2023 24 Black Pages FINAL 2 - Flipbook - Page 109
Historic Greenwood Bottom: Past, Present, and Future Macon Greatness
By Clarence W. Thomas, Jr.
The Beginning of Greatness
Following the signing of the Emancipation Proclamation in 1863 a wellspring of progressive,
independent, black communities came about across the county; including a few notable ones in
Macon. And while it is not known as a Black enclave of greatness like historic Pleasant Hill or
Unionville, Greenwood Bottom deserves a place in the pantheon of locations here that gave rise
to communities of color anchored by a can-do spirit that resulted in economic, educational, and
social might.
Located on the southeastern edge of downtown Macon and serving as a gateway to Middle
Georgia Regional Airport in one direction and the central business district in another, Greenwood
Bottom is still present. Not as prominently as it did at the height of its existence, but still there as
a tangible testament to Black Macon’s undeniable, indelible role in the development of the city
since its establishment in 1823.
At one point before desegregation, Greenwood Bottom was teeming with businesses and
residents. A taxi service, restaurants, furniture store, fish market, hotel, and gas station were just
a few retail venues at the disposal of locals and out of towners.
A jewel in the neighborhood’s crown
was the Roxy Theatre. The Hazel Street
entertainment complex doubled as a
theatre and performance venue hosting
movie goers, youth talent contests and
concerts. Music greats Otis Redding,
James Brown, and Little Richard cut their
showmanship teeth at the Roxy before
becoming bigtime.
Two living testaments to those days
are Betty Freeman and Newton Collier.
Freeman was reared in her grandmother’s
house across the street from the Roxy.
Since
childhood
the
74-year-old
Greenwood Bottom resident has been a proud member of the community modeled after
Greenwood Avenue in Tulsa, OK - better known as Black Wall Street.
Like the Black community of Tulsa, Greenwood Bottom residents worked to create a safe
space where people of color could determine their own destiny through the support of those that
looked like them or others that coexisted peacefully and positively among them. “That was when
Black people knew we had to help each other. We were more unified and showed more love. We
liked spending money with each other,” Freeman shared while sitting on her porch.
Collier grew up in nearby Tindall Fields, which evolved eventually into Tindall Heights. It was
there that the foundation was laid by the late great music instructor Gladys Williams that turned
him into a formidable trumpet player - leading to him playing for Sam and Dave, Percy Sledge,
Otis Redding, James Brown, and others.
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