NATIONAL PARK SERVICE • U.S. DEPARTMENT OF THE INTERIOR In Plain Sight: African Americans at Andersonville National Historic Site A Special History Study December 2020 On the Cover: Top image: Three unidentified women near Andersonville. “Andersonville Shanty,” in folder dated “1890, 1905,” Amistad Research Center, Tulane University, New Orleans. Bottom image: Group of African American girl scouts placing flags on markers at Andersonville National Cemetery on Memorial Day, Sumter County, May 1976. Courtesy, Georgia Archives, Vanishing Georgia Collection, sum119. ETIC # 437-167801 Andersonville National Historic Site In Plain Sight: African Americans at Andersonville National Historic Site, A Special History Study Georgia December 2020 Evan Kutzler, Julia Brock, Ann McCleary, Keri Adams, Ronald Bastien, and Larry O. Rivers Andersonville National Historic Site Andersonville, Georgia In Plain Sight: African Americans at Andersonville National Historic Site, A Special History Study APPROVED BY: Superintendent, Andersonville National Historic Site Date Digitally signed by SIMONE SIMONE MONTELEONE MONTELEONE Date: 2021.02.11 17:19:33 -05'00' RECOMMENDED BY: Chief, Cultural Resources Partnerships & Science Division, Interior Region 2 Date Digitally signed by LANCE LANCE HATTEN Date: 2021 .02.12 HATTEN 12:03:16 -05'00' RECOMMENDED BY: Deputy Regional Director, Interior Region 2 Date Digitally signed by LANCE LANCE HATTEN Date: 2021.02.12 HATTEN 12:03:39 -05'00' APPROVED BY: For Regional Director, Interior Region 2 Date CONTENTS Acronyms and Abbreviations .................................................................................................................... iii Illustrations .................................................................................................................................................. v Introduction ................................................................................................................................................ xi Chapter One: From Slavery to Freedom at Andersonville ....................................................................... 1 Slavery in Southwest Georgia .................................................................................................................. 2 Building Andersonville ....................................................................................................................... 7 Black Prisoners at Andersonville ............................................................................................................ 11 A Graveyard and a Free Home .............................................................................................................. 20 Chapter Two: The Sumter School, 1866–1874 ......................................................................................... 29 The Origins of Sumter School................................................................................................................ 30 The Teachers of Sumter School ............................................................................................................. 32 The Dangers of Teaching and Learning ................................................................................................. 34 Fundraising and Marketing ................................................................................................................... 37 The Struggle over Social Reform ........................................................................................................... 38 Fleecing the Freedpeople ...................................................................................................................... 41 The Later Years of Sumter School ......................................................................................................... 44 Tables ................................................................................................................................................... 49 Chapter Three: Earth Moving ................................................................................................................... 57 Work, Freedom, and Andersonville National Cemetery, 1865–1900 ..................................................... 57 Remaking the Cemetery ....................................................................................................................... 61 Preparing the Modern Landscape ......................................................................................................... 71 Anchoring Black Freedom ..................................................................................................................... 74 From Workspace to Commemorative Space .......................................................................................... 79 A Problem or a Park .............................................................................................................................. 84 Chapter Four: “Through the Crucible of Suffering”: African Americans and Andersonville National Cemetery in the Jim Crow South, 1900–1950 .......................................................................................... 87 The Continuation of Memorial Day Celebrations................................................................................... 88 African American Workers at the National Cemetery ............................................................................ 94 Conclusion ......................................................................................................................................... 103 Chapter Five: The Civil Rights Movement in Americus and Sumter Counties .................................... 109 The Movement in Americus ................................................................................................................ 111 From Albany to Americus .................................................................................................................... 112 African American-Owned Businesses and the Movement .................................................................... 115 A Young People’s Movement ............................................................................................................. 117 Terror in Americus .............................................................................................................................. 119 i ANDERSONVILLE SPECIAL HISTORY STUDY Andersonville as Symbol ..................................................................................................................... 124 Continuing Reprisals Against Protesters .............................................................................................. 126 Integrating the Schools ....................................................................................................................... 128 Conclusion ......................................................................................................................................... 131 Chapter Six: Creating a National Park, Displacing an African American Community....................... 135 Andersonville in the Popular Imagination ............................................................................................ 137 Promoting Tourism and Economic Development ................................................................................. 140 Creating the First Park Plan ................................................................................................................. 142 Requesting a National Park ................................................................................................................. 146 Telling the Story .................................................................................................................................. 152 Identifying African American History at the Park ................................................................................. 154 African American Community Around the Park .................................................................................. 155 Working at the Park ............................................................................................................................ 172 African Americans and the National Cemetery .................................................................................... 179 Conclusion ......................................................................................................................................... 185 Chapter Seven: Interpreting African American History at Andersonville National Historic Site ...... 191 The Camp Sumter Story ...................................................................................................................... 194 Emphasizing the Mission ..................................................................................................................... 201 The “High Ground” and Beyond ........................................................................................................ 212 Conclusion: Telling New Stories ............................................................................................................. 227 Bibliography ............................................................................................................................................. 233 ii ACRONYMS AND ABBREVIATIONS AMA American Missionary Association AMAA American Missionary Association Archives AME African Methodist Episcopal AXPW American Ex-Prisoner