Resettlement in Georgia
Dr. Tasha M. Hargrove, Dr. Robert Zabawa, and Ms. Michelle Pace
G.W.C. Experiment Station
Tuskegee University
G.W.C. Experiment Station
Tuskegee University
1935 |
Request for a resettlement project to be located mainly in Macon County, Georgia and partially in Houston and Peach Counties was initiated on August 8, 1935 by Mr. A.T. Wilson, Chairman of the local Resettlement Communities.
On November 15, 1936, Mr. Henry A. Hunt, principal of the Fort Valley Normal Industrial School requests that Peach, Houston, and Macon Counties be considered as possible locations for a resettlement project. |
1936 |
Agricultural, social, and economic plans for the Fort Valley Farms are completed.
On March 17, 1936, the results of a preliminary study on the feasibility of planning a Negro project in Peach County are accepted. On April 21, 1936, Fort Valley Farms project (RR-GA-27) is approved. The final budget is approved on June 23, 1936. On June 29, 1936, several citizens in Peach County state their opposition of the Fort Valley Farms project in Peach County, Georgia. R.W. Hudgens, Regional RA Director, informs Mr. R.G. Tugwell, Administrator of the Resettlement Administration, that he is investigating the possibility of canceling the Fort Valley Farms project due to local opposition. On November 7, Fort Valley Farms is moved to Macon County, Georgia and a search for suitable land in Macon County is initiated. |
1937 |
Local citizens protest the location of an agricultural resettlement project in
Macon County, Georgia. On March 17, 1937, several local groups and landowners endorse the relocating of the Fort Valley Farms project to Macon County, Georgia, including the Montezuma Kiwanis Club, Lynn McKenzie (landowner), Alvin McKenzie (landowner), and the Montezuma City Council. Options for land in Macon County, Georgia are accepted. The following landowners have agreed to sell their land in support of the resettlement project: A.T. McKenzie, J.L. Harrison, Ed McKenzie, J.B. Easterlin, M.E. Chastin, E.F. Jones, Janie Fisher, Caesar McKenzie, J.L. Harrison, C.F. Dover, and A.T. Wilson. The cost to purchase this land is $215,472.33. On May 8, 1937, Fort Valley Farms is officially named "Flint River Farms." |
1938 |
On October 1, 1938, Flint RIver Farms starts with 77 families.
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All research activities were funded through the United States Department of Agriculture's 1890 Institution Capacity Building Grant (2001-38814-11436) "Assessing Government Partnerships in Rural Community Development" awarded to Tuskegee University. The Tuskegee University Research Team included Dr. Robert Zabawa, Principal Investigator, Dr. Ntam Baharanyi, Principal Investigator, Dr. Tasha Hargrove, Research Assistant Professor, Ms. Alice Paris, Project Coordinator, and Ms. Michelle Pace, Graduate Student.
