Listing Summary

In 1927, the Fairmont community was created as the first neighborhood in Griffin, GA that
allowed African-American men and women to purchase a plot of land to build a home. Two
years later, the Board of Education of the City of Griffin purchased ten acres of land in Fairmont,
on which the national Rosenwald Fund supported the creation of a six-teacher type school for
African-American children. The completion of the Rosenwald School building ushered in a 40-
year educational boom. Initially known as Vocational High School, the original campus
consisted only of the six-teacher type building. In 1949, in response to the needs of the growing
African-American community, the City of Griffin Board of Education constructed two additional
educational buildings and renamed the school Fairmont High School. Again in 1958, the
flourishing African-American community required the expansion of Fairmont High School,
which led to the construction of an entirely new campus near the original one. Ultimately, in the
fall of 1970, Griffin-Spalding schools fully integrated, reducing the uses of the original
Rosenwald School building and adjacent structures. Over time, the school buildings fell into
disrepair.
The discussion for site revitalization within the Fairmont community began as early as 2006, and
in 2016, the residents of Spalding County passed a SPLOST directing funds toward that goal.
The project culminated in the creation of Spalding County’s Fairmont Vocational Heritage Park,
which is anticipated to house a special events facility, a cultural arts center, and a history
museum upon the park’s completion. Construction on Our Legacy: The Griffin-Spalding
African-American History Museum commenced in May 2021, and we anticipate opening the
museum’s exhibit space to the public in 2024.
Our Legacy Museum’s mission is to present the inspiring historical and cultural experiences of
Griffin-Spalding's African-American community within a regional and national context. Our
vision is to create a space where future generations of all backgrounds will learn of their shared
heritage and discover what they can achieve together.