6 minute read
Jessica Gordy
BLACK
HISTORY
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in Cherokee County
A new church was constructed in the 1950s off Belletta Drive on land donated by the Rev. R.R. Freeman Sr. Emma Jean Freeman donated the first 1,000 bricks for the building.
BY JESSICA GORDY, HISTORY CHEROKEE
From Freedom Fighters during the Civil Rights Movement to establishing the first Black volunteer fire department in Georgia, Cherokee County holds snapshots of the larger picture that is American history. History Cherokee is pleased to highlight community heroes and pioneers within our African American communities who have contributed to making history belong to all of us.
African American Communities
Following the 13th Amendment, abolishing slavery in the United States, 4 million enslaved people suddenly faced stark decisions. Some would stay on at plantations and work as sharecroppers. Others fled for a new beginning, in hopes of finding jobs in cities. Throughout the country, freed people began establishing their own all-Black communities. In Cherokee County, areas such as Pearidge and Stumptown became thriving, closeknit communities with families building and establishing homes, churches, businesses, storefronts, and even a funeral home.
Located just north of Canton, off Highway 140, Pearidge often is described as more of an extended family than a community. The Pearidge community, formerly Keith’s Ridge, was formed by emancipated
slaves, specifically three intermingled families: the Keiths, Bates and McMickens. Descendants of these families remain in the community to this day. A stronghold in the Pearidge community is Hickory Log Baptist Church. Services originally were held in a log cabin, and later a clapboard structure on Elmwood Street, near the Hickory Log cemetery. In 1872, Philip Keith and his uncle, Dave Keith, established the Hickory Log Baptist Church, with Philip donating two acres of land for the church and cemetery.
Stumptown was a traditionally African American community off East Main Street in Canton. The community maintained its own identity for decades, with a store, a funeral home and a church. The area was known as Stumptown because many tree stumps were left underneath house foundations when the area was developed in the 1920s.
Civil Rights Movement
In 1956, two segregated public high schools in Cherokee County were built: Cherokee High School and the Cherokee Training School. The Cherokee Training School had an initial enrollment of 162 African American students from the Woodstock, Nelson, Waleska, Pearidge, South Canton and Nineteen communities. Principal H.A. Bell is remembered fondly for his ability to extract the best efforts from teachers
Crisler Street, one of the main thoroughfares of Stumptown, is shown here in the 1940s, prior to citywide improvements, including paved roads.
and students, despite the lack of many resources. Bell even encouraged and assisted students to find college scholarships that would help them continue their education, despite financial challenges. The school later was named the Ralph J. Bunche School in 1961, and was accredited by the Southern Association of Colleges and Secondary Schools under Bell’s leadership.
Brown v. Board of Education was the landmark 1954 Supreme Court case in which the justices unanimously ruled that racial segregation of children in public schools was unconstitutional. While this ruling did not achieve national school desegregation on its own, it did fuel the nascent Civil Rights Movement in the United States, with boycotts, sit-ins and demonstrations eventually leading to the toppling of Jim Crow laws across the South.
With the passage of the Civil Rights Act of 1964, segregation on the grounds of race, religion or national origin was banned at all places of public accommodation, including courthouses, parks, restaurants, theaters, sports arenas and hotels. African Americans and other minorities no longer could be denied service based on the color of their skin. In the summer of that year, a number of businesses in Cherokee County continued to refuse admittance to African Americans.
BLACK
HISTORY
in Cherokee County
Cynthia Durham and Priscilla Strickland were the first African American students to integrate Cherokee High School.
Led by the Rev. R.R. Freeman of Hickory Log Baptist Church, the Freedom League was formed to challenge segregation by integrating establishments such as the Pine Crest Inn and Canton Theater. With Freeman calling the mayor and chief of police in advance, a group of four young men purchased their movie tickets and eventually were admitted into the theater. However, not everyone in Cherokee County was happy about this societal advance. Agitated crowds overturned a car outside the theater, and the local KKK chapter harassed African American residents throughout the county following the events.
Following Freedom Summer, Cynthia Durham and Priscilla Strickland were the first African American students to integrate Cherokee High School. These two women wanted to broaden their educational experience, and, after much discussion with their family and the principal of the school, the two decided to attend Cherokee High in the fall of 1965. In the book “Cherokee County, Georgia: A History,” by Rebecca Johnston, the two recalled being treated poorly on their first day of school. "I remember us coming in one of the back halls and coming down the hall. It was as if everyone in the school had converged there and as we walked down the hall they backed out of the way," Strickland said. "They were very antagonistic. I do believe that there were good people at the school. ... Some people were throwing things at us as we walked by; I could hear them muttering and calling us ugly names."
Although the two women recalled difficult times, they agreed that they had no regrets being the first to integrate the school.
Because of the individual bravery of those Freedom Fighters and Freeman’s relentless work toward a better and united Cherokee County, the social unrest eventually dissipated, allowing the community to grow together and heal.
The Rev. R.R. Freeman is seen in 1972, from the Centennial Anniversary of Hickory Log Baptist Church booklet.
The lunch counter at Pine Crest Inn was integrated by brave individuals during Freedom Summer, 1964.
Community Heroes
Among those who have chosen service over self in our community, Charlie E. Ferguson Jr. and his son, Tony Ferguson, saw a need to have a fire station in the Nineteen and Pearidge communities. They established a volunteer fire department in the 1970s. They worked tirelessly to secure the land and raise funds to build a fire station, and collaboratively worked with city and county officials to ensure this need was met. The two played key roles in creating the first Black volunteer station in Georgia, where Tony served as the first fire chief at Station No. 9.
In September 2020, Station No. 9 was dedicated to the memory of Charlie E. Ferguson Jr., for his leadership and dedicated service to his community.
Do you have a story to tell? We’d love to hear from you, so we can expand our repository of local history with tales that we haven’t heard yet. History Cherokee is committed to historic preservation and education throughout the county, offering visitors the opportunity to explore Cherokee County history, from Native American habitation to events shaping the county today. If you are interested in contributing your stories through oral history interviews, or items that may help tell a larger story of American history, we look forward to hearing from you. 770-345-3288. historycherokee.org.
Jessica Gordy joined History Cherokee as the Marketing and Communications Manager in October, 2020. Charlie E. Ferguson Jr. and his son, Tony Ferguson, were instrumental in establishing Georgia’s first Black volunteer fire department.
