Memories Day:
Black High School Reunion
February 22, 2020
11am - 3pm
George Washington Carver Park, 3900 Bartow Carver Road,
Acworth, GA, 30102
It is once again that we greet and inform you of the second annual Memories Day:
Black High School Reunion.
This year marks a historical feat, the 70th anniversary of the creation of the George Washington Carver Park, also affectionately known as The Beach. During this event we plan to reflect on the significance of The Beach in Civil Rights history, as well as sharing our fondest memories of the surrounding Black high schools.
This is a great opportunity to connect with classmates and reminisce. The Summer Hill Heritage Group and the Cartersville Visitor’s Bureau will be providing lunch for all guests. There will also be time for participants to share their favorite memories.
We are looking forward to seeing and greeting each of you. The 2020 Memories Day: Black High School Reunion is a free event. Please RSVP to this event by answering the short questionnaire below. Please respond early and meet the February 15th registration deadline so that we can plan and prepare for the best reunion yet.
Sincerely,
The Summer Hill Heritage Group
RSVP
All events are free and open to the community.
For questions, email Summerhillheritage@gmail.com.
Visit our website for a full schedule of events at www.SummerHillHeritageGroup.org
Kroger Community Rewards Program for the:
Summer Hill Foundation is:
54870
Please help the Summer Hill Foundation by joining the Kroger Rewards Program. . . it is free to join and free for you to help us.
The School
Established by Ronald Johnson in 1889, Summer Hill School was a wood framed Rosenwald structure of white clapboard with only a few rooms. Summer Hill School opened its doors with only 55 students from grades one 1 - 8
After the higher grades were added, the lower grades remained in the old building and grades 9-12 were moved to the new building at the bottom of the hill which was named Summer Hill High School. Summer Hill High School was the only high school that blacks could attend during this period in Bartow County. Renovated and reopened to the public, the Summer Hill Complex now has a museum.
The Community
The Summer Hill community included black entrepreneurs and businesses, social and civic organizations, the Summer Hill PTA, churches and Slab Stadium which hosted black baseball teams and served as a business anchor to the community.
The Experience
The Students mostly learned from the worn out books they could not take home to study. Jim Crow laws forced blacks to live "behind the veil" in the words of W.E.B. Du Bois and Civil Rights was mostly a civil fight. But through it all, this village - Summer Hill - raised happy, intelligent and culturally diverse people who have a rich history to tell.