Located in Buckhead, the New Hope AME church is an anomaly compared to the exclusive homes that run along Arden Road. The vernacular church resembles many Black churches in rural Georgia with the central gable and tower. The church was founded in 1869 by newly freedmen and women. James H. Smith, a white Buckhead farmer, donated three acres of land to the congregation to build a church and a school.
The original church building was destroyed by fire in 1927. The current building consists of a 1928 basement and a 1936 sanctuary.
The school burned in 1942.
The cemetery’s earliest burial is 1889. Since the cemetery photos were taken, the cemetery has been restored.
