Reese Street Neighborhood
After the Civil War, Athens’ 5,000 newly freed Black residents, just over half the city, began to establish their own communities on land unwanted by white residents. Reese Street was one of those areas. Prominent Black doctors, dentists, and business owners lived and worked here, contributing to the nearby Hot Corner district, which became the economic heart of Black Athens.
Reese Street was known for being the cultural and educational center of Black life in Athens during Reconstruction and Jim Crow. Athens elected two Black men to the state legislature after the conclusion of the Civil War, and both lived in this area. The Knox Institute, pictured here, was founded in 1868 by the Freedman’s Bureau and was the primary institution for secondary education for the Black community until its closure in 1928.
Today, several neighborhoods including Reese Street have been reshaped by gentrification and studentification, the process by which neighborhoods are transformed through the influx of university students, often leading to rising rents and the displacement of long-standing residents.
Reese Street, once a thriving hub of Black life, is now dominated by white professionals and university students, with only a few remnants of its past remaining. This loss represents more than just the physical displacement of residents; it symbolizes the erasure of Black cultural and historical contributions from Athens’ landscape, one that continues to shape the city’s memory and spatial practices.
The CML has been working with Historic Athens and several other Athens' residents with ties to the neighborhood to document its history and contextualize the factors that have led to resident displacement. Below is a video of a presentation from October 2024 where Dr. Shannon outlines this project.
A walking tour of the neighborhood that highlights it history will be coming soon!
Reese Street was known for being the cultural and educational center of Black life in Athens during Reconstruction and Jim Crow. Athens elected two Black men to the state legislature after the conclusion of the Civil War, and both lived in this area. The Knox Institute, pictured here, was founded in 1868 by the Freedman’s Bureau and was the primary institution for secondary education for the Black community until its closure in 1928.
Today, several neighborhoods including Reese Street have been reshaped by gentrification and studentification, the process by which neighborhoods are transformed through the influx of university students, often leading to rising rents and the displacement of long-standing residents.
Reese Street, once a thriving hub of Black life, is now dominated by white professionals and university students, with only a few remnants of its past remaining. This loss represents more than just the physical displacement of residents; it symbolizes the erasure of Black cultural and historical contributions from Athens’ landscape, one that continues to shape the city’s memory and spatial practices.
The CML has been working with Historic Athens and several other Athens' residents with ties to the neighborhood to document its history and contextualize the factors that have led to resident displacement. Below is a video of a presentation from October 2024 where Dr. Shannon outlines this project.
A walking tour of the neighborhood that highlights it history will be coming soon!