While many Augusta residents may have heard of Paine College’s Gilbert-Lambuth Chapel, they may not be familiar with John Wesley Gilbert, one half of the name.
A lives-treamed lecture at 6 p.m. Nov. 4 will give insight into Gilbert, who was the country’s first African American archaeologist.
Dr. John W.I. Lee, a professor at the University of California Santa Barbara, will lead the discussion. Lee has authored a book called “The First Black Archaeologist: A Life of John Wesley Gilbert” that will be released soon.
“What’s so fascinating is that Dr. John Lee found out about Professor Gilbert in Greece while doing research,” said Corey Rogers, the vice president of the Augusta African American Historical Society, which is presenting the free lives-tream.
Gilbert, a native of Hephzibah, was born to slaves in 1863. He was Paine College’s first student, first graduate and first faculty member. He was the third African American to attend Brown University, where he received a master’s degree. While there, he was the first to win a scholarship in Greek.
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His studies would take him to Greece, where he was the first black student to study at the American School of Classical Studies in Athens.
He worked on the excavation of the ancient city of Eretrea, not to be confused with Eritrea in Africa, according to a news release from the historical society.
In October 2020, the American School of Classical Studies announced gifts by two anonymous trustees who named a room on the first floor of the newly renovated Student Center as the John Wesley Gilbert room, “in honor of the esteemed scholar, linguist, teacher, community leader, missionary and first African American student of the American School,” according to the school’s website.
Anyone interested in taking part in the live-stream, can email AugustaBlackHistory@gmail.com to receive the link, Rogers said.
Rogers said members of the historical society hope to have another event and possibly a book signing in February with Lee, but plans have not been finalized yet.
Rogers said Gilbert provides an excellent example of the rich history of African Americans from the Augusta area.
Rogers interest in Augusta’s history runs deep. He’s a historian at the Lucy Craft Laney Museum of Black History and does historical tours on select weekends throughout the year. His next tour is scheduled for 1 p.m. Nov. 26. To learn more, email him at ocur761@gmail.com.
Charmain Z. Brackett is the Features Editor for The Augusta Press. Reach her at charmain@theaugustapress.com
