the Midway National Historic District. The cemetery is straight ahead, the church and museum are on the right. For a map showing all of the points on the tour, click here.

Midway National Historic District
Midway Museum, honors the community famed as Georgia’s Cradle of Liberty. Browse through the museum, built in the raised cottage-style architecture, typical of 18th Century plantation houses. Exhibits, documents and furnishings used in coastal Georgia homes from colonial days until the Civil War reanimate the love of Liberty. Tour the grounds which include a detached kitchen, salt vat and extensive nature trail. One of the best sources in the area for genealogical research. Also on the property is the Midway Church, built in 1756, was burned during the American Revolution and rebuilt in 1792. In this white-frame, New England-style church, Sherman’s cavalry set up foraging headquarters during the Civil War. Today, giant live oaks draped with Spanish moss shade about 1,200 graves in the cemetery, among them two generals of the American Revolution and Governor Nathan Brownson. During the Civil War, Sherman’s cavalry plundered county plantations and corralled animals in the walled, two-acre cemetery.

Days and Hours: Tuesday-Saturday: 10am-4pm, Sunday: 2pm-4pm
Facilities: Small gift shop with a good selection of books on local history.
Restrooms available.
Fees: Small fee required. Group rates available.
For More Information: (912) 884-5837

Cay Creek Wetlands
DIRECTIONS: Leaving Midway Museum, turn left on US 17. Drive 0.5 miles, at the traffic light turn left on US 84. Drive 2.4 miles until you reach Charlie Butler Road. Turn right on Charlie Butler Road. Travel approximately 0.2 miles until you see the Cay Creek Wetlands sign on your right. Get a map.

As an excellent example of tidal, freshwater wetlands, Cay Creek Wetlands provide a unique opportunity for education and appreciation. The area is rich in diversity. Bay, Cypress and Oak trees are abundant, as are Palms, Palmettos and Magnolias. The area provides habitats for numerous species of animals, including birds, mammals, reptiles, amphibians and insects. The site is several different ecosystems. Each has specific traits that give it character, but the distinctions may be overlooked by the casual observer. Look closely and you may notice the differences in plant and animal life in those areas that are permanently wet when compared with areas that are intermittently wet and dry. The site has its history, too. Look for the low earthen berms that cross the landscape. In some instances, they may be the high ground on which you stand. These are the remains of dikes that were used for growing rice. Rice production was common to the area in the 19th Century. Cay Creek Wetlands has seen exciting activity recently with the completion of a boardwalk, allowing visitors to easily access the wetlands in both wet and dry seasons. An interpretive center building, designed to house exhibits and information, will soon follow.

Days and Hours: Monday-Friday: 8am-4pm
Facilities: None.
Fees: Free.
For More Information: (912) 884-3344

Geechee Kunda Cultural Arts Center
DIRECTIONS: Take a right onto Charlie Butler Road out of the drive and travel 0.7 miles, turn right onto Historic Cay Creek Road, a well-maintained, unpaved road. Only 3.8 miles from US 17. Enjoy the canopy of moss-draped oaks and the incredible marsh vistas as well as vibrant flowers and coastal wildlife on this scenic road. Once you’ve reached US 17 take a left and travel through the quaint town of Riceboro. Travel approximately 4.6 miles and turn left onto Ways Temple Road, Geechee Kunda is on the right 0.2 miles. Note: Nice picnic facilities at US 17 junction. Get a map.

Geechee Kunda (a Sarakole’ word meaning compound) is indicative of the culture of Gullah Geechees. Geechee Kunda is reflective of the family compounds that exist throughout the Gullah Geechee areas of the Carolinas, Georgia and Northern Florida as well as Africa. It is a living institution dedicated to preserving the culture of a living people. Its museum is filled with African art, textiles, painting, tools, utensils, implements, craftworks and essentials used by Gullah Geechees from the 1700’s to the 1900’s. The museum houses artifacts from the period of slavery and it’s an educational facility for lectures, workshops, classes, seminars, weddings and more.

Days and Hours: Group tours and classes available, call for an appointment.
Facilities: Gift shop, meeting and classroom space.
Fees: Call for further information.
For More Information: (912) 884-4440

LeConte-Woodmanston Botanical Gardens
DIRECTIONS: Leaving Ways Temple Road turn right onto US 17 toward Riceboro. Travel approximately 0.7 miles and turn left onto Sandy Run Road. Travel 4.3 miles then turn left at stop sign onto Barrington Ferry Road. Barrington Ferry Road is unpaved, but well-maintained. Look for wood storks, ospreys, egrets and herons that feed in the wetlands. Almost one mile south of the intersection you will find a historic marker for the Bartram Trail on the left. The sign marks the entrance to LeConte-Woodmanston. Get a map.

LeConte-Woodmanston, formerly the home of Dr. Louis LeConte, flourished as one of Georgia’s earliest inland swamp rice plantations and is now a nature preserve. Dr. LeConte achieved international fame in scientific circles as did his sons, John and Joseph. John was the first president of the University of California at Berkeley. Joseph and his friend, John Muir, co-founded the Sierra Club. Today, Louis LeConte’s world-famous 18th Century botanical gardens are being recreated with a myriad of antique plants. Visit the cypress forest and walk the interpretative trail along the earthen rice dikes leading through the Bulltown Swamp black-water eco-system. Take a stroll along the Avenue of Oaks or bask in an 18th Century nature experience. They are all part of the Historic Bartram Trail.

Days and Hours: Typically open Tuesday, Wednesday and Friday: 10am-3pm or by appointment. Call to verify times before visiting.
Facilities: A small fee required.
Fees: Restrooms.
For More Information: (912) 884-6500

Dorchester Academy and Museum
DIRECTIONS: Leaving LeConte-Woodmanston, follow drive back to Barrington Ferry Road. Turn right and follow road until it dead ends into US 17, approximately 5 miles. Turn left and travel another 2.1 miles to the intersection of US 17 and US 84, turn left on US 84 and drive 2 miles. Dorchester Academy is on the left. Get a map.

The Academy, today an active community center and museum, was founded after the Civil War as a school for freed slaves. By 1917, the fully-accredited high school had eight frame buildings and 300 students. In the 1940s, its academic program ended when a consolidated school for black youth was built in nearby Riceboro. The brick school building, an example of Georgian Revival style architecture is where Dr. Martin Luther King, Jr. prepared for the 1963 Birmingham campaign, one of the first major victories of the Civil Rights Movement.

Days and Hours: Tuesday-Friday: 11am-2pm, Saturday: 2pm-4pm
Facilities: Free.
Fees: Pavilion with barbecue pit and restrooms.
For More Information: (912) 884-2347

Fort Stewart Museum
DIRECTIONS: Leaving Dorchester Academy, turn left (west) on US 84. Travel approximately 10 miles to General Stewart Way and take right fork. Travel 0.8 miles and turn left onto North Main Street. Travel 0.6 miles through historic Hinesville, where you will enjoy specialty shopping and excellent restaurants. Traveling another 0.9 miles take the right fork and drive 0.1 miles to General Screven Way. Take a right onto General Screven Way and drive 0.9 miles to the main entrance of Fort Stewart. Continue straight on GA 119 for 0.3 miles. From GA 119 turn left onto Bunker Road (the first left). Follow Bunker Road to a stop sign. At the stop sign make a left onto Frank Cochran Drive. The museum is on the immediate left. Get a map.

Fort Stewart, the largest military post east of the Mississippi, is home to the U.S. Army’s 3rd Infantry Division (Mech) and is the summer training grounds for the National Guard. At the museum, Liberty County’s military heritage is showcased in ever-changing exhibits featuring objects from World War II, Vietnam, Korea, Desert Storm and present-day military activities.

Days and Hours: Tuesday-Saturday: 10am-4pm Closed Mondays, Thanksgiving, Christmas, New Year’s Day and Federal Holidays.
Facilities: Gift shop, snack machine, restrooms and picnic area.
Fees: Free. Group tours upon request.
For More Information: (912) 767-7885

Please Note: Due to heightened security, Fort Stewart is now a closed post and requires all visitors to stop at the main gate. At the gate visitors must provide proof of registration, insurance and drivers license to receive a visitor’s pass.

Melon Bluff Nature and Heritage Preserve
DIRECTIONS: Leaving Fort Stewart drive straight on GA 119 until it dead ends into US 84 turn left, approximately 0.5 miles. Travel approximately 15 miles to I-95, as you cross I-95 travel another 2.9 miles and you will see Melon Bluff on your right. Get a map.

Nestled amongst 3,000 unspoiled acres on Georgia’s coast, Melon Bluff is set amid gorgeous, moss-hung oaks at the river’s edge. Melon Bluff offers 25 miles of grassy, forest trails for hiking, biking, picnics and riding. Birding is the prime attraction, offering 309 species, many uncommon and endangered. Visitors can find overnight accommodations ranging from a restored barn to a plantation cottage. On site, there is a delightful gift shop, a screened pool and a facility for small conferences.

Days and Hours: Saturdays: 9am-4pm from September 15th through May 15th. Public events are scheduled throughout the year.
Facilities: Overnight accommodations, full gourmet meal service, scheduled wagon rides, kayak expeditions, gift shop, pool and facility for small conferences.
Fees: Prices vary - Call for further information.

Seabrook Village
DIRECTIONS: From Melon Bluff, turn right onto Islands Highway. Travel 0.7 miles until you come to Trade Hill Road (Seabrook Village signs will be on your left). Turn left on to Trade Hill and drive 0.6 miles. Seabrook Village office will be on your left. Get a map.

An award-winning living history museum, Seabrook Village features eight turn-of-the-century buildings on a developing 104-acre site. Visit the one-room Seabrook School where “reading, writing and ‘rithmetic were taught to the tune of a hick’ry stick.” Or try your hand at grinding corn into meal and grits or washing clothes on a scrub board. Planned group visits are fully interactive as costumed interpreters engage visitors in all aspects of old time village life. On-going exhibits include the grave art of Cyrus Bowens, featured in Drums and Shadows, and the Willis Hakim J. Hones Material Culture Collection of hand-made items from a peanut roaster to twig furniture.

Days and Hours: Tuesday-Saturday: 10am-4pm. Interactive tours available for groups of 15 or more. Special educational and Girl Scout programs available.
Facilities: Seabrook Village Museum Shop and Craft Gallery, meal service (by reservation), restrooms.
Fees: Small fee required.
Group Tours: Call for rates, brochure and availability.
For More Information: (912) 884-7008

Fort Morris State Historic Site
DIRECTIONS: Leaving Seabrook, turn left on Trade Hill Road. Drive 0.2 miles to the intersection of Fort Morris Road. Turn left, drive 2 miles. The entrance to Fort Morris is on the right. Get a map.

Fort Morris was built to defend the former town of Sunbury, once a bustling seaport second in Georgia only to Savannah. Fort Morris was used as a coastal fortification during the Revolutionary War. The earthen works were reconstructed during the War of 1812 and were later used as a Civil War Encampment. The site’s museum features displays of civilian and military life during Georgia’s Colonial, Revolutionary and Antebellum past. During periodic special events, reenactments bring Fort Morris alive with roaring cannons and the measured tread of marching soldiers. Listen! You can almost hear the fife and drums.

Days and Hours: Tuesday-Saturday: 9am-5pm, Sunday: 2:00pm-5:30pm. Closed Thanksgiving, Christmas, New Year’s Day, and Mondays, except some legal holidays.
Facilities: Museum, gift shop, pioneer camping, picnic area, restrooms and nature trail.
Fees: Small fee required.
For More Information: (912) 884-5999

Sunbury Cemetery
DIRECTIONS: Leaving Fort Morris, turn right onto Fort Morris Road. Travel 0.7 miles past Sunbury Village and turn left onto Sunbury Road (dirt). Drive 0.1 miles to Dutchman Cove Road. Drive 0.1 miles to the end of the road, it will dead end into the cemetery. Get a map.

From the beginning of the town’s history, public burials were performed at a community cemetery located at the southeast corner of Church Square. Sunbury Cemetery housed the remains of members from the Midway Congregational Church, Sunbury Baptist Church and others. A sense of integrity remains even though no complete interment records are known to exist for the cemetery. Most of the markers were gone by the 1870’s. Of the thirty-four remaining, the oldest is dated 1788 and the most recent, 1911. Two iron fenced family enclosures are carefully arrayed with neatly lined markers for the Dunham and Fleming-Law families. The most famous tombstone is a full-length marker for Reverend William McWhir. The graves of Josiah Powell and Samuel Law, notables of the town of Sunbury, are also marked.

The cemetery is open year-round and is free to the public.

Georgia > West Central Georgia > Stewart County > Lumpkin

By SHERRI SMITH BROWN

A craftsman shows young Westville visitors the fine points of weaving a traditional cotton basket.

Westville is an outdoor history museum which depicts an 1850 west Georgia village. You may have seen pictures of little towns like Westville. They dotted the 1850s countryside in the southern United States.

Westville has been designed so that visitors can experience a community in the 21st century similar to the ones in which our ancestors lived in the middle of the 19th century. See where the antebellum townspeople worshiped, voted and went to school. Westville has over 30 authentically restored and furnished pre-Civil War buildings: houses, stores, workshops, churches, school, and courthouse. In fact, it has all the ingredients of a functioning town.

Guides and interpreters are in 1850’s dress and will take you through the town and share with you the history of Westville, its people, and their times.

Links:

• Read more about Westville
• Find more Lumpkin travel and recreation resources

By SHERRI SMITH BROWN

Georgia > Atlanta Metro > Fulton County > Atlanta

This 1953 painting, “Celestial Gate” by prominent African-American artist Hale Woodruff, is part of the permanent collection at the Spelman College Museum of Fine Art. 

The Spelman College Museum of Fine Art, located in the Camille Olivia Hanks Cosby Academic Center at Spelman College in Atlanta, has a 4,500-square foot exhibition area that displays an impressive collection of art, ranging from painting and sculpture to prints and textiles. It is the only museum in the nation that emphasizes works by and about women of the African Diaspora in its collections, exhibitions and programs.

The museum’s permanent collection contains 20^th century paintings and sculptures by African American artists. Particularly significant are the works by Hale Woodruff, the prominent painter, printmaker and teacher who taught at Spelman College and established the art department at the Atlanta University Center in 1931. The permanent collection at the Spelman College Museum of Fine Art also comprises extensive African holdings, with a strong emphasis on the art of central Africa. (more…)

By SHERRI SMITH BROWN

Georgia > Central Georgia > Bibb County > Macon

Known as the Mother of the Blues and recognized as the first great black professional blues vocalist, Ma Rainey is one of the Georgia born musical greats who has performed at the Douglass Theatre in Macon. 

Ma Rainey, Bessie Smith, Otis Redding, James Brown, Little Richard. They are some of the early jazz and blues greats who have performed at the Douglass Theatre in Macon. When you are in that town, stop by the newly renovated theatre to learn some fascinating African-America history.

According to the written history of the Douglass Theatre, Charles Douglass was born the son of a former slave in 1870 and grew up in a one-room house built by his father.

“Working as soon as he was large enough to earn money, he peddled light wood and vegetables in the morning, attended school in the afternoon, and chopped cotton for fifteen cents a day.

“In a time of racism and segregation, Douglass saw opportunity in serving the black population of Macon. In 1898 Charles Douglass entered into the bicycle repair and renting business and did well until the automobile craze came. In 1901, Douglass worked as the director of the Georgia Loan and Savings Company. There he met his future wife Fannie, who was an assistant cashier.

“Organizing the Florida Blossom Minstrels and Comedy Company in 1907 made him very familiar with the minstrel circuit of entertainers. He also took advantage of TOBA (Theatre Operators Booking Agency) – a network of over 40 theatres, which was the major source of employment for many black performers. (more…)

By SHERRI SMITH BROWN

Georgia > Coastal Georgia > Camden County > St. Marys

Learn about the history of Dungeness, (pictured above) the home of Thomas and Lucy Carnegie on Cumberland Island, at the Cumberland Island National Seashore Museum in St. Marys.

Cumberland Island – one of Georgia’s beautiful barrier islands and a designated national seashore – is a 45-minute ferry ride from St. Marys on the Georgia coast. Before making the trip to Cumberland, plan to visit the Cumberland Island National Seashore Museum in St. Marys to learn about the island’s history, which includes history about the Native Americans, African Americans, and white Americans who have inhabited it.

There are exhibits on the Timucua, which refers to all the Native Americans in Southeastern Georgia and Northeastern Florida who spoke the Timucua language. The story is also told of Revolutionary War hero General Nathaniel Greene and his wife Catherine, who settled on Cumberland and built a home, the first Dungeness. You will also see exhibits at the Cumberland Island National Seashore Museum about the African American slaves who worked the extensive cotton plantations on the island in the early 1800s. In the 1890s after emancipation, The Settlement was established for African American workers on the island. The First African Baptist Church was established in 1893 and then rebuilt in the 1930s. (more…)

By Sherri Smith Brown

Georgia > Coastal Georgia > Liberty County > Riceboro

“The Old Plantation,” South Carolina, about 1790. This famous painting shows Gullah slaves dancing and playing musical instruments derived from Africa.

If you have ever explored the coastal region of Georgia, you are certain to have heard about the African-based culture, Gullah Geechee, or heard the lyrical intonations of the Gullah language.

The Gullah people are African Americans who live in the Low Country region of South Carolina and Georgia, including the coastal plain and the barrier, or Sea Islands. Historically, this region once extended north to the Cape Fear area on the coast of North Carolina and south to the vicinity of Jacksonville on the coast of Florida. Today, the Gullah area is pretty much confined to the South Carolina and Georgia Low Country. The Gullah people are also called Geechee, possibly after the Ocheechee River near Savannah.

The Gullah are known for preserving more of their African linguistic and cultural heritage than any other African American community in the United States. They speak an English-based creole language, containing many African loanwords and significant influences from African languages in grammar and sentence structure. Gullah storytelling, foods, music, folk beliefs, crafts, farming and fishing traditions, etc. all exhibit strong influences from West and Central African cultures.

Geechee Kunda, founded by Jim and Pat Bacote, is a cultural arts center established to help preserve this African culture. It is a living museum that houses local and African art, textiles, tools utensils, implements, craftworks and essentials used by Gullah Geechees from the 1700s to the present day. (more…)

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 > 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 > 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 > Southwest Georgia > Dougherty County > Albany

Albany was a major battleground in the Civil Rights Movement of the 1960s and that story is told at the Albany Civil Rights Movement Museum at Old Mt. Zion Church.

Nationally noted as a key civil rights battleground of the early 1960s, Albany was one of the first cities where Dr. Martin Luther King, Jr. and the four major civil rights organizations – Southern Christian Leadership Council (SCLC), Student National Coordinating Committee (SNCC), Committee on Racial Equality (CORE), and the National Association for the Advancement of Colored People (NAACP) – joined forces.

The Albany Civil Rights Movement Museum at Old Mt. Zion Church, operated by the Albany Civil Rights Institute (ACRI), tells the compelling story of the Civil Rights Movement in Albany. The Albany Movement was an organization formed in 1961 to coordinate civil rights movement activities in the area. The group chose Mt. Zion Church as the site of their first mass meeting. A majestic church at the corner of Whitney Avenue and Jefferson Street, Mt. Zion Church had been built in 1906 by a congregation of former slaves, who had organized at the end of the Civil War. Mt. Zion Church continued to host the Albany Movement’s mass meetings, such as those in which Dr. Martin Luther King, Jr. spoke to capacity crowds. (more…)