Category Archives: Black History

-Georgia, Black History, Churches and Temples, National Register of Historic Places

St. Athanasius’ Episcopal Church of Brunswick, Georgia

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St. Athanasius’ Episcopal Church of Brunswick, Georgia, began in 1883 when two women from St. Mark’s Episcopal Church in Brunswick, Mary King Troupe and Louise Nightingale, started a Sunday School for the Black community. By 1885, the mission had grown, and St. Athanasius’ Episcopal Church was officially organized, named after Athanasius of Alexandria, a prominent African saint.

The current church building replaced the original wooden church, which was destroyed by a storm in 1896. The Gothic-Revival influenced church is made of tabby and is one of the few remaining tabby structures from the 19th century still standing in Brunswick. In 1946, the tabby was covered in stucco.

A major renovation in 2000 included the installation of stained glass memorial panels, featuring three panels that honor Civil Rights Movement leaders.

-Alabama, Black History

Fraternal Lodge-Oak Bowery, Alabama

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Oak Bowery is a small community in Chambers County, Alabama, It consists of only a few homes and churches.

The Early Star Lodge #395, Morning Star Chapter #734 of the Prince Hall Free & Accepted Masons call this building home. It sits on the campus of the St. Luke CME Church.

-Georgia, Black History, Houses

Dr. Scipio Johnson House of Augusta, Georgia

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Dr. Scipio S. Johnson was a prominent member of Augusta’s Black community and lived at 1420 Twiggs Street in the Bethlehem neighborhood He lived in the Craftsman-style brick home from its construction in the 1920s until he died in 1940.  Dr. Johnson graduated from the Haines Normal and Industrial Institute in Augusta. He graduated from Lincoln University in Oxford, Pennsylvania, and Howard University in Washington, DC.  Dr. Johnson was a pharmacist and operated Johnson Drug Store out of his house on Twiggs Street.

I am glad to say that this home was fully restored. Images of the house can be seen in an article on The Augusta Chronicle.

-Georgia, Bank, Black History, National Register of Historic Places

Penny Savings Bank of Augusta, Georgia

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The Penny Savings Loan and Investment Company is located at the corner of James Brown Boulevard and Laney-Walker Boulevard. The bank was founded on September 10, 1910, by prominent Black businessmen. The bank’s initial success led to the construction of this three-story building in 1925. Designed by noted architect G. Lloyd Preacher, it served as an anchor of the “Golden Blocks” Business District. Unfortunately, the bank closed in 1928 due to financial struggles.

The building has largely been vacant since its closure.

May 25, 1924 ad in The Augusta Chronicle
-Georgia, Black History, Cemeteries

The Grave of Lisa “Left Eye” Lopes in Atlanta, Georgia

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Lisa “Left Eye” Lopes (1971-2002) was a member of the pioneering rap and R&B group TLC. She combined creative and musical forces with Tionne “T-Boz” Watkins and Rozonda “Chilli” Thomas to create such hits as “Waterfalls” and “No Scrubs.” They were one of the most successful musical acts of the 1990s. Tragically, she died in a car accident in Honduras in 2002 at age 30.

She is buried in Hillandale Memorial Gardens in Lithonia, Georgia.

-Georgia, Black History, Churches and Temples

Mt. Olive Missionary Baptist Church of Augusta, Georgia

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Researching Mt. Olive Missionary Baptist Church has proven to be complicated. According to tax records, the eclectic Gothic Revival church was built in 1916. Unfortunately, in the Augusta Chronicle, it was hard to decipher which Mt. Olive Baptist Church was being discussed, as there was one in Louisville, Georgia, that had frequent mentions in the paper. I hoped there would be an article about its history, but I do not know the church’s history. I will update the post if I get more information.