2023 24 Black Pages FINAL 2 - Flipbook - Page 106
Charles Henry Douglass
Charles Henry Douglass (February 1870 – 1940) was an American
businessman in Macon, Georgia. He operated the Douglass Theatre. He was
a very wealthy man in his time and was a great community leader for
equality. He was very reputable in the arts, for he was a part of Theatre
Owners Booking Association (T.O.B.A.) and managed the Florida Minstrels
and Comedy Company. He opened the Douglass Theatre in Macon, Georgia,
and continued to be a prominent leader within his community. He ran his
theatre until 1940 when he died. Throughout his life, Douglass made several
contributions to his community and city. Ben Stein was reported to be the
owner and manager of the theater in 1928. "Indeed, thanks to the vision of
Charles Henry Douglass, the Douglass Theatre in Macon became a
preeminent entertainment venue for African American Georgians outside
of Atlanta. Today, with the restored Douglass Theatre again in operation,
the inspiring legacy of Charles H. Douglass lives on in Macon".
Charles Henry Douglass was born in February 1870 in Macon, Georgia. His
father, Charles Douglass, was a former slave from Virginia who became a
carpenter. Charles grew up with his father, his mother Ellen, and his two
Charles Henry Douglass; Early Pioneer of
sisters in a one-bedroom house that his father built. To supplement the
African American Businesses
family income, Charles worked at a very young age peddling wood and
vegetables. He also chopped cotton for fifteen cents a day. From a young
age, Douglass had an interest in the arts and theatre. After his parents died, he continued to work and
supported his sisters until they married. Soon after his sisters were married, he left Macon and worked a
series of various jobs.
In this time of severe racism and segregation, Douglass took pride in working and serving the black
community of Macon. In 1898, Douglass worked in a bicycle rent and repair shop, and was successful until
the rise of the automobile. Then in 1901, he became the director of the Georgia Loan and Savings Company,
where he met his future wife Fannie Appling. Fannie was an employee there, working as an assistant cashier.
Douglass continued working for the company for four more years and then began to invest in other
businesses. One of his first investments was the Ocmulgee Park Theatre in which he operated from 1904 to
1906. The Ocmulgee Theatre is home to the Ocmulgee Symphony Orchestra. In 1906, he sold the Ocmulgee
Theatre and bought another building on Broadway Street, which is one of the main streets in Macon. Before
purchasing this new building he had already owned The Colonial Hotel which was located on the same street.
Douglass went on to own several pieces of real estate on Broadway Street.
At this time in his life, he really started to gain wealth and fame among the people of Macon. Douglass even
became a member of the black chamber of commerce, and some would in which he was known as "…the
city's wealthiest African American". Through this group he also helped organize various rallies, "They rallied
black Maconites to meet on April 9, 1918 at the City Auditorium to collect money for the bond drive". With
his growing power and authority during these racist times, Douglass was involved in many African American
interest groups and gained positive fame from the black community as well as negative attention from the
white community in Georgia. At one point, "the state Ku Klux Klan offered a $100 bounty on his head…". In
fact, some describe him, "functioning as a wing of the Black Arts Movement". Some also say, "Charles H.
Douglass…was Macon's most prominent African American business leader in the first half of the twentieth
century" (Washington Memorial Library).
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