Tag Archives: Henry County

-Georgia, Abandoned, Black History, Churches and Temples

The Ruins of O’Neal AME Church-Henry County, Georgia

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I found this church on FindAGrave. I cannot locate any history of the church. The earliest burial is in 1871. That death date means that at least the congregation existed soon after the Civil War, which means it is a freedman church. There are sixteen listed burials with birth dates that indicate they were likely born into slavery. There was no cornerstone to indicate when the church was built. The last listed burial was in 1951. I could not find the cemetery to document the headstones. I will be going back with a friend to see if another pair of eyes will help me locate the cemetery.

The ruins of the church are fascinating. It’s clear that the door and one window were bricked in at some point, but this wasn’t done for all the windows and what I suspect was the entrance to the preacher’s office.

Baptismal pool
Side view
Front door
Front window
Bricked in window
One obituary mentioning the church as O’Neal ME Church
A death certificate stating “Old Oneal”
Cemeteries, Churches and Temples, Symbolism

Baby in Half Shell Monument

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Katie Lou Bell (1905-1905), Cleveland Cemetery

For approximately fifty years after the Civil War, a popular way to memorialize young children who had passed was a figure resting in a half shell. Prior to 1900, twenty-two percent of all children in the United States died before their first birthday.

The shell can represent a pilgrimage, spiritual protection, and innocence. Using those meetings, it makes sense this became a symbol for child graves.

Wealthier families would employ sculptors to make one that represented their child. Poor families, who wanted their children memorialized, adopted the shell as a way to mark graves when Sears Roebuck offered them in their catalog.

Here is a great academic article about these monuments by Annette Stott.

Cinderella Cooper (1885-1887), Evergreen Cemetery
Harry (1886-1892) and Nellie (1888-1892) Roberts, Kennesaw City Cemetery
April Lee Porterfield (1975-1988), McDonough City Cemetery
Ruby Colley (1899-1890), Morgan Methodist Church Cemetery

-Georgia, Black History, Rosenwald Schools, Schools

Unity Grove School-Locust Grove, Georgia

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Founded as early as 1891, the Unity Grove school was founded with the assistance of James Weldon Johnson in the Unity Grove community near Locust Grove. In 1931, the school was rebuilt as a two-teacher type school with Rosenwald funds. The total budget for the rebuild was $2537. The school was in use until 1954 when it was consolidated with another school in the county.

They are currently fundraising to save the school. You can donate. There is event being held to fundraise. See the flyer below.