The Bulloch County Historical Society's February monthly meeting was engaging and insightful. The presenter, Dr. Alvin Jackson, Founder and Board President of the Willow Hill Heritage and Renaissance Center, shared the school's 150 year history in a presentation titled ‘Willow Hill's Heritage, Defining Their Destiny: The Story of the Willow Hill School and Community and Its Impact.'
More than 60 BCHS members and guests gathered to socialize, connect, and learn before the informative presentation.
They enjoyed a delicious meal catered by Touch of Class Catering by Annette, featuring tossed salad, sliced roast beef with gravy, mashed potatoes, glazed carrots, rolls, and a standout peach cobbler for dessert.
Dr. Jackson began his presentation with appreciation and recognition for those who have contributed to preserving Willow Hill’s legacy through honoring the contributions of African-American history and culture in Bulloch County, with exhibits, artifacts, and educational programs.
The center provides a powerful experience for visitors that showcases history and heritage. He added that his late wife and strong partner, Dr. Gayle Jackson, was the inspiration, tracing her family history back to Dan Riggs, one of the 3 illiterate ex-slaves who founded Willow Hill School in 1874.
Diving into this rich historical presentation, Jackson shared that the original Willow Hill School was started in 1874 by former slaves, 9 years after the Civil War. The Willow Hill School is a powerful testament to the resilience of community-building, playing a crucial role in uplifting generations.
Operating from 1874-1999, its existence is the longest for any school in Bulloch County, Georgia. The original school was housed in an old turpentine shanty on the land of Daniel Riggs. The first teacher, Georgina Riggs, was just 15 years old. Families like the Donaldsons, Riggs, Halls, and Parishes pursued education but also became landowners, securing a future for their descendants.
Jackson reminisced about June 1988, when his 13-year-old daughter, Nkenge, became the first student from Franklin County, Ohio, to win a national prize at the National History Day contest in Washington, D.C., with her project titled A Dream Not to Be Forgotten: The History of Black School Willow Hill (1874–Present).
He shared, “That was my start, and I have never looked back. From 1988 to today, we have been working to preserve not only the history of Willow Hill School but the larger story of African Americans in Bulloch County.” Jackson also encourages people to contribute their stories to the school for archival preservation.
The Willow Hill School's third building stood until 1941, with a new structure built in 1954. In 2005, direct descendants of the school's founders established the Willow Hill Heritage and Renaissance Center, incorporating it as a non-profit in Georgia.
To preserve the school's legacy, community members raised $60,000 in just two weeks to purchase the property. Originally part of a statewide effort to resist federally mandated integration, the school addressed geographic and racial disparities in education with modern facilities.
As a bonus to his presentation, Jackson shared their current project: the African American Funeral Programs Project. The team collects, organizes, scans, and digitizes these programs, allowing people worldwide to search for their family history online.
Today, the museum hosts educational camps and community events, preserving its rich history in Bulloch County. Jackson invited guests to visit on the last Saturday in April for a tour, a cooking pavilion, campsites, and a journey through historical sites and cemetery stories.
Read below for more of the history of Willow Hill, written by Sarah Cone Lee for the BCHS (2001).
1874-1920
In 1874, Willow Hill was started on Dan Riggs' place in a turpentine shanty in Bulloch County, Georgia. Then it was called Willie Hill in honor of Dan Riggs son Willie Riggs. Willie Hill was located on a hill among briar and pokeweeds. The first school was crudely made and had only one room, one door, one window, and a privy located outside of the building. The first teacher, Miss Georgianna Riggs, a former slave, was fifteen years old when she started teaching.
The first books were "The Blue Back Speller", a dictionary, and the Bible. The school year was not long because of the time needed for farm work to be done.
In 1890, Willie Hill moved to Handy Donaldson's place. The building looked very similar to that of the first school. In 1895, on land donated by Moses Parrish, Willie Hill moved to it's present site. By then, the name had become Willow Hill. In 1905, an extra room was added to the school because the school population had grown so rapidly.
1920-1954
On January 3, 1920, the Willow Hill School and its property were sold to the Bulloch County Board of Education for eighteen dollars. The county made drastic changes to the curriculum including a requirement that all teachers have a college degree. Previously, teachers were required to complete the seventh grade plus two additional years at the Statesboro Institute to get a teaching certificate.
During this period, the Willow Hill School grew to include high school grades. It had a strong athletic program and competed well in basketball (girls and boys) and softball.
The parents of the community were very involved. They held a number of fundraisers to provide additional funds for the school and also board~d many of the teachers who taught at Willow Hill.
In the 1930's, Julius Rosenwald of the Sears and Roebuck Co. donated a large sum of money to construct a new building at Willow Hill called the Rosenwald Building, in his honor. This building was the main building until the current Willow Hill was built in 1954.
1954-Present (2001)
In 1954, "separate but equal learning facilities" was ruled unconstitutional. This same year the Bulloch County Board of Education built several new separate schools for black children. The new Willow Hill School, once again an elementary school, was very modern and built in the shape of an "L". This new building had indoor restrooms and a library.
It was not until 1969 that the courts ordered the integration of Bulloch County Schools. Powerful people who opposed the court order closed Willow Hill and several other Black schools in the county down. Angry parents of Willow Hill students demanded that it be reopened. Willow Hill was reopened in 1971 and a white principal was appointed to head the school.
Many unsuccessful attempts were made to change the name of the school, all with the goal of closing its doors. Willow Hill remained in operation until the 1999-2000 school year when the Bulloch County Board of Education moved Pre-kindergarten through fifth grade students into a newly built school called Portal Elementary and sixth through eighth grade students to Portal Middle School.
This is the Willow Hill School story. From its inception to its demise, the legacy of Willow Hill will live forever in the hearts and minds of the graduates and future Willow Hill Community generations.
The Willow Hill Heritage & Renaissance Center is located at 4235 Willow Hill Rd, Portal, GA 30450. For more information, visit www.willowhillheritage.org/.
