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Laney—Walker North Historic District
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Two important events triggered the early development of Laney—Walker North Historic District: construction of the Georgia Railroad in 1833 and the building of the Augusta Canal from 1845-47. These activities and the industries that developed brought many laborers to the area in need of housing. The neighborhood functioned as a well-integrated, multi-ethnic working-class community until the end of the 19th century associated with three of Augusta’s historic minority populations—Irish, Chinese, and African American. The district also is significant for its wide variety of modest residential, commercial, and institutional buildings dating from the mid-19th through the early 20th century.
The Laney—Walker District is home to several historic
black churches. Trinity Christian Methodist Episcopal Church, one
of Augusta’s oldest black congregations, was established by slaves
in 1840. Bethel African Methodist Episcopal Church and Central Baptist
Church also were founded by African Americans before emancipation. Both have been razed in recent years after the congregations moved to other facilities outside the neighborhood. A church
with a national reputation in the district is Tabernacle
Baptist Church, which dates from 1885. It moved from Ellis Street
to its present location at 1223 Laney—Walker Blvd. in 1915.
Visitors from around the country would travel to hear Reverend Charles
T. Walker, its founder and pastor. Reverend Walker was instrumental
in bringing the Walker Baptist Institute to Augusta in 1898.
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