Pathways to Preservation: Georgia Black History Trails – Statewide Community Session
Join us for an impactful statewide gathering of grassroots organizations,
preservationists, historians, educators, archivists, and citizens coming
together to launch the Georgia Black History Trail Initiative — beginning
right here in Harris County. This event is Saturday, June 21, 2025 from 2pm – 4pm at Greater Shady Grove Missionary Baptist Church, 3000 12th Avenue, Columbus, GA 31904.
Celebrate Juneteenth 2025 at Piece Chapel
This year’s theme “Freedom, History, Culture, and Resilience” pays tribute to the legacy of our ancestors and celebrates the strength, creativity, and spirit that continues to shape the African American experience. Come be a part of this celebration at Pierce Chapel Global Methodist Church on Thursday, June 19, 2025 between 11am – 12pm at 5122 Pierce Chapel Road, Midland, GA 31820.
Legacy & Remembrance Cemetery Workshop
Join us on September 21, 2024 from 11am to 12:30pm for inspiring and impactful sessions designed to empower communities to take an active role in preserving our vital heritage. Prospect AME Church located at 77 Goat Rock Rd. in Fortson, GA 31820.
Tour Spotlight Pierce Chapel African Cemetery
Listed on the National Trust for Historic Preservation’s 11 Most Endangered Places of 2023, Pierce Chapel African Cemetery is one of the oldest burial grounds for enslaved Africans and their descendants in Harris County.
Historical Photography Session at Pierce Chapel African Cemetery
We are looking for passionate volunteers to participate in our Historical Photography Session on June 21, 2024, during the 3rd Annual Juneteenth Commemorative Program. Volunteers of all ages and backgrounds are needed. No prior acting experience required. Contact us at info@hamiltonhood.org or 800-376-1065 by May 15th.
Jubilee Juneteenth Community Event
Join us on June 19th, 2024 at Pierce Chapel Methodist Church from 11am to 12pm to embark on a journey through our community’s history, exploring the profound contributions of African American culture, art, traditions, and lifestyles that have shaped our landscape. This event will showcase storytelling, musical performances, poetry, singing, and genealogy insights.
National Preservation Month: Pierce Chapel African Cemetery Service-Learning Day
Hamilton Hood Foundation will be hosting a Service-Learning Day at Pierce Chapel African Cemetery on Saturday, May 18, 2023 between 10am – 12pm EDT at 5122 Pierce Chapel Road, Midland, GA 31820 across from Pierce Chapel Methodist Church.
Historical Preservation & Awareness Tour
On December 29, 2022, the African-American Burial Grounds Preservation Act was enacted into law as a part of H.R.2617. Honoring this, we will come together on Wednesday, November 8, 2023, from 12 p.m. to 1:30 p.m. at Pierce Chapel African Cemetery to pay tribute to the rich history, culture, art, traditions, and ways of life embodied in this culturally significant site.
Location: Pierce Chapel African Cemetery
5122 Pierce Chapel Road Midland, GA. 31820
WSB-TV Atlanta News Special on Pierce Chapel African Cemetery
The Hamilton Hood Foundation is highlighted by WSB-TV News for its work in preserving the culture at Pierce Chapel African cemetery.
Yamona Pierce, founder of the Hamilton Hood Foundation, visits The Tavis Smiley Show
Yamona Pierce spotlights efforts to preserve desecrated African cemeteries on the Tavis Smiley Show.
NY Times: America’s Black Cemeteries and Three Women Trying to Save Them
The New York Times describes the efforts to preserve the historic Pierce Chapel African Cemetery.
Founder & CEO Yamona Pierce will be a panelist at Georgia Statewide Historic Preservation Conference
Thursday, September 14th at 12pm, Yamona will be discussing African American Cemetery Preservation. Yamona is honored to be asked to speak about this very important topic.
2nd Annual Juneteenth Commemoration: Discovering Our Roots
Join us on June 19, 2023 from 10am-11am at Pierce Chapel African Cemetery for this Freedom Day Celebration and community event.
Day of Service at Pierce Chapel African Cemetery
Day of Service at Pierce Chapel African Cemetery on Saturday, May 27, 2023 between 10am – 12pm EST at 5122 Pierce Chapel Road, Midland, GA 31820.
Black cemetery near Columbus makes national list of ‘endangered’ places | Georgia Public Broadcasting
Pierce Chapel African Cemetery was named by the National Trust for Historic Preservation as one of the country’s 11 most endangered places.
Honoring Earth Day with Action
Preserve our history and protect our planet with Earth Day clean-up at Pierce Chapel African Cemetery.
May is National Historic Preservation Month
For National Historic Preservation Month, we will gather at Pierce Chapel African Cemetery on Tuesday, May 9th at 10:00 for a very important preservation event that aims to provide a platform to share the significance of the culture, art, traditions, and ways of life reflected in the landscape at he site,
Tell it From the Mountain: African-American Voices from Harris County, GA
This oral history project will ensure the rich history of Harris County, GA and nearby communities are preserved for future generations.
African American Burial Grounds Preservation Program Created in Omnibus Bill
The Society for Historical Archaeology (SHA) thanks the bipartisan group of lawmakers who secured inclusion of the African American Burial Grounds Preservation Act in the omnibus appropriations bill.
Fall Community Day of Service at Pierce Chapel African Cemetery
The Hamilton Hood Foundation is holding a Day of Service at Pierce Chapel African Cemetery on November 19th from 9:00am to 12:00pm EDT. Volunteers will meet at 5122 Pierce Chapel Road, Midland, GA 31820.
National Trust for Historic Preservation: Supporting Descendants Who are Saving Their Historic Places
https://savingplaces.org/conference
- Chief Ben Barnes, Shawnee Tribe: Shawnee Indian Manual Labor Boarding School, Fairway, Kansas
- Nancy Ukai, Wakasa Memorial Committee: James Wakasa Monument and Memorial Site, Topaz War Relocation Center, Delta, Utah
- Yamona Pierce, Hamilton Hood Foundation: Pierce Chapel African Cemetery, Midland, Georgia
New York Times: Nearly ‘Erased by History’: African Americans Search for Lost Graves
Article by Audra Burch. To access the full article, enter your email address to view it for free.
Stories on the Land: Showcasing Black History on Public Lands
National Religious for the Preservation of the Environment
Cultivate Collaborative Grassroots Efforts to Restore Historic African American Cemeteries
Join us for an informational session on efforts to restore historic African American Cemeteries. Tuesday, September 27, 2022 from 6:30-7:30 PM EST. Zoom registration at https://bit.ly/3S7fAc4.
AJC Photos: African-American Cemetery Preserved, Reconsecrated
Photographs by the Atlanta Journal-Constitution of Pierce Chapel African Cemetery Juneteenth consecration.
Ledger-Enquirer Photos: Consecration ceremony blesses, honors ancestors buried at Pierce Chapel African Cemetery
Ledger-Enquirer Consecration photographs from the Juneteenth ceremony at Pierce Chapel African Cemetery.
Cultural Heritage Partners Applauds African American Burial Grounds Network Act Introduction in Congress
Cultural Heritage Partners praise the African American Burial Grounds Network Act which would create a nationwide database for technical assistance and provide grants for preservation and educational activities at these historic sites.
ASLA Issue Brief: AFRICAN-AMERICAN BURIAL GROUNDS PRESERVATION ACT
The American Society of Landscape Architects supports legislation to identify and protect African American burial sites.
Pierce Chapel African Cemetery Juneteenth Consecration
On June 20th, 2022 – Descendants, faith leaders, and community members will gather for a spiritual ceremony and blessing to honor and commemorate the legacy of our ancestors represented at this sacred site. The consecration will occur 11am-12pm EST at 5213 Pierce Chapel Rd, Midland, GA 31820 across from Pierce Chapel UMC.
Descendants working to protect unkept African American cemetery in Harris County (WTVM)
WTVM news report about how Yamona Pierce’s desire to learn more about her past brought a Columbus native face to face with a historic find.
Brown Praises Work Of African American Cemeteries Coalition At Black History Month Celebration
U.S. Senator Sherrod Brown (D-OH) praised the African American Cemeteries Coalition during remarks he made at the group’s Black History Month Celebration, and discussed the introduction of his African American Burial Grounds Preservation Act. The newly-introduced bipartisan bill is also sponsored by Mitt Romney (R-UT).
Fund for Reparations Now! Supports Archaeological Survey
Yamona Pierce, founder and CEO of the Hamilton Hood Foundation, announced on February 27, 2022 that an archaeological survey has commenced at the abandoned Pierce Chapel African American Cemetery in Midland GA.
Video: Transforming a cemetery from ‘a place of chaos into a place of commemoration’
Yamona Pierce, founder of the Hamilton Hood Foundation, talks about her family’s efforts to restore the Pierce Chapel African American Cemetery in Midland, Georgia after she learned of its dilapidated condition.
McEachin, Adams, Fitzpatrick Introduce African American Burial Grounds Preservation Act
In honor of Black History Month, Representatives A. Donald McEachin (VA-04), Alma Adams (NC-12), and Brian Fitzpatrick (PA-01) introduced the bipartisan African American Burial Grounds Preservation Act. The bipartisan Senate companion legislation was introduced last week by Senators Sherrod Brown (D-OH) and Mitt Romney (R-UT).
Sen. Sherrod Brown renews effort to preserve African-American cemeteries
Cleveland.com and the Plain Dealer highlighted Senator Sherrod Brown’s (D-OH) efforts to pass his bipartisan African American Burial Grounds Network Act, which would establish a new program to preserve historic African American burial grounds and to provide federal assistance to ensure the burial sites are maintained for future generations.
NBC News Features Pierce Chapel Cemetery
NBC News highlights efforts by the Hamilton Hood Foundation to restore Pierce Chapel Cemetery.
NBCBLK on Twitter: Clearing Pierce Chapel African Cemetery
Hamilton Hood Foundation has spent nearly three years cleaning out the cemetery and identifying people buried there.
Keeping The Family Together… Digitizing Historic African-American Cemeteries
Yamona Pierce, Hamilton Hood Foundation Founder, is hosting a Virtual Teach-In Event on November 6, 2021 from 11am-12:30pm EST.
Fall 2021 Internship Program
Hamilton Hood Foundation is currently accepting applications for its Fall 2021 Program. Request an application below.
Association of African American Museums Announces Annual Conference Virtual
Yamona Pierce, Hamilton Hood Foundation Founder, is a panelist on “Preserving African American Cemeteries – National Parks Conservation Association”. The event is scheduled for August 6, 2021 at 2:00-2:50pm.
Press Release | Hamilton Hood Foundation
Nonprofit Organization to Restore Desecrated African American Cemetery
Black Farmers Network
Descendants of Harris County farmers reclaim trashed historic Black cemetery
Atlanta News Journal
National Foundation Seeks to Uncover and Preserve African American History and Its Untold Stories
Courier | The Historic Pierce Chapel African American Cemetery
The Historic Pierce Chapel African American Cemetery in www.couriernews.org
92.1 FM Radio Interview | Columbus, GA
Hamilton Hood Founder’s radio interview with 92.1 FM of Columbus, GA.
Dr. King’s Legacy 2021
A Conversation… Equality & Dignity | Preservation of Historic African American Cemeteries
