{"nrhp_refnum":"02001260","name":"Evergreen Congregational Church and School","other_names":[],"category":"building","location":{"address":"497 Meridian Rd.","address_restricted":false,"city":"Beachton","county":"Grady County","state":"GA","lat":30.72804078100006,"lon":-84.13682399799995,"geom_source":"nps_gis"},"listed_date":"2002-10-31","is_nhl":false,"nhl_designated_date":null,"areas_of_significance":["Black","Religion","Education","Architecture"],"significance_levels":["state","local"],"summary":{"what_it_is":"A rural African-American church and school complex at 497 Meridian Road in Beachton, Grady County, Georgia. The school was built in 1911 and the concrete-block church in 1928.","why_significant":"The nomination argues the complex was the religious and civic center of Beachton's Black community and a rare surviving Congregational church and school established through the American Missionary Association. It is also tied to Andrew Young, who held his first pastorate there from 1957 to 1959. The school is highlighted as an intact example of poured-concrete construction by congregation members.","narrative":"Evergreen Congregational Church and School is a two-building complex on two acres along Meridian Road in Beachton, a rural African-American community in southwest Georgia. The school, built in 1911 of poured concrete, has classrooms downstairs and teachers' bedrooms upstairs. Architect James E. Wright, a congregation member, designed it, and its rough concrete finish reflects work by church members. The concrete-block church, finished in 1928, has a gabled porch and cupola, and a rear annex was added around 1990. Founded in 1903 with the American Missionary Association, the congregation ran the first school for Black children in the area. Later the county shared responsibility for it as the Grady County Training School. After 1938 the school building served as a community hall for voter registration drives and farm and youth programs. Andrew Young, later a civil rights leader, United Nations ambassador and Atlanta mayor, served as pastor from 1957 to 1959. Both buildings are still used by the congregation.","period_of_significance":"c.1911-1959","architect_builder":"James E. Wright (architect)","architectural_style":"No style","criteria":["A","B","C"],"status_note":"Both buildings remain in use: the church as a place of worship and the school as the church's fellowship hall and recreation center.","vacant_flag":false,"machine_generated":true,"model":"claude-sonnet-5-5","prompt_version":"v1.0-2026-10-29","generated_at":"2026-10-29 02:55:42.984361-05","source_pdf":"https://s3.amazonaws.com/NARAprodstorage/lz/electronic-records/rg-079/NPS_GA/02001260.pdf"},"photo":{"url_800":"https://nationalhistoricalregister.com/media/02001260/633d1baf46-800.webp","url_1600":"https://nationalhistoricalregister.com/media/02001260/633d1baf46-1600.webp","licence":"CC BY-SA 4.0","author":"Jud McCranie","credit_html":"<a href=\"https://commons.wikimedia.org/wiki/File:Evergreen_Church_school,_Grady_County,_GA,_US.jpg\" rel=\"noopener\">Jud McCranie</a>, <a href=\"https://creativecommons.org/licenses/by-sa/4.0\" rel=\"license noopener\">CC BY-SA 4.0</a>, via Wikimedia Commons","source_page":"https://commons.wikimedia.org/wiki/File:Evergreen_Church_school,_Grady_County,_GA,_US.jpg"},"district":null,"sources":{"nps_snapshot_date":"2026-05-22","nara_catalog":"https://catalog.archives.gov/id/93208462","wikipedia":"https://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Evergreen_Congregational_Church_and_School","wikidata":"https://www.wikidata.org/wiki/Q14686628"},"indexable":true,"url":"https://nationalhistoricalregister.com/georgia/grady-county/evergreen-congregational-church-and-school-02001260/"}