The Trappist monks at the Monastery of the Holy Spirit in Conyers are members of the Order of the Cistercians of the Strict Observance, a sect of Cistercian monks that originated in France and follows the teachings of the seventeenth-century abbot Armand de Rance. Courtesy of Our Lady of the Holy Spirit Monastery 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.

Tyler Perry, an Atlanta-based writer, producer, and performer, is one of the most commercially successful African American filmmakers in history. Tyler Perry Studios, which first opened in Atlanta in 2008, is the first major film studio in the nation to be solo-owned by an African American. Perry is best known for his signature character, Madea, whom he has portrayed in both stage plays and films. Early Career Emmitt Perry Jr. was born in New Orleans, Louisiana, on September 14, 1969, to Maxine and Emmitt Perry.

The UPS Foundation headquarters are located in Atlanta at the UPS corporate office building, designed by the architectural firm Thompson, Ventulett, Stainback, and Associates. The foundation, which was established in 1951, provides grant money to organizations working to combat hunger and illiteracy, and also encourages volunteerism among UPS employees. Courtesy of UPS 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.

The Webster County Courthouse, located in Preston, was built in 1915 and designed by T. F. Lockwood Sr. It is an example of neoclassical revival architecture. 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.

White County, covering 242 square miles, is located on the eastern flank of the Appalachian Mountain chain approximately eighty miles northeast of Atlanta. It encompasses most of the headwater streams of the Chattahoochee River and is thus a major source of Atlanta’s water supply. Georgia’s 123rd county, carved out of Habersham County by an act of the state legislature in 1857, was named for David White, a legislator from Newton County.