The Richmond Hill, Georgia, Historical Society is a membership-based, non-profit organization with a mission to inspire and educate people on Richmond Hill's richly diverse past. Whether you're a native or a newcomer, we hope you will join us!
Thank you to Peggy Campbell for offering to start a matching donation campaign! Mrs. Campbell is a lifetime member and friend of the society as well as the niece of Clara Ford. Click here to donate and double your impact!
Richmond Hill Historical Society Scholarship
For Historic Preservation Month in May, the Richmond Hill Historical Society awarded a $1,000 scholarship to Richmond Hill High School senior, Wyatt Kitchens-Hayes. This scholarship is in honor of Dr. Leslie and Lucy Long, founding members of the society, who left an endowment to the Richmond Hill Historical Society for education. This year's topic was the six Martha-Mary Chapels. Congratulations, Wyatt!
Join us as for Cars and Coffee, a monthly event (March - October) showcasing unique, rare and antique cars! Powered by J.C. Lewis Ford. Car owners can bring in a car and interact with other automobile enthusiasts. Don't have a classic car? Bring the family and be a spectator! On May 1, we will get a special visit from the Oscar Mayer Wienermobile!! Drop by to see this famous 27-foot rolling hot dog from 9 - 10:30 am 10:30 am.
Full Cars & Coffee Schedule:
WHEN: Saturday, March 6, 2021
Saturday, April 3, 2021
Saturday, May 1, 2021
Saturday, June 5, 2021
Saturday, July 3, 2021
Saturday, August 7, 2021
Saturday, September 4, 2021
Saturday, October 2, 2021
9 a.m. - 11 a.m.
WHERE: Richmond Hill History Museum
11460 Ford Ave
Richmond Hill, Georgia, 31324
COST: Free (donations to the museum appreciated)
MORE INFORMATION: Contact the museum at 912-756-3697 or visit www.richmondhillhistoricalsociety.com.
Full Cars & Coffee Schedule:
WHEN: Saturday, March 6, 2021
Saturday, April 3, 2021
Saturday, May 1, 2021
Saturday, June 5, 2021
Saturday, July 3, 2021
Saturday, August 7, 2021
Saturday, September 4, 2021
Saturday, October 2, 2021
9 a.m. - 11 a.m.
WHERE: Richmond Hill History Museum
11460 Ford Ave
Richmond Hill, Georgia, 31324
COST: Free (donations to the museum appreciated)
MORE INFORMATION: Contact the museum at 912-756-3697 or visit www.richmondhillhistoricalsociety.com.
Artifact of the Month
sponsored by
The Richmond Hill History Museum is offering a new series to feature an artifact of the month, brought to you by T-Mobile. In general, museums are only able to display a small percentage of their collections at a time due to space and preservation constraints. This project is a great way to showcase some lesser-known artifacts from the Richmond Hill area that visitors rarely get to see. Be sure to visit the museum to see what is new… or in this case, old!
“We are excited to partner with T-Mobile to highlight some of the treasures from the collections of the Richmond Hill History Museum. Each month a different artifact will be the focus of an exhibit to illustrate unique finds from the history of Richmond Hill and Bryan County. So many in our community are not aware of the history of the area and have not visited the museum. We hope that by spotlighting some of the artifacts, that people will come into the museum and see all that it has to offer,” said Jennifer Grover, Executive Director.
WHERE: Richmond Hill History Museum
11460 Ford Avenue
Richmond Hill, Georgia 31324
WHEN: Now - March 15, 2021
Open Tuesday - Saturdays 11 am - 4 pm
COST: Regular museum admission, Members of the Historical Society are free.
“We are excited to partner with T-Mobile to highlight some of the treasures from the collections of the Richmond Hill History Museum. Each month a different artifact will be the focus of an exhibit to illustrate unique finds from the history of Richmond Hill and Bryan County. So many in our community are not aware of the history of the area and have not visited the museum. We hope that by spotlighting some of the artifacts, that people will come into the museum and see all that it has to offer,” said Jennifer Grover, Executive Director.
WHERE: Richmond Hill History Museum
11460 Ford Avenue
Richmond Hill, Georgia 31324
WHEN: Now - March 15, 2021
Open Tuesday - Saturdays 11 am - 4 pm
COST: Regular museum admission, Members of the Historical Society are free.
March Artifact of the Month: Women's History Month featuring
Nurse Constance Clark and Nurse Ella Reed Sams
Original Medicine Cabinet from the Henry Ford Clinic
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Nurse Constance Clark and Nurse Ella Reed Sams, cared for hundreds of men, women and children at the Ways Station Health Association, later the Richmond Hill Clinic, operated by Henry Ford during the years of 1930-1951. The two gave vaccinations and treatments for malaria, smallpox, typhoid, hookworm and other illnesses. They also cared for injuries and gave general wellness and cleanliness advice. In addition to working in the local clinic, they regularly traveled to schools, homes and rural areas to treat patients.
The local doctor, Dr. Holton, along with Nurse Clark and Nurse Reed, were seeing hundreds of cases of Malaria in their patients. After a fatality in 1936, Dr. Holton approached Mr. Ford about a better way of helping the 2,000 people who lived in Bryan County. Mr. Ford became very interested in the idea and agreed to fund a plan to eradicate the disease, regardless of the cost.
The first step was to hire an additional 18 nurses for the small clinic, who trained for several weeks. Second, they involved the Georgia State Board of Health. Third, they tested residents and found a large number of people who lived in Bryan County were infected with the disease. Everyone who lived on Mr. Ford’s property was required to begin a five-day treatment of the drug Atabrine. “The nurses went around to every person living in the community and administered Atabrine to every individual - man, woman or child, white or black. They had to take it or get out. That was the rule,” said Dr. Holton in a 1952 interview. “ No one refused. Patients were retested and treated with a follow up drug until they tested negative.
In addition, Ford undertook an extensive project to drain any standing water in the area to try to eliminate disease-carrying mosquitoes. “We did eradicate it there and we eradicated it completely once and for all,” Holton recalled. “Atabrine is a permanent cure. I might add that partly due the the stimulus of our work there, the State Board of Health has practically eradicated Malaria from the entire state of Georgia. It formerly was the greatest economic and medical factor in the state.”
Read about the project in their own words here:
Oral interview given by Nurse Constance Clark in 1952
Oral interview given by Dr. C. F. Holton in 1952
The local doctor, Dr. Holton, along with Nurse Clark and Nurse Reed, were seeing hundreds of cases of Malaria in their patients. After a fatality in 1936, Dr. Holton approached Mr. Ford about a better way of helping the 2,000 people who lived in Bryan County. Mr. Ford became very interested in the idea and agreed to fund a plan to eradicate the disease, regardless of the cost.
The first step was to hire an additional 18 nurses for the small clinic, who trained for several weeks. Second, they involved the Georgia State Board of Health. Third, they tested residents and found a large number of people who lived in Bryan County were infected with the disease. Everyone who lived on Mr. Ford’s property was required to begin a five-day treatment of the drug Atabrine. “The nurses went around to every person living in the community and administered Atabrine to every individual - man, woman or child, white or black. They had to take it or get out. That was the rule,” said Dr. Holton in a 1952 interview. “ No one refused. Patients were retested and treated with a follow up drug until they tested negative.
In addition, Ford undertook an extensive project to drain any standing water in the area to try to eliminate disease-carrying mosquitoes. “We did eradicate it there and we eradicated it completely once and for all,” Holton recalled. “Atabrine is a permanent cure. I might add that partly due the the stimulus of our work there, the State Board of Health has practically eradicated Malaria from the entire state of Georgia. It formerly was the greatest economic and medical factor in the state.”
Read about the project in their own words here:
Oral interview given by Nurse Constance Clark in 1952
Oral interview given by Dr. C. F. Holton in 1952
February Artifact of the Month: Celebrate Black History Month
Oak Level School Desks
Excerpt from Images of America, Richmond Hill, Georgia, by Buddy Sullivan:
"Formal education, separate for black and white [students] at the time, was rudimentary and somewhat haphazard in the early 20th century. There were several small schools in the Ways Station area (now Richmond Hill). The building above is the one-room school for black [students] at Oak Level at the lower end of Bryan Neck, about nine miles east of Ways Station. The exterior was typical of one-room structures for poor white and black people during the Depression era. Henry Ford implemented repairs and upgrades to the one room school buildings for black [students] before supporting the construction of the consolidated George Washington Carver School in the late 1930s."
The teacher's desk and students' desks, which date back to the 1880s, were recovered from the Oak Level school by Charles Boles and are displayed at the Richmond Hill History Museum.
"Formal education, separate for black and white [students] at the time, was rudimentary and somewhat haphazard in the early 20th century. There were several small schools in the Ways Station area (now Richmond Hill). The building above is the one-room school for black [students] at Oak Level at the lower end of Bryan Neck, about nine miles east of Ways Station. The exterior was typical of one-room structures for poor white and black people during the Depression era. Henry Ford implemented repairs and upgrades to the one room school buildings for black [students] before supporting the construction of the consolidated George Washington Carver School in the late 1930s."
The teacher's desk and students' desks, which date back to the 1880s, were recovered from the Oak Level school by Charles Boles and are displayed at the Richmond Hill History Museum.
January Artifact of the Month:
Mary Lou Martin's abilities outweighed her disability.
Excerpt from Dr. Leslie Long's book, The Henry Ford Era in Richmond Hill, Georgia:
"Mary Lou is the daughter of Aimar and Rose Martin of Richmond Hill. Mr. Martin was bookkeeper for Henry Ford. Mary Lou was the victim of polio. The above photo was taken around 1943. Mr. Ford, being aware of her handicap, sent her up to Dearborn to the Ford Hospital for a year of free treatment. When she returned to Richmond Hill, he built her family a home within a block of the school so she could be near the school. Mr. Ford gave her the wheelchair she is sitting in. Through the courtesy of the Martin family, the chair is now on display at the Richmond Hill History Museum. Mary Lou is one of the most admirable persons I have ever known. Despite her handicap she completed high school and went onto college and obtained a degree in education and taught school. She is a very talented lady and, among other things, is an accomplished musician. She plays the piano and sings with a beautiful voice. In addition, she is married and has four children. With her handicap, her accomplishments seem impossible but they are real. In addition to all this, she always has a smile and has a very pleasant personality. I greatly admire her accomplishments." Leslie Long
Mary Martin Donati passed away in 2008. Her wheelchair and photos of the home Henry Ford built for her family are on display at the Richmond Hill History Museum, as well as more information about her family's connection to Henry Ford.
"Mary Lou is the daughter of Aimar and Rose Martin of Richmond Hill. Mr. Martin was bookkeeper for Henry Ford. Mary Lou was the victim of polio. The above photo was taken around 1943. Mr. Ford, being aware of her handicap, sent her up to Dearborn to the Ford Hospital for a year of free treatment. When she returned to Richmond Hill, he built her family a home within a block of the school so she could be near the school. Mr. Ford gave her the wheelchair she is sitting in. Through the courtesy of the Martin family, the chair is now on display at the Richmond Hill History Museum. Mary Lou is one of the most admirable persons I have ever known. Despite her handicap she completed high school and went onto college and obtained a degree in education and taught school. She is a very talented lady and, among other things, is an accomplished musician. She plays the piano and sings with a beautiful voice. In addition, she is married and has four children. With her handicap, her accomplishments seem impossible but they are real. In addition to all this, she always has a smile and has a very pleasant personality. I greatly admire her accomplishments." Leslie Long
Mary Martin Donati passed away in 2008. Her wheelchair and photos of the home Henry Ford built for her family are on display at the Richmond Hill History Museum, as well as more information about her family's connection to Henry Ford.
December Artifact of the Month:
Ford Employee Badges
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