The First African Baptist Church in Savannah is one of the oldest African American Baptist churches in North America. Founding Though it was not formally established until 1788, the origins of the First African Baptist Church date to 1778, when George Liele organized a small congregation of Black Baptists in Savannah. Born into slavery in Virginia in 1750, Liele was later brought to Georgia, where he experienced a profound religious awakening and resolved to lead a life of Christian service.

Founders Hall houses the Department of Fine Arts and Humanities at Fort Valley State University in Peach County. Fort Valley State is one of three public historically Black colleges and universities in the state. Courtesy of Communications Department, College of Agriculture, Home Economics and Allied Programs, Fort Valley State University 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.

G. Lloyd Preacher, a major figure in southeastern architectural history, is perhaps best known for designing Atlanta’s elaborate art deco, neo-Gothic city hall (1930). He also contributed to the development of the Mediterranean mode as a regionalist style in the Southeast, but he was particularly known for his commercial office, hotel, and apartment building designs, joining Alfred Bossom, W. L. Stoddart, and Pringle and Smith as architects producing noteworthy examples of these building types.

George Leonard Chaney established the first Unitarian church in Atlanta in 1883. Chaney worked to create educational opportunities for African Americans in the city by serving on the board of trustees for the Atlanta University Center and by opening the first free lending library for Blacks. Courtesy of Unitarian Universalist Congregation of Atlanta Records, Pitts Theology Library, Emory University 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.

A researcher at the Georgia Experiment Station in Griffin plows a field behind a three-mule team in 1900. Around this time, scientists at the station developed the deep furrow method of planting winter oats, a technique that saved millions of dollars for farmers in the South. Courtesy of University of Georgia College of Agricultural and Environmental Sciences 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.