Augusta’s Laney-Walker neighborhood is rich with history.
On Feb. 13, local historian Corey Rogers will explore some of that history as he offers a heritage walking tour of the neighborhood.
Tour sites include Christ Presbyterian Church, Lucy Craft Laney High School (the site of the Haines Normal and Industrial Institute), the gravesite of Lucy Craft Laney, the Laney House, the Wallace Branch Library, Tabernacle Baptist Church and the gravesite of the Rev. C.T. Walker.
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Laney was an educator who founded the first school for African-American children in Augusta. Walker established Tabernacle Baptist Church in 1885 and saw guests such as John D. Rockefeller and William Howard Taft. The New York Times referred to Walker as one of the greatest African-American preachers of his time in its 1921 obituary.
“The walking tour is a socially distanced way for people to learn about the area,” he said.
This is the second tour Rogers has done this year. His first was on Jan. 16 in honor of Dr. Martin Luther King Jr.’s birthday, and it covered some of the same landmarks.
Rogers said the first tour was well-received and had a mix of attendees including a few people who were new to the area and one who was in town to visit a relative. That tour sparked an interest and led to a couple of different organizations being interested in their own guided program.
“I hope to do this at least every other month. My goal is to make this ongoing,” he said.
The hour-long tour will begin at 1 p.m. at the corner of Laney-Walker Boulevard and Phillips Street, next to Laney’s gravesite.
The cost is $15 for adults and $10 for children 12-years-old and younger. Tour capacity is limited. Social distancing will be observed, and masks will be required.
For additional information, email Rogers at ocur761@gmail.com.
Charmain Z. Brackett is the Features Editor for The Augusta Press. Reach her at charmain@theaugustapress.com
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