Flat Rock Archives

Last updated

The Flat Rock Archives is an African American historical museum located in the city of Stonecrest, Georgia. The mission of the archive is to preserve rural African American history in Georgia. [1] The archive is located in a historic home built by T.A. Bryant, Sr., and was donated in 2005, by Rev. T.A. Bryant, Jr. and his sister, Zudia Guthrie, to preserve and store all the Flat Rock records and documents. [2] It was established as a museum and resource to genealogical and historic research, as well as a heritage tourism site. The Flat Rock Archives consists of a variety of historic sites including the Flat Rock African American Historic Cemetery. All of these sites are located within the Arabia Mountain National Heritage Area. See Flat Rock, Georgia to learn more about the history of this area.

Contents

Flat Rock Archive.jpg

History

Since 1981, after a childhood of listening to the stories of his elders, Flat Rock native, Johnny Waits developed a vision to preserve the African-American history of the Flat Rock community. In December 2006, the Flat Rock Archives opened to the public. The co-founders of the archive is T.A. Bryant, Jr., Vera Whitaker, and Johnny Waits. Cheryl Moore-Mathis is the current President of the archive. [3]

In 2006, the Flat Rock Archives was part of a segment on African American Lives , episode "Listening to our Past" featuring Chris Tucker. [4]

The Flat Rock Archives Goal of Preserving Memories

One goal of the Flat Rock Archives is to preserve the memories of the Flat Rock community. [5] President of the archive, Cheryl Mathis-Moore wants the sounds, memories, and stories to be preserved and heard for generations to come.

In an Atlanta Journal Constitution article from 2005, Cleveland McMullen (aged 83 at the time) shared that he grew up in Flat Rock and joined the exodus of thousands of Southern blacks who fled to the North during the Great Depression to find jobs in factories and escape enforced segregation. [6] He recalled that Flat Rock had its own "scout" team (baseball), which played rivals from nearby communities, such as Lithonia, and, toward Atlanta, Edgewood. But McMullen can't recall the team name of the home nine, just that "it was a big deal, people came from all over. They'd have a barbecue, make a whole day of it. [6] "

The Flat Rock Historical Landscape

The Archives sit within a historical landscape and currently maintain the 20th century Georgian Cottage known as the T.A. Bryant, Sr. House built in 1917. The T.A. Bryant, Sr. house was donated to the Archives by T.A. Bryant, Sr.'s son and Co-Founder T.A. Bryant, Jr. The site also includes a barn, smokehouse, and outhouse constructed throughout the 20th century.

The historical landscape also includes the Historical African American Flat Rock Cemetery. According to Dr. Jeffrey Glover of Georgia State University's 2008 cemetery mapping project there are approximately 202 graves with 107 being unidentified fieldstones. [7]

Community outreach

The Flat Rock Archives is currently collecting and preserving a wide range of archival material, including genealogical records, newspaper articles, photographs, maps, church records, school records, rare books, and tangible artifacts that relate to African-American history in the rural South. [8]

In 2010, the Flat Rock Archives worked with Arabia Mountain High School to perform an honorary school graduation ceremony for eight African American elders of the Flat Rock community who were in their 70s, 80s and 90s. The students all attended Flat Rock School in the 1930s and 1940s, a time when there was such hostility to educating blacks. The students were given honorary high school diplomas from the DeKalb County school system because during the time they were in school the county did not give high school diplomas to blacks. [9]

The DeKalb History Center is currently housing the Flat Rock Archives exhibit "Deep Roots in DeKalb: The Flat Rock Story of Resilience". It includes objects collected from community residents that showcase more than 150 years of history. [10] Deep Roots in DeKalb: The Flat Rock Story of Resilience is Open at the DeKalb History Center in Decatur, Georgia through 2021. An opening reception was held on the evening of Thursday, February 28, 2019, at the DeKalb History Center. Staff of the DeKalb History Center, Flat Rock Archives, National Park Service and the Arabia Mountain Heritage Area Alliance were present, as well as members of the public and officials from DeKalb County and the cities of Decatur, Lithonia, and Stonecrest. [11]

The Archives also maintains the Historic African American Flat Rock Cemetery. [12]

Related Research Articles

<span class="mw-page-title-main">DeKalb County, Georgia</span> County in Georgia, United states

DeKalb County is located in the north central portion of the U.S. state of Georgia. As of the 2020 census, the population was 764,382, making it Georgia's fourth-most populous county. Its county seat is Decatur.

<span class="mw-page-title-main">Chamblee, Georgia</span> City in Georgia, United States

Chamblee is a city in northern DeKalb County, Georgia, United States, northeast of Atlanta. The population was 30,164 as of the 2020 census.

<span class="mw-page-title-main">Decatur, Georgia</span> City in Georgia, United States

Decatur is a city and the county seat of DeKalb County, Georgia, United States, part of the Atlanta metropolitan area. With a population of 24,928 in the 2020 census, the municipality is sometimes assumed to be larger since multiple ZIP Codes in unincorporated DeKalb County bear Decatur as the address.

<span class="mw-page-title-main">Druid Hills, Georgia</span> Neighborhood of Atlanta, Georgia, United States

Druid Hills is a community which includes both a census-designated place (CDP) in unincorporated DeKalb County, Georgia, United States, as well as a neighborhood of the city of Atlanta. The CDP's population was 14,568 at the 2010 census. The CDP formerly contained the main campus of Emory University and the Centers for Disease Control and Prevention (CDC); however, they were annexed by Atlanta in 2018. The Atlanta-city section of Druid Hills is one of Atlanta's most affluent neighborhoods with a mean household income in excess of $238,500.

<span class="mw-page-title-main">Lithonia, Georgia</span> City in Georgia, United States

Lithonia is a city in eastern DeKalb County, Georgia, United States. The city's population was 2,662 at the 2020 census. Lithonia is in the Atlanta metropolitan area.

<span class="mw-page-title-main">Redan, Georgia</span> Place in Georgia, United States

Redan is an unincorporated community and census-designated place (CDP) in DeKalb County, Georgia, United States. As of the 2020 census, the CDP had a total population of 31,749. It is a predominantly African American community in eastern DeKalb County, and is a suburb of Atlanta.

<span class="mw-page-title-main">Arabia Mountain</span> Mountain in Georgia, United States of America

Arabia Mountain, a part of Arabia Mountain National Heritage Area, is the northern of two peaks in the Davidson-Arabia Mountain Nature Preserve, in DeKalb County, Georgia, United States. A low saddle separates it from Bradley Mountain, several hundred feet to its south. The two form a monadnock. The peak is 955 feet (290 m) above sea level, rising 172 feet (52 m) above Arabia Lake reservoir. Bradley Mountain is closer to the visitor trails than Arabia Mountain and is often misidentified by visitors as Arabia Mountain.

Georgia's 4th congressional district is a congressional district in the U.S. state of Georgia. The district is currently represented by Democrat Hank Johnson, though the district's boundaries have been redrawn following the 2010 census, which granted an additional congressional seat to Georgia. The first election using the new district boundaries were the 2012 congressional elections.

<span class="mw-page-title-main">Kensington station (MARTA)</span> MARTA rail station

Kensington is an at-grade train station in unincorporated DeKalb County, Georgia, serving the Blue Line of the Metropolitan Atlanta Rapid Transit Authority (MARTA) rail system. It has one island platform with 1 track on each side. This station opened on June 26, 1993.

<span class="mw-page-title-main">Indian Creek station</span> MARTA rail station

Indian Creek is a train station in unincorporated DeKalb County, Georgia, the eastern terminus of the Blue Line of the Metropolitan Atlanta Rapid Transit Authority (MARTA) rail system. It has an island platform with one track on each side of the platform. This station opened in June 1993.

<span class="mw-page-title-main">Martin Luther King Jr. High School (Georgia)</span> Public secondary school in Lithonia, Georgia, United States

Martin Luther King Jr. High School is a public high school located in unincorporated DeKalb County, Georgia, United States, with a Lithonia postal address. It opened in August 2001 as the newest high school in the DeKalb County School System, and was named after the late civil rights leader Martin Luther King Jr.

<span class="mw-page-title-main">DeKalb County School District</span> Public school district in Georgia, United States

The DeKalb County School District (DCSD) is a school district headquartered at 1701 Mountain Industrial Boulevard in unincorporated DeKalb County, Georgia, United States, near Stone Mountain and in the Atlanta metropolitan area. DCSD operates public schools in areas of DeKalb County that are not within the city limits of Atlanta and Decatur. It served a portion of Atlanta annexed by that city in 2018 until 2024, when that portion was re-assigned to Atlanta Public Schools (APS).

<span class="mw-page-title-main">Gallery at South DeKalb</span> Shopping mall in Georgia, United States

The Gallery at South DeKalb, formerly South DeKalb Mall, is a shopping mall owned by Thor Equities. The mall is located at the intersection of Candler Road and Interstate 20 in the Panthersville CDP of DeKalb County, Georgia.

<span class="mw-page-title-main">The Mall at Stonecrest</span> Shopping mall in Georgia, U.S.

The Mall at Stonecrest is a super regional shopping mall along Interstate 20 in eastern Metro Atlanta that opened in 2001 on the growing I-20 corridor. It is off exit 75 in Stonecrest, Georgia, which became a city in 2017.

Lithonia High School is a public high school located in Stonecrest, Georgia, United States, near Lithonia. A part of the DeKalb County School District, it serves 1,450 students in grades 9–12. Darrick McCray is the current principal. The school offers many clubs and extracurricular activities, including book club, Men of Distinction, Future Business Leaders of America, robotics, marching band, and chorus. Sports include baseball, football, basketball, volleyball, swimming, golf, tennis, soccer, track, gymnastics, cheerleading, softball, and wrestling.

Greenhaven is a proposed city in southern DeKalb County, Georgia, outside Atlanta. It would consolidate several areas of DeKalb County south of U.S. Route 78, excluding the city of Stonecrest. Greenhaven would be the second largest city in the state after Atlanta, with a population of 300,000—of which 87 percent are African-American. The proposed city was announced by a city group in 2015 and unsuccessfully brought to the state legislature for approval three times, most recently in 2018.

The Arabia Mountain Path (AMP) is a paved biking and hiking trail connecting sites within the Arabia Mountain National Heritage Area, Georgia, United States, built by the PATH Foundation. The trail covers more than 30 linear miles and features hills, sections of boardwalk, a serpentine bridge, and access to 13 free trail head parking areas. The AMP connects a number of visitor destinations and recreational areas including Panola Mountain State Park, the Monastery of the Holy Spirit, Davidson-Arabia Mountain Nature Preserve, the Mall at Stonecrest, and historic Lithonia, Georgia.

Flat Rock is a historic African American community in DeKalb County, Georgia. It is located within the city of Stonecrest, as well as the Arabia Mountain National Heritage Area. Flat Rock is believed to be one of the oldest African American settlements in DeKalb County. In 1820, the area rested along the border of Creek and Cherokee Nation hunting grounds when it was settled during the Georgia Land Lottery. In 1865, after the end of the Civil War, the era of reconstruction provided opportunity for former enslaved people to stay in the area to build schools, churches, and civic organizations and create the tight knit African American Flat Rock Community. The community has continued to live in the area and have experienced the Black Codes, Jim Crow and the Great Migration. The area currently houses the Flat Rock Archives, which specialize in preserving African American rural history in Georgia.

Stonecrest is a city in DeKalb County, Georgia, United States. The boundaries of the city generally lie in the far southeastern corner of the county, and a smaller portion just north of Interstate 20. The city borders the existing municipality of Lithonia, as well as Rockdale and Henry counties.

<span class="mw-page-title-main">Najee Dorsey</span> US visual artist

Najee Dorsey is a contemporary American visual artist known for using mixed-media, collage, paint and photographic works that depict Southern African American experience and culture.

References

  1. ↑ Freeman, JoyEllen (2017). "A communal rock: sustaining a community archives in Flat Rock, Georgia". In Roued-Cunliffe, Henriette; Copeland, Andrea (eds.). Participatory Heritage. London: Facet Publishing. pp. 3–13. ISBN   978-1-78330-123-2 . Retrieved 24 September 2020.
  2. ↑ "Rev. T.A. Bryant, historian, board member of Flat Rock Archives passes". June 28, 2018.
  3. ↑ "About Us". Flat Rock Archives. Retrieved 2023-05-03.
  4. ↑ "African American Lives: Profile: Chris Tucker".
  5. ↑ Glass-Avery, Hermina. "FROM PIONEERS TO MASONS PRESERVING THE AFRICAN AMERICAN LEGACY OF NORTHWEST GEORGIA". Reflections. 4.
  6. 1 2 Scott, Jerffy (November 27, 2005). "TRUSTEES OF HISTORY Flat Rock's role Heritage written on hearts but not records". The Atlanta Journal-Constitution.
  7. ↑ Glover, Jeffrey; Woodard, Kelly; Reed, P. Jack; Waits, Johnny. "The Flat Rock Community Mapping Project: A Case Study in Community Archaeology". Early Georgia. 40: 23–44.
  8. ↑ "The Flat Rock Archives Local History Preservation Project".
  9. ↑ Scott, Jeffry. "Black students get diplomas years late Flat Rock recognizes eight after 60 years". The Atlanta Journal-Constitution.
  10. ↑ "DeKalb News: Exhibit showcases historic black community Flat Rock". Atlanta Journal-Constitution.
  11. ↑ "Deep Roots in DeKalb: The Flat Rock Story of Resilience Now Open at the DeKalb History Center".
  12. ↑ "Flat Rock walks the walk to preserve slave cemetery".

33°39′53.4″N84°9′42.4″W / 33.664833°N 84.161778°W / 33.664833; -84.161778

This page is based on this Wikipedia article
Text is available under the CC BY-SA 4.0 license; additional terms may apply.
Images, videos and audio are available under their respective licenses.