>> BLACK HISTORY
At a previous Baldwin County Board of Commissioners meeting, Latonya N. Howell recognized local African American trail blazers and legacy holders in Baldwin County. With Black History Month now at its close, take one last moment to honor these individuals and their impacts to the county today.
In the earliest history Hamp Brown Bottom, located south of Franklin Street and East of Warren Street, was a small establishment named after landlord, farmer and minister, Hamp Brown, Jr. He served as commissioner for Third Ward schools and established a congregation with former members of Milledgeville’s first African American church, Flagg Chapel Baptist Church.
Flagg Chapel Baptist Church was led by newly freed slave, Wilkes Flagg, who served as the head pastor from 18451878. Flagg was born in Virginia in 1802 and was the slave of Dr. Tomlinson Fort. As a skilled blacksmith, Flagg was allowed to work in the blacksmith shop and eventually purchased the freedom of his wife and sons around 1830, the time that the second building of Flagg Chapel was built. The original Flagg Chapel was built on Franklin Street in 1973 on property owned by Flagg, and the church stood there until it was destroyed by fire during a renovation Rev. Flagg established a black school at Flagg Baptist Church. According to Reflections, a newsletter of the Historic Preservation Division, Georgia Department of Natural Resources,the educational accomplishments at Flagg Chapel would be brought to the attention ofReverend Hiram Eddy of the American Missionary Society (AMA.).
By 1868, Milledgeville was selected by the AMA and the Freedmen’s Bureau as the site of the Eddy School. The AMA sent five white teachers to instruct 350 African American students until a school building was completed. The Eddy School became the only educational institution for African Americans in Milledgeville.
Fast forward 60 years, Dr. Benjamin Judson Simmons would enter the scene as Milledgeville’s first African American physician. He practiced medicine in Baldwin County from 1897 to 1907. He had a thriving career until he would undergo an operation in 1907 that would further prevent him from practicing medicine. He would pass away on Jan.
7, 1910 and is located in Memory Hill Cemetery in Milledgeville.
Following him, Dr. Julian F. Boddie, Sr. be one of the first African American physicians to service Baldwin and surrounding counties. With the birth of his five children, Elizabeth, Oteele, Julian, Jr., Clyde and Alonzo, Boddie would create a family legacy of healthcare that presently serves Baldwin and surrounding areas.
With such highlights, we must also acknowledge our captains at the helm; the patrons in the area of government that work to provide structure for our city. Pioneers such as Apostle Dr.
Earnest Franklin, Jr., the first Black Justice of the Peace of the 102 Militia District of Hancock County, serving between the years of 1974-1978.
Dennette Odum Jackson was the first black woman to serve on Milledgeville’s City Council from 1994-2005. After her death in 2013, the City of Milledgeville dedicated the bridge located at 601 W.
Montgomery St. in her honor in 2021 therein after named the Dennette Odum Jackson Memorial Bridge.
Donald B. Hill was one of the first African American City Councilmen for the City of Milledgeville District 3.
Hill is also the founder of the local 100 Black Men of Milledgeville and Oconee organization.
Floyd Griffin was the first African American Mayor for the City of Milledgeville and the first African American State Senator for Georgia State Senate District 25 since Reconstruction while Mayor Mary Parham-Copelan is the first female African American Mayor for the City of Milledgeville.
The county has also established family legacies beginning with those such as Collins P. Lee, who served as vice-chairman of the Baldwin County Board of Commissioners and was also a former member of the Milledgeville City Council, where he served as mayor pro tem. His daughter, Collinda Lee, currently serves as the Milledgeville City Council representative for district one.
Last, but not least, there is a family with clear lineage in government headed by Oscar Davis, Sr. As a citizen of Baldwin County, Davis became active in the civil rights movement and community affairs. In 1984, he became the first African American man elected to serve on the Baldwin County Commission.
Davis passed away on Jan. 17, 2000, so the baton would then be carried by his wife, Geneva Davis. She would go on to serve on the Baldwin County Board of Commissioners for a total of nine years as commissioner for district one, the seat formerly held by her husband.
After her retirement, her daughter, Emily Davis, would take over and is presently the chairperson of the Board of Commissioners representing district one.
As a citizen of Baldwin and Milledgeville, we highlight these legacies and trail blazers for their commitment and dedication to our futures. Many more people of importance were left unmentioned, but their efforts still shine brightly. To all the young up and coming dynamos, know that “just because records are currently held, doesn’t mean that they can’t be broken.”
To hear the full presentation and learn about even more trail blazers, please visit the Baldwin County Board of Commissioners Facebook page and refer to 38:00-47:02 in the recording of the Feb. 21 meeting.