Rome is seeking to designate much of North Rome as a new federally recognized historic district, with special attention paid to the African American heritage of the community. It would be the first such district in Georgia outside Atlanta if successful.
Late in 2022, the National Park Service awarded a $30,000 Underrepresented Community Grant to the City of Rome for the African American Settlement and Civil Rights Survey in North Rome. The Rome-Floyd Planning office staff submitted the grant request, noting that significantly less than 10% of sites on the National Register represent minority communities.
The grant was awarded specifically to help identify and support prospective nominations to the National Register of Historic Places for communities rich in social and cultural diversity. The word ‘nominations’ was used in the plural form because the potential exists to have two distinct historic districts created, one on the east side of North Broad Street, the other on the west side, taking in the Blossom Hill section of North Rome.
Landmark Preservation Consulting out of Savannah has been retained to conduct the North Rome community’s historic resource surveys to identify and designate the boundaries for the district or districts. They will physically walk the neighborhoods, taking photos and gathering information,” said Julie Kyle Harris, the primary historic preservation planner in the Rome Floyd Planning office. “It is my hope that some of the people in the neighborhoods will come out and make contact with the consultants and provide first-hand stories, say, I remember when, or I’ve lived here for X number of years.” A couple of interns in the planning office will also participate in the surveys.
Earlier this year, the city Landmarking committee voted to add both the Thankful Baptist Church and St. Mary’s Catholic Church to a list of city landmarks.
The old Main High School campus, where African Americans were taught in Rome before integration, is located in the area off Washington Drive. It was individually included on the National Register in October of 2002. A portion of the campus now houses the Kelsey-Aycock-Burrell Center, which provides office space for several African American organizations.
The Five Points area near the Kingston Highway and North Broad Street intersection was once the hub for African American businesses in Rome. Elders in the African American community will remember George Smith’s Barber Shop, Bubber Duke’s Café, Graham Robinson’s Drug Store, Webb’s Café, and Dr. Benjamin Bryant’s Samaritan Hospital.
Many of the old businesses in that area fell prey to urban renewal and new highway work half a century ago. The only original building left standing sits at 1007 Broad Street and now houses the offices of attorneys William and Jessica Stoll. It once housed offices of North Carolina Mutual Life Insurance.
Native Roman David Yoakley Mitchell, now executive director of the Atlanta Preservation Center, points out that the unique proximity of residential neighborhoods to the old industry in North Rome is a story that needs to be remembered and told. “People (today) just don’t live in close proximity to where they work,” Mitchell said.
Brice Wood, the new planning director for Rome and Floyd County, points out that multiple buildings in the Blossom Hill community are among the oldest in Rome.
The old Main High School campus, where African Americans were taught in Rome before integration, is located in the area off Washington Drive. It was individually included on the National Register in October of 2002. A portion of the campus now houses the Kelsey-Aycock-Burrell Center, which provides office space for several African American organizations.
The Five Points area near the Kingston Highway and North Broad Street intersection was once the hub for African American businesses in Rome. Elders in the African American community will remember George Smith’s Barber Shop, Bubber Duke’s Café, Graham Robinson’s Drug Store, Webb’s Café, and Dr. Benjamin Bryant’s Samaritan Hospital.
Many of the old businesses in that area fell prey to urban renewal and new highway work half a century ago. The only original building left standing sits at 1007 Broad Street and now houses the offices of attorneys William and Jessica Stoll. It once housed offices of North Carolina Mutual Life Insurance.
Native Roman David Yoakley Mitchell, now executive director of the Atlanta Preservation Center, points out that the unique proximity of residential neighborhoods to the old industry in North Rome is a story that needs to be remembered and told. “People (today) just don’t live in close proximity to where they work,” Mitchell said.
Brice Wood, the new planning director for Rome and Floyd County, points out that multiple buildings in the Blossom Hill community are among the oldest in Rome.
The old Fox Manufacturing facility took up a large amount of property on the east side of North Broad Street, spanning both the north and south sides of Callahan Street. Speaking of Callahan Street, what is now Stanley’s Cafeteria was built around 1901 specifically as a cafeteria to serve that community. For many years, it was known as Williams Cafeteria.
Further up North Broad, the old Dellinger textile mill provided a place to work for many people who lived in the Blossom Hill community and the community on the north side of North Avenue.
Many of the North Broad Street corridor buildings were constructed during the Works Progress Administration days, an infrastructure program created by President Franklin D. Roosevelt. As ugly as it is today, the very old strip shopping center on the west side of North Broad could be eligible for grant money to save and restore it if included in a federally recognized historic district.
Of course, not all of the historically significant sections and properties in North Rome are not necessarily of African American heritage. The old Forrestville community and Forrestville rail yard, now Norfolk Southern, was a forerunner of much of what is now considered North Rome.
Esther Vaughn, retired principal at Main Elementary School, has lived on Gibbons Street in North Rome her entire life, except her college years. “There is a lot of history up here, and it would be very good (to be told),” Vaughn said.
