Mother Easter Baptist Church was founded in 1894 in Moultrie, Georgia, by Rev. James O. Kelley and several community leaders. The church was named in honor of “Mother Easter,” believed to be Easter Smith, a widow who allowed worship services to be held in her home before the church was built. After early growth and multiple relocations due to fires in 1903 and 1905, the congregation purchased this location in 1906.
Rev. Kelley served as the first pastor, followed by a succession of leaders who guided the church through rebuilding and expansion. Notable growth occurred under Rev. J.J. Strickland from 1942 to the late 1950s, when membership increased significantly and the church was remodeled with an added annex. In 1962, Rev. Emory Harrison Hopkins became the church’s first full-time pastor. The congregation moved into their current structure in 1985.
Blake Lewis was a noted architect in Valdosta, Georgia. He designed office buildings, churches, and houses throughout South Georgia and North Florida. The House of Nine Gables is a delightful mid-century home he designed and built in 1963.
This is an article in the Valdosta Times about Lewis’s design and the first family, the Oehrings, who lived there.
The Old Saint Teresa Catholic Church is the oldest church in Albany, Georgia. Built by enslaved craftspeople, construction began in 1859 but was halted during the Civil War. It was completed in 1882. It was added to the National Register of Historic Places in 1975.
The Georgia Rural Telephone Museum in Leslie, Georgia, was founded by Tommy C. Smith in 1995. Located in a converted cotton warehouse, it is believed to house one of the largest collections of telephones and related memorabilia.
In July 1963, more than a dozen young Black girls, ranging in age from 12 to 15, were arrested in Americus, Georgia, for peacefully protesting the segregation of a local movie theater. Rather than being released to their families, the girls were secretly transported 30 miles away to Leesburg, Georgia, where they were held for weeks without charges in a remote, dilapidated building. The same structure had been used the previous year to jail pastors protesting in support of civil rights. The pastors spike about the horrible conditions upon their release.
Their parents were not informed of their whereabouts. The girls later described the deplorable conditions of their confinement: they were crowded into a single cell with no beds, limited access to water, and severely unsanitary conditions. Food was delivered by the local dogcatcher, who eventually disclosed to the parents where the girls were being held. Once this information became known, the Student Nonviolent Coordinating Committee (SNCC) began organizing efforts to secure their release.
Danny Lyon image-Magnum Photos and Smithsonian National Museum of African American History and Culture
The girls became known as the “Leesburg Stockade Stolen Girls.” Their ordeal remained lhidden from the public until SNCC photographer Danny Lyon documented their imprisonment. His photos were first published in Jet magazine (see below) which finally brought national attention to the girls’ unlawful imprisonment.
One view of the room where the girls were unlawfully kept.
The girls were (I have italicized their maiden names and linked to the most current info I could find about the women):
Another view of the room where the girls were locked up.
Over the years, the 1940s building (some articles are saying Civil War era, which I do not believe to be correct) has been used as a 911 call center and an administrative office, and is in significantly better condition than when the girls were kept there. It now sits empty and was unlocked when I visited. I suggest visiting if you are in the area to get a sense of how small the room was where the little girls were held.
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