- Neighborhood
- Segregation
- after 1865 onward
- DeKalb County
- General area only
Shermantown, Stone Mountain
The Black section of Stone Mountain village, begun after the Civil War by granite workers who were shut out of the white part of town. Its name refers to General Sherman.
The record
Much of the quarry work force was African American, but Black families were generally excluded from the areas where white families lived. A settlement grew on the southeast side of the village, and its name referred to Union General William T. Sherman (Wikipedia). Rev. R. M. Burson organized Bethsaida Baptist Church for the community in 1868; its wooden building was replaced in stone in 1920. The New Georgia Encyclopedia names Shermantown, with Scottdale, as one of DeKalb's distinct African American communities. The Klan held its rallies on the mountain above the village for decades.
Today: Bethsaida Baptist Church still serves the community on Fourth St. The village's Freedom Bell, dedicated in 2000 by its first Black mayor, is rung each King Day.
Where on the map: Southeast side of Stone Mountain village around Fourth St; exact historic bounds not mapped here.