9 Sundown Towns in Georgia you Must Know

Introduction

Atlanta is not Georgia and the history of sundown towns in Georgia can help Black travelers understand some of the challenges that still persist in the state today.

When traveling or relocating to a destination, it’s essential to understand how safe and welcoming that location truly is. For Black travelers, this legitimate concern is often amplified by the historical and ongoing challenges posed by sundown towns.

So what is a sundown town?

A sundown town is a community that was historically unwelcoming to non-white individuals (particularly Blacks) after dark. Basically, Black people who were still in town when the sun set were putting their lives at risk by doing so.

With signs that once stated “N*s, Don’t Let The Sun Go Down On You In…” the legacy of these cities persists. It could be through overt and declared racial discrimination, such as signs, explicitly stated rules, or a subtler, unspoken attitude perpetuated among residents.

The 3 Legacay Sundown Towns In Georgia You Should Know

Times are changing, and as our awareness of historical contexts broadens, it’s important to keep this information in mind.

Why? Because understanding the historical backdrop and attitudes of a city or is a practical measure to ensure your personal safety and comfort.

Sundown towns are a dark part of US history, but they also offer an opportunity to understand the deep-seated racism that exists in America. And while many communities have progressed beyond their exclusionary pasts, history can still shape how they treat people of color.

So here are a few towns you should know about.

Sundown Towns in Georgia: Cumming

At the heart of Forsyth County is Cummings, Georgia (the only incorporated area in this part of the Atlanta metropolitan zone). Its population has increased from 5,430 in 2010 to 7,318 in 2020 with around 55% white and 5% Black residents.

Cummings was a sundown town in Georgia.

In 1912 a Black man was lynched after allegedly assaulting a white woman (more on that later). Just know there was continued violence against Black residents and culminated in the expulsion of all Black people from Cumming.

The city’s racial tensions flared up again in 1987, when a group of black campers were assaulted at Lake Lanier. After this happened, a local businessman organized a “Peace March,” which was met with extreme hostility. Civil rights leader Reverend Hosea Williams and former senator Gary Hart supported the subsequent march which was guarded by the National Guard and attended by thousands.

Sundown Towns in Georgia: Fitzgerald

Fitzgerald, with a population of 9,006 as of 2020, is the county seat of Ben Hill County. The city shows a significant Black majority with 53% compared to 38% of white residents.

Established in 1895 by Philander H. Fitzgerald, a former Union Army drummer boy and Indianapolis newspaper editor, the city was uniquely designed as a haven for Civil War veterans from both the Union and the Confederacy.

Fitzgerald’s layout was meticulously planned – divided into four wards by intersecting streets.

The west side honored Confederate generals Lee and Johnston.
The east side honored Union generals Grant and Sherman.

During a Thanksgiving harvest parade, Confederate and Union veterans walked together behind the US flag. This was a big deal considering both groups had originally planned to have their own separate marches.

But the reconciliation did not last.

This period also saw the rise of racial disenfranchisement laws across the South, affecting African Americans and many poor whites.

By 1900, Fitzgerald became a sundown town in Georgia, imposing restrictions on Blacks residing there.

Sundown Towns in Georgia: Forsyth County

Forsyth County, located in the northeast of Georgia within the Atlanta Metropolitan Area, is known both for its rapid growth and extreme exclusionary and violent racial history.

As of 2020, it is home to 251,283 people, with a population of 63% white and 4% Black. It is the fastest-growing county in Georgia. It also was among the top 15 fastest-growing counties in the U.S. between 2010 and 2019.

This county also has a seemingly never-ending list of racial violence. So by our standards (and most other people), Forsyth county is one of many legacy sundown towns in Georgia.

The Long History of Forsyth County as a Sundown Town

After the Civil War, the dynamic between white and black citizens in the southern United States became increasingly tense (obviously). White groups used violence to intimidate Black voters and regain political control, effectively ending Reconstruction. This was the beginning of Forsyth becoming one of a variety of Sundown Towns in Georgia.

1906 Atlanta Riots

By the early 20th century, white Democrats controlled the Georgia legislature and enacted laws that severely restricted Black voting rights and jury participation, which disenfranchised most Black citizens. They also passed racial segregation and other discriminatory Jim Crow laws.

As rural workers migrated to cities, racial tensions escalated, resulting in a riot in Atlanta in 1906 where more than 20 people were killed.

September 1912 A Month of Violence

In September 1912, the area was the scene of brutal racial attacks following allegations against Black men for assaulting two white women: Ellen Grice and Mae Crow. These incidents are the main contributing factors as to why Forsyth County is one of the most prominent legacy Sundown Towns in Georgia.

Ellen Grice Assault in Forsyth

Allegation and Arrest: On September 5, 1912, Ellen Grice reported a break-in and attempted assault by a Black man. Although she was not harmed, the allegation set off a chain of violent events.
Arrests: Shortly after the accusation, several Black men were arrested, including Tony Howell and Isaiah Pirkle.
Community Reaction: Tensions escalated when a local Black preacher suggested at a community gathering that the incident might have been misrepresented. He stated that maybe they were in a relationship and got caught so she lied. This led to his public whipping by white residents. The preacher had to be rescued by police and was taken into custody for his safety.
Mob Formation and Violence: The situation deteriorated rapidly when rumors spread of possible retaliation from the Black community. A mob of about 500 white men gathered with intentions of lynching the incarcerated Black men. The sheriff had to call for state militia intervention to manage the escalating violence.
Transfer for Safety: Sheriff Reid moved Howell, his alleged accomplices, and Smith to Cobb County jail for their protection, releasing Smith there. To prevent further violence, Governor Brown later moved the detainees to Fulton County jail.
Resolution of Charges: Howell, who allegedly confessed to the assault on Grice, was charged with assault with intent to rape. However, in February 1913, the grand jury dropped the case, and he was never tried.

Mae Crow Assault in Forsyth (Allegations)

Further Allegations: On September 8, another white woman, 18-year-old Mae Crow, was allegedly attacked, raped, and left for dead. She was found lying face down in a pool of blood with her throat slashed but was still alive. Searchers found a pocket mirror, leading to the arrest of Ernest Knox, a 16-year-old Black youth. Knox had apparently told his friend Oscar Daniel (17), Oscar’s sister Trussie (22), and Trussie’s live-in boyfriend Rob Edwards (24) about the attack, but they allegedly assumed Crow was dead and did nothing (allegations say that the boys further attacked her).
Confession: On the way to jail, Knox admitted to attacking Crow after being subjected to a “mock lynching.”
The Accomplices: Knox was moved to a different jail for his protection after hearing threats from a lynch mob. The next day, Knox’s friends were arrested for being accomplices, along with a Black neighbor as a witness. Police had to drive through a mob of 2,000 people to get them to jail. When the mob increased to 4,000, they stormed the jail. Police were able to protect all suspects except for Rob Edwards, who was shot and killed in his cell. The mob then dragged him out, mutilated him, dragged his body behind a wagon, and then hung him from a telephone pole.

Mae Crow Assault in Forsyth (Court Decision)

Court: Crow died in the hospital two weeks later and Knox and Oscar Daniel were indited for rape and murder. As part of a plea deal, Trussie changed her story and went against her brother and Knox. Despite no evidence of Oscar Daniel being linked to the crime, his sister’s testimony convinced the all-white jury that both the teens were guilty.
News Reporting: On October 3, The Atlanta Constitution newspaper reported that “Knox, the rapist, is a barefooted country negro…He is the low-browed gorilla type of negro, and his attitude was absolutely brutish throughout the trial today. He is about 25 years old. Oscar Daniel is somewhat younger, and a shade more human-looking; but he, also, belongs to the barefooted fiendish-looking type. The evidence fastening the guilt upon the two negroes was absolutely convincing.”
Lynching: On October 4, they were sentenced to death, to be carried out on the 25th. A crowd of between five to eight thousand people went to watch the hanging. The town only had a population of 12,000 at the time.

Aftermath of violence in Forsyth

The violent events and constant threats from white supremacist groups known as “Night Riders” led to the forced departure of nearly all Black residents from Forsyth County by the end of 1912. They were threatened with death if they did not leave within 24 hours.

The long-term impact of these acts of violence and the subsequent expulsion of Black residents solidified Forsyth County’s reputation as a sundown town in Georgia, where African Americans were banned from living or staying after dark for many decades.

Civil Rights Demonstrations in Forsyth

Efforts to reshape this image of being a sundown town and being hostile to POC and LGBT+ people occurred in the 1980s with large civil rights demonstrations, attracting national attention.

During one event in 1987, participants faced both opposition and support, drawing coverage from figures like Oprah Winfrey, who hosted a town hall in Cumming, the county seat.

One audience member said, “I’m afraid of [Blacks] coming to Forsyth County. I was born in Atlanta, and in 1963, the first blacks were bussed to West Fulton High School. I go down there now, and I see my neighborhood and my community, which was a nice community, and now it’s nothing but a rat-infested slum area because they don’t care.”

Discussions in the town hall revealed deep-seated racial fears but also a desire among many to integrate the county.

Current Day in Forsyth

Since the 1990s, Forsyth County has seen significant changes – for the better. It has become more diverse, with a growing number of Asian, Hispanic, and Black families moving in, attracted by high-quality schools, booming economy, and resources.

This shift reflects a broader demographic change in the region, which has been part of the larger trends affecting the Atlanta area.

Many residents consider this area to no longer be a sundown town in Georgia.

6 Other Suspected Sundown Towns In Georgia

Avondale Estates: Historical 96% white demographic and a policy during the Jim Crow era of not allowing “For Sale” signs, which prevented sales to Black families.

Sundown Towns in Georgia: Avondale Estates

Blairsville: Reports from a 1950s resident said that Blacks were not allowed in the town after dark, making it (at one point) a sundown town in Georgia.

Blue Ridge: Considered a possible sundown town in Georgia following reports that Blacks were barred from staying in the town after sunset, according to a resident from the 1950s.

Sundown Towns in Georgia: Blue Mountains

Clayton: Had signs at its borders explicitly warning Black individuals not to be in the town after sunset.
Rabun County: Warned Black people against being in the county after dark, with these signs reportedly remaining until 1975.
Thomas County: Exclusionary practices not just against Black residents but also expelling its Jewish population in 1862 under accusations of extortion and other crimes. No Jewish residents returned until the mid to late 20th century.

Conclusion: Sundown Towns In Georgia

Back in the 1850s, there were nearly 500,000 enslaved Africans in Georgia. Although sundown towns did exist in the Georgia, residents found it more valuable to keep the enslaved population close by. In fact, one-third of all families in Georgia owned slaves at that time (according to the 1860 census, 118,000 white families lived in Georgia, and 41,084 of these families owned slaves). However, after slavery ended, policies to keep towns and counties all-white, along with widespread discrimination, were very much present in Georgia. This is why it is still important to understand the history and legacy of sundown towns in Georgia.