In its continued effort to honor the West Jackson Street historic district, known locally as The Bottom, the City of Thomasville is partnering with the Jack Hadley Black History Museum, the Thomasville History Center, and Pebble Hill to gather memories from current and former community residents that remember when the area was the primary shopping and social destination for African Americans. “We ask the community to share their written memories and photos of The Bottom so that we may continue to properly honor the significance of this important historic district in various upcoming projects,” said Sherri Cain, Public Outreach Manager.
“We have set up an electronic submission page on the City of Thomasville’s website where citizens can submit their photos along with a description,” said Cain. “It’s easy to participate in this community-wide project. Simply go to Thomasville.org, click on Live, then click on West Jackson Street Memories under the Community section. You may submit four photos during each visit to the page but you can visit as many times as you wish. If you do not have any photos, you can simply submit a written message of your fondest memories of The Bottom.”
As part of the partnership, the community is invited to attend the Thomasville History Center’s community event, ‘Do You Remember? The Bottom’ on Tuesday, August 17th at the Jack Hadley Black History Museum library beginning at 6:30 p.m. “This event is a bringing together the Thomasville History Center, the Jack Hadley Black History Museum, Pebble Hill Plantation, and the City of Thomasville in collaboration to tell the story of the important role that the district played in the lives of Thomasville’s African American and minority community,” said Cain. This event will be another platform for obtaining personal reflections, memories, and photos from citizens whose lives were impacted by their times in The Bottom.
Cain says that extensive public engagement during the design of the West Jackson Streetscape Project provided the City with a vision of how the community wanted to highlight the history of the district. The final vision plan consisted of a park and amphitheater, a community trailhead, and a redesigned streetscape for West Jackson Street. The amphitheater and park and trailhead projects were completed in 2017 and the streetscape was completed in 2019.
“The first phase of commemorating the history of the district came in 2018 when Thomasville City Council voted to officially name this business district in downtown The Bottom and name The Ritz Amphitheater and Park after the Ritz Theater, the entertainment venue for African Americans for many years before integration,” said Cain. “As part of the initial phase, over 30 sidewalk plaques honoring the notable African American businesses of the area were installed in the 300 block of West Jackson Street.”
Phase two of commemorating The Bottom is in the works and includes plans for a commemorative wall and storyboards at the amphitheater that share the history of the area. “Events such as ‘Do You Remember’ and the recent premiere of ‘The Bottom: Stores and Stories of West Jackson Street,’ help to collect memories that will be used on the commemorative wall and storyboards,” said Cain. “It is only through the eyes and hearts of members of the Thomasville community that we can properly honor the area.”
‘Do You Remember? The Bottom’ is free and open to the public. Please contact the Jack Hadley Black History Museum at 229-226-5029 or visit jackhadleyblackhistorymuseum.com, for all the details. For more information about submitting your photos or memories of The Bottom, or for information about additional projects commemorating the district, visit Thomasville.org or call 229-227-7001.