National Register of Historic Places adds 4 Georgia landmarks
South-View Cemetery (Credit: South-View Cemetery Association)
ATLANTA - Four historic properties across Georgia have gained national recognition for their cultural, economic and educational impact.
Georgia historic sites added
What we know:
The Georgia Department of Community Affairs announced that four properties are now listed in the National Register of Historic Places.
The additions bring the state to 2,205 total listings comprising 91,089 historic resources.
The newly added sites are South-View Cemetery in Fulton County, New Ford Baptist Church and Cemetery in Wilkes County, the F.W. Woolworth Co. Store in Chatham County and R.M. Moore Elementary School in Cherokee County.
State officials aim to encourage property preservation and foster public appreciation for historic resources.
Chatham County civil rights landmark
The backstory:
Built in 1954 at 129 E. Broughton St. in Savannah, the F.W. Woolworth Co. Store played a prominent role in the modern civil rights movement.
Inspired by sit-ins in North Carolina, activists launched economic boycotts and sit-ins at the Savannah lunch counter.
These protests led to the desegregation of retail businesses and customer facilities across the city.
Savannah became the first city in Georgia to desegregate all public and private facilities on Oct. 1, 1963. The building was added to the register on July 17.
Fulton County African American heritage
Chartered in 1886, South-View Cemetery in Atlanta spans 101 acres and holds roughly 80,000 graves.
It served as the first privately owned Black cemetery corporation in post-Civil War Georgia, offering Black residents a rare opportunity to build and transfer wealth.
The Atlanta Preservation Center sponsored the cemetery's nomination. The property was officially added to the national register on July 8.
Wilkes and Cherokee historic grounds
New Ford Baptist Church and Cemetery, located in the Danburg community near Tignall, was purchased by formerly enslaved congregation members who worshipped and buried loved ones there for more than 150 years.
It was listed on July 8.
In Waleska, R.M. Moore Elementary School at 471 Grady St. represents the post-World War II era of rural school consolidation.
Built in 1948 and renamed in 1955 for Dr. Russell Malachi Moore, it is the sole surviving consolidated school facility from that transition era in northwest Cherokee County.
The school was added to the register on Aug. 3.
What we don't know:
State officials have not announced which additional historic properties are under consideration for future nomination cycles.
Authorities have also not disclosed specific state funding amounts allocated for future preservation projects at these four locations.
The Source: The information in this story was gathered from the Georgia Department of Community Affairs, who explained the new additions in a press release.