I do not have any history of this church. According to FindAGrave, the oldest burial is from 1900.
Evergreen CME Church of Starr, South Carolina
Category Archives: Black History
Travelers Rest CME Church of Montezuma, Georgia
The Travelers Rest CME Church is just south of Montezuma, Georgia. Once completely overgrown, efforts have been made to clean up the cemetery and the brush around the building. Unfortunately, the building is likely too far gone to be preserved unless someone with very deep pockets comes forward.
The Travelers Rest CME Church was built on land deeded to it by the Travelers Rest Methodist Church in 1884. The church remained active until 1994.
When Cemeteries Were Segregated, the Rest Haven Section of Atlanta’s Westview Cemetery
Westview Cemetery in Atlanta, Georgia, was founded in 1884. Like many cemeteries in the South, the cemetery was segregated. The Black section of Westview was called Rest Haven and was named after the Methodist Episcopal bishop, Bishop Gilbert Haven (1821-1880). Bishop Haven was an early supporter of Clark College (now Clark Atlanta University) and president of the Freedman’s Aid Society of the Methodist Episcopal Church.
Westview Cemetery was founded in 1884 after it was determined that the city’s Oakland Cemetery could not accommodate many more burials. The Rest Haven section is behind where the current office is through a dense thicket of trees and overgrowth. The state of the cemetery section has been problematic since the beginning. One of the founders of South-View Cemetery, Albert Watts Sr., could not find his father Sterling Watts’s grave. Tired of the lack of care in the segregated sections of cemeteries, Watts and others chose to open their own cemetery. With South-View Cemetery’s opening in April 1886, burials slowed significantly in Rest Haven. Many Black Atlantans opted to be buried in South-View.
The most significant marker belongs to the Hill, Leigh, and Trimble families. Captain Andrew Hill lead the colored volunteer infantry (similar to the National Guard) and worked for the Peters Company. Lula Hill was one of the founders of Central Church and President of the Foreign Missionary Society.
Reverend Nicholas Jones was a grocer.
Sterling Kent was the son of Reverend Evarts and Helen Kent. He died of bronchitis at the age of 7 in 1886. Even though the Kent family is white, they chose to have their son buried here. Reverend Kent was a member of the American Missionary Association. He moved to Atlanta with his family. He and several others helped raise funds to start the Storrs School, one of the first schools for Black schoolchildren in Atlanta.
State Theater-Montgomery, Alabama
The State Theatre opened in 1940 on Highland Avenue in the historic neighborhood of Centennial Hill. It operated as a movie theater for the Black community until at least 1955. Over the years, it underwent several name changes, including the Nu Art Theatre, the Ritz Theatre, and the Art Theatre. By 1995, the building had been repurposed as a nightclub called Top Flight Disco. In 2008, it reopened as the Rose Supper Club Inc., which operated until its closure in 2013. It is now vacant.
Wayman Chapel AME Church of Union Springs, Alabama
Wayman Chapel AME Church was founded in May 1867 and built in 1882. It is named after Bishop Alexander Wayman, the seventh bishop of the AME Church.
The church’s striking architecture, featuring classic Gothic Revival elements, honors “Mother Bethel,” the founding AME church in Philadelphia. The church is still active today.
Paschal’s Brothers Restaurant and Motel-Atlanta, Georgia
Paschal’s Restaurant and Motel in Atlanta, Georgia, is a historic building with deep ties to Atlanta and the Civil Rights Movement. Founded in 1947 by brothers James and Robert Paschal, the restaurant became a hub for a good meal and social change. Originally a small 30-seat luncheonette, it was known for its fried chicken, which was Robert’s secret recipe. Because of its popularity, Paschal’s expanded to include a full-service restaurant and a motel, which is photographed above.
Paschal’s was more than just a place to eat. It was a meeting place for civil rights leaders, including Dr. Martin Luther King Jr., Maynard Jackson, and John Lewis, who often strategized there. Other famous visitors included Aretha Franklin, Dizzy Gillespie, and Al Gore.
While the original Paschal’s is no longer open, the restaurant can still be visited at their Castleberry Hill location on Northside Drive.