The Orr Family
Though obituaries are a record of death, they bring back the color of life to a person who we might not have otherwise had much information on. This is certainly the case for the children of Alfonso and Geneva Orr. Alfonso was born in 1902 in Scotia, South Carolina, and though not much is known…
Juneteen: Past Meets Present
Instead of talking about a person buried at LGS, I want to to showcase two Black creatives who are bringing the past into the present. When someone recently made me aware of Megan Mariah of Everthine Antiques & Stationery (who resides in Wisconsin) I was enthralled by her esthetic, but her shop is so much…
The Verdier Family
Sometimes even after weeks of research there are more questions than answers, which is the case with the Verdier family. However, The Laurel Grove Society is dedicated to recording any known information, even if it doesn’t flower into a fully-realized history. Here is what we do know: Robert and Caesar Verdier were both deacons of…
The Original Nine
Frank B. Mullino, Sr. was one, but more importantly, he was one of nine: the “Original Nine” Black police officers in Savannah. What did it take to be a Black police officer in the deep South in 1947? Perfection and grit beyond what anyone has seen. Savannah whittled 60 men down to 16 and then…
Wright Vs. Georgia
Warning: case uses term “negroes,” because it was argued in 1962. This is a slight departure from my normal cemetery fare, but this case deserves remembrance. In 1961 six young adults were arrested for playing basketball peacefully in Daffin Park. Apparently in Savannah playing basketball while Black was indeed a crime. This is the Supreme…
Those Who Left
Some Savannah-born-and-raised residents went on to do so much good here, while other went out of state, even out of the country, to do good. Sometimes you go where you are called to be. Two people come to mind when I think of those men and women. One is James Stewart, who joined the Canadian…
E.K. Love
Despite being born in to slavery, Emanuel K. Love went on on become a college graduate, a fearless fighter for Black rights, and the reverend of one of the oldest churches in the United States. According to the Georgia Encyclopedia: E. K. Love (1850-1900) was a prominent Baptist leader and writer in nineteenth-century Georgia. Dedicated to fighting…
Jane Deveaux
It’s hard enough to take severe risks to pull yourself ahead, but to take on those risks for the sake of others takes a certain kind of courageous person. Jane Deveaux was one of those brave Savannah residents. She risked her freedom to help slaves read and write. The application for Laurel Grove South to…
Bridie Freeman
Bridie Freeman (1886-1958) founded the Freeman School of Beauty Culture in 1919, but her school was really so much more to the Black residents of Savannah. Below is an interview that Georgia Public Broadcasting conducted with one of Bridie’s descendants: Madame Freeman was born Bridie Andres in 1886 in Beaufort, SC. She later she moved…
Sol C. Johnson
It might be easier to say what Sol C. Johnson (1867-1954) didn’t do than what he did, as his accomplishments and contributions were so vast. He helped found the Carnegie Library on Henry Street, which according to Connect Savannah: HERE’S A FACTOID that might surprise even the most studious Savannah bookworm: When the Carnegie Library…
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