Springfield Baptist Church in Augusta traces its roots to the year 1773, bolstering its claim to be the oldest African American congregation in the United States. Served by African American pastors during the antebellum years, Springfield had the largest membership of any church in the Georgia Baptist Association. Some of its members emigrated to Liberia, and the church maintained a missionary connection with that country. Springfield offered Sunday school instruction in 1859, even though such classes were banned by the prevailing slave codes.

Susan Hayward was one of Hollywood’s most successful film stars from the late 1940s through the early 1960s. Although a native of New York, she spent much of her later life in Georgia on a farm near Carrollton. Born Edythe Marrenner on June 30, 1917, in Brooklyn, New York, Hayward began her career as a model while in her late teens. When the search for an actress to play Scarlett O’Hara in Gone With the Wind began in 1938, producer David O.

The Taylor County Courthouse, designed in the neoclassical revival style, was built in Butler in 1935. Courtesy of Don Bowman The New Georgia Encyclopedia does not hold the copyright for this media resource and can neither grant nor deny permission to republish or reproduce the image online or in print. All requests for permission to publish or reproduce the resource must be submitted to the rights holder. ncG1vNJzZmivp6x7qLHOq56imZWjsLqvy6innpyZlnuwvsZomKusmZi5pr%2BOnKaupqSesrR5wqKrop2jYrumtcahmaiqmKS8pb%2BOrZiypJ%2BneqS71Kersmeklsatu9Fmmqitoqm1sMHSnmSbp6eirq%2Brj2loaA%3D%3D

Ted Turner carries the World Series trophy in 1995 after the Braves win the series for the first time since relocating from Milwaukee, Wisconsin, to Atlanta in 1966. Turner began broadcasting the Braves' games in 1973 and purchased the team in 1976. The New Georgia Encyclopedia does not hold the copyright for this media resource and can neither grant nor deny permission to republish or reproduce the image online or in print.

Thomas County is located deep in south central Georgia’s plantation country, along the state’s border with Florida. Once home to a fashionable winter resort for northerners, the county remains steeped in history and culture. In 1825 Thomas County was formed from portions of Irwin and Decatur counties and named for Jett Thomas, a hero of the War of 1812 (1812-15). Originally populated by Native Americans, who used the land for hunting and farming, the area was later dominated by numerous cotton plantations.