‘I thank the lord for it’: How emancipation created one of the largest Black communities in Marietta

ATLANTA, Ga. (Atlanta News First) - Juneteenth is a holiday honoring formerly enslaved African Americans in Galveston, Texas who were the last to learn they were free.

The Emancipation Proclamation was a turning point for Black communities across the nation. It has strong ties in Marietta.

Ninety-year-old Jeanie Carter’s home on Cole Street is a part of her family’s legacy.

“I thank the lord for it,” said Carter.

Carter said the home was purchased in 1944 by her parents-in-law Sarah and Oscar Carter.

“There were houses all the way down from Lawrence Street down to the church. They were Black-owned homes,” she said.

“The Carter House” is one of the remaining links to the vibrant Black community that sprung up on the east side of Marietta following emancipation.

Trevor Beemon is executive director of the William Root Museum, one of the oldest preserved homes in the greater Atlanta area that housed former slaves.

“There were a lot of Black businesses that were built. Black churches that were established. The neighborhoods flourished for a long time over on that side of the square,” Beemon said.

Beemon has extensively researched census data from 1860 in Marietta.

“Looking at the numbers, Marietta had a population of 2,600 people at that time. About 45% of the population was enslaved, which is much higher than any other city around Atlanta,” he said.

The museum has dedicated a sculpture on the property to those who never had the chance to experience freedom.

“We created it as a way to memorize the enslaved population because there were so many but very few of their names were recorded,” Beemon said.

Carter says it was a privilege to be able to own a home.

“The first house and the only house that the Carter family bought or had, you know,” she said.

The family home was named a historical landmark by the City of Marietta in 2022 after a long fight with developers who tried to buy the property. They beat the odds in homeownership discrimination that still occurred afterward.

“I’m the type I like to help somebody, to really just keep it in the family let everyone enjoy it,” said Carter.

Carter’s husband Kenneth passed away in 2019. She said it’s her mission to ensure those who owned the land keep ownership.

“Yeah, that’s it. One thing we’re going to get done is the paperwork, where it can never be sold. Never, ever, ever,” she said.