The 1912 project looks at the expulsion of more than 1,000 Black residents from Forsyth County, Georgia and its lasting impact on the families affected. Through a podcast produced by the Atlanta History Center and distributed by WABE, interactive maps, digital exhibits and articles, we explore how a combination of popular myth and generations of displacement contributed to the attempted erasure of an entire Black community.
Hear the Whole Story. Listen to the Podcast
1912: The Forsyth County Expulsion and Its Aftermath Podcast. Premiering November 19, 2024
A 5-episode podcast that tells the story of the expulsion of more than 1,000 Black residents from Forsyth County, Georgia and its lasting impact on the families affected. We explore how a combination of popular myth and generations of displacement contributed to the attempted erasure of an entire Black community.
Available wherever you listen to your podcasts!
Meet the Families. Discover their Stories
1912: The Forsyth County Expulsion and Its Aftermath tells the stories of four Black families from Forsyth County and the lasting impact of racial terror on generations of descendants.
Meet the families featured in the podcast.
Follow the Journey. Explore Forsyth County
Tax returns from 1912 show 59 Black residents owned at least 1,988 acres of property in Forsyth County. Using these tax returns and Aero Atlas Map Books, the Digital Storytelling team mapped the approximate locations of former Black property owners.
Explore the map below. Best viewed in fullscreen.
-
-
Key
-
White Map Markers – Events related to the lynching and expulsion of Black residents from Forsyth County in 1912.
-
Gold Map Dots – Approximate locations of Black property owners where a record of sale can be found.
-
Black Map Dots – Approximate locations of Black property owners where no record of sale can be found.
-
Disclaimer: Locations are approximate based on land lot locations listed in the 1912 property tax returns. While 59 real estate owners are listed in the returns, not all have land lot information. Because of this, not all property owners are represented on this map.
Learn more about the map's resources and Real versus Personal Estate.
Explore the Sources. Further Research
-
Kenan Research Center
This collection of audio recordings includes interviews with descendants of the Strickland, Bagley, and Merritt families, and others connected to the events in Forsyth County in 1912 through scholarship or community involvement. The interviewees each discuss their family history, upbringing, and their understanding of the forced expulsion of Black people in Forsyth County. Other topics include racial segregation; the role of the Black church; the Brotherhood March in Forsyth County in 1987; Black communities in Smyrna, Roswell, Buford, and the Bagley Park neighborhood in Atlanta, Georgia, and the Forsyth County Descendants Scholarship.
-
Story
In 1912, Five Black people were arrested for sexually assaulting and murdering a white woman in Forsyth County. One of the five was lynched and the others received unjust trials. These events led white residents of Forsyth to force more than 1,000 Black residents to leave the county, creating the environment for a county that retains a majority –white population.
-
Story
Listen to Patrick Phillips, author of Blood at the Root: A Racial Cleansing in America, explain the events of 1912 .
-
Story
In 1912, more than 1,000 Black people fled racial violence in Forsyth County, GA. Researchers from Atlanta History Center used historical records to trace the locations and lives of these displaced residents, revealing significant changes in their economic status, occupations, and living arrangements as they settled in nearby counties and beyond.
-
Story
George "Ed" Merritt's life encapsulates a journey from the racial violence of early 20th century Georgia to becoming a local civil rights champion in Buford. Born in 1913, after his family fled racial terror in Forsyth County, Merritt served in the U.S. Army during World War II and later became a community leader. His political career peaked when he was elected to the Buford School Board in 1973, reflecting the broader struggle for civil rights in Georgia. Merritt's legacy, highlighted by his advocacy for voting and education, endures in Buford, where a street now bears his name.
-
Exhibition
Nearly 40 years ago, more than 15,000 people marched through Forsyth County during the Brotherhood March. Coinciding with the newly created Martin Luther King Jr. Day, the 1987 demonstration made national headlines when it brought attention to one of the last surviving sundown counties in Georgia.