May is National Historic Preservation Month and a reminder for everyone to take time and consider the people in our community who work to save and maintain our precious and sometimes endangered historic places. While much of historic Valdosta has vanished over the years, many citizens across our city work tirelessly to advance and celebrate some of our most cherished landmarks, which include the Barbara-Pittman House, Carnegie Library, City Hall, Dasher High School, First Antioch Missionary Baptist Church, the McKey, Powell Hall, the award winning and recently renovated Historic Courthouse, and Valdosta’s Oldest Home – The Wisenbaker-Wells-Roberts House.

While each of these places still exists, this past year, our community has experienced remarkable losses. Hurricane Idalia shattered neighborhoods and family homes and razed hundreds, if not thousands, of trees across the region. Many buildings were so severely damaged that demolition was unavoidable, and some are still waiting to be pulled down. While nature’s destruction is painful, the willful neglect and abandonment of properties so artfully designed and planned has become all too often the case.

Even so, structures built not long after Valdosta and Lowndes County’s founding serve as settings that help tell stories of our shared past. Earlier generations remember that downtown Valdosta bustled with activity and had several theatres, an opera house, hotels, and grocery stores. The Piggly Wiggly on North Patterson Street, directly across from the Historic Courthouse, was convenient for the countless homes within walking distance of our city’s center, but today, sits empty; still, many other downtown buildings have new businesses and dedicated caretakers.

Unfortunately, the eastern portion of the old Liberty Theatre Building, located on South Ashley Street under today’s overpass, was taken down earlier this year. While it was certainly disappointing to lose the site where our city hosted greats such as Ella Fitzgerald and Earl Hines, we are fortunate that Quola has renewed the energy within the remaining structure, taking the lead on vital service needs that are helping the less fortunate in our town.

Mathis Auditorium, located further north on North Ashley Street, also accommodated greats such as Johnny Cash, George Jones, and countless Nutcracker performances, but today, the Mathis is slated to make way for the hospital’s expansion. I hope samples of the 1964 interior will be saved for an exhibit so we can reminisce with our grandchildren about the high school proms, concerts, and other exciting events that marked our calendars with The Mathis Auditorium as the venue.

Valdosta still has two historic properties listed on the Georgia Trust’s Places of Peril:

— Dasher High School on South Troup Street, a school built in 1928/29 as the first public all-grades African American high school and, today, the only remaining intact Jim Crow Era school in our community. Coastal Plain Area EOA, Inc., the non-profit Be the Good, and the City of Valdosta continue collaborating to highlight this historic site’s value.

— The other Place of Peril is the c. 1898 John Nelson Deming House on North Oak Street. This formerly fabulous old house was constructed with materials left over from the construction of Senator West’s Crescent on North Patterson Street.

Beyond our two Places of Peril, other vulnerable local historic properties include the Lloyd Greer bungalows found between Brookwood Drive and West Jane Street. These beautiful homes sit neglected, with owners likely waiting for a demolition notice.

Finally, Valdosta’s oldest house, the c. 1843/45 Wisenbaker-Wells-Roberts House, faces an uphill struggle as fundraising continues and the home’s renovation slowly progresses. This renovation weaves modern construction with the original cedar framework cut from an 18th-century forest of trees predating Valdosta’s founding. The all-volunteer Board of Directors and members of the Valdosta Heritage Foundation (VHF) continue to advocate for its care while also planning and working to develop a green space for the public’s enjoyment and a community garden.

During National Historic Preservation Month, preservationists across our community and around the state will amplify their message touting the value of our history, underscored by the firm belief that the physical presence of historic structures enables opportunities for everyone to learn about earlier times, make sense of where we are today, and find common ground in progressing as a healthy society. This is why Historic Preservation and those who work to secure these precious endangered resources are so incredibly important — important for our collective happiness, the local economy, the well-being of our community, and future generations. These advocates know historic places offer a physical connection with the past and help us understand our city’s history, events that may not always be comfortable or easy but still have a texture that helps enable a more cohesive and inclusive community. These “Old Places” are a part of our individual and collective identity. Old buildings are teaching and learning opportunities for all age groups, and walking through these spaces presents an ideal classroom. Thompson M. Mayes of the National Trust for Historic Places states that these places can bring the past alive by giving “us an understanding of history that no other documents or evidence possible can.” Old Places are our living classrooms, so much so that the National Park Service teaches, “Historic places have powerful and provocative stories to tell. As witnesses to the past, they recall the events that shaped history and the people who faced those situations and issues.”

During this Historic Preservation Month, I hope you find time to reflect on People Saving Places and how we can work together as a community to save and celebrate our “Old Places.”

Vickie Everitte is President-Interim of the Valdosta Heritage Foundation.