This edition’s Mystery Photo has few distinguishing clues, and features a town with prosperous buildings. Try to figure out where this photograph was taken. Send your answers to ellott@brack.net, and include your hometown.
Fran Worrall of Lawrenceville nailed the last Mystery Photo. She writes: “It’s Whites Chapel AME (African Methodist Episcopal) Church, located in Haralson County, Ga., near Tallapoosa. Built in 1907, the chapel is a symbol of the sweeping post-Civil War changes that affected Georgia and the South. After emancipation, formerly enslaved people began to form their own churches, which quickly became both the social and spiritual centers of their lives. This little church was formed as the result of a migration from small farms to emerging centers of commerce like Tallapoosa, which was located near the railroad and the Tallapoosa River.
“Its extraordinary design included a suspended ceiling, gently curved walls, metal shingles on the belltower, and Gothic windows (most likely made and installed by members of the congregation). The chapel served as a spiritual home to generations of African Americans, all of whom are likely deceased. Sadly, the structure, which was abandoned in the 1980s, collapsed last summer.
“The AME denomination grew out of the Free African Society (FAS), which was established in Philadelphia in 1787. Prior to the Civil War, the church’s growth was confined to the Northeast and Midwest. Later, AME churches were established throughout the South and even internationally. By 1880, AME membership had reached more than 400,000, and today, the denomination has members in 39 countries on five continents.” She adds: “I continue to enjoy every issue of the Forum!”
The photo came from George Graf of Palmyra, Va. Two other spotters, Lou Camerio of Lilburn and Allan Peel of San Antonio, Tex. also recognized the photo. Peel adds another element to the story: “A brief article about this chapel can be found at the Historic Rural Churches website here. The article also includes some photos from inside the church, as well as what the structure looked like (see attached photo at right) shortly after it collapsed.”
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