Claflin School project can now begin in earnest
Post-Civil War Columbus had a public school for former slaves and their families before Atlanta did. That's a fact of no small historic significance, and not just locally.
Of course, we know there wasn't really much left of Atlanta in the immediate aftermath of the Civil War. The sprawling New South metropolis that is now Georgia's capital was mostly a pile of ashes 150 years ago.
Be that as it was, in 1865 some Columbus citizens began the process of starting the first school here for black children. The result was a new structure built by the Freedmen's Bureau at what is now 1532 Fifth Ave. The original building was lost in a fire, but was rebuilt in its current configuration in 1958.
In 1880 it was deeded to the city of Columbus, which later deeded it to the Muscogee County School District. The MCSD used it for decades -- as a school and for other administrative purposes -- before finally closing it. It was declared surplus and in 2013 deeded back to the city, which planned in turn to deed it back to the federal government.
Even before then, the historic building was already falling into a deteriorated state due to vandalism, asbestos, lead, leaks and the inexorable encroachment of time. The window for doing anything to save it was obviously closing fast.
In 2014, the Rev. Richard Jessie and others established the Friends of Historic Claflin. Theirs was, and is, an intimidating task given the amount of money it will take to preserve and restore the building.
But they've had some help, and will no doubt get more.
It helps, for instance, that the site has been listed on the Georgia Register of Historic Places, the National Historic Register and Georgia's listing of Ten Places in Peril.
It will also help that, as Jessie said, FHC has "done its due diligence" in terms of the legal status and insurance and other legal steps that that clear the way for the $10 million funding campaign launched earlier this week.
Claflin is an important and irreplaceable part of our history. For information or to make a contribution, call 706-393-9393 or visit the website at www.friendsofclaflin.com.
No date? Blame city
If you like living in Columbus (and most folks here seem to), and especially if you're happily married or satisfied with your dating life, then an arbitrary poll like this can't really matter.
Otherwise, if you think about it, the Wallethub ranking that puts Columbus in the Bottom Ten of American cities as far as dating goes might be a kind of solace.
It says that maybe the real problem is too few cafes, or too expensive movies, or too high a percentage of singles. (Just too much competition.)
It's not about you. Isn't that a relief?
This story was originally published December 17, 2015 at 4:46 PM with the headline "Claflin School project can now begin in earnest."