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African Americans have been part of American history for many centuries, with reports of free and enslaved Africans traveling to the Americas as early as the 1400s. It has been a fraught, tumultuous, and difficult history but one that also stands as testimony to the power of perseverance and the strength of the human spirit.

Local African American history begins, as it does throughout the South, with slavery. Slavery was already present in Bartow County – originally Cass County – when it was chartered in 1832. Cotton and agriculture were the primary economic drivers but enslaved laborers were also used in the timber, mining, railroad, and iron industries. After emancipation, a strong African American community emerged, which worked to support and empower its members even as they collectively faced the pressures of Jim Crow laws in the segregationist South. Many of the families that established themselves in Bartow County during that time remain here today and have dedicated themselves to preserving that same legacy of community support and empowerment.

What this brochure hopes to make clear, is that one cannot fully consider the history of Bartow County without understanding the history of its African American citizens. This history has been found embedded in the stories of individuals who witnessed its unfolding. It has been found in the historical record, a trail of breadcrumbs left by those who bought land, built businesses and established themselves in spite of staggering odds. It has been found in the recollections of those who left Bartow County in search of a better life, and it has been found in struggles and achievements of those who stayed. This brochure is an effort to introduce what is known and share what has been discovered. It is not the definitive guide, but rather, a starting point for further research as the body of work on local African American history continues to grow.

","flat_pages",[],"id",4,"is_geo",true,"link_address","link_text","map_icon","map_overlay","map_type","hybrid","media",[],"meta_description","Discover downtown Cartersville's African American business disctrict history during the times of 1870 - 1940! ","mode",{"_34":35,"_73":810},"modes",[806,807,808,809],"open_geographies_endpoint","published","published_on","2026-09-10","read_duration","26 minutes reading","restrict_bounds","restrict_bounds_to_overlay","sanitized_description","African Americans have been part of American history for many centuries, with reports of free and enslaved Africans traveling to the Americas as early as the 1400s. It has been a fraught, tumultuous, and difficult history but one that also stands as testimony to the power of perseverance and the strength of the human spirit. Local African American history begins, as it does throughout the South, with slavery. Slavery was already present in Bartow County – originally Cass County – when it was chartered in 1832. Cotton and agriculture were the primary economic drivers but enslaved laborers were also used in the timber, mining, railroad, and iron industries. After emancipation, a strong African American community emerged, which worked to support and empower its members even as they collectively faced the pressures of Jim Crow laws in the segregationist South. Many of the families that established themselves in Bartow County during that time remain here today and have dedicated themselves to preserving that same legacy of community support and empowerment. What this brochure hopes to make clear, is that one cannot fully consider the history of Bartow County without understanding the history of its African American citizens. This history has been found embedded in the stories of individuals who witnessed its unfolding. It has been found in the historical record, a trail of breadcrumbs left by those who bought land, built businesses and established themselves in spite of staggering odds. It has been found in the recollections of those who left Bartow County in search of a better life, and it has been found in struggles and achievements of those who stayed. This brochure is an effort to introduce what is known and share what has been discovered. It is not the definitive guide, but rather, a starting point for further research as the body of work on local African American history continues to grow.","splash",{"_73":709,"_136":122,"_137":771},"slug","slugs",[772,805,16],"stop_count",19,"stops",[84,85,86,87,88,89,90,91,92,93,94,95,96,97,98,99,100,101,102],"tenant_title","Georgia Humanities","title","Walking Tour of Cartersville's African American Business District: 1870-1940","travel_duration","About 2 hours 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Public Square, Adairsville Georgia","article_link","

The 1847 Adairsville Depot History Museum houses artifacts from life in\nAdairsville from the mid-19th century through mid-20th century. The African\nAmerican experience in Adairsville begins with photos and narratives on the\n1890s neighborhood known as St. Elmo, located about a quarter-mile east of\ndowntown Adairsville.\n

As that neighborhood developed, a successful African American business\nowner’s story was also unfolding. Arthur Butler arrived to the booming\nrailroad town of Adairsville from Easley, South Carolina, to work on the W&A\nRailroad’s maintenance crew. One evening, Arthur slipped as he jumped\noff a rail car and his leg was crushed. Unable to continue working for the\nrailroad, Arthur became a cobbler and set up shop in downtown Adairsville,\nthus becoming the town’s first African American business owner. The original\nbuilding for Butler’s Cobbler Shop still stands at 107 Gilmer Street on the\ndowntown public square and is visible from the Depot. Butler’s descendants\nstill live in Adairsville and are active members in the community. His greatgreat-grandson, Ahmad Hall, became the first African American chair of the\nAdairsville Downtown Development Authority in 2015.\n

The Depot structure itself illustrates life after the 1896 Supreme Court case\nPlessy v. Ferguson, which protected the existence of Jim Crow Laws. Two\nseparate ticket windows and waiting rooms survive as a testament to life before\ndesegregation. Other highlights within the depot displays include the first\nAfrican American woman, Mary Carreathers, to be elected to the Adairsville\nCity Council, which occurred in 1990.\n

History marches on as new displays will undoubtedly feature Adairsville’s first\nAfrican American Mayor, Kenneth Carson, elected to term in 2014.\n

The Adairsville Depot History Museum is open Tuesday – Saturday from\n11am – 3pm with free admission. Shopping and quaint dining is available\nwithin walking distance.

","direction_intro","direction_notes","icon_color","#D32F2F","lat",34.3672771,"lng",-84.9350434,[139],"","orphaned","parking_lat","parking_lng","The 1847 Adairsville Depot History Museum houses artifacts from life in\nAdairsville from the mid-19th century through mid-20th century. The African\nAmerican experience in Adairsville begins with photos and narratives on the\n1890s neighborhood known as St. Elmo, located about a quarter-mile east of\ndowntown Adairsville.\nAs that neighborhood developed, a successful African American business\nowner’s story was also unfolding. Arthur Butler arrived to the booming\nrailroad town of Adairsville from Easley, South Carolina, to work on the W&A\nRailroad’s maintenance crew. One evening, Arthur slipped as he jumped\noff a rail car and his leg was crushed. Unable to continue working for the\nrailroad, Arthur became a cobbler and set up shop in downtown Adairsville,\nthus becoming the town’s first African American business owner. The original\nbuilding for Butler’s Cobbler Shop still stands at 107 Gilmer Street on the\ndowntown public square and is visible from the Depot. Butler’s descendants\nstill live in Adairsville and are active members in the community. His greatgreat-grandson, Ahmad Hall, became the first African American chair of the\nAdairsville Downtown Development Authority in 2015.\nThe Depot structure itself illustrates life after the 1896 Supreme Court case\nPlessy v. Ferguson, which protected the existence of Jim Crow Laws. Two\nseparate ticket windows and waiting rooms survive as a testament to life before\ndesegregation. Other highlights within the depot displays include the first\nAfrican American woman, Mary Carreathers, to be elected to the Adairsville\nCity Council, which occurred in 1990.\nHistory marches on as new displays will undoubtedly feature Adairsville’s first\nAfrican American Mayor, Kenneth Carson, elected to term in 2014.\nThe Adairsville Depot History Museum is open Tuesday – Saturday from\n11am – 3pm with free admission. Shopping and quaint dining is available\nwithin walking distance.","adairsville-depot-museum",[127],{"_73":135,"_136":122,"_137":138},"Adairsville Depot Museum","stop","video_embed","video_poster",[],"Depot Exterior Shot (2).jpg","caption","url","https://api.opentour.site/georgia-humanities/v4/public/media/umj4vsccgqzhf429dh95s7yxw5ku?variant=desktop",{"_107":140,"_104":23,"_136":122,"_141":142,"_143":-5,"_144":122,"_145":146,"_147":148,"_34":149,"_150":-5,"_151":152,"_153":146,"_154":155,"_156":157,"_73":135,"_158":122},84,"desktop_width",1500,"embed","embed_id","filename","Depot_Exterior_Shot__2_.jpg","files",{"_159":160,"_161":162,"_163":164,"_165":138,"_166":167},97,"lqip_width","mobile_width",300,"original_image","provider","keiner","tablet_width",750,"video","original","https://api.opentour.site/georgia-humanities/v4/public/media/umj4vsccgqzhf429dh95s7yxw5ku","mobile","https://api.opentour.site/georgia-humanities/v4/public/media/umj4vsccgqzhf429dh95s7yxw5ku?variant=mobile","tablet","https://api.opentour.site/georgia-humanities/v4/public/media/umj4vsccgqzhf429dh95s7yxw5ku?variant=tablet","desktop","lqip","https://api.opentour.site/georgia-humanities/v4/public/media/umj4vsccgqzhf429dh95s7yxw5ku?variant=lqip",55,"melvinia-shields-gravesite-memorial","Melvinia Shields Gravesite Memorial ",{"_34":108,"_64":127,"_73":130},18,{"_34":197,"_64":198,"_73":199},"74 Johnson Street, Kingston Georgia","

Melvinia “Mattie” Shields McGruder Gravesite at Queen Chapel Church\n

Born into slavery in 1844, on a large South Carolina plantation, Melvinia\nwas bequeathed, at age 6, to Henry Shields, of Rex, Georgia. Henry’s wife\nwas the daughter of the plantation’s owners, so they sent three enslaved people\nto Georgia to work for the couple. As one of these people, Melvinia spent\nmost of her time working inside the Shields’ house, much as she had done in\nSouth Carolina. In that position she was required to provide care for her elderly\nowners, a role she also took on with Henry’s son, Charles, 12, who was crippled\nand unable to work the farm with his brothers. At age 16, Melvinia gave birth\nto a son, Dolphus Shields, fathered by Charles, then a teacher by trade. She\nand her children took on the surname Shields, and lived alongside Charles and\nhis family. A decade after the end of the Civil War, Melvinia moved away with\nher family, to Kingston, Georgia, where she spent the remainder of her life as\na midwife. In Kingston, residents knew her fondly as “Mattie” McGruder. She\nhad four children, three of whom were listed as mulatto/mixed race.

Dolphus Shields could read and write, a rarity among the African American\ncommunity at the time, and was skilled in carpentry. He moved first to Kingston\nwith his mother, then married and moved to Birmingham, Alabama, where he\nbecame a successful businessman and leader in the church community. Later,\nDolphus’ descendants settled in Chicago, where his great-great-granddaughter,\nMichelle Robinson, was born. Michelle married Barack Obama, who was\nelected President of the United States in 2008, serving two terms in office.\n

A marker is placed in honor of Melvinia Shields at Queen Chapel Methodist\nChurch Cemetery, where she was laid to rest in 1938. This incredible story was\nresearched and reported by Megan Smolenyak for the New York Times article of\nOctober 8, 2009 and for her book, American Tapestry, The Story of the Black, White,\nand Multiracial Ancestors of Michelle Obama. Mrs. Obama, upon discovering\nthrough genealogical research and genetic testing that her roots were tied to both\nslaves and white slave owners in the Deep South, said, “An important message in\nthis…is that we are all linked.” (Thanks to Nellie Margaret Harris Applin, Historian.)\nwww.michelleobamasgeorgiaroots.org.\n

Site of Railroad Depot and Railroad “Y” Junction

\nAfter the Civil War, African American families such as the Woolleys and\nGordons moved to Kingston to work in the city’s burgeoning railroad industry.\nThe freed black families of Woolley plantation near Kingston formed a\nsettlement on the northern part of that land, according to Kingston historian\nLarry Posey. Many descendants of those families remain here and celebrate\ntheir legacy through regular family reunions.

Queen Chapel Methodist Church\nand Cemetery\n

This historic congregation was founded\nin 1852 and continues to serve Kingston\nfamilies. The cemetery is the resting place\nof prominent ancestors such as Charles\nPhinizy, revered tool craftsman for nearby\nBarnsley Plantation, and Melvinia Shields,\ngreat great grandmother of former First\nLady Michelle Obama. Shiloh Baptist Church was also founded during the\npost-Civil War Reconstruction Era in Georgia, in 1865. Both churches still\nserve the community today.

Historic African American Sites\n

Kingston’s African American population provided labor in both the cotton\nand rail industries, which fueled Kingston’s growth throughout the 19th\ncentury. These sites expand Kingston’s story and attract visitors seeking a\nmulti-faceted history.

Other illustrious African Americans in Kingston’s history include past\nmayor Dexter Jones, (2010-11), current mayor Elbert “Chuck” Wise, Jr.,\n(2016-present), and Councilwoman Louise Young Harris. More information\non African American history can be found at the Kingston Women’s History\nMuseum, open on Saturdays and Sundays from 1 p.m. - 4 p.m. For more\ninformation, contact Kingston City Hall (770)-336-5905.\nSource: “Georgia Department of Economic Development Tourism Product\nDevelopment Resource Team Report, 2017”

",34.232955,-84.9467587,[185],"Melvinia “Mattie” Shields McGruder Gravesite at Queen Chapel Church\nBorn into slavery in 1844, on a large South Carolina plantation, Melvinia\nwas bequeathed, at age 6, to Henry Shields, of Rex, Georgia. Henry’s wife\nwas the daughter of the plantation’s owners, so they sent three enslaved people\nto Georgia to work for the couple. As one of these people, Melvinia spent\nmost of her time working inside the Shields’ house, much as she had done in\nSouth Carolina. In that position she was required to provide care for her elderly\nowners, a role she also took on with Henry’s son, Charles, 12, who was crippled\nand unable to work the farm with his brothers. At age 16, Melvinia gave birth\nto a son, Dolphus Shields, fathered by Charles, then a teacher by trade. She\nand her children took on the surname Shields, and lived alongside Charles and\nhis family. A decade after the end of the Civil War, Melvinia moved away with\nher family, to Kingston, Georgia, where she spent the remainder of her life as\na midwife. In Kingston, residents knew her fondly as “Mattie” McGruder. She\nhad four children, three of whom were listed as mulatto/mixed race. Dolphus Shields could read and write, a rarity among the African American\ncommunity at the time, and was skilled in carpentry. He moved first to Kingston\nwith his mother, then married and moved to Birmingham, Alabama, where he\nbecame a successful businessman and leader in the church community. Later,\nDolphus’ descendants settled in Chicago, where his great-great-granddaughter,\nMichelle Robinson, was born. Michelle married Barack Obama, who was\nelected President of the United States in 2008, serving two terms in office.\nA marker is placed in honor of Melvinia Shields at Queen Chapel Methodist\nChurch Cemetery, where she was laid to rest in 1938. This incredible story was\nresearched and reported by Megan Smolenyak for the New York Times article of\nOctober 8, 2009 and for her book, American Tapestry, The Story of the Black, White,\nand Multiracial Ancestors of Michelle Obama. Mrs. Obama, upon discovering\nthrough genealogical research and genetic testing that her roots were tied to both\nslaves and white slave owners in the Deep South, said, “An important message in\nthis…is that we are all linked.” (Thanks to Nellie Margaret Harris Applin, Historian.)\nwww. michelleobamasgeorgiaroots. org.\nSite of Railroad Depot and Railroad “Y” Junction\nAfter the Civil War, African American families such as the Woolleys and\nGordons moved to Kingston to work in the city’s burgeoning railroad industry.\nThe freed black families of Woolley plantation near Kingston formed a\nsettlement on the northern part of that land, according to Kingston historian\nLarry Posey. Many descendants of those families remain here and celebrate\ntheir legacy through regular family reunions. Queen Chapel Methodist Church\nand Cemetery\nThis historic congregation was founded\nin 1852 and continues to serve Kingston\nfamilies. The cemetery is the resting place\nof prominent ancestors such as Charles\nPhinizy, revered tool craftsman for nearby\nBarnsley Plantation, and Melvinia Shields,\ngreat great grandmother of former First\nLady Michelle Obama. Shiloh Baptist Church was also founded during the\npost-Civil War Reconstruction Era in Georgia, in 1865. Both churches still\nserve the community today. Historic African American Sites\nKingston’s African American population provided labor in both the cotton\nand rail industries, which fueled Kingston’s growth throughout the 19th\ncentury. These sites expand Kingston’s story and attract visitors seeking a\nmulti-faceted history. Other illustrious African Americans in Kingston’s history include past\nmayor Dexter Jones, (2010-11), current mayor Elbert “Chuck” Wise, Jr.,\n(2016-present), and Councilwoman Louise Young Harris. More information\non African American history can be found at the Kingston Women’s History\nMuseum, open on Saturdays and Sundays from 1 p. m. - 4 p. m. For more\ninformation, contact Kingston City Hall (770)-336-5905.\nSource: “Georgia Department of Economic Development Tourism Product\nDevelopment Resource Team Report, 2017”",[169],{"_73":183,"_136":122,"_137":184},[],"2-Melvinia Shields Monuement_Kingston (2).jpg","https://api.opentour.site/georgia-humanities/v4/public/media/x8243vsnnt94eakzovcon0p1z25v?variant=desktop",{"_107":186,"_104":23,"_136":122,"_141":187,"_143":-5,"_144":122,"_145":188,"_147":189,"_34":190,"_150":-5,"_151":191,"_153":188,"_154":155,"_156":192,"_73":183,"_158":122},85,844,"2-Melvinia_Shields_Monuement_Kingston__2_.jpg",{"_159":193,"_161":194,"_163":195,"_165":184,"_166":196},98,169,422,"https://api.opentour.site/georgia-humanities/v4/public/media/x8243vsnnt94eakzovcon0p1z25v","https://api.opentour.site/georgia-humanities/v4/public/media/x8243vsnnt94eakzovcon0p1z25v?variant=mobile","https://api.opentour.site/georgia-humanities/v4/public/media/x8243vsnnt94eakzovcon0p1z25v?variant=tablet","https://api.opentour.site/georgia-humanities/v4/public/media/x8243vsnnt94eakzovcon0p1z25v?variant=lqip",54,"noble-hill-wheeler-memorial-center","Noble Hill-Wheeler Memorial Center",{"_34":168,"_64":169,"_73":170},17,{"_34":235,"_64":236,"_73":237},"2361 Joe Frank Harris Pkwy NW, Cartersville, GA 30120, USA","

The Noble Hill School is located in Cassville, a northwest Georgia community.\nThis wooden building was the first Rosenwald “Community School Plan”\nbuilding constructed in Bartow County. Noble Hill was built through\npartnerships, as African Americans, whites, the Bartow County Board of\nEducation and the Rosenwald Fund contributed financial and human capital\nto provide an elementary school education to local black students. When Noble\nHill opened in 1924 African Americans contributed 47% of the building costs,\nand 33% was provided through the Rosenwald Fund.

\nAt Noble Hill, students sat at wooden desks, had an industrial training room,\ntwo cloakrooms, and separate vestibules. Wood stoves provided heat in the\nwinter, and there were no indoor bathrooms. The curriculum offered classes\nfrom grades 1-7. In 1955, the county consolidated Noble Hill and all African\nAmerican schools to form the Bartow Elementary School, and Noble Hill\nclosed, standing vacant for over 25 years.\n

Dr. Susie Wheeler was an early graduate of the Noble Hill School. While in\nschool she was impressed by her teachers that she would later to aspire to\nbecome an educator. Eventually she returned to Bartow County as a teacher,\nJeanes supervisor, and curriculum director. In 1983, Dr. Wheeler worked with\nher sister-in-law, Bertha Wheeler, to donate the school and land to the trustee\nboard. With this act Dr. Wheeler began a 5 year effort to achieve her dream of\npreserving Noble Hill and reopening it as an African American heritage museum.\n

The trustee board that Dr. Wheeler recruited included Georgia Supreme Court\nJustice Robert Benham, a native of Bartow County, who successfully saved the\nschool by raising over $200,000 in donations, including a planning grant from\nthe National Trust. Noble Hill was listed in the National Register of Historic\nPlaces on July 2, 1987.\n

Today, the Noble Hill-Wheeler Memorial Center operates as a cultural heritage\nmuseum. The Center is open Tuesday – Saturday from 9am-4pm.

For more\ninformation, call (770)-382-3392/www.noblehillwheeler.org

",34.24700806,-84.85849383,[214,215],"The Noble Hill School is located in Cassville, a northwest Georgia community.\nThis wooden building was the first Rosenwald “Community School Plan”\nbuilding constructed in Bartow County. Noble Hill was built through\npartnerships, as African Americans, whites, the Bartow County Board of\nEducation and the Rosenwald Fund contributed financial and human capital\nto provide an elementary school education to local black students. When Noble\nHill opened in 1924 African Americans contributed 47% of the building costs,\nand 33% was provided through the Rosenwald Fund.\nAt Noble Hill, students sat at wooden desks, had an industrial training room,\ntwo cloakrooms, and separate vestibules. Wood stoves provided heat in the\nwinter, and there were no indoor bathrooms. The curriculum offered classes\nfrom grades 1-7. In 1955, the county consolidated Noble Hill and all African\nAmerican schools to form the Bartow Elementary School, and Noble Hill\nclosed, standing vacant for over 25 years.\nDr. Susie Wheeler was an early graduate of the Noble Hill School. While in\nschool she was impressed by her teachers that she would later to aspire to\nbecome an educator. Eventually she returned to Bartow County as a teacher,\nJeanes supervisor, and curriculum director. In 1983, Dr. Wheeler worked with\nher sister-in-law, Bertha Wheeler, to donate the school and land to the trustee\nboard. With this act Dr. Wheeler began a 5 year effort to achieve her dream of\npreserving Noble Hill and reopening it as an African American heritage museum.\nThe trustee board that Dr. Wheeler recruited included Georgia Supreme Court\nJustice Robert Benham, a native of Bartow County, who successfully saved the\nschool by raising over $200,000 in donations, including a planning grant from\nthe National Trust. Noble Hill was listed in the National Register of Historic\nPlaces on July 2, 1987.\nToday, the Noble Hill-Wheeler Memorial Center operates as a cultural heritage\nmuseum. The Center is open Tuesday – Saturday from 9am-4pm. For more\ninformation, call (770)-382-3392/www. noblehillwheeler. org",[198],{"_73":212,"_136":122,"_137":213},[],"3-Noble Hill Wheeler.jpg","https://api.opentour.site/georgia-humanities/v4/public/media/avu0jmwz7wsow1e4yh3ii27re5t1?variant=desktop",{"_107":227,"_104":23,"_136":122,"_141":142,"_143":-5,"_144":122,"_145":228,"_147":229,"_34":230,"_150":-5,"_151":152,"_153":228,"_154":155,"_156":157,"_73":212,"_158":122},{"_107":216,"_104":217,"_136":122,"_141":142,"_143":-5,"_144":122,"_145":218,"_147":219,"_34":220,"_150":-5,"_151":152,"_153":218,"_154":155,"_156":157,"_73":221,"_158":122},90,2,"Comcast_cares_noble_hill_garden_3__2_.JPG",{"_159":222,"_161":223,"_163":224,"_165":225,"_166":226},103,"Comcast cares noble hill garden 3 (2).JPG","https://api.opentour.site/georgia-humanities/v4/public/media/k1nz7ap07kv9vst06ugckulkf6l2","https://api.opentour.site/georgia-humanities/v4/public/media/k1nz7ap07kv9vst06ugckulkf6l2?variant=mobile","https://api.opentour.site/georgia-humanities/v4/public/media/k1nz7ap07kv9vst06ugckulkf6l2?variant=tablet","https://api.opentour.site/georgia-humanities/v4/public/media/k1nz7ap07kv9vst06ugckulkf6l2?variant=desktop","https://api.opentour.site/georgia-humanities/v4/public/media/k1nz7ap07kv9vst06ugckulkf6l2?variant=lqip",86,"3-Noble_Hill_Wheeler.jpg",{"_159":231,"_161":232,"_163":233,"_165":213,"_166":234},99,"https://api.opentour.site/georgia-humanities/v4/public/media/avu0jmwz7wsow1e4yh3ii27re5t1","https://api.opentour.site/georgia-humanities/v4/public/media/avu0jmwz7wsow1e4yh3ii27re5t1?variant=mobile","https://api.opentour.site/georgia-humanities/v4/public/media/avu0jmwz7wsow1e4yh3ii27re5t1?variant=tablet","https://api.opentour.site/georgia-humanities/v4/public/media/avu0jmwz7wsow1e4yh3ii27re5t1?variant=lqip",53,"saint-james-a-m-e-church","Saint James A.M.E. Church",{"_34":197,"_64":198,"_73":199},16,{"_34":261,"_64":262,"_73":263},"1718 Cassville Rd NW, Cartersville, GA 30121, USA","

This simple church, although modest in appearance, has a complex and\nimportant history. First organized as Cassville Presbyterian in either 1833 or\n1844, the building displays a wood-truss construction method also seen in New\nEngland barns of the era. The true age of this building is unknown, however, as\nrecords addressing the early history of the church are scarce, and original deed\nbooks were burned – along with the rest of Cassville – by Federal Troops in 1864.\n

It was November 5, 1864 when the Fifth Ohio Regiment of the Federal Army,\nunder command of Colonel Heath and Major Thomas, burned the city of\nCassville. They acted on orders from General Sherman “that not a house be left\nwithin the limits of incorporation, except the churches”, which was the only\nthing that ultimately spared this building. The rest of Cassville was completely\ndestroyed and, as a result, the county seat eventually moved to Cartersville with\nthe construction of a new county courthouse. This turn of events caused local\nPresbyterians to dissolve their congregation in Cassville and, in 1872, give the\nchurch building to the black families living in Cassville on a handshake deal.\n

These families then went on to found the St. James AME Church in that\nlocation. AME stands for African Methodist Episcopal and it is the oldest\nindependent Protestant denomination founded by African Americans in the\nworld. Originally organized in 1816 by Reverend Richard Allen in Philadelphia,\nPennsylvania as a response to discrimination from white Methodists the AME\nchurch has since advocated for the civil and human rights of African Americans\nthrough social improvement, religious autonomy, and political engagement.\nFor recently emancipated African Americans this religious community helped\nthem to establish their own space within the swiftly changing social and political\nlandscape. The church and grounds are maintained by remaining A.M.E.\nChurch members and the St. James A.M.E. Church Committee of the Noble\nHill Wheeler Foundation.

(770)382-3392/www.noblehillwheeler.org.\n

Photos courtesy Historic Rural Churches of Georgia. www.hrcga.org/church/\nst-james-ame/.

",34.24593687,-84.85215974,[252],"This simple church, although modest in appearance, has a complex and\nimportant history. First organized as Cassville Presbyterian in either 1833 or\n1844, the building displays a wood-truss construction method also seen in New\nEngland barns of the era. The true age of this building is unknown, however, as\nrecords addressing the early history of the church are scarce, and original deed\nbooks were burned – along with the rest of Cassville – by Federal Troops in 1864.\nIt was November 5, 1864 when the Fifth Ohio Regiment of the Federal Army,\nunder command of Colonel Heath and Major Thomas, burned the city of\nCassville. They acted on orders from General Sherman “that not a house be left\nwithin the limits of incorporation, except the churches”, which was the only\nthing that ultimately spared this building. The rest of Cassville was completely\ndestroyed and, as a result, the county seat eventually moved to Cartersville with\nthe construction of a new county courthouse. This turn of events caused local\nPresbyterians to dissolve their congregation in Cassville and, in 1872, give the\nchurch building to the black families living in Cassville on a handshake deal.\nThese families then went on to found the St. James AME Church in that\nlocation. AME stands for African Methodist Episcopal and it is the oldest\nindependent Protestant denomination founded by African Americans in the\nworld. Originally organized in 1816 by Reverend Richard Allen in Philadelphia,\nPennsylvania as a response to discrimination from white Methodists the AME\nchurch has since advocated for the civil and human rights of African Americans\nthrough social improvement, religious autonomy, and political engagement.\nFor recently emancipated African Americans this religious community helped\nthem to establish their own space within the swiftly changing social and political\nlandscape. The church and grounds are maintained by remaining A. M.E.\nChurch members and the St. James A. M.E. Church Committee of the Noble\nHill Wheeler Foundation. (770)382-3392/www. noblehillwheeler. org.\nPhotos courtesy Historic Rural Churches of Georgia. www. hrcga. org/church/\nst-james-ame/.",[236],{"_73":250,"_136":122,"_137":251},[],"St James Church 2010.jpg","https://api.opentour.site/georgia-humanities/v4/public/media/jl8h286k65a19cmcpccila3fgoxm?variant=desktop",{"_107":253,"_104":23,"_136":122,"_141":142,"_143":-5,"_144":122,"_145":254,"_147":255,"_34":256,"_150":-5,"_151":152,"_153":254,"_154":155,"_156":157,"_73":250,"_158":122},87,"St_James_Church_2010.jpg",{"_159":257,"_161":258,"_163":259,"_165":251,"_166":260},100,"https://api.opentour.site/georgia-humanities/v4/public/media/jl8h286k65a19cmcpccila3fgoxm","https://api.opentour.site/georgia-humanities/v4/public/media/jl8h286k65a19cmcpccila3fgoxm?variant=mobile","https://api.opentour.site/georgia-humanities/v4/public/media/jl8h286k65a19cmcpccila3fgoxm?variant=tablet","https://api.opentour.site/georgia-humanities/v4/public/media/jl8h286k65a19cmcpccila3fgoxm?variant=lqip",51,"black-pioneers-cemetary","Black Pioneers Cemetary",{"_34":235,"_64":236,"_73":237},15,{"_34":298,"_64":299,"_73":300},"61 Covered Bridge Road, Euharlee, GA","

The Black Pioneers Cemetery is a one-acre burial ground that lies between the\nEuharlee Presbyterian and Euharlee Baptist Churches. The cemetery was used\nfor the burial of enslaved members of the Euharlee churches prior to the Civil\nWar, and for African American residents of the area through the early 1900s.\nMost of the graves were originally unmarked. By the 1990s, the cemetery was\novergrown and virtually forgotten by many in Euharlee.\n

The Euharlee Historical Society, the Etowah Valley Historical Society, and the City\nof Euharlee undertook the task of clearing the cemetery and identifying graves\nin the late 1990s. EVHS member, Carl Etheridge conducted an archaeological\ninvestigation to determine the location of the graves in the cemetery. Using\ndowsing rods and probes, over three hundred graves were found.\nOf the 333 known burials in the cemetery, only three individuals have\nbeen identified: Het Powell, a former slave, midwife, and housekeeper,\nher daughter, Ada, and a local man named Jim Scott. In August 2002, the\nEuharlee Historical Society erected and dedicated a permanent marker in\nmemory of those buried. In 2007, Eagle Scout John Daniels and his troop\nplaced wooden crosses at each grave.\n

Het Powell\n

Het Powell was born in 1830 into slavery in South Carolina and brought to\nEuharlee with slaveholder, Mrs. Meek Powell. With her came her husband\nJohnson and three of her four children. Her son, Lee, was sold to a different\nslaveholder and Het never saw him again. After emancipation, “Aunt Het,”\nas she was called by many in the area, worked as a midwife and housekeeper.\nHer descendants indicate that she is buried in this cemetery, along with her\ndaughter Ada.

\nFor more information, please contact:\n

Euharlee Welcome Center and History Museum\n770-607-2017, 33 Covered Bridge Road, Euharlee, GA 30145

",34.1487548,-84.9349668,[278,279],"The Black Pioneers Cemetery is a one-acre burial ground that lies between the\nEuharlee Presbyterian and Euharlee Baptist Churches. The cemetery was used\nfor the burial of enslaved members of the Euharlee churches prior to the Civil\nWar, and for African American residents of the area through the early 1900s.\nMost of the graves were originally unmarked. By the 1990s, the cemetery was\novergrown and virtually forgotten by many in Euharlee.\nThe Euharlee Historical Society, the Etowah Valley Historical Society, and the City\nof Euharlee undertook the task of clearing the cemetery and identifying graves\nin the late 1990s. EVHS member, Carl Etheridge conducted an archaeological\ninvestigation to determine the location of the graves in the cemetery. Using\ndowsing rods and probes, over three hundred graves were found.\nOf the 333 known burials in the cemetery, only three individuals have\nbeen identified: Het Powell, a former slave, midwife, and housekeeper,\nher daughter, Ada, and a local man named Jim Scott. In August 2002, the\nEuharlee Historical Society erected and dedicated a permanent marker in\nmemory of those buried. In 2007, Eagle Scout John Daniels and his troop\nplaced wooden crosses at each grave.\nHet Powell\nHet Powell was born in 1830 into slavery in South Carolina and brought to\nEuharlee with slaveholder, Mrs. Meek Powell. With her came her husband\nJohnson and three of her four children. Her son, Lee, was sold to a different\nslaveholder and Het never saw him again. After emancipation, “Aunt Het,”\nas she was called by many in the area, worked as a midwife and housekeeper.\nHer descendants indicate that she is buried in this cemetery, along with her\ndaughter Ada.\nFor more information, please contact:\nEuharlee Welcome Center and History Museum\n770-607-2017, 33 Covered Bridge Road, Euharlee, GA 30145",[262],{"_73":276,"_136":122,"_137":277},[],"Black Pioneers Cemetery (2).JPG","https://api.opentour.site/georgia-humanities/v4/public/media/mbu9ijgnfpgtb45wpxfejwr98imx?variant=desktop",{"_107":290,"_104":23,"_136":122,"_141":142,"_143":-5,"_144":122,"_145":291,"_147":292,"_34":293,"_150":-5,"_151":152,"_153":291,"_154":155,"_156":157,"_73":276,"_158":122},{"_107":280,"_104":217,"_136":122,"_141":142,"_143":-5,"_144":122,"_145":281,"_147":282,"_34":283,"_150":-5,"_151":152,"_153":281,"_154":155,"_156":157,"_73":284,"_158":122},89,"Black_Pioneer_Cemetery_interpretive_sign_1.jpg",{"_159":285,"_161":286,"_163":287,"_165":288,"_166":289},102,"Black Pioneer Cemetery interpretive sign 1.jpg","https://api.opentour.site/georgia-humanities/v4/public/media/wt4thu1sxbf7f1ur5kfou3aullir","https://api.opentour.site/georgia-humanities/v4/public/media/wt4thu1sxbf7f1ur5kfou3aullir?variant=mobile","https://api.opentour.site/georgia-humanities/v4/public/media/wt4thu1sxbf7f1ur5kfou3aullir?variant=tablet","https://api.opentour.site/georgia-humanities/v4/public/media/wt4thu1sxbf7f1ur5kfou3aullir?variant=desktop","https://api.opentour.site/georgia-humanities/v4/public/media/wt4thu1sxbf7f1ur5kfou3aullir?variant=lqip",88,"Black_Pioneers_Cemetery__2_.JPG",{"_159":294,"_161":295,"_163":296,"_165":277,"_166":297},101,"https://api.opentour.site/georgia-humanities/v4/public/media/mbu9ijgnfpgtb45wpxfejwr98imx","https://api.opentour.site/georgia-humanities/v4/public/media/mbu9ijgnfpgtb45wpxfejwr98imx?variant=mobile","https://api.opentour.site/georgia-humanities/v4/public/media/mbu9ijgnfpgtb45wpxfejwr98imx?variant=tablet","https://api.opentour.site/georgia-humanities/v4/public/media/mbu9ijgnfpgtb45wpxfejwr98imx?variant=lqip",50,"euharlee-covered-bridge","Euharlee Covered Bridge",{"_34":261,"_64":262,"_73":263},14,{"_34":337,"_64":338,"_73":339},"Euharlee Covered Bridge, 274 Covered Bridge Rd, Euharlee, GA 30120, USA","

Built in 1886, the covered bridge is the most recognizable landmark in Euharlee.\nThe bridge spans 138 feet to cover the Euharlee Creek and cost $1300 to\nconstruct. Washington W. King, son of famed bridge builder Horace King,\nand resident Jonathan H. Burke were hired by Bartow County for this job.\nEarlier bridges were destroyed by floods, but this town-lattice style structure\nis sturdy enough for heavy loads and high enough to avoid flood damage.\nThe foundation of local stone was embedded deep into the creek bed, and the\npine timber trusses were crafted off-site, numbered, and assembled on-site with\nwooden pegs called trunnels (tree nails). Heavier automobiles and increased\ntraffic endangered the bridge, so a concrete bridge was built in the late 1970s,\nand auto traffic on the covered bridge was stopped. The bridge is listed on the\nNational Register of Historic Places and is one of the oldest remaining covered\nbridges in Georgia.\n

Washington Walter King\n

Washington King was born in Alabama, in early 1840s, to famed bridge\nbuilder Horace King and his wife, Frances. Washington, like his mother, was\nborn as a free person of color. His father was enslaved at the time of his birth.\nAs a young man, Washington ran pole-boats on Chattahoochee River until the\noutbreak of the Civil War. He cut timber and learned the bridge building trade\nwith his father before taking jobs of his own. Following the war, he and his\nsiblings joined their father in the King Brothers Bridge Company.

In 1875, Washington set up a firm in Atlanta. He continued to build with his\nfamily, including an 1883 bridge over the Etowah River elsewhere in Bartow\nCounty. Washington married Georgia Swift and had two children, Ernest and\nAnnadell. Georgia graduated from Atlanta University in 1874. Annadell taught\nclassical languages at Atlanta University, and Ernest became a civil engineer. He\ncarried on the King legacy; in one instance, Ernest worked on the same bridge at\nFort Gaines in 1913 that his grandfather built in 1868 and his father repaired in\n1888. Washington died in 1910. Several of his bridges remain intact, including\nthe bridge at Stone Mountain, Georgia and, of course, Euharlee.

",34.14270806,-84.93113205,[315,316],"Built in 1886, the covered bridge is the most recognizable landmark in Euharlee.\nThe bridge spans 138 feet to cover the Euharlee Creek and cost $1300 to\nconstruct. Washington W. King, son of famed bridge builder Horace King,\nand resident Jonathan H. Burke were hired by Bartow County for this job.\nEarlier bridges were destroyed by floods, but this town-lattice style structure\nis sturdy enough for heavy loads and high enough to avoid flood damage.\nThe foundation of local stone was embedded deep into the creek bed, and the\npine timber trusses were crafted off-site, numbered, and assembled on-site with\nwooden pegs called trunnels (tree nails). Heavier automobiles and increased\ntraffic endangered the bridge, so a concrete bridge was built in the late 1970s,\nand auto traffic on the covered bridge was stopped. The bridge is listed on the\nNational Register of Historic Places and is one of the oldest remaining covered\nbridges in Georgia.\n Washington Walter King\nWashington King was born in Alabama, in early 1840s, to famed bridge\nbuilder Horace King and his wife, Frances. Washington, like his mother, was\nborn as a free person of color. His father was enslaved at the time of his birth.\nAs a young man, Washington ran pole-boats on Chattahoochee River until the\noutbreak of the Civil War. He cut timber and learned the bridge building trade\nwith his father before taking jobs of his own. Following the war, he and his\nsiblings joined their father in the King Brothers Bridge Company. In 1875, Washington set up a firm in Atlanta. He continued to build with his\nfamily, including an 1883 bridge over the Etowah River elsewhere in Bartow\nCounty. Washington married Georgia Swift and had two children, Ernest and\nAnnadell. Georgia graduated from Atlanta University in 1874. Annadell taught\nclassical languages at Atlanta University, and Ernest became a civil engineer. He\ncarried on the King legacy; in one instance, Ernest worked on the same bridge at\nFort Gaines in 1913 that his grandfather built in 1868 and his father repaired in\n1888. Washington died in 1910. Several of his bridges remain intact, including\nthe bridge at Stone Mountain, Georgia and, of course, Euharlee.",[299],{"_73":313,"_136":122,"_137":314},[],"Washington Walter King","https://api.opentour.site/georgia-humanities/v4/public/media/w2cesc047z6eagq5lp6mu53evm6n?variant=desktop",{"_107":328,"_104":23,"_136":122,"_141":329,"_143":-5,"_144":122,"_145":330,"_147":331,"_34":227,"_150":-5,"_151":321,"_153":330,"_154":155,"_156":332,"_73":313,"_158":122},{"_107":317,"_104":23,"_136":122,"_141":318,"_143":-5,"_144":122,"_145":319,"_147":320,"_34":186,"_150":-5,"_151":321,"_153":319,"_154":155,"_156":322,"_73":300,"_158":122},76,787,"walking_tour_24.jpeg",{"_159":323,"_161":324,"_163":325,"_165":326,"_166":327},200,590,"https://api.opentour.site/georgia-humanities/v4/public/media/8uw2edobqmmz2g3y5ktpkp2pte4l","https://api.opentour.site/georgia-humanities/v4/public/media/8uw2edobqmmz2g3y5ktpkp2pte4l?variant=mobile","https://api.opentour.site/georgia-humanities/v4/public/media/8uw2edobqmmz2g3y5ktpkp2pte4l?variant=tablet","https://api.opentour.site/georgia-humanities/v4/public/media/8uw2edobqmmz2g3y5ktpkp2pte4l?variant=desktop","https://api.opentour.site/georgia-humanities/v4/public/media/8uw2edobqmmz2g3y5ktpkp2pte4l?variant=lqip",77,277,"walking_tour_25.jpeg",{"_159":333,"_161":334,"_163":335,"_165":314,"_166":336},208,"https://api.opentour.site/georgia-humanities/v4/public/media/w2cesc047z6eagq5lp6mu53evm6n","https://api.opentour.site/georgia-humanities/v4/public/media/w2cesc047z6eagq5lp6mu53evm6n?variant=mobile","https://api.opentour.site/georgia-humanities/v4/public/media/w2cesc047z6eagq5lp6mu53evm6n?variant=tablet","https://api.opentour.site/georgia-humanities/v4/public/media/w2cesc047z6eagq5lp6mu53evm6n?variant=lqip",49,"masonic-lodge","Masonic Lodge",{"_34":298,"_64":299,"_73":300},13,{"_34":377,"_64":378,"_73":379},"21 Aubrey St, Cartersville, GA 30120, USA","

Masonic Lodges were established in at the end of the 14th century in Europe,\nfor meetings of stonemasons who formed a “spiritual brotherhood” based on\nbelief in a Higher Power. They shared secret rituals based on symbolism\nfound mainly in the manual tools of the trade, such as the square and compasses,\nlevel, plumb rule, and trowel. They also sought to perform charitable works.\nThe first American Lodges were founded in Pennsylvania in the early 1700’s.\n

In 1775, an African American named Prince Hall, along with 14 other free\nmen of color, was initiated into a British Military Lodge, The Grand Lodge of\nIreland. These men, after many trials and setbacks, established African Lodge\n#1, in 1784 in Boston. Prince Hall Freemasonry soon grew and organized a\nGrand Lodge System for each state. Widespread racial segregation in 19th and\nearly 20th century North America made it difficult for African Americans to\njoin lodges outside of Prince Hall jurisdiction.\n

First established locally as Mount Zion Lodge #6 on Dec. 11, 1896, this lodge\nremains one of the oldest continually active African American lodges in the\nstate. W.H. Hendrick served as the Worshipful Master of the Lodge in 1913, at\nthe time the cornerstone was laid. Secret “members only” Masonic ceremonies\nwere held upstairs, while social events and community meetings occupied the\ndownstairs hall.\n

The Benevolent Brotherhood Society, the charitable arm of the Lodge, was\nestablished on Nov. 16, 1898 by Ben Tomkins, an illiterate black man from\nthe Mechanicsville Community, “to provide for the needs of the sick, poor,\nhungry, homeless, shut-ins, and downtrodden.”\n

Every person in the Summer Hill community, from schoolchildren up to senior\ncitizens, contributed a nickel or dime a week to the fund. Most had no other\nform of “insurance” available in case of disaster. If someone had need of funds\nfor an emergency, they could request aid from the Benevolent Brotherhood, as\nthe charitable arm of the Lodge.

",34.17348841,-84.80375298,[354,355],"Masonic Lodges were established in at the end of the 14th century in Europe,\nfor meetings of stonemasons who formed a “spiritual brotherhood” based on\nbelief in a Higher Power. They shared secret rituals based on symbolism\nfound mainly in the manual tools of the trade, such as the square and compasses,\nlevel, plumb rule, and trowel. They also sought to perform charitable works.\nThe first American Lodges were founded in Pennsylvania in the early 1700’s.\nIn 1775, an African American named Prince Hall, along with 14 other free\nmen of color, was initiated into a British Military Lodge, The Grand Lodge of\nIreland. These men, after many trials and setbacks, established African Lodge\n#1, in 1784 in Boston. Prince Hall Freemasonry soon grew and organized a\nGrand Lodge System for each state. Widespread racial segregation in 19th and\nearly 20th century North America made it difficult for African Americans to\njoin lodges outside of Prince Hall jurisdiction.\nFirst established locally as Mount Zion Lodge #6 on Dec. 11, 1896, this lodge\nremains one of the oldest continually active African American lodges in the\nstate. W. H. Hendrick served as the Worshipful Master of the Lodge in 1913, at\nthe time the cornerstone was laid. Secret “members only” Masonic ceremonies\nwere held upstairs, while social events and community meetings occupied the\ndownstairs hall.\nThe Benevolent Brotherhood Society, the charitable arm of the Lodge, was\nestablished on Nov. 16, 1898 by Ben Tomkins, an illiterate black man from\nthe Mechanicsville Community, “to provide for the needs of the sick, poor,\nhungry, homeless, shut-ins, and downtrodden.”\nEvery person in the Summer Hill community, from schoolchildren up to senior\ncitizens, contributed a nickel or dime a week to the fund. Most had no other\nform of “insurance” available in case of disaster. If someone had need of funds\nfor an emergency, they could request aid from the Benevolent Brotherhood, as\nthe charitable arm of the Lodge.",[338],{"_73":352,"_136":122,"_137":353},[],"Masonic Logo","https://api.opentour.site/georgia-humanities/v4/public/media/55w6n7rgtgc9rryl6lk2oja8vfnv?variant=desktop",{"_107":367,"_104":23,"_136":122,"_141":368,"_143":-5,"_144":122,"_145":369,"_147":370,"_34":371,"_150":-5,"_151":321,"_153":369,"_154":155,"_156":372,"_73":352,"_158":122},{"_107":356,"_104":23,"_136":122,"_141":357,"_143":-5,"_144":122,"_145":358,"_147":359,"_34":140,"_150":-5,"_151":321,"_153":358,"_154":155,"_156":360,"_73":361,"_158":122},75,597,"walking_tour_23.jpeg",{"_159":362,"_161":363,"_163":364,"_165":365,"_166":366},448,"Cartersville Masonic Building","https://api.opentour.site/georgia-humanities/v4/public/media/0fz7q20w4v2y6wcik38tqalfbyxy","https://api.opentour.site/georgia-humanities/v4/public/media/0fz7q20w4v2y6wcik38tqalfbyxy?variant=mobile","https://api.opentour.site/georgia-humanities/v4/public/media/0fz7q20w4v2y6wcik38tqalfbyxy?variant=tablet","https://api.opentour.site/georgia-humanities/v4/public/media/0fz7q20w4v2y6wcik38tqalfbyxy?variant=desktop","https://api.opentour.site/georgia-humanities/v4/public/media/0fz7q20w4v2y6wcik38tqalfbyxy?variant=lqip",74,340,"walking_tour_22.png",{"_159":373,"_161":374,"_163":375,"_165":353,"_166":376},83,255,"https://api.opentour.site/georgia-humanities/v4/public/media/55w6n7rgtgc9rryl6lk2oja8vfnv","https://api.opentour.site/georgia-humanities/v4/public/media/55w6n7rgtgc9rryl6lk2oja8vfnv?variant=mobile","https://api.opentour.site/georgia-humanities/v4/public/media/55w6n7rgtgc9rryl6lk2oja8vfnv?variant=tablet","https://api.opentour.site/georgia-humanities/v4/public/media/55w6n7rgtgc9rryl6lk2oja8vfnv?variant=lqip",48,"summer-hill-heritage-foundation","Summer Hill Heritage Foundation",{"_34":337,"_64":338,"_73":339},12,{"_34":417,"_64":418,"_73":419},"129 Aubrey Street, Cartersville","

Established by Ronald Johnson in 1889, the original Summer Hill School\nwas a wood framed Rosenwald structure of white clapboard with only a few\nrooms. The original student body numbered 55 students in first through sixth\ngrades. The property was acquired by the city of Cartersville in 1892. By 1893,\nenrollment had grown to 250, and by 1920, served 358 students. Parents, who\nhad petitioned repeatedly for more grades over the years, were still dealing with\ndiscarded desks and worn-out textbooks from the whites only Cartersville City\nEast Side and West Side schools.\n

Many students continued their schooling after finishing their early grades at\nSummer Hill. In 1925, Thomas Kiser reported to the Atlanta Independent,\na black newspaper of the era, that Annie Hutcherson, Ada Thompson, and\nHarriet Edwards were off to Spelman Seminary, while Florence Gassett, Eva\nGassett, and Robert Morris were headed for Atlanta University.\n

On May 20, 1922, the Cartersville School Board accepted a proposal by the\nColored Committee and the Julius Rosenwald Foundation for $3000 total\nfrom the Foundation and Summer Hill parents to build a much-needed new\nschool. The structure was completed in late 1922; the school continued to\nexpand until all grades through high school were finally added by 1951.\n

The Cartersville School Board hired J. Stanley “Fess” Morgan in 1925. “Professor”\nMorgan, as he was known, and his wife, teacher Beatrice Morgan, introduced a\nrange of extracurricular activities—including band, choir, interest clubs and men’s\nand women’s sports—to develop well-rounded, civic minded students. In January\n1956, less than two years after the Supreme Court declared school segregation\nunconstitutional (Brown v. Board of Education), the brand new Summer Hill High\nSchool was opened. It was enlarged in 1961 to accommodate the lower grades,\nand the original school was vacated. The school closed in 1968.

The current campus operates a museum, library, youth and alumni programs,\nauditorium, nature trail, and sports complex that includes the historic Blue\nDevil Stadium, hand built by parents in the community.

770-331-9135\nwww.summerhillheritagegroup.org.

",34.1732782,-84.8056475,[394,395],"Established by Ronald Johnson in 1889, the original Summer Hill School\nwas a wood framed Rosenwald structure of white clapboard with only a few\nrooms. The original student body numbered 55 students in first through sixth\ngrades. The property was acquired by the city of Cartersville in 1892. By 1893,\nenrollment had grown to 250, and by 1920, served 358 students. Parents, who\nhad petitioned repeatedly for more grades over the years, were still dealing with\ndiscarded desks and worn-out textbooks from the whites only Cartersville City\nEast Side and West Side schools.\nMany students continued their schooling after finishing their early grades at\nSummer Hill. In 1925, Thomas Kiser reported to the Atlanta Independent,\na black newspaper of the era, that Annie Hutcherson, Ada Thompson, and\nHarriet Edwards were off to Spelman Seminary, while Florence Gassett, Eva\nGassett, and Robert Morris were headed for Atlanta University.\nOn May 20, 1922, the Cartersville School Board accepted a proposal by the\nColored Committee and the Julius Rosenwald Foundation for $3000 total\nfrom the Foundation and Summer Hill parents to build a much-needed new\nschool. The structure was completed in late 1922; the school continued to\nexpand until all grades through high school were finally added by 1951.\nThe Cartersville School Board hired J. Stanley “Fess” Morgan in 1925. “Professor”\nMorgan, as he was known, and his wife, teacher Beatrice Morgan, introduced a\nrange of extracurricular activities—including band, choir, interest clubs and men’s\nand women’s sports—to develop well-rounded, civic minded students. In January\n1956, less than two years after the Supreme Court declared school segregation\nunconstitutional (Brown v. Board of Education), the brand new Summer Hill High\nSchool was opened. It was enlarged in 1961 to accommodate the lower grades,\nand the original school was vacated. The school closed in 1968. The current campus operates a museum, library, youth and alumni programs,\nauditorium, nature trail, and sports complex that includes the historic Blue\nDevil Stadium, hand built by parents in the community. 770-331-9135\nwww. summerhillheritagegroup. org.",[378],{"_73":392,"_136":122,"_137":393},[],"Summer Hill Complex","https://api.opentour.site/georgia-humanities/v4/public/media/5nbxg9emcmk4wzswn48tkjqdv9es?variant=desktop",{"_107":408,"_104":23,"_136":122,"_141":409,"_143":-5,"_144":122,"_145":410,"_147":411,"_34":412,"_150":-5,"_151":321,"_153":410,"_154":155,"_156":360,"_73":392,"_158":122},{"_107":396,"_104":23,"_136":122,"_141":397,"_143":-5,"_144":122,"_145":398,"_147":399,"_34":400,"_150":-5,"_151":321,"_153":398,"_154":155,"_156":401,"_73":402,"_158":122},73,268,"walking_tour_21.jpeg",{"_159":403,"_161":404,"_163":405,"_165":406,"_166":407},82,201,"Statue of the Morgan's at Summer Hill","https://api.opentour.site/georgia-humanities/v4/public/media/n6kl1eqri0xiruyu9959vhbtzk6v","https://api.opentour.site/georgia-humanities/v4/public/media/n6kl1eqri0xiruyu9959vhbtzk6v?variant=mobile","https://api.opentour.site/georgia-humanities/v4/public/media/n6kl1eqri0xiruyu9959vhbtzk6v?variant=tablet","https://api.opentour.site/georgia-humanities/v4/public/media/n6kl1eqri0xiruyu9959vhbtzk6v?variant=desktop","https://api.opentour.site/georgia-humanities/v4/public/media/n6kl1eqri0xiruyu9959vhbtzk6v?variant=lqip",72,598,"walking_tour_20.jpeg",{"_159":413,"_161":414,"_163":415,"_165":393,"_166":416},81,"https://api.opentour.site/georgia-humanities/v4/public/media/5nbxg9emcmk4wzswn48tkjqdv9es","https://api.opentour.site/georgia-humanities/v4/public/media/5nbxg9emcmk4wzswn48tkjqdv9es?variant=mobile","https://api.opentour.site/georgia-humanities/v4/public/media/5nbxg9emcmk4wzswn48tkjqdv9es?variant=tablet","https://api.opentour.site/georgia-humanities/v4/public/media/5nbxg9emcmk4wzswn48tkjqdv9es?variant=lqip",47,"camp-pine-acres","Camp Pine Acres",{"_34":377,"_64":378,"_73":379},11,{"_34":457,"_64":458,"_73":459},"3963 Bartow Carver Road, Acworth","

Carver Park’s John Atkinson hoped to share his love of the great outdoors\nwith the larger African American community, but he faced challenges. Very\nfew African Americans could swim, and no organized lessons were offered for\npeople of color. After a tragic drowning at the park, Atkinson reached out\nfor help. After much searching, the Red Cross in neighboring Rome agreed\nto train the park’s first black lifeguards. Swimming lessons soon followed for\nboth sexes, although they were taught separately. During this time, Atkinson\nbecame aware that Scouting was a great program to develop youth, so he and\nother local leaders organized troops.\n

Scoutmaster Robert Cotton led Negro Scout Troop 80 in activities such as\nhiking, camping, fishing, and water safety. Girls also were forming troops;\nAtlanta’s District V “Camping For Me” brochure lists George Washington\nCarver State Park as their official camp in 1963. Girls were taught skills such\nas archery, swimming, and arts and crafts. Those programs grew and took\nover certain portions of the park as they gained in size and popularity. Group\ncamping was established for these new boy scouts and girl scouts, and hiking\ntrails linked the camps back to the main Carver clubhouse.\n

In 1962, a sublease was agreed upon between the Department of State Parks,\nHistoric Sites, and Monuments and the Greater Atlanta Girl Scout Council to\nestablish and construct a 210 acre Negro Girls Scout group camp on the Carver\nPark site. In the 1970’s, this camp became fully integrated. In 2018, the Girl\nScouts negotiated to end their lease, and Bartow County took over the site.\nThe camp has now been reopened as Pine Acres Retreat on Lake Allatoona.\nOperated by the Cartersville-Bartow County Convention and Visitors Bureau,\nPine Acres Retreat features two special event venues, camping, cabins, a dock,\npool, and picnic pavilions.\n

Go to VisitCartersvilleGA.org/PineAcresRetreat/ for more information, or\ncall 770-387-1357.

",34.1342819,-84.6626294,[434,435],"Carver Park’s John Atkinson hoped to share his love of the great outdoors\nwith the larger African American community, but he faced challenges. Very\nfew African Americans could swim, and no organized lessons were offered for\npeople of color. After a tragic drowning at the park, Atkinson reached out\nfor help. After much searching, the Red Cross in neighboring Rome agreed\nto train the park’s first black lifeguards. Swimming lessons soon followed for\nboth sexes, although they were taught separately. During this time, Atkinson\nbecame aware that Scouting was a great program to develop youth, so he and\nother local leaders organized troops.\nScoutmaster Robert Cotton led Negro Scout Troop 80 in activities such as\nhiking, camping, fishing, and water safety. Girls also were forming troops;\nAtlanta’s District V “Camping For Me” brochure lists George Washington\nCarver State Park as their official camp in 1963. Girls were taught skills such\nas archery, swimming, and arts and crafts. Those programs grew and took\nover certain portions of the park as they gained in size and popularity. Group\ncamping was established for these new boy scouts and girl scouts, and hiking\ntrails linked the camps back to the main Carver clubhouse.\nIn 1962, a sublease was agreed upon between the Department of State Parks,\nHistoric Sites, and Monuments and the Greater Atlanta Girl Scout Council to\nestablish and construct a 210 acre Negro Girls Scout group camp on the Carver\nPark site. In the 1970’s, this camp became fully integrated. In 2018, the Girl\nScouts negotiated to end their lease, and Bartow County took over the site.\nThe camp has now been reopened as Pine Acres Retreat on Lake Allatoona.\nOperated by the Cartersville-Bartow County Convention and Visitors Bureau,\nPine Acres Retreat features two special event venues, camping, cabins, a dock,\npool, and picnic pavilions.\nGo to VisitCartersvilleGA. org/PineAcresRetreat/ for more information, or\ncall 770-387-1357.",[418],{"_73":432,"_136":122,"_137":433},[],"Camp Pine Acres Girl Scouts","https://api.opentour.site/georgia-humanities/v4/public/media/d1wal3hoe3hp0ocm3i25wqwt3kud?variant=desktop",{"_107":447,"_104":23,"_136":122,"_141":448,"_143":-5,"_144":122,"_145":449,"_147":450,"_34":451,"_150":-5,"_151":321,"_153":449,"_154":155,"_156":452,"_73":432,"_158":122},{"_107":436,"_104":23,"_136":122,"_141":437,"_143":-5,"_144":122,"_145":438,"_147":439,"_34":440,"_150":-5,"_151":321,"_153":438,"_154":155,"_156":441,"_73":432,"_158":122},71,272,"walking_tour_18.jpeg",{"_159":442,"_161":443,"_163":444,"_165":445,"_166":446},80,204,"https://api.opentour.site/georgia-humanities/v4/public/media/dwha9owc6f7z579cxiwbrszdeiyx","https://api.opentour.site/georgia-humanities/v4/public/media/dwha9owc6f7z579cxiwbrszdeiyx?variant=mobile","https://api.opentour.site/georgia-humanities/v4/public/media/dwha9owc6f7z579cxiwbrszdeiyx?variant=tablet","https://api.opentour.site/georgia-humanities/v4/public/media/dwha9owc6f7z579cxiwbrszdeiyx?variant=desktop","https://api.opentour.site/georgia-humanities/v4/public/media/dwha9owc6f7z579cxiwbrszdeiyx?variant=lqip",70,271,"walking_tour_19.jpeg",{"_159":453,"_161":454,"_163":455,"_165":433,"_166":456},79,203,"https://api.opentour.site/georgia-humanities/v4/public/media/d1wal3hoe3hp0ocm3i25wqwt3kud","https://api.opentour.site/georgia-humanities/v4/public/media/d1wal3hoe3hp0ocm3i25wqwt3kud?variant=mobile","https://api.opentour.site/georgia-humanities/v4/public/media/d1wal3hoe3hp0ocm3i25wqwt3kud?variant=tablet","https://api.opentour.site/georgia-humanities/v4/public/media/d1wal3hoe3hp0ocm3i25wqwt3kud?variant=lqip",46,"george-washington-carver-park","George Washington Carver Park",{"_34":417,"_64":418,"_73":419},10,{"_34":497,"_64":498,"_73":499},"3900 Bartow Carver Rd SE, Acworth, GA 30102, USA","

During WWII, many African Americans found themselves at war on two\nfronts: overseas, where famous all-black military divisions fought valiantly\nbeside their white counterparts, and in America, where the “Double V for\nVictory” campaign was being waged for equal rights on the home front. It was\nin this environment that John Loyd Atkinson, a former Tuskegee Airman,\nsought to establish a place for regional black recreation with a beach.\n

Newly created Lake Allatoona near Cartersville, which opened to the public in\n1950, offered a likely spot, but no one would give Atkinson a lease. However,\nGovernor Talmadge had recently secured a lease for the state to create Red Top\nMountain State Park, a segregated park for whites only. Talmadge recognized\nthat returning black veterans were demanding more services for people of color,\nand addressed the request from Atkinson by leasing him adjacent property to\nform blacks-only George Washington Carver State Park for Negroes, a “sister\npark” to Red Top.

Carver Park became fondly known in the Atlanta Metro region simply as “The\nBeach.” Famous black recording artists of the era such as Ray Charles and Little\nRichard performed live at the park; it also served as the summer home of the\nSt. John’s Ski Bees, the only black water ski team in Georgia. Carver was where\na young Coretta Scott King spent weekends at church outings, and where\nReverend Andrew Young and his family learned to water ski.\n

Due to state budget cuts, George Washington Carver Park was removed from\nthe state park system and its operation turned over to Bartow County in 1975,\nbecoming known as Bartow Carver Park. In 2017, the park returned to its\noriginal name and was renovated under new management by the Cartersville-Bartow County Convention & Visitors Bureau. The park is open for day use\nand is available for reservation making it an ideal site for reunions, corporate\npicnics, and other large gatherings.

\n770-387-1357 VisitCartersvilleGA.org/gwcp

",34.14149768,-84.6656943,[474,475],"During WWII, many African Americans found themselves at war on two\nfronts: overseas, where famous all-black military divisions fought valiantly\nbeside their white counterparts, and in America, where the “Double V for\nVictory” campaign was being waged for equal rights on the home front. It was\nin this environment that John Loyd Atkinson, a former Tuskegee Airman,\nsought to establish a place for regional black recreation with a beach.\nNewly created Lake Allatoona near Cartersville, which opened to the public in\n1950, offered a likely spot, but no one would give Atkinson a lease. However,\nGovernor Talmadge had recently secured a lease for the state to create Red Top\nMountain State Park, a segregated park for whites only. Talmadge recognized\nthat returning black veterans were demanding more services for people of color,\nand addressed the request from Atkinson by leasing him adjacent property to\nform blacks-only George Washington Carver State Park for Negroes, a “sister\npark” to Red Top. Carver Park became fondly known in the Atlanta Metro region simply as “The\nBeach.” Famous black recording artists of the era such as Ray Charles and Little\nRichard performed live at the park; it also served as the summer home of the\nSt. John’s Ski Bees, the only black water ski team in Georgia. Carver was where\na young Coretta Scott King spent weekends at church outings, and where\nReverend Andrew Young and his family learned to water ski.\nDue to state budget cuts, George Washington Carver Park was removed from\nthe state park system and its operation turned over to Bartow County in 1975,\nbecoming known as Bartow Carver Park. In 2017, the park returned to its\noriginal name and was renovated under new management by the Cartersville-Bartow County Convention & Visitors Bureau. The park is open for day use\nand is available for reservation making it an ideal site for reunions, corporate\npicnics, and other large gatherings.\n770-387-1357 VisitCartersvilleGA. org/gwcp",[458],{"_73":472,"_136":122,"_137":473},[],"Washington Carver Park Boat Dock from Beach","https://api.opentour.site/georgia-humanities/v4/public/media/jsguzn7jc0q0tfcbo7yg5h6j01xa?variant=desktop",{"_107":488,"_104":23,"_136":122,"_141":489,"_143":-5,"_144":122,"_145":490,"_147":491,"_34":328,"_150":-5,"_151":321,"_153":490,"_154":155,"_156":492,"_73":472,"_158":122},{"_107":476,"_104":23,"_136":122,"_141":477,"_143":-5,"_144":122,"_145":478,"_147":479,"_34":480,"_150":-5,"_151":321,"_153":478,"_154":155,"_156":481,"_73":482,"_158":122},69,616,"walking_tour_16.jpeg",{"_159":483,"_161":484,"_163":485,"_165":486,"_166":487},78,462,"Washington Carver Park Pavilion","https://api.opentour.site/georgia-humanities/v4/public/media/ncer09lonfo6vhpn827a3tb26yjn","https://api.opentour.site/georgia-humanities/v4/public/media/ncer09lonfo6vhpn827a3tb26yjn?variant=mobile","https://api.opentour.site/georgia-humanities/v4/public/media/ncer09lonfo6vhpn827a3tb26yjn?variant=tablet","https://api.opentour.site/georgia-humanities/v4/public/media/ncer09lonfo6vhpn827a3tb26yjn?variant=desktop","https://api.opentour.site/georgia-humanities/v4/public/media/ncer09lonfo6vhpn827a3tb26yjn?variant=lqip",68,958,"walking_tour_17.jpeg",{"_159":493,"_161":494,"_163":495,"_165":473,"_166":496},718,"https://api.opentour.site/georgia-humanities/v4/public/media/jsguzn7jc0q0tfcbo7yg5h6j01xa","https://api.opentour.site/georgia-humanities/v4/public/media/jsguzn7jc0q0tfcbo7yg5h6j01xa?variant=mobile","https://api.opentour.site/georgia-humanities/v4/public/media/jsguzn7jc0q0tfcbo7yg5h6j01xa?variant=tablet","https://api.opentour.site/georgia-humanities/v4/public/media/jsguzn7jc0q0tfcbo7yg5h6j01xa?variant=lqip",45,"vinnie-s-cabin","Vinnie's Cabin",{"_34":457,"_64":458,"_73":459},9,{"_34":537,"_64":538,"_73":539},"124 N Erwin St, Cartersville, GA 30120, USA","

Only one original slave cabin remains on the property of what is believed to be the first home built in Cartersville. This simple one-room, wood-framed structure can be seen from Erwin Street and is located to the rear of the main house.\n

This cabin, as well as the main house, was in danger of collapse in 2018 when the property was bought and rehabilitated by its current owner. Originally, the main house was owned by Elijah Murphy Field and Cornelia Maxey Harrison Field and was considered\n the family’s “townhome” property. They also owned a large plantation on Pumpkinvine Creek, along with numerous enslaved people.\n

During the Civil War, the house was commandeered for use as a post office and Union headquarters by General Benjamin Harrison of Indiana, who served in Sherman’s Campaign through Georgia. Mrs. Fields, a cousin of General Harrison’s, was furious, refusing\n to ever again welcome the General inside her home. Harrison later became the 23rd President of the United States and advocated strongly for voting rights for freedmen. The cousins split bitterly over the issue of slavery, as did the nation.\n

Nevertheless, post-Civil War society changed as formerly enslaved African Americans joined the economic landscape. By 1880, when this cabin came to by occupied by Mrs. Vinnie Salter Johnson, the Field family no longer enslaved African Americans, but provided\n a paid wage for their labor.\n

Vinnie Salter Johnson

Born in September, 1855, in Early County, Georgia, to slaves Berry and Rachel Salter, Vinnie grew up with 5 brothers and 2 sisters, married, had a family, and relocated to Cartersville. Between 1880 and 1900, she worked as a paid\n cook in the Fields’ home and lived in the cabin with her son Cafaries Johnson. By 1910, she had earned enough money to rent her own home and live independently on nearby Bartow Street. Though her life was challenging, her legacy includes successful\n doctors and entrepreneurs among her descendants.

","The first home in Cartersville is now Strands Hair Salon, and Vinnie's Cabin is located behind the building. ",34.16770473,-84.79865796,[515,516],"Only one original slave cabin remains on the property of what is believed to be the first home built in Cartersville. This simple one-room, wood-framed structure can be seen from Erwin Street and is located to the rear of the main house.\n\nThis cabin, as well as the main house, was in danger of collapse in 2018 when the property was bought and rehabilitated by its current owner. Originally, the main house was owned by Elijah Murphy Field and Cornelia Maxey Harrison Field and was considered\n the family’s “townhome” property. They also owned a large plantation on Pumpkinvine Creek, along with numerous enslaved people.\n\nDuring the Civil War, the house was commandeered for use as a post office and Union headquarters by General Benjamin Harrison of Indiana, who served in Sherman’s Campaign through Georgia. Mrs. Fields, a cousin of General Harrison’s, was furious, refusing\n to ever again welcome the General inside her home. Harrison later became the 23rd President of the United States and advocated strongly for voting rights for freedmen. The cousins split bitterly over the issue of slavery, as did the nation.\n\nNevertheless, post-Civil War society changed as formerly enslaved African Americans joined the economic landscape. By 1880, when this cabin came to by occupied by Mrs. Vinnie Salter Johnson, the Field family no longer enslaved African Americans, but provided\n a paid wage for their labor.\n\nVinnie Salter JohnsonBorn in September, 1855, in Early County, Georgia, to slaves Berry and Rachel Salter, Vinnie grew up with 5 brothers and 2 sisters, married, had a family, and relocated to Cartersville. Between 1880 and 1900, she worked as a paid\n cook in the Fields’ home and lived in the cabin with her son Cafaries Johnson. By 1910, she had earned enough money to rent her own home and live independently on nearby Bartow Street. Though her life was challenging, her legacy includes successful\n doctors and entrepreneurs among her descendants.",[498],{"_73":513,"_136":122,"_137":514},[],"Vinnie's Cabin Exterior","https://api.opentour.site/georgia-humanities/v4/public/media/39z1edmnw1z4aajm77pmsm68uxha?variant=desktop",{"_107":528,"_104":23,"_136":122,"_141":529,"_143":-5,"_144":122,"_145":530,"_147":531,"_34":356,"_150":-5,"_151":321,"_153":530,"_154":155,"_156":532,"_73":513,"_158":122},{"_107":517,"_104":217,"_136":122,"_141":518,"_143":-5,"_144":122,"_145":519,"_147":520,"_34":317,"_150":-5,"_151":321,"_153":519,"_154":155,"_156":521,"_73":522,"_158":122},67,604,"walking_tour_15.jpeg",{"_159":523,"_161":524,"_163":525,"_165":526,"_166":527},453,"Vinnie's Cabin interior","https://api.opentour.site/georgia-humanities/v4/public/media/0oa4n4hhi786a5bwoqvx2lpytx1z","https://api.opentour.site/georgia-humanities/v4/public/media/0oa4n4hhi786a5bwoqvx2lpytx1z?variant=mobile","https://api.opentour.site/georgia-humanities/v4/public/media/0oa4n4hhi786a5bwoqvx2lpytx1z?variant=tablet","https://api.opentour.site/georgia-humanities/v4/public/media/0oa4n4hhi786a5bwoqvx2lpytx1z?variant=desktop","https://api.opentour.site/georgia-humanities/v4/public/media/0oa4n4hhi786a5bwoqvx2lpytx1z?variant=lqip",66,533,"walking_tour_14.jpeg",{"_159":533,"_161":534,"_163":535,"_165":514,"_166":536},400,"https://api.opentour.site/georgia-humanities/v4/public/media/39z1edmnw1z4aajm77pmsm68uxha","https://api.opentour.site/georgia-humanities/v4/public/media/39z1edmnw1z4aajm77pmsm68uxha?variant=mobile","https://api.opentour.site/georgia-humanities/v4/public/media/39z1edmnw1z4aajm77pmsm68uxha?variant=tablet","https://api.opentour.site/georgia-humanities/v4/public/media/39z1edmnw1z4aajm77pmsm68uxha?variant=lqip",44,"judicial-history","Judicial History",{"_34":497,"_64":498,"_73":499},8,{"_34":563,"_64":564,"_73":565},"115 W Cherokee Ave, Cartersville, GA 30120, USA","

The judicial history of African Americans in the South shows many examples\nof unequal treatment under the law. Historically, African American men were\ndisproportionately represented in the jails and prisons of Georgia and also\nmore likely to be sentenced to death for their crimes. Cartersville saw a number\nof legal hangings such as that of Will Jackson in 1901, when thousands of\nspectators reportedly gathered to observe the proceedings, and it has also been\nthe site of three known lynchings that received national attention: those of\nJohn Jones in July 1904, Jessie McCorkle in February 1916, and John Willie\nClark in October 1930. After the Clark lynching, most of the African American\nbusinesses moved out of the downtown Cartersville district, and tucked\nthemselves into largely segregated and primarily residential neighborhoods such\nas Summer Hill and West End. By the 1940’s, little remained of what was once\na thriving community of black entrepreneurs along Main and Church Streets.\n

However, in spite of those dark beginnings, Cartersville has also had the\nprivilege of giving rise to the first African American judge ever appointed\nto the Georgia Supreme Court, Justice Robert Benham. Justice Benham\nwas raised in Cartersville, son of Jesse Knox and Clarence Benham, and is\nmarried to Nell Dodson. As a young man, Benham attended Summer Hill\nHigh School, which was the segregated school for blacks. Active in the Civil\nRights Movement, he later became the first African American to establish a\nlaw practice in Bartow County. Benham proudly graduated from Tuskegee\nUniversity in 1967, attended Harvard University, received his Juris Doctor\nfrom the University of Georgia in 1970, and his Master of Laws degree\nfrom University of Virginia in 1989. Benham also served in the U.S. Army\nReserve. In 1989 Cartersville native and then-Governor Joe Frank Harris\nappointed attorney Robert Benham to the Supreme Court of Georgia.\nJustice Benham subsequently won a statewide election to serve a full term on\nthe court and was later elected, by his peers, to serve as Chief Justice of the\nGeorgia Supreme Court from 1995-2001. Justice Benham has always been a\nproponent of the fact that we, as people, have more in common than we have\nthings that separate us.

",34.1659257,-84.79773861,[554],"The judicial history of African Americans in the South shows many examples\nof unequal treatment under the law. Historically, African American men were\ndisproportionately represented in the jails and prisons of Georgia and also\nmore likely to be sentenced to death for their crimes. Cartersville saw a number\nof legal hangings such as that of Will Jackson in 1901, when thousands of\nspectators reportedly gathered to observe the proceedings, and it has also been\nthe site of three known lynchings that received national attention: those of\nJohn Jones in July 1904, Jessie McCorkle in February 1916, and John Willie\nClark in October 1930. After the Clark lynching, most of the African American\nbusinesses moved out of the downtown Cartersville district, and tucked\nthemselves into largely segregated and primarily residential neighborhoods such\nas Summer Hill and West End. By the 1940’s, little remained of what was once\na thriving community of black entrepreneurs along Main and Church Streets.\nHowever, in spite of those dark beginnings, Cartersville has also had the\nprivilege of giving rise to the first African American judge ever appointed\nto the Georgia Supreme Court, Justice Robert Benham. Justice Benham\nwas raised in Cartersville, son of Jesse Knox and Clarence Benham, and is\nmarried to Nell Dodson. As a young man, Benham attended Summer Hill\nHigh School, which was the segregated school for blacks. Active in the Civil\nRights Movement, he later became the first African American to establish a\nlaw practice in Bartow County. Benham proudly graduated from Tuskegee\nUniversity in 1967, attended Harvard University, received his Juris Doctor\nfrom the University of Georgia in 1970, and his Master of Laws degree\nfrom University of Virginia in 1989. Benham also served in the U. S. Army\nReserve. In 1989 Cartersville native and then-Governor Joe Frank Harris\nappointed attorney Robert Benham to the Supreme Court of Georgia.\nJustice Benham subsequently won a statewide election to serve a full term on\nthe court and was later elected, by his peers, to serve as Chief Justice of the\nGeorgia Supreme Court from 1995-2001. Justice Benham has always been a\nproponent of the fact that we, as people, have more in common than we have\nthings that separate us.",[538],{"_73":552,"_136":122,"_137":553},[],"1903 Courthouse","https://api.opentour.site/georgia-humanities/v4/public/media/ertus281pu9oay1vxqb9ebekhomw?variant=desktop",{"_107":555,"_104":23,"_136":122,"_141":556,"_143":-5,"_144":122,"_145":557,"_147":558,"_34":367,"_150":-5,"_151":321,"_153":557,"_154":155,"_156":529,"_73":552,"_158":122},65,711,"walking_tour_13.jpeg",{"_159":559,"_161":560,"_163":561,"_165":553,"_166":562},"https://api.opentour.site/georgia-humanities/v4/public/media/ertus281pu9oay1vxqb9ebekhomw","https://api.opentour.site/georgia-humanities/v4/public/media/ertus281pu9oay1vxqb9ebekhomw?variant=mobile","https://api.opentour.site/georgia-humanities/v4/public/media/ertus281pu9oay1vxqb9ebekhomw?variant=tablet","https://api.opentour.site/georgia-humanities/v4/public/media/ertus281pu9oay1vxqb9ebekhomw?variant=lqip",43,"african-american-real-estate-developers","African American Real Estate Developers",{"_34":537,"_64":538,"_73":539},7,{"_34":589,"_64":590,"_73":591},"145 W Main St, Cartersville, GA 30120, USA","

From this corner down to Erwin Street were some of the earliest sites of African\nAmerican property development. The earliest deed that has been found to a\nblack owner downtown was in 1874 from Josiah Parrott (white) to Jackson\nBurge, for a lot on West Main Street to the east of Conyers Alley that was later\nsubdivided into several stores. The lot was bordered on the east edge by Henry\nSaxon’s blacksmith shop, which predated the sale of the lot.\n

Jackson Burge was among the wealthiest black property owners in Cartersville.\nBorn in 1815 in North Carolina, and enslaved by Nathaniel and Nancy Burge,\nhe was brought with them when they established a plantation in the Stilesboro/\nEuharlee area in the decades before the Civil War. On July 20, 1867, he signed\nan Oath to the Union as a qualified voter residing in the 4th electoral district\nof Bartow County, and is noted in the 1870 census as a gardener. Burge is not\nlisted as a property owner in 1871, but by 1872, he owned $1,200 of property\n(over $24,000 in today’s money) which was extraordinary for a black man of\nthe time. The two areas where he owned property were on West Main Street\nin the downtown business district, and on West Main Street at Lee Street in\nwhat became one of the city’s first African American residential districts, West\nEnd. He appears to have settled in a neighborhood of wealthy white lawyers\nand business owners not far from the home of African American grocer John\nQ. Gassett.\n

When Jackson Burge died in 1881, he bequeathed to his daughter Angelina\nPeacock (wife of Robert Peacock) his downtown lot fronting Main Street. He\nalso bequeathed his personal possessions to her “not subject to the debts of her\nhusband” and then to her heirs. This set up Angelina to become a prominent\nbusinesswoman in her own right, running a boarding house, a restaurant,\nand selling the property to John Q. Gassett that allowed for the creation of\nGassett’s Grocery.

","On the corner of Main and Noble Street.",34.16462843,-84.79837362,[581],"From this corner down to Erwin Street were some of the earliest sites of African\nAmerican property development. The earliest deed that has been found to a\nblack owner downtown was in 1874 from Josiah Parrott (white) to Jackson\nBurge, for a lot on West Main Street to the east of Conyers Alley that was later\nsubdivided into several stores. The lot was bordered on the east edge by Henry\nSaxon’s blacksmith shop, which predated the sale of the lot.\nJackson Burge was among the wealthiest black property owners in Cartersville.\nBorn in 1815 in North Carolina, and enslaved by Nathaniel and Nancy Burge,\nhe was brought with them when they established a plantation in the Stilesboro/\nEuharlee area in the decades before the Civil War. On July 20, 1867, he signed\nan Oath to the Union as a qualified voter residing in the 4th electoral district\nof Bartow County, and is noted in the 1870 census as a gardener. Burge is not\nlisted as a property owner in 1871, but by 1872, he owned $1,200 of property\n(over $24,000 in today’s money) which was extraordinary for a black man of\nthe time. The two areas where he owned property were on West Main Street\nin the downtown business district, and on West Main Street at Lee Street in\nwhat became one of the city’s first African American residential districts, West\nEnd. He appears to have settled in a neighborhood of wealthy white lawyers\nand business owners not far from the home of African American grocer John\nQ. Gassett.\nWhen Jackson Burge died in 1881, he bequeathed to his daughter Angelina\nPeacock (wife of Robert Peacock) his downtown lot fronting Main Street. He\nalso bequeathed his personal possessions to her “not subject to the debts of her\nhusband” and then to her heirs. This set up Angelina to become a prominent\nbusinesswoman in her own right, running a boarding house, a restaurant,\nand selling the property to John Q. Gassett that allowed for the creation of\nGassett’s Grocery. ",[564],{"_73":579,"_136":122,"_137":580},[],"West Main Street/Conyers Alley Business District in 1916","https://api.opentour.site/georgia-humanities/v4/public/media/si0mgmulxvwwk5erurw9l5ksycnx?variant=desktop",{"_107":582,"_104":23,"_136":122,"_141":532,"_143":-5,"_144":122,"_145":583,"_147":584,"_34":396,"_150":-5,"_151":321,"_153":583,"_154":155,"_156":152,"_73":579,"_158":122},64,"walking_tour_12.jpeg",{"_159":585,"_161":586,"_163":587,"_165":580,"_166":588},"https://api.opentour.site/georgia-humanities/v4/public/media/si0mgmulxvwwk5erurw9l5ksycnx","https://api.opentour.site/georgia-humanities/v4/public/media/si0mgmulxvwwk5erurw9l5ksycnx?variant=mobile","https://api.opentour.site/georgia-humanities/v4/public/media/si0mgmulxvwwk5erurw9l5ksycnx?variant=tablet","https://api.opentour.site/georgia-humanities/v4/public/media/si0mgmulxvwwk5erurw9l5ksycnx?variant=lqip",42,"conyers-alley-restaurants-and-eateries","Conyers Alley, Restaurants, and Eateries ",{"_34":563,"_64":564,"_73":565},6,{"_34":617,"_64":618,"_73":619},"135 GA-61, Cartersville, GA 30120, USA","

Today, Conyers Alley is just a remnant; a driveway between two buildings that\nmarks where a road used to be. But in the early 20th-century, Conyers Alley was\nthe center of the black business district downtown. This alley formerly connected\nWest Main Street with what was then known as West Market Street (now\nCherokee Avenue). First seen on the Sanborn Maps in 1890, a well was drilled\nthere by 1895, and buildings sprang up around 1900. The 1909 Sanborn Map\nshows a barber shop and a restaurant in the alley, and there is a good chance that\nthe restaurant in question was the original Blue Front Café, which moved around\nthe corner to Main Street within a decade and operated well into the 1940s.\n

The earliest black-owned public eating establishments grew up in the 1880s.\nAccording to the 1884 “Colored Department” of the Cartersville City\nDirectory, Carrie Alexander (born 1852) ran a restaurant on Railroad Street,\nwhile an 1884 newspaper article cites Alex Kennedy (born 1845) as running\na “first-class eating house for colored people” in downtown Cartersville\n(although the location has been lost to history). Pomp Johnson (born 1854)\nwas a saloon keeper as early as 1880, and an 1890 newspaper article noted that\nhe had moved his restaurant to Main Street. Local oral history also reports\nthat Angelina Peacock ran a restaurant adjacent to Gassett’s Grocery, possibly\nthe Blue Front Café, which may be the same restaurant as one run by Mary E.\nYoung in the 1910 census.\n

Mary E. Young and Dave Sullivan were noted as restaurant proprietors in the\n1910 census, but it is Charlie “Big Doc” Richardson whose name is frequently\nassociated with the Blue Front Cafe in popular memory. The entire district\naround this area was known as Blue Front during that time, likely as a result of\nthe bright blue paint that enhanced the front of the building. Later, this area\nbecame known as Bull Neck.

","Conyers Alley is located to the right of Sew Knot Serious, and continues behind downtown businesses located between 139 & 135 West Main Street. ",34.16459603,-84.7980631,[607],"Today, Conyers Alley is just a remnant; a driveway between two buildings that\nmarks where a road used to be. But in the early 20th-century, Conyers Alley was\nthe center of the black business district downtown. This alley formerly connected\nWest Main Street with what was then known as West Market Street (now\nCherokee Avenue). First seen on the Sanborn Maps in 1890, a well was drilled\nthere by 1895, and buildings sprang up around 1900. The 1909 Sanborn Map\nshows a barber shop and a restaurant in the alley, and there is a good chance that\nthe restaurant in question was the original Blue Front Café, which moved around\nthe corner to Main Street within a decade and operated well into the 1940s.\nThe earliest black-owned public eating establishments grew up in the 1880s.\nAccording to the 1884 “Colored Department” of the Cartersville City\nDirectory, Carrie Alexander (born 1852) ran a restaurant on Railroad Street,\nwhile an 1884 newspaper article cites Alex Kennedy (born 1845) as running\na “first-class eating house for colored people” in downtown Cartersville\n(although the location has been lost to history). Pomp Johnson (born 1854)\nwas a saloon keeper as early as 1880, and an 1890 newspaper article noted that\nhe had moved his restaurant to Main Street. Local oral history also reports\nthat Angelina Peacock ran a restaurant adjacent to Gassett’s Grocery, possibly\nthe Blue Front Café, which may be the same restaurant as one run by Mary E.\nYoung in the 1910 census.\nMary E. Young and Dave Sullivan were noted as restaurant proprietors in the\n1910 census, but it is Charlie “Big Doc” Richardson whose name is frequently\nassociated with the Blue Front Cafe in popular memory. The entire district\naround this area was known as Blue Front during that time, likely as a result of\nthe bright blue paint that enhanced the front of the building. Later, this area\nbecame known as Bull Neck.",[590],{"_73":605,"_136":122,"_137":606},[],"West Main & Conyers Alley circa 1930","https://api.opentour.site/georgia-humanities/v4/public/media/jxfar530yi8iu8z9rgef83sj8jgs?variant=desktop",{"_107":608,"_104":23,"_136":122,"_141":609,"_143":-5,"_144":122,"_145":610,"_147":611,"_34":408,"_150":-5,"_151":321,"_153":610,"_154":155,"_156":612,"_73":605,"_158":122},63,458,"walking_tour_11.jpeg",{"_159":613,"_161":614,"_163":615,"_165":606,"_166":616},343,"https://api.opentour.site/georgia-humanities/v4/public/media/jxfar530yi8iu8z9rgef83sj8jgs","https://api.opentour.site/georgia-humanities/v4/public/media/jxfar530yi8iu8z9rgef83sj8jgs?variant=mobile","https://api.opentour.site/georgia-humanities/v4/public/media/jxfar530yi8iu8z9rgef83sj8jgs?variant=tablet","https://api.opentour.site/georgia-humanities/v4/public/media/jxfar530yi8iu8z9rgef83sj8jgs?variant=lqip",41,"gassett-s-grocery-and-dr-w-r-moore","Gassett's Grocery and Dr. W.R. Moore",{"_34":589,"_64":590,"_73":591},5,{"_34":654,"_64":655,"_73":656},"127B W Main St, Cartersville, GA 30120, USA","

The African American business district around West Main Street was developed\nby Jackson Burge (drayman), his daughter Angelina Peacock, Ellis Patterson\nand Henry Saxon (blacksmiths), and John Q. Gassett (grocer) on the north\nside of West Main Street, midway between Erwin and Bartow Streets. Gassett’s\nGrocery Store, which opened at 127 West Main around 1893 and operated\nuntil Gassett’s death in the early 1920s, was one of the first major black-owned\nbusinesses to anchor this district, creating a customer base that allowed other\nnearby businesses to thrive.\n

Gassett, born in 1854, was the son of an unmarried white mother and, probably,\nan enslaved father. He was raised in Sullivan County, Tennessee, as part of his\nmother’s white family, and received an exceptional education as a teacher from\nthe Freedman’s Institute where he majored in Latin and the Classics. One of his\nfirst teaching positions was in Cartersville where he is listed in the 1880 census\nas a schoolteacher, age 22, living as a boarder with Angelina Peacock. Shortly\nthereafter, he married his wife Alice and started building a large family, who\nlater lived in a big house on the corner of Main and Fite Street. He was also\na real estate entrepreneur, actively engaged in developing lots from the former\nLewis Tumlin estate to help settle black families into what would become the\nSummer Hill residential district, northwest of the downtown business district.\n

John Gassett also provided space for the first African American doctor in\nCartersville – Dr. William Riley Moore – to establish his practice. Dr. Moore\nrented the space above Gassett’s Grocery from roughly 1910 until Gassett’s\ndeath in 1921, when he moved his practice to an office near Summer Hill. Dr.\nMoore, born in Florida in 1881, was the only black physician in Cartersville\nfrom 1910 until he brought in a partner not long before his death in 1954.\nBoth Gassett and Moore are buried at the Oak Hill Cemetery on Erwin Street\namong other prominent Cartersville citizens.

","This building is located on bustling Main Street, next door to Fusion Dance Company. ",34.16466103,-84.79785937,[635,636],"The African American business district around West Main Street was developed\nby Jackson Burge (drayman), his daughter Angelina Peacock, Ellis Patterson\nand Henry Saxon (blacksmiths), and John Q. Gassett (grocer) on the north\nside of West Main Street, midway between Erwin and Bartow Streets. Gassett’s\nGrocery Store, which opened at 127 West Main around 1893 and operated\nuntil Gassett’s death in the early 1920s, was one of the first major black-owned\nbusinesses to anchor this district, creating a customer base that allowed other\nnearby businesses to thrive.\nGassett, born in 1854, was the son of an unmarried white mother and, probably,\nan enslaved father. He was raised in Sullivan County, Tennessee, as part of his\nmother’s white family, and received an exceptional education as a teacher from\nthe Freedman’s Institute where he majored in Latin and the Classics. One of his\nfirst teaching positions was in Cartersville where he is listed in the 1880 census\nas a schoolteacher, age 22, living as a boarder with Angelina Peacock. Shortly\nthereafter, he married his wife Alice and started building a large family, who\nlater lived in a big house on the corner of Main and Fite Street. He was also\na real estate entrepreneur, actively engaged in developing lots from the former\nLewis Tumlin estate to help settle black families into what would become the\nSummer Hill residential district, northwest of the downtown business district.\nJohn Gassett also provided space for the first African American doctor in\nCartersville – Dr. William Riley Moore – to establish his practice. Dr. Moore\nrented the space above Gassett’s Grocery from roughly 1910 until Gassett’s\ndeath in 1921, when he moved his practice to an office near Summer Hill. Dr.\nMoore, born in Florida in 1881, was the only black physician in Cartersville\nfrom 1910 until he brought in a partner not long before his death in 1954.\nBoth Gassett and Moore are buried at the Oak Hill Cemetery on Erwin Street\namong other prominent Cartersville citizens.",[618],{"_73":633,"_136":122,"_137":634},[],"127 W Main Street","https://api.opentour.site/georgia-humanities/v4/public/media/1666549xs2du77xi5v4l5xs89ov1?variant=desktop",{"_107":647,"_104":23,"_136":122,"_141":638,"_143":-5,"_144":122,"_145":648,"_147":649,"_34":447,"_150":-5,"_151":321,"_153":648,"_154":155,"_156":191,"_73":633,"_158":122},{"_107":637,"_104":217,"_136":122,"_141":638,"_143":-5,"_144":122,"_145":639,"_147":640,"_34":436,"_150":-5,"_151":321,"_153":639,"_154":155,"_156":191,"_73":641,"_158":122},62,225,"walking_tour_9.jpeg",{"_159":642,"_161":643,"_163":644,"_165":645,"_166":646},"Dr. W.R. Moore","https://api.opentour.site/georgia-humanities/v4/public/media/g332uv0rdgdit05evfq2oi92arxk","https://api.opentour.site/georgia-humanities/v4/public/media/g332uv0rdgdit05evfq2oi92arxk?variant=mobile","https://api.opentour.site/georgia-humanities/v4/public/media/g332uv0rdgdit05evfq2oi92arxk?variant=tablet","https://api.opentour.site/georgia-humanities/v4/public/media/g332uv0rdgdit05evfq2oi92arxk?variant=desktop","https://api.opentour.site/georgia-humanities/v4/public/media/g332uv0rdgdit05evfq2oi92arxk?variant=lqip",61,"walking_tour_10.jpeg",{"_159":650,"_161":651,"_163":652,"_165":634,"_166":653},"https://api.opentour.site/georgia-humanities/v4/public/media/1666549xs2du77xi5v4l5xs89ov1","https://api.opentour.site/georgia-humanities/v4/public/media/1666549xs2du77xi5v4l5xs89ov1?variant=mobile","https://api.opentour.site/georgia-humanities/v4/public/media/1666549xs2du77xi5v4l5xs89ov1?variant=tablet","https://api.opentour.site/georgia-humanities/v4/public/media/1666549xs2du77xi5v4l5xs89ov1?variant=lqip",40,"the-service-trades-blacksmiths-draymen-and-barbers","The Service Trades: Blacksmiths, Draymen, and Barbers",{"_34":617,"_64":618,"_73":619},{"_34":693,"_64":694,"_73":695},"101 W Main St, Cartersville, GA 30120, USA","

populated with liveries, smithies, and warehouses. Blacksmithing was an important way that freed black men used their skills in the local economy. It involved considerable investment in equipment as well as shop space; and was a profession often passed from father to son, or shared by brothers in a family. Historic Sanborn Maps indicate where blacksmith shops were located but do not provide the names of the proprietors. We know that African American blacksmiths operated along West Main and Erwin Streets as well as on East Church Street (now under the bridge), often near the livery stables and carriage shops. Early African American blacksmiths in Cartersville included Henry Saxon, Ellis Patterson, Peter Murray, Haynes Milner and son Henry, the Elijah Henderson family, Frank Erwin, and Will Goode.

In addition to blacksmithing, another occupational niche was that of the draymen, who drove the delivery trucks of the day: horse-drawn, flat-bed wagons (known as drays) that were used to transport many types of goods. The draymen who owned their own dray and team were entrepreneurs who could provide services to various businesses as needed and who became financially independent. Notable early draymen included Jackson Burge and his son-in- law Robert Peacock, while the Wofford family subsequently established their dominance over this profession in the early 1900s. (Drayman John Wofford and his wife Carrie, a laundress, were the grandparents of Nobel-Prize-winning author Toni Morrison, born Chloe Wofford in 1931, whose father George migrated from Cartersville to Ohio in the 1920s to work in the steel mills.)

Skilled barbers were also in demand by both white and black customers, and this profession became a significant occupational niche for African American men in the late 1800s. Barbershops only required a small amount of space but flourished in the black business district along West Main Street. Early barbers who also owned their own shop were Essex Choice, Ashmon Potts, Ed Bell, David Williams, Jerry Hannon, Robert Grant, John Early, and J. C. Scott.

","On the corner of Main and Erwin Street.",34.1649873,-84.7968795,[671,672],"populated with liveries, smithies, and warehouses. Blacksmithing was an important way that freed black men used their skills in the local economy. It involved considerable investment in equipment as well as shop space; and was a profession often passed from father to son, or shared by brothers in a family. Historic Sanborn Maps indicate where blacksmith shops were located but do not provide the names of the proprietors. We know that African American blacksmiths operated along West Main and Erwin Streets as well as on East Church Street (now under the bridge), often near the livery stables and carriage shops. Early African American blacksmiths in Cartersville included Henry Saxon, Ellis Patterson, Peter Murray, Haynes Milner and son Henry, the Elijah Henderson family, Frank Erwin, and Will Goode. In addition to blacksmithing, another occupational niche was that of the draymen, who drove the delivery trucks of the day: horse-drawn, flat-bed wagons (known as drays) that were used to transport many types of goods. The draymen who owned their own dray and team were entrepreneurs who could provide services to various businesses as needed and who became financially independent. Notable early draymen included Jackson Burge and his son-in- law Robert Peacock, while the Wofford family subsequently established their dominance over this profession in the early 1900s. (Drayman John Wofford and his wife Carrie, a laundress, were the grandparents of Nobel-Prize-winning author Toni Morrison, born Chloe Wofford in 1931, whose father George migrated from Cartersville to Ohio in the 1920s to work in the steel mills.)Skilled barbers were also in demand by both white and black customers, and this profession became a significant occupational niche for African American men in the late 1800s. Barbershops only required a small amount of space but flourished in the black business district along West Main Street. Early barbers who also owned their own shop were Essex Choice, Ashmon Potts, Ed Bell, David Williams, Jerry Hannon, Robert Grant, John Early, and J. C. Scott.",[655],{"_73":669,"_136":122,"_137":670},[],"Barber Shop in Downtown Cartersville","https://api.opentour.site/georgia-humanities/v4/public/media/4z5uoxa7srgwktwlirtl4tlf74lo?variant=desktop",{"_107":684,"_104":23,"_136":122,"_141":685,"_143":-5,"_144":122,"_145":686,"_147":687,"_34":488,"_150":-5,"_151":321,"_153":686,"_154":155,"_156":688,"_73":669,"_158":122},{"_107":673,"_104":23,"_136":122,"_141":674,"_143":-5,"_144":122,"_145":675,"_147":676,"_34":476,"_150":-5,"_151":321,"_153":675,"_154":155,"_156":677,"_73":678,"_158":122},60,548,"walking_tour_8.jpeg",{"_159":679,"_161":680,"_163":681,"_165":682,"_166":683},411,"Courtesy of Avery Research Center, College of Charleston","https://api.opentour.site/georgia-humanities/v4/public/media/hd1zy9shbkabiqdluwpufr5k3z0g","https://api.opentour.site/georgia-humanities/v4/public/media/hd1zy9shbkabiqdluwpufr5k3z0g?variant=mobile","https://api.opentour.site/georgia-humanities/v4/public/media/hd1zy9shbkabiqdluwpufr5k3z0g?variant=tablet","https://api.opentour.site/georgia-humanities/v4/public/media/hd1zy9shbkabiqdluwpufr5k3z0g?variant=desktop","https://api.opentour.site/georgia-humanities/v4/public/media/hd1zy9shbkabiqdluwpufr5k3z0g?variant=lqip",59,574,"walking_tour_7.jpeg",{"_159":689,"_161":690,"_163":691,"_165":670,"_166":692},430,"https://api.opentour.site/georgia-humanities/v4/public/media/4z5uoxa7srgwktwlirtl4tlf74lo","https://api.opentour.site/georgia-humanities/v4/public/media/4z5uoxa7srgwktwlirtl4tlf74lo?variant=mobile","https://api.opentour.site/georgia-humanities/v4/public/media/4z5uoxa7srgwktwlirtl4tlf74lo?variant=tablet","https://api.opentour.site/georgia-humanities/v4/public/media/4z5uoxa7srgwktwlirtl4tlf74lo?variant=lqip",39,"segregation","Segregation",{"_34":654,"_64":655,"_73":656},3,{"_34":731,"_64":732,"_73":733},"1 Friendship Plaza, Cartersville, GA 30120, USA","

Racial segregation was an institution that started shortly after the end of the Civil War in Georgia. In 1872, state legislators passed laws segregating schools, then in the mid-1890s, Georgia, along with many other Southern states, passed a series of laws known as Jim Crow laws that broadly supported racial segregation and codified it into law. When the U.S. Supreme Court later introduced the idea of “separate but equal” with the 1896 case of Plessy v. Ferguson, it further legitimized segregation and encouraged Southern states to expand the scope of their enforcement. This period, known as the Jim Crow era, officially lasted until the passing of the Civil Rights Act of 1964 and the Voting Rights Act of 1965.

Many buildings in Cartersville still carry vestiges of our segregated past. If you enter the train depot you can still see a remnant, in the back hallway, of the separate black and white ticket windows and waiting rooms.

Other buildings in downtown Cartersville bear witness to this history of racial segregation as well. Both of Cartersville’s historic courthouses had segregated balconies where African Americans were required to sit. The Grand Theatre had a separate entrance for black movie patrons, which led to a segregated seating section. At both Ross’s Diner and 4-Way Lunch, one can still see the separate entrances designated for African American diners, who were required to sit at segregated counters at the rear of the buildings adjacent to the kitchen areas. Pharmacies, gas stations, grocery stores, retail shops, parks, libraries-- virtually no place existed where African Americans could occupy equal space or expect equal treatment during that period, which lasted nearly 100 years after emancipation.

","Enter into the historic train depot. The Welcome Center attendee will show you around the depot. ",34.16590314,-84.79589384,[711,712],"Racial segregation was an institution that started shortly after the end of the Civil War in Georgia. In 1872, state legislators passed laws segregating schools, then in the mid-1890s, Georgia, along with many other Southern states, passed a series of laws known as Jim Crow laws that broadly supported racial segregation and codified it into law. When the U. S. Supreme Court later introduced the idea of “separate but equal” with the 1896 case of Plessy v. Ferguson, it further legitimized segregation and encouraged Southern states to expand the scope of their enforcement. This period, known as the Jim Crow era, officially lasted until the passing of the Civil Rights Act of 1964 and the Voting Rights Act of 1965.Many buildings in Cartersville still carry vestiges of our segregated past. If you enter the train depot you can still see a remnant, in the back hallway, of the separate black and white ticket windows and waiting rooms. Other buildings in downtown Cartersville bear witness to this history of racial segregation as well. Both of Cartersville’s historic courthouses had segregated balconies where African Americans were required to sit. The Grand Theatre had a separate entrance for black movie patrons, which led to a segregated seating section. At both Ross’s Diner and 4-Way Lunch, one can still see the separate entrances designated for African American diners, who were required to sit at segregated counters at the rear of the buildings adjacent to the kitchen areas. Pharmacies, gas stations, grocery stores, retail shops, parks, libraries-- virtually no place existed where African Americans could occupy equal space or expect equal treatment during that period, which lasted nearly 100 years after emancipation.",[694],{"_73":709,"_136":122,"_137":710},[],"Courtesy of Library of Congress","https://api.opentour.site/georgia-humanities/v4/public/media/1hqttpy3zhv5nwk8wjts661262wj?variant=desktop",{"_107":722,"_104":23,"_136":122,"_141":723,"_143":-5,"_144":122,"_145":724,"_147":725,"_34":528,"_150":-5,"_151":321,"_153":724,"_154":155,"_156":726,"_73":709,"_158":122},{"_107":713,"_104":23,"_136":122,"_141":529,"_143":-5,"_144":122,"_145":714,"_147":715,"_34":517,"_150":-5,"_151":321,"_153":714,"_154":155,"_156":532,"_73":716,"_158":122},58,"walking_tour_5.jpeg",{"_159":717,"_161":718,"_163":719,"_165":720,"_166":721},"Train Depot Segregated Ticket Windows","https://api.opentour.site/georgia-humanities/v4/public/media/1pz1mvbfhnomahi5wfqyqkmhgr40","https://api.opentour.site/georgia-humanities/v4/public/media/1pz1mvbfhnomahi5wfqyqkmhgr40?variant=mobile","https://api.opentour.site/georgia-humanities/v4/public/media/1pz1mvbfhnomahi5wfqyqkmhgr40?variant=tablet","https://api.opentour.site/georgia-humanities/v4/public/media/1pz1mvbfhnomahi5wfqyqkmhgr40?variant=desktop","https://api.opentour.site/georgia-humanities/v4/public/media/1pz1mvbfhnomahi5wfqyqkmhgr40?variant=lqip",57,387,"walking_tour_6.jpeg",{"_159":727,"_161":728,"_163":729,"_165":710,"_166":730},290,"https://api.opentour.site/georgia-humanities/v4/public/media/1hqttpy3zhv5nwk8wjts661262wj","https://api.opentour.site/georgia-humanities/v4/public/media/1hqttpy3zhv5nwk8wjts661262wj?variant=mobile","https://api.opentour.site/georgia-humanities/v4/public/media/1hqttpy3zhv5nwk8wjts661262wj?variant=tablet","https://api.opentour.site/georgia-humanities/v4/public/media/1hqttpy3zhv5nwk8wjts661262wj?variant=lqip",38,"the-clothing-trades-tailors-pressers-cleaners-and-shoemakers","The Clothing Trades: Tailors, Pressers, Cleaners, and Shoemakers",{"_34":693,"_64":694,"_73":695},{"_34":755,"_64":756,"_73":757},"17 E Church St, Cartersville, GA 30120, USA","

Until the widespread mechanization of clothing manufacturing, tailors were an important part of the fabric and textile economy in Cartersville. African American men like Emory Coleman, Robert Shepard, Jessie Pitts, Lon Scott, and Willie O’Neal had tailor shops downtown, while many women continued to find employment taking in piecework and sewing clothes. Most of these seamstresses worked from their homes rather than from shops but their work still found a niche in the local economy.

Around the turn of the century a new profession arose in Cartersville and across the South: pressing clubs, which were precursors to the dry cleaning industry and which were an occupational niche dominated by African Americans. They mainly pressed suits, with the average price being $1 for five to eight suits. Alonzo “Lon” Scott, born in 1885, began his career as a tailor with his own shop on West Main before World War I and by the 1930s ran his own pressing club. John Walker, born around 1898, along with his wife Rose, ran the Johnny Walker Pressing Club.

Then, as technologies changed, pressing clubs gave way to dry-cleaners and laundries. James “Happy” Younger, born in 1902, and his wife Sara, born in 1911, spent their entire lives in the world of fabric and textiles. Happy started his professional life as a tailor, while Sara was a laundress. In the late 1940s, they opened their own dry cleaning business on the south side of East Church Street, which was a fixture in town for many years. The building has since been torn down.

Another important niche was that of shoemaker, a necessity in the era before department stores and ready-to-wear shoes. Early black shoemakers were Alex King, Bob and Charlie Parrott, Walter Fletcher, and Sidney Luther. Charlie Parrott had his shoe shop along Railroad Street in the area where the Booth Museum stands today.

","The building is under the bridge, across the street from Appalachian Grill in downtown Cartersville.",34.16706216,-84.79540858,[748],"Until the widespread mechanization of clothing manufacturing, tailors were an important part of the fabric and textile economy in Cartersville. African American men like Emory Coleman, Robert Shepard, Jessie Pitts, Lon Scott, and Willie O’Neal had tailor shops downtown, while many women continued to find employment taking in piecework and sewing clothes. Most of these seamstresses worked from their homes rather than from shops but their work still found a niche in the local economy. Around the turn of the century a new profession arose in Cartersville and across the South: pressing clubs, which were precursors to the dry cleaning industry and which were an occupational niche dominated by African Americans. They mainly pressed suits, with the average price being $1 for five to eight suits. Alonzo “Lon” Scott, born in 1885, began his career as a tailor with his own shop on West Main before World War I and by the 1930s ran his own pressing club. John Walker, born around 1898, along with his wife Rose, ran the Johnny Walker Pressing Club. Then, as technologies changed, pressing clubs gave way to dry-cleaners and laundries. James “Happy” Younger, born in 1902, and his wife Sara, born in 1911, spent their entire lives in the world of fabric and textiles. Happy started his professional life as a tailor, while Sara was a laundress. In the late 1940s, they opened their own dry cleaning business on the south side of East Church Street, which was a fixture in town for many years. The building has since been torn down. Another important niche was that of shoemaker, a necessity in the era before department stores and ready-to-wear shoes. Early black shoemakers were Alex King, Bob and Charlie Parrott, Walter Fletcher, and Sidney Luther. Charlie Parrott had his shoe shop along Railroad Street in the area where the Booth Museum stands today.",[732],{"_73":746,"_136":122,"_137":747},[],"Younger Cleaners","https://api.opentour.site/georgia-humanities/v4/public/media/xhjvlau972ii550iiowig0ws5xm2?variant=desktop",{"_107":108,"_104":23,"_136":122,"_141":532,"_143":-5,"_144":122,"_145":749,"_147":750,"_34":555,"_150":-5,"_151":321,"_153":749,"_154":155,"_156":152,"_73":746,"_158":122},"walking_tour_4.jpeg",{"_159":751,"_161":752,"_163":753,"_165":747,"_166":754},"https://api.opentour.site/georgia-humanities/v4/public/media/xhjvlau972ii550iiowig0ws5xm2","https://api.opentour.site/georgia-humanities/v4/public/media/xhjvlau972ii550iiowig0ws5xm2?variant=mobile","https://api.opentour.site/georgia-humanities/v4/public/media/xhjvlau972ii550iiowig0ws5xm2?variant=tablet","https://api.opentour.site/georgia-humanities/v4/public/media/xhjvlau972ii550iiowig0ws5xm2?variant=lqip",31,"the-rise-of-african-american-entrepreneurship-in-bartow-county","The Rise of African American Entrepreneurship in Bartow County",{"_34":731,"_64":732,"_73":733},"1 N Erwin St, Cartersville, GA 30120, USA","

As Cartersville emerged from the 1860s, the central town in war-ravaged Bartow County, a new social order also started to develop. In it, formerly enslaved African Americans began to take an active place in the young community. They established businesses, built homes, worked, and socialized on the streets of downtown; claiming space alongside their white neighbors, although not yet sharing full legal equality.

In downtown Cartersville, a black business district developed on the north side of West Main Street, west of Erwin Street, primarily around land initially owned by black businessmen Jackson Burge, Ellis Patterson, and Henry Saxon. Here, in the area around what is now the intersection of Noble Street and Main Street, as well as along Conyers Alley – what was once a street connecting West Market Street (now Cherokee Street) and West Main that is now just a driveway – was the heart of the African American business community from the 1880s until the late 1920s.

After the abolition of slavery, which officially took effect on December 18, 1865 with the passing of the Thirteenth Amendment, formerly enslaved African Americans – as well as the rest of the South – were introduced to an entirely new post-war economy. By 1870, a majority of the recently freed African Americans, called freedmen, who lived in and around Cartersville continued to do jobs they had done during slavery: working as farm hands, day laborers, and – for women, especially – as domestic workers such as cleaners, cooks, laundresses, and seamstresses. As they began to collect wages for their work, the rise of the African American entrepreneur was born. The most prosperous freedpeople were those who practiced skilled trades, such as blacksmiths and barbers, occupational niches that were among the most lucrative professions for an ambitious black man in the late 1800s.

Once African Americans were able to engage in the formerly all-white economy, real estate investment began. This was particularly true of the skilled tradespeople who needed to invest in the tools of their trade: barbers and blacksmiths, as well as colliers (coal miners), brick masons, shoemakers, carpenters, and well diggers -- all of which required both capital and skilled labor. Some African American workers were able to accrue significant land holdings in Cartersville during that first quarter century after emancipation and, in so doing, established themselves as notable members of the Cartersville professional community.

Black women played a significant role in this burgeoning business community. Some ran their own businesses, while others shared a business as co-proprietor with their husbands or brothers. Mary Mills, an unmarried seamstress, was one of the early black landowners in Cartersville in the 1880s. Martha Hutchinson, born in South Carolina, ran a boarding house here in 1880, at the age of 61. Alice Gassett worked hand-in-hand with her husband, John Q. Gassett, at their long-standing grocery store on West Main Street, while Mary Eliza Young, born 1872 in Georgia, partnered with her husband at their restaurant on West Main, next to Gassett’s Grocery. Annie Craig, born in 1886, worked with her husband Oscar at their pressing club and then continued to manage it after his death, while Lucy Bell, born in 1895, was a barber in her father Ed Bell’s barber shop.

One of the most entrepreneurial and potentially lucrative careers for early black businesswomen was that of an independent sales agent. Cora E. Sidney was a book agent in 1900, at the age of 22; Eliza Jackson, born 1870, sold accident insurance in the early 1900s; and Marie Sheppard was an agent for toiletry (beauty) articles in 1930.

At the same time that the black business community was growing and developing in downtown Cartersville, African American residential areas were being established as well, mainly in three areas close to downtown: the neighborhood known as West End, on West Main Street past Fite Street; the area that became known as Summer Hill, just to the northwest of downtown; and a neighborhood north of downtown along the east side of the railroad tracks.

","Public parking is available in the parking lot with a fountain and large oak tree. The point of interest is the square, quilt-looking sculpture entitled Pathways to Freedom. ",34.16600784,-84.79640984,[774,775,776],34.16653765,-84.79626081,"As Cartersville emerged from the 1860s, the central town in war-ravaged Bartow County, a new social order also started to develop. In it, formerly enslaved African Americans began to take an active place in the young community. They established businesses, built homes, worked, and socialized on the streets of downtown; claiming space alongside their white neighbors, although not yet sharing full legal equality. In downtown Cartersville, a black business district developed on the north side of West Main Street, west of Erwin Street, primarily around land initially owned by black businessmen Jackson Burge, Ellis Patterson, and Henry Saxon. Here, in the area around what is now the intersection of Noble Street and Main Street, as well as along Conyers Alley – what was once a street connecting West Market Street (now Cherokee Street) and West Main that is now just a driveway – was the heart of the African American business community from the 1880s until the late 1920s. After the abolition of slavery, which officially took effect on December 18, 1865 with the passing of the Thirteenth Amendment, formerly enslaved African Americans – as well as the rest of the South – were introduced to an entirely new post-war economy. By 1870, a majority of the recently freed African Americans, called freedmen, who lived in and around Cartersville continued to do jobs they had done during slavery: working as farm hands, day laborers, and – for women, especially – as domestic workers such as cleaners, cooks, laundresses, and seamstresses. As they began to collect wages for their work, the rise of the African American entrepreneur was born. The most prosperous freedpeople were those who practiced skilled trades, such as blacksmiths and barbers, occupational niches that were among the most lucrative professions for an ambitious black man in the late 1800s. Once African Americans were able to engage in the formerly all-white economy, real estate investment began. This was particularly true of the skilled tradespeople who needed to invest in the tools of their trade: barbers and blacksmiths, as well as colliers (coal miners), brick masons, shoemakers, carpenters, and well diggers -- all of which required both capital and skilled labor. Some African American workers were able to accrue significant land holdings in Cartersville during that first quarter century after emancipation and, in so doing, established themselves as notable members of the Cartersville professional community. Black women played a significant role in this burgeoning business community. Some ran their own businesses, while others shared a business as co-proprietor with their husbands or brothers. Mary Mills, an unmarried seamstress, was one of the early black landowners in Cartersville in the 1880s. Martha Hutchinson, born in South Carolina, ran a boarding house here in 1880, at the age of 61. Alice Gassett worked hand-in-hand with her husband, John Q. Gassett, at their long-standing grocery store on West Main Street, while Mary Eliza Young, born 1872 in Georgia, partnered with her husband at their restaurant on West Main, next to Gassett’s Grocery. Annie Craig, born in 1886, worked with her husband Oscar at their pressing club and then continued to manage it after his death, while Lucy Bell, born in 1895, was a barber in her father Ed Bell’s barber shop. One of the most entrepreneurial and potentially lucrative careers for early black businesswomen was that of an independent sales agent. Cora E. 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