Camilla-Zack Community Center District
Why it's listed
Camilla-Zack Community Center District covers about 165 acres along a dirt road leading to Powelton, near Mayfield in Hancock County, Georgia. It was once a regional center for rural Black farm families. The focal point, the Camilla-Zack Country Life Center, was built in 1932 from 550 pine logs and 150 tons of native granite, with a large granite fireplace in its central community room. Around it stood a cooperative store, a cafeteria, teachers' cottages, a health building, a swimming pool and a church dating to about 1879. The community traces back to three freedmen brothers, Zack, David and Floyd Hubert, who bought 165 acres after the Civil War. Their descendants built the Center, directed by Benjamin F. Hubert. It offered farm instruction, gardening and dairy projects, and summer training for rural Black teachers. The district prospered through the Depression, 1940s and 1950s, but later fell into disuse, and several buildings have decayed or disappeared.
Significance in brief: The nomination argues the district was a remarkable, perhaps unique, community built solely by Black people for their own betterment during the Depression. It began with three freedmen brothers, the Huberts, who were the first Black buyers of land in Middle Georgia after the Civil War. The district was cited as an example to Southern rural Black communities of what hard work and cooperation could achieve.
Machine-generated summary. This summary was generated by a language model from the official nomination document and has not been reviewed line by line by an editor. It may contain errors. Check the source document before relying on any detail. Source: nomination document (PDF) · National Archives catalog entry. NRHP reference 74000685, listed December 2, 1974. Summary generated October 2026 (model claude-sonnet-5-5, prompt v1.0-2026-10-29, confidence medium).
Key facts
| Address | Rte. 1, Mayfield |
|---|---|
| County | Hancock County |
| Listed | December 2, 1974 |
| Reference number | 74000685 |
| Resource type | District |
| Architect / builder | Center built by the Hubert sons, directed by Benjamin F. Hubert; church built c.1879 by the Hubert brothers |
| Areas of significance | Community Planning and Development, Black, Architecture, Social History |
| Level of significance | State |
| Status (as stated in the nomination) | Condition rated fair. Described as a center for community activities that is infrequently used. Many buildings have decayed, and the health center and school no longer exist. |
| Acreage | 165 |
| Coordinates | 33.41333, -82.93557 (NPS GIS) |
What listing means for this property
This is a historic district. Buildings within its boundary are either contributing (they add to the district's significance) or non-contributing. Owners of contributing income-producing buildings can claim the 20% federal rehabilitation tax credit; homeowners should look at state credits. National Register districts impose no design review by themselves; a local historic district ordinance, if one exists, does (the difference explained).
General information, not legal or tax advice. Rules change; confirm with your State Historic Preservation Office or a qualified adviser.
Sources and further reading
- National Park Service, National Register of Historic Places database (snapshot May 2026), reference 74000685.
- Nomination form (PDF, National Archives) — catalog entry
- Wikidata Q141768876
- This listing as JSON
Last updated October 2026. Found an error? See the editorial policy for how to report it.