I interned with the Center for the Preservation of Civil Rights Sites this summer on a National Register of Historic Places nomination for the Ramah Baptist Church. My responsibility this summer was to act as the lead researcher for the omination, with help from CPCRS’ Sarah Lerner (HSPV’20) and the Alabama SHPO. The majority of the summer was spent working remotely, beginning with gathering historic material and background information on the site, including historic newspaper databases, secondary sources on black land ownership in Reconstruction Era South, online Alabama archives, historic maps, and annual academic reports of the Church’s sister school, the Calhoun Colored School, which has already been placed on the National Historic Register.
After completing background research, one week in mid-July was spent on site in both Montgomery and rural Alabama documenting the site. Upon arrival, Sarah and I photographed the entire church building inside and out, as well as the entire property on which it sits, including the cemetery. Further more, to aid in the comprehension of the pictures and further warranting of the building’s significance for the nomination, official floor plans were drawn, as well as a site map of all the cemetery plots, including topography lines and tree positions. On our third day of documentation, we attended a Sunday service at the Church and met with numerous members of the community for their “History Day,” where numerous parishioners shared their accounts of the history of the parish, including its involvement in the Civil Rights era during the Selma marches, and information on the church building itself. After gathering and assessing this information further, I personally made an appointment at the Alabama Department of History and Records to assess county reports and photographs circa 1904 when the current church building was constructed. After the on-site visit, I spent my time writing and post-processing the data and molding it to the nomination requirements and standards, as well as in comparison to successful contemporary nominations and their utilization of primary research, photography, and building description. This included the formation of the narrative of significance for the site within the nomination. This pertained to the in-depth social history of the region and the culture that the church itself represents. This unique perspective exemplifies the historic experience of the Black Belt, a region incomparable to the East Coast, Midwest, Great Plains, Pacific Northwest, etc. From my experience here it has further opened my eyes to beauty that is the multifaceted patchwork that comprises American culture and heritage. Not only did I gain technical experience, but I received treatment as a professional within the field, which in turn made me excited for all things to come upon graduation from HSPV at Penn.
It has been an honor and a privilege bestowed with the trust in nominating Ramah Baptist Church as a prime example of a black community linchpin that has promoted self-sufficiency in the historic Black-Belt of the rural South, and I hope it continues in the promotion of Black stories in America that have long been overlooked.
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