Our Legacy: A Brief History

Initially, education in Georgia was extremely one-sided. Due to federal and state laws prohibiting enslaved persons from reading and writing, their descendants who were freed or born into freedom had little educational opportunities and learned what they could from their families and neighbors. After the Civil War, localized schools for Black students appeared in the rural parts of the country, one of them being Spalding County. Throughout the twentieth century, these schools became increasingly important because they provided the structure of public education, which had not previously existed. The schools shaped students through extracurricular activities and set subjects while providing jobs for newly educated Black teachers. Through the school, a sense of solidarity and pride was created in the next generations in the Black community.

Three of the earliest recorded segregated schools for Black students in Griffin-Spalding County were Excelsior School, Broad Street School, and Cabin Creek School. Excelsior School, the first recorded school for Black students in the area, was built around 1884. Broad Street School, which was a grammar or primary school, was erected about ten years later. Broad Street School was the first Black school to become part of the city school system. Cabin Creek School was built in May 1898 and served primarily high schoolers. This school also boarded some of its students during the time it operated before burning down in 1949. Moore Elementary School was built on the site of the burned-down Cabin Creek School. This was constructed in 1949-1950 to serve the growing Black community on the north side of Griffin, affectionately known as the "Fairmont" area.

By the 1920s, both the Griffin City and Spalding County School Systems had primary schools called Spring Hill. The schools were referred to as Spring Hill City or Spring Hill County prior to their expansion in 1949-1950.

The Spring Hill City School was renamed "Cora Nimmons Elementary" after a local Black teacher. After a building expansion of the original wooden structure, the site was used to educate 7th-grade Black students. Spring Hill County School was also expanded into a brick structure and renamed "Annie Shockley Elementary" in honor of another local Black teacher. Today, students know this school as Anne Street Elementary School.

In February 1929, the Griffin City Schools Board of Education voted to accept financial support from the Rosenwald Fund to construct a segregated high school for the local Black community. When the school opened in the fall of 1929, it was known as Vocational High School.

To get ahead of the impending integration of Georgia schools, two new structures, a hall of classrooms and a gymnasium, were added to the Vocational High School campus in 1950, after which the school changed its name to Fairmont High School.

Extracurricular activities and social groups were introduced to Black students and gave them an opportunity to explore their creativity outside of their vocational curriculum. Some of the activities included marching band, sports, social groups and clubs. Fairmont also started two groups that still exist today: the Bogarsuns and the Bogarsettes. These groups were joinable by invitation only and acted as civil and social groups centered on community advancement and community service. The Fairmont band was a large part of bringing the surrounding townsfolk together on Fridays, as citizens would line the streets as the band marched from the school to the football field. Many students played sports such as football, basketball, and track and field. Olympic track and field gold medalist Wyomia Tyus attended and played sports at the elementary, middle and high school levels here in Griffin.

Following the increasing need for more classroom space, an entirely new school was built about a block away from the original structures in 1958. Once the new Fairmont High School was constructed, the original campus became Kelsey Middle School, also referred to as “Old Fairmont.” The new Fairmont High School served 9th through 12th grade students, while Kelsey served 7th and 8th grade students. Both of these schools remained segregated.

Before integration took place in Griffin, segregated Black schools held their students to high standards while encouraging personal growth. Teachers and principals made it a point that their students would be well-dressed, which would set them up to be well-perceived in the adult professional world. Many students were neighbors with their teachers who also may have been classmates with their parents; this manufactured a sense of unity. They were also encouraged by teachers to behave well and stay humble. Many of these expectations were held by the Black community out of safety. They were created out of defense and proactiveness against racial violence. While integrating schools seemingly allowed Black students access to newer school supplies, buses and facilities, many felt it resulted in a loss of identity for both Black and White students. Black students still suffered segregation in the classrooms, were subjected to increased racial bullying and were held to different and more harsh disciplinary actions to that of their White peers. The sense of unity was severed due to them having new teachers and peers who did not connect to them in the same ways, while White students were caught in the middle of racial tensions stemming from their "side" of the community.

In August of 1966, the first group of students participated in a voluntary integration, though some were encouraged by their parents to participate. Many of those interviewed can best recall the integration of Griffin High School, though other schools such as North Side Elementary School, Sacred Heart Catholic School, and Spalding Junior High School were also voluntarily integrated. By the fall of 1970, all Spalding County schools were fully integrated.

Griffin’s Black population is one that has strong roots in every aspect of everyday life. Especially before the complete integration of schools, stores, and neighborhoods, this group of individuals maintained a strong sense of kinship and togetherness. Numerous businesses were black-owned, and many job opportunities eventually opened for Black workers. 

• T.S. Richardson's Grocery
• Simmons Grocery
• Snow Rib Shack
• Triple H
• Ms. Banks' Restaurant
• Clara Lovett's Food Stand
• Cleanwell Pressing Club
• Mr. Ector, pressing club
• Dr. Washington, dentist
• Dr. Atkinson
• Dr. Charles Releford
• Mr. McDowell, funeral director
• Mr. Miller, funeral director
• Spalding Undertaker
• Mary Stinson, beauty parlor
• Ralph Gray, photography

• Atlanta Life Insurance Company
• Puritan Health and Life Insurance
• Independent Life Insurance
• Pyron's "juke joint"
• Collins Home, stop for travellers
• Nanny Kendall Home, stop for travellers
• Pulpwood Mill
• Bamboo Hut
• "Days" Community Store

Aside from having a sense of community through careers and education, it also shone through the physical neighborhoods that housed a majority of Griffin's Black community during the early- to mid-1900s. Two major communities were Boyds Row and Solomon Street. These two communities only interacted with one another at special events and places such as work or church. This separation is attributed to the idea that boys in one community were not "good enough" for the girls in the other community, and vice versa.

Boyds Row largely includes the streets of Boyds Row, Cherokee Avenue, and Hammond Drive. During the early to mid 1900s, children living in this neighborhood attended Annie Shockley school and went to New Hope Baptist Church, which is still an anchor within the community today. 

The area adjacent to Solomon Street hosted restaurants, a tavern, barbershops, churches, a movie theatre inside a house, boarding homes, and other Black-owned businesses, despite the majority of those living on Solomon Street being considered very poor. Many interviewed individuals make special note of the intense sense of togetherness experienced within this community. Several teachers lived next to students here, allowing the rules within the nearby schools to bleed out into community life. 

From the foundation of the first African American church in Griffin, religion, specifically Christianity, has played an important role in the Black community. Churches ranked as one of the most important centers of activity in the Black community. In general, churches served as hubs for activity, hosting events such as school programs, musicals, and pageants.

Mount Zion Baptist Church was the first to fill the role of serving exclusively black individuals in Griffin. This church is considered the mother church of the African American churches in the city of Griffin. Foundations for this church began in the balcony of the First Baptist Church of Griffin, which permitted enslaved individuals to attend church services. During the Civil War, enslaved individuals were moved from the balcony to the basement as they soon outnumbered white attendants. It was in this basement that enslaved individuals created Mount Zion.  

The first building for Mount Zion could be found on the corner of West Solomon and New Orleans Streets. On the 1895 Sanborn Fire Insurance Map, it appears as “Zion Baptist Church”. Reverend Owens would be named as the first pastor, but it is not known whether he was Black or White. Reverend Daniel Wilson would serve as the first definite Black pastor. This church served the black populace at its original location until it burned down on November 20, 1927. Some suggest that this fire was no accident but could not be proven. Church services moved to Cabin Creek School while the building was being reconstructed. In May 1929, the new Mount Zion was ready for use. Church services and activities occurred at this location until the church was reconstructed again in the 1970s, where weekly church gatherings are held today. 

As Mount Zion is considered the “mother church” of Black churches in Griffin, it would make sense that several other churches came directly out of this single church. Rising Star Baptist Church was formed after the first of several disagreements between members of Mount Zion. Eighth Street Baptist Church, which peddled food to civil rights protesters in the 1960s, formed from the second round of dissatisfied churchgoers. Finally, County Line Baptist Church was founded by Reverend Mitchell Starks and other church members.  

New Hope Baptist Church, founded in 1927, continues to be a cultural anchor to the citizens Boyds Row. Some churches hosted training for civil rights protests and served as a meeting place for civil rights groups. Heck Chapel United Methodist Church was crucial to civil rights in Griffin, as it’s pastor, Reverend Shopshire, formed the Griffin branch of the NAACP and held meetings and trainings within the church. Achaia Church was also important, as they allowed for civil rights training and even provided food during protests. 

Civil rights played a crucial role in the lives of Black folks in Griffin, especially during the 1960s and 1970s. This topic touched every part of their lives: education, community, careers, and religion. Change needed to occur in each of these aspects for Black citizens to make it one step closer to equality in the United States.  

The NAACP, Black United Group of Griffin (BUGG), SCLC, Civic Improvement League, Citizen Improvement League, and biracial committee served as the most prominent civil rights groups in Griffin, with the NAACP and biracial committee arguably the most profound of these groups. All these groups, however, were irreplaceable in the fight for civil rights. They typically held their meetings and training in churches.  

The National Association for the Advancement of Colored People, abbreviated to NAACP, is a civil rights organization with branches all over the United States. Reverend Shopshire of Heck Chapel United Methodist Church formed the Griffin branch, although the exact date of when he did so is unknown. The NAACP hosted sit-ins, protests, and picketing throughout Griffin and was involved in three important events: the burning of a cross on the lawn of Cleanwell Pressing Club; the closing of the public pools due to integration, and the boycott of Pomona Products. These protests allowed Black citizens of Griffin to participate in more jobs at more businesses. 

The biracial committee is often credited as the main reason there was no extensive violence in Griffin related to civil rights. It is unclear when this group was formed and who was involved with its formation, but some notable members included Mary Fitzhugh, Raymond Head, Jr., and Freddie Phillips.  

These groups did not go without backlash, however. The Ku Klux Klan, or the KKK, is the oldest and most infamous white supremacy group in the United States and was sure to make its presence known in Griffin. Their burning of crosses on several lawns across Griffin are glaring examples of their hatred towards people of color. The cross burning on the lawn of Cleanwell Pressing Club led to the discovery of significant amounts of weaponry in the vehicles that sped the Klansmen away from the scene.