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 Second Empire House is on Broad Avenue, on the edge of downtown Albany. Built in 1889, it was built for Samuel Farkas, a Hungarian immigrant who came to the United States to work for his uncle, who was setting up dry goods stores in Albany. He became a successful businessman, and his wealth was estimated to be over $350,000 (almost $11 million today) when he died in 1915.
Albany, Georgia, is home to the state’s largest remaining Lustrons. There are eight homes, all in the M02 style. According to The Macon Telegraph, Tom Malone and Deming Whiting erected the first Lustron in Albany, Georgia, in May 1949. The home was shipped from the Columbus, Georgia Lustron Corporation.
The Albany homes are within a mile or so of each other. All but one are lived in or used as a business. Some have been modified, but the hallmark tripartite windows can be seen in all homes.
By using the Albany phone directory, I determined who the original owners were of each home. Their names are under each image with the original color.
The Coca-Cola Bottling Company was built in 1940 in Albany, Georgia. It was active until the early 2000s. In 2010, the building was donated to Sherwood Baptist Church, which now uses it as a community center.
Horace King was an accomplished builder and architect. He is known for his bridges, but he also designed other buildings.
The Albany Bridge House was built by King in 1858. King was born into slavery but was granted privileges to build around the South. Albany’s founder, Nelson Tift, hired him to build a bridge across the Flint River. The bridge was built with an adjoining bridge house to serve as the official gateway to the town where the town could collect tolls.
Over the years, the bridge house served as a smith shop and an auto parts store. It now functions as the Albany Welcome Center.
Located on W. Whitney Avenue in the southwest part of Albany, Georgia, the Mt. Zion Baptist Church and the Albany Civil Rights Institute visually connect Albany’s past with Albany’s present. Founded in 1865, Mt. Zion Baptist Church has long been a fixture in the Black community in Albany. As a freedmen’s church, it was the first African American Baptist church in Albany. On November 25, 1961, the first Albany Movement meeting occurred at the church. The church played a pivotal role during the Civil Rights Movement and galvanizing activists in Southwest Georgia. It was also the location where the Freedom Singers held their first performance. The meetings were so well attended that people would overflow into the street into Shiloh Baptist Church, serving as a meeting place for activists and a sanctuary for those seeking justice. Leaders such as Martin Luther King Jr, John Lewis, and Ralph David Abernathy attended and spoke at the meetings.
Adjacent to the church, the Albany Civil Rights Institute is dedicated to preserving the rich history of the Civil Rights Movement in Southwest Georgia. Housed in the rehabilitated Old Mt. Zion Baptist Church, the institute features exhibits, interactive displays, and a digital oral history database that bring the stories of the past to life1. Visitors can explore the struggles and triumphs of the movement through photographs, documents, and artifacts that detail the fight for voter registration, nonviolent protest, and economic boycotts. The church underwent significant restoration after the “Great Flood of 1994,” which caused extensive damage to the church.
Connected to the church, The Albany Civil Rights Institute, originally known as the Albany Civil Rights Movement Museum, opened in November 1998. Its mission is to educate about the Civil Rights Movement, especially in Southwest Georgia.
Below are images of the church from the National Register of Historic Places application before it is restored.
