Instructor

The Albany Movement began in late 1961 with meetings at this historic church along with an address by Martin Luther King, Jr. in December of that year. Local civil rights leaders in Albany were among the first to bring national civil rights organizations such as the NAACP together with the Southern Christian Leadership Council (SCLC), Student Nonviolent Coordinating Committee (SNCC), and Congress of Racial Equality (CORE).

The Albany Civil Rights Movement Museum is located near the historic Mt. Zion Baptist Church

Learn more about the movement in Georgia with this book from the University Press of Florida

Learn more about the movement throughout the South and the nation with this book from award-winning historian Taylor Branch

Website

Video

Tim S. R. Boyd, Georgia Democrats, the Civil Rights Movement, and the Shaping of the New South 

Book

Taylor Branch, Parting the Waters : America in the King Years 1954-63

Primary Sources about the Albany Movement from the Digital Library of Georgia

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This building dedicated in 2008 is home to the Albany Civil Rights Institute and is located next to the historic Mt. Zion Baptist Church. Dedicated in 1906 for a congregation that dates back to the end of the Civil War, this church was where local citizens founded the Albany Movement--an organization that coordinated local and regional civil rights activism between 1961 and 1963. The congregation now meets in a large and modern building southwest of this historic church that has been home to the Institute for several decades. The Institute grew from the creation of the Albany Civil Rights Movement Museum, which opened in 1998 and operated within the historic church. It was here where Dr. Martin Luther King Jr. and other national leaders addressed mass meetings organized by the Albany Movement between 1961 and 1962. Today, the Institute preserves and shares the history of the Civil Rights Movement in this part of Georgia and throughout the nation through interactive exhibits, archives, and sponsored events such as public lectures.

Albany Civil Rights Institute

This tour begins at the Albany Civil Rights Institute and includes a variety of landmarks including historic homes and churches as well as monuments and markers. More entries will be added soon. 

Albany Georgia Walking Tour

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The history of Shiloh Baptist Church begins in 1888 when Reverend Sam Byrd came to Georgia. He and his followers took an old wooden frame house and molded it into a church, naming it the Shiloh Baptist Church. The old wooden building had tattered walls, barren floors, boarded windows, planked ceilings, and makeshift steeples. Reverend Bryd led the community until his death in 1914. Following the passing of Rev. Bryd, the community would go through several reverends until Rev. H. C. Boyd, known for his time in the Civil Rights Movement, joined the community in 1959. Tragedy struck the community when, on February 19th, 1940, a tornado destroyed the original church building. Services for the community were held at Mt. Hebron Missionary Baptist Church and Simpson Hall until the church was rebuilt. Under the guidance of Rev. H. C. Boyd, the church expanded massively over the next few years after his arrival. The church purchased additional property to create a larger parking area, erected an educational building, purchased vans that were to be used by its members, and completed several major renovation projects. The church also established a security team for the congregation’s safety, due to the rising amount of racial crime in this era. During the 1960s the Shiloh Baptist Church played a major part in the Civil Rights Movement. The church was used by Black organizers to hold meetings and create plans for local civil rights marches. A coalition of Black improvement associations and student activists from SNCC and Albany State College organized at the church. The group set an unprecedented goal for the time, desegregating the entire community, from bus stations to lunch counters. In 1961 Albany Georgia experienced its first civil rights march after the arrest of five Black teenagers. The teenagers had performed a sit-in at a local downtown bus station, sitting in a “For whites only” area, and defied police orders to leave, promptly being arrested. Following the sit-in, larger protests ensued and resulted in 600 more arrests, causing national attention and for Dr. King to visit Albany. Dr. King’s visit caused a massive turnout, an estimated 1,500 people gathered at Shiloh Baptist Church, with an overflow crowd having to be hosted at the nearby Mt. Zion Baptist Church across the street. In December of 1961, Dr. King and hundreds of Black protestors were arrested in just one week. Dr. King would continue to organize and assist the movement from Shiloh Baptist Church but left in 1962 believing the movement had failed in Albany. Local organizers believed the contrary and simply thought the marches were a missed beat as African American voter registration was incredibly successful. Only two months after Dr. King had left Albany an African American businessman by the name of Thomas Chatmon secured a seat in the local commission and in the following spring the local commission removed all segregation from the books. In 2014 a historical marker was erected in front of the church by the Georgia Historical Society and the Albany Civil Rights Institute to commemorate the historic organizing and gathering that took place here. The Reverend that had been the leader during the time of the Civil Rights movement, Rev. H. C. Boyd, passed away in 2016 at the age of 89. Today the church is still an active church that serves the local community.

During the 1960s and the Civil Rights Movement, Albany began to have its own set of Civil Rights marches after five Black teenagers were arrested for sitting in a “for whites only” part of a downtown bus station. The following protests and marches resulted in 600 more arrests, eventually prompting national attention and causing Dr. Martin Luther King Jr. to visit Albany. It was here at the Shiloh Baptist Church that mass meetings for the following civil rights marches were organized, and where Dr. King gave speeches to those organizing for the mass demonstrations. The Shiloh Baptist Church actually overflowed with the number of people attending, estimated at over 1,500, with overflow crowds going to Old Mt. Zion Baptist Church across the street. In the end, over the next two years, hundreds of protestors were detained by Chief Laurie Pritchett, prompting Dr. King to feel as though the Marches were a failure as he ran out of protestors willing to risk arrest. However, the local organizers disagreed, with record-breaking African American voter registration being so successful that segregation was removed from the law in Albany the following spring. In 2014 a historical marker was erected in front of the church by the Georgia Historical Society and the Albany Civil Rights Institute to commemorate the historic organizing and gathering that took place here. Today the Shiloh Baptist Church still actively serves the local community.


Shiloh Baptist Church

The Albany Movement was a desegregation and voting rights coalition formed in Albany Georgia, in November of 1961, by local Black leaders and ministers such as Rev Charles Sherrod.&nbsp; Sherrod was a&nbsp;member and organizer of the Student Nonviolent Coordinating Committee (SNCC) during the 1960s Civil Rights Movement. He became the first SNCC field secretary, and served as the SNCC director of southwest Georgia. His leadership there led to the Albany Movement. He also participated in the Selma Voting Rights Movement and in many other&nbsp;parts of the 1960s Civil Rights&nbsp;movement. Sherrod worked with Dr. Martin Luther King Jr., participating in the organization's first demonstrations and voter registration drives.&nbsp;On November 22, 1961,&nbsp;&nbsp;the Trailways terminal was once again tested for compliance, this time by a group of youth activists from both the NAACP and SNCC. In an attempt to bring more attention to their pursuit of desegregation of public spaces and "demand[s] for justice," the students were arrested. In protest,&nbsp;over 100 students from Albany State College marched from their campus to the courthouse. One of the first Albany Movement meetings took place at Mt. Zion Baptist Church.

Charles Sherrod and his wife Shirley were presented the Presidential Medal of Freedom from&nbsp;President Obama&nbsp;at the celebration of the 50th anniversary of the Southwest Georgia Project in Albany on&nbsp;June 4, 2011, for all their accomplishments and hard work during the Civil Rights era.Sherrod's wife, Shirley Sherrod, mentioned that she and her husband had been among the&nbsp;dignitaries on hand for the recent opening of the African-American History Museum in Washington, but their experience was marred by an inaccuracy in the exhibit space dedicated to the Albany Movement. They did not get a chance to see the Albany Movement in the museum, but a student who wrote about Charles' effort had informed them that they proclaimed the Albany Movement to be a failure. Shirley, who was in shock, stated that "What some historians don’t understand is that the Albany Movement started before Dr. (Martin Luther) King came here, and it continued after he left. You can’t look at the changes in Albany that have continued up to 2016 and say the movement here was a failure.” To the community of Albany, the Albany Movement was a success and that's why we give Charles Sherrod the title of "unsung hero of Albany."

The Charles Sherrod Civil Rights Park, located in Albany, Ga, was created by the city to honor his organizing work in the Albany Movement from 1961-1963 (where more than 2,000 people went to jail) and in the dangerous rural counties from 1963. The man who saw it through until the end was John Lewis. While Lewis, a democrat from Atlanta, Georgia, pursued this task with hard work and dedication. Sherrod is often not credited for his efforts, and has become known as the Unsung Hero of Albany Georgia.

The Charles Sherrod Civil Rights Park

The Great Flood of 1994 destroyed large sections of Albany and other areas of Southwest Georgia. The flood was the result of Tropical Storm Alberto and killed 31 people while making thousands temporarily homeless. Flood waters split Albany in half with waters reaching 43 feet. Officials the portion of Georgia covered by the flood waters was the equivalent in size to Massachusetts and Rhode Island combined. The memorial stands in tribute of those who followed the motto of Albany State and made the city and its university "unsinkable" by rebuilding the city and college. 

The Great Flood of 1994 Memorial, Albany, GA

Ray Charles Robinson was born on September 23,&nbsp;1930&nbsp;in Albany. Raised in Greenville, Florida, Ray Charles began to play the piano before he turned 5. He would lose his sight at the age of 6 due to untreated&nbsp;glaucoma. Having been musically inclined, he would focus on the subject in his blindness. Charles would go on to study music at the St. Augustine School for the Deaf and Blind. There he would learn to compose music in braille and learn other instruments other than the piano. Charles would attend the school from 1937 to 1945.Besides his blindness, Charles lost&nbsp;both of his parents before the age of 15. Putting his focus into music, he would go to work in various jazz bands around Greenville. It was here that he would drop the last name of Robinson to separate his name from the famous boxer with the same name.&nbsp;After years of work, Charles knew that if he was going to make it big, it wouldn’t be in Florida. Setting his sites on stardom, he made his way to the West Coast.Charles would score his first Top 10 R&amp;B hit with “Baby Let Me Hold Your Hand” in 1951. Shortly after Charles would start his first national tour after. In the years after his first hit, he would go on to arrange for some prominent names in the 1950s music industry. One of the more prominent acts would be his piano work on Guitar Slim’s, “The Things I Used to Do”. During his arrangement days, musicians would come to know him as “Genius” because everything he touched did well in the charts. After arranging for others, Charles would go back to writing and&nbsp;arrange&nbsp;for himself.Starting in 1959, Charles began to record his own hits. He would record 5 number 1 singles and win a Grammy for “I Can’t Stop Loving You”. In 1965, Charles would be arrested for the possession of illegal substances. Charles would take a break from work, to focus on getting clean. When Charles returned to music, he would continue making hits but his tastes were shifting from his original works. Charles would go on to make some country records that would feature other prominent artists. Charles would not only be active in the music scene. He would star in a number of films and also be active on the political scene. Charles was a big supporter of Martin Luther King Jr, providing much of the funding that allowed King and his Southern Christian Leadership Council to operate in the face of opposition. Robinson would also start the Robinson Foundation for Hearing Disorders in 1987.Charles passed away in June, 2004. The same year that Jamie Fox, won&nbsp;best&nbsp;actor for his portrayal of Charles in the film “Ray”. Charles won seventeen&nbsp;Grammies, a Lifetime&nbsp;Achievement&nbsp;Award, and was awarded the National Medal of the Arts by President Bill Clinton. Charles made his mark on the world not just his music but in the things that he helped create. However, his biggest contributions were to music and showing the world what a blind person could accomplish with willpower.&nbsp;

This memorial plaza was created by the city of Albany in honor of their most famous entertainer and a man who pushed the boundaries music and race and demonstrated what handicapped people could accomplish. The plaza was completed in 2006 and offers a sprawling landscape of musical notes and benches surrounding the statue of Charles and his piano. The monument puts on a show every night, lighting up while speakers play Charles' music. Cast in bronze, the statue was sculpted by Andy Davis and is one of only two statues of Ray Charles. Charles pushed the boundaries of music, African American culture, and public perception of what it meant to be handicapped. The plaza was designed by architectural firm Jordan, Jones and Houlding with the help of students from the Georgia Academy for the Blind.

Ray Charles Memorial Plaza

The Bridge House, built-in 1857, is located on historic Front Street in Albany Georgia. Also known as “Tift’s Hall” this unique building was commissioned by Nelson Tift, the city founder. Tift was the largest property owner in Dougherty County and was a prominent slave owner. Before building this bridge, Tift was already the owner of an early ferry that served as a crossing over the Flint River. After County Commissioners and Tift argued about whether the County should build Albany’s first bridge on Tift’s plot of land along the river, Tift resolved to build his own bridge. To fund the construction of the bridge and bridge house Tift sold several of his slaves, allowing him to commission freed African American architect Horace King to design and construct the bridge for $30,000. To recoup the costs that building the bridge and bridge house had accrued Tift set a toll on the bridge, 75 cents for four-horse carriages, 2 cents for a head of livestock, free for walking. While the bridge itself was initially popular, the cost of the toll was draining upon community members of Albany. Eventually, the first bridge Tift had built was destroyed in a fire, believed to have been caused due to the community resentment of the toll. After the first bridge was burnt down, a second bridge was built on the foundations of the first and eventually sold to Dougherty County for $20,000 in 1887. Tift kept ownership of the bridge house. The Flint River Bridge was designed and constructed by Horace King, a freed African American slave who had been trained to be an architect. King was born into slavery in South Carolina in 1808. He was of African, Catawba, and Indian descent. While living in South Carolina, King was first introduced to bridge construction in 1824. During this period he developed an attachment to the Town Lattice Truss style. In 1832 King was sold to contractor John Godwin and moved with him to what is now Phoenix City, Alabama. Under the tutelage of Godwin, Horace King completed his work on his first major project, a 560-foot bridge across the Chattahoochee River. With the high-quality work and design King had created, he quickly gained a reputation and became a widely known bridge builder in the South. Eventually, thanks to his architectural and engineering skills, King was granted his freedom. In 1858 the Alabama Legislature passed a law that specifically granted King freedom and special rights to allow him to continue his practice of architecture. The bridge house that King built is a two-story building with symmetrical Classical proportions, four chimneys, and Italian details in the arched brackets under the eaves. In its original layout the building had one side of the building’s first floor as quarters for the bridge keeper, and the other half set up as Tift’s offices. The second floor, known as Tift’s hall, was designed as a theater and ballroom. Tift hired New York artists to paint ornate frescos on the ceilings and walls of the second floor, helping the theater be considered one of the most beautiful in the state. The hall’s beauty attracted leading actors, dancers, and local stage plays, with the theater seating being adjusted so that it could accommodate balls and dancing classes. The upstairs hall was also during its history used as a meeting point for the hate group the Ku Klux Klan. Members of the group relayed messages to one another to assemble by telling members to “meet above the arch” in reference to the large arched windows that made up the front facade of the building. During the Civil War, the bridge house was used at a meatpacking operation to feed Confederate Navy sailors. The outside grounds were turned into a slaughter pen that held hogs and cattle. The inside basement was used to pickle the meat so that it could be shipped. The 2nd bridge that Tift had constructed was destroyed in 1897 thanks to a massive flood that damaged major portions of Albany. The county built a new bridge south of the bridge house since Tift had only sold the county the bridge itself, not the land on the shores of the river. With the bridge house now out of regular bridge use the building was eventually sold to P.A. Keenan’s Empire Smithing Company, turning the building into a Blacksmith, wheelwright, and general repair business. To keep with the times after WW2 the building was converted to the Keenan Auto Parts Company. On November 19th, 1974, the building was added to the National Register of Historic Places for its significance in architecture, transportation, and performing arts. In 1994 the building was again purchased by Dougherty County after the flood of 1994. In 2001 the building became the focus of an eminent domain battle between former Albany political figure Paul Keenan and Dougherty County. The city commission wanted to acquire the building for its downtown Albany master plan. Keenan eventually donated the building for development to the county with the building at an estimated value of $525,000. Through careful renovation by local architect David Maschke, the building became the Albany Welcome Center and eventually the home of the Albany Convention &amp; Visitors Bureau.

At this location in 1857, Albany city founder Nelson Tift built a toll bridge spanning the Flint River and commissioned Horace King, a prominent African American architect and former slave to build the bridge. In addition to being the largest property owner in the county, Tift was already the owner of an early ferry in Albany before constructing the Flint River Bridge. Initially, Tift petitioned the County Commissioners to build the bridge but was denied on the basis that the bridge location was outside of county limits. Deciding to build the bridge at his own cost, Tift sold some of his people he had enslaved and used the proceeds towards the cost of this bridge which was completed at the cost of $30,000. To recoup his investment, Tift set a toll of 75 cents per four-horse carriage and two cents per head of livestock. The original bridge that Horace King designed was destroyed in a fire several years after construction possibly due to public unrest related to the tolls. A second bridge was destroyed in 1897 when the Flint River Flooded. In response, the county built the current bridge to the south of the bridge house. Over the years following its construction, the bridge house was used as a theatre, ballroom, a Confederate meatpacking operation, and a meeting place for members of the Ku Klux Klan. After 1915 the building served the Keenan business for the P.A. Keenan’s Empire Smithing Company and eventually the Keenan Auto Parts Company after World War II. In 2008, the building was converted into the Albany Welcome Center and eventually into the Albany Convention & Visitors Bureau. As a result, the building which was once used to collect tolls for the bridge demonstrates the long history of the South and the connection between the infrastructure built by enslaved persons and enslavers and the New South of the 20th century. 

The Bridge House, Albany Georgia  

Rosenberg Brothers Department Store was built by the Rosenberg family, who opened their first store in Troy, Alabama in 1894. Two years later, one of the family m members, Jacob Rosenberg expanded into Albany. He had met his future wife, Annie, and decided to relocate here. It is not clear whether he constructed a building or occupied an existing one but by 1905 it was too small for the growing business. The Rosenbergs (it appears that Jacob's brother or brothers joined him by this time) then moved to a larger building which had been occupied by a dry goods store. They expanded the building but by the early 1920s it, too, became too small.The adjacent building burned down in a fire and the Rosenbergs bought that property and erected the current structure between 1923 and 1924. It was actually built in two stages so that the store could continue to operate. When completed, the store became the city's best department store. It was built during a period of significant growth in the city that was largely fueled by railroads, and contributed to Albany's thriving economy. The store operated until 1978, two years after the Rosenbergs opened in a mall branch. The downtown location was not profitable anymore but the family did use it for storage. This continued until 1986 when it became the home of the Albany Herald. As noted above, the newspaper moved out in 2020.

Formerly home to Rosenberg Brothers Department Store, this building remains an enduring landmark in downtown Albany. Erected in 1924, the structure played a significant role in the city's commercial history in the 20th century as the home of the city's largest and most prestigious department store for many years. It is also important for its Second Renaissance Revival architecture, which is uncommon in the city and southwest Georgia. Perhaps the most notable elements of the building are the large round-arched openings with limestone-cement voussoirs (wedges) and blocks surrounding them. Other features include pilasters (columns) and a cornice surrounding the perimeter of the roof. The building was home to the Albany Herald but the newspaper moved to a new location in 2020. 

Rosenberg Brothers Department Store Building

When the hotel was built, Albany had become an important economic center in the region, thanks in large part to railroading. By the 1920s, the city boasted seven railroads and 35 trains ran each day. The hotel was built to accommodate the influx of tourists and businessmen who arrived in the city. It was the second hotel erected in the 1920s; the other was Hotel Gordon. The New Albany Hotel, which was built on a site where a wood-frame hotel had been located since before 1886, boasted modern amenities including telephones in each room, private bathrooms, and hot and cold water. There was also a restaurant and ballroom, as well as space for businesses on the first floor. During the late 1920s and through the 1930s, the hotel was one of the more important social gathering places in the city. It reopened as an apartment building in 2018.

Now an apartment building, this historic building is the former New Albany Hotel. It was erected in 1925 and is notable for its architecture and impact on the city's economy in the 1920s and 1930s. As for design, the building is a fine example of Georgian architecture. Interesting features include decorative Dutch Cross bond brickwork on the sixth floor, a pedimented parapet, quoins (stones blocks at the corners of walls), arched windows with fanlights, and a porch with Doric columns. The building was added to the National Register of Historic Places in 1982.

New Albany Hotel

The auditorium replaced a wooden building where an organization called the Chautauqua Society was located. Established by Dr. N.A. Duncan around 1888, its goal was to provide informal methods of education to adults who had received little formal education. The Chautauqua Society in Albany was one of many similarly named organizations around the country that were part of what was known as the Chautauqua Movement. The first Chautauqua organization was established in 1876 in New York and it still exists today as the <a href="https://chq.org/" rel="noopener noreferrer" target="_blank">Chautauqua Institution</a>, which offers summer education programs in a variety of subjects to adults and children. In Albany, the Chautauqua Society conducted its activities and programs in the old auditorium. By the early 1900s, it was becoming clear that a new facility was needed. The old building was torn down in 1915 and the present auditorium was built the following year, opening on October 4th. Although World War I effectively ended the Chautauqua Movement, educational programs continued at the auditorium. However, the facility started to be used for theatrical performances, concerts, civic events, religious functions, and other events. Over time, interest in the auditorium declined and it was abandoned in the early 1970s. It was under threat of demolition but a local organization prevented this from happening and led the effort to have the auditorium become listed on the National Register of Historic Places. Restoration work, however, didn't begin until 1987. The building finally reopened in October 1990.

The Albany Municipal Auditorium has been a vital civic and entertainment venue for the city since it was built in 1916. It has also been the home of the Albany Symphony Orchestra since 1990. Designed by architect A. Ten Eyck Brown, the auditorium is a striking building featuring a main entrance with a overhanging marquee, drip-moulded brick bands encircling the building, bands of marble, and a decorative shield at the top center with the letters "M" and "A" superimposed on each other. The auditorium was added to the National Register of Historic Places in 1974. 

Albany Municipal Auditorium

Samuel Farkas arrived in the United States when he was 18 years old. According to the story, he did not speak any English and only had 50 cents in his pocket. However, he did have family here. His uncle had lived in Albany for some time and opened a prosperous merchandising store after the Civil War. Farkas worked at the store for a few years before starting a business selling mules around 1872. In the next couple of decades, despite some setbacks his business was very successful. He became quite wealthy, which allowed him to build the house. At some point he did marry his wife, Celia Zucker, who was also an immigrant; they went on to have two daughters and six sons. In Farkas' story, the house symbolizes the realization of the "American dream"—where an immigrant starting out with little becomes a prosperous citizen. In 1977, the house was added to the National Register of Historic Places for its architecture and connection to Farkas.

Hungarian immigrant Samuel Farkas built this beautiful home in 1889. The two-and-a-half story building is an exceptional example of Second Empire architecture and as such is one of the most striking homes in Albany. It features a mansard roof with "fish scale" slate shingles and pedimented dormers, an imposing main entrance with large pillars, arched windows with white keystones, and a one-story parlor on the east side of the house. It is a private home today but is easily viewed from the street.

Samuel Farkas House

Between 1867 and 1876, the area where the United States Post Office and Courthouse is located now used to be part of the town's circus grounds. In 1876, the Albany Hebrew Congregation bought the property and apparently owned it until around 1910. That year, construction of the post office and courthouse began and was completed two years later. Congressman J.M. Criggs led the effort to appropriate funds for the project. The building is also historically significant in women's history. In 1910, a woman named Nellie Brimberry became the first woman postmaster of a major post office. Her husband, who was postmaster, died in January of that year and President Taft appointed her to replace her late husband. She is also notable for inaugurating the first airmail flight and led the effort to enable pecan growers to seal pecans in packages suitable for mail delivery, which boosted Georgia's young pecan industry and won her wide acclaim around the country. The building did not become the seat of a federal court until 1923 but has symbolized the federal government's presence and authority in Albany for over a century. It was added to the National Register of Historic Places in 1979 for its architecture, its association with the federal government, and its role in local history, in particular its association with Nellie Brimberry.

The United States Post Office and Courthouse building has served Albany residents since its construction in 1912. In terms of design, it is an excellent example of Second Renaissance Revival architecture, which contributes to its important status for the community. The building, which was designed by U.S. Supervising Architect James Knox Taylor, features decorative brickwork that forms a variety of designs across the exterior. These include pilasters (columns) and tall arches that surround first and second-floor windows. Other notable features include a stone cornice that wraps around the perimeter on the third floor and a clay tile roof. The building continues to serve its original purpose. 

United States Post Office and Courthouse

John A. Davis was a well-regarded lawyer and banker. He was born in Georgia (where exactly is unclear) and moved to the southwest part of the state when he was still young. As a young man, he studied law and opened a law practice here in Albany. In 1851, he married his wife, Laura, with whom he would have eight children. Davis held a number prominent roles in his lifetime including serving in the Commissary Department of the Confederate States of America, as local counsel for the Central of Georgia Railroad, Dougherty County's representative to the state constitutional convention of 1887, and chairman of the Executive Committee of the Georgia Banker's Association. He also organized the First National Bank of Albany in 1886.At the house, Davis also hosted many gatherings with state and national figures, including the most famous guest, former Confederate President Jefferson Davis. He visited Albany in 1884 and went to the house where he met and shook the hands with those waiting in line to greet him. In the coming years, John A. Davis became involved with the Chautauqua Movement, a national movement in the late 19th and early 20th centuries that promoted adult education. As for the house itself, it remained in the family until about 1915 when it became a masonic meeting hall. It operated as such for four decades before a local resident bought it in 1964 to save it from demolition.He immediately sold it to Theatre Albany, which was established in 1932 as Albany Little Theatre, Inc. Over the years, the theater has hosted a wide range of shows including Broadway plays and musicals, original works, classic drams, and contemporary plays. The house was added to the National Register of Historic Places in 1980 for its Italianate Villa architecture and connection to John A. Davis.

Now the location of Theatre Albany, the John A. Davis House is historically significant for its architecture and association with Davis,  who was a prominent local and state figure and owner of the house after the Civil War. Constructed around 1853, the house is an outstanding example of Italianate Villa architecture, which is uncommon in Georgia. Its brick construction is also notable since brick was somewhat rarely used in the antebellum period. The house features a two-story portico with large Corinthian columns supporting a large entablature, and a wrap around porch with smaller Corinthian columns. Attached to the house is the theater (which contains the stage and auditorium) built in the 1960s.

Albany Georgia Walking Tour

Albany Civil Rights Institute

Introduction

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Backstory and Context

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Additional Information