The Promise of Beacon Hill
In 2017, City Schools of Decatur purchased land at Electric Avenue and W. Trinity Place with a promise — to build a school on that site. The deed includes a provision that CSD must return the land if the district ever stops using the property for public school purposes.
The Early Childhood Learning Center (ECLC) will be built on land that was once part of the Beacon Hill community, an important area in Decatur. The CSD Strategic Plan outlines our commitment to fulfill the promise of building a school on this property directly across from the Ebster Recreation Center while also working to level the academic playing field by creating a new early childhood learning center.
City Schools of Decatur thanks Dr. Alexandra Jones for her thoughtful overview of the Phase 1A Archaeological Study, which chronicles the rich history of Decatur, Georgia's Historic Beacon Hill neighborhood—a self-sustaining Black community that flourished from post-Emancipation through the early 20th century before being dismantled by successive waves of urban renewal.
Dr. Jones' report finds that mid-twentieth-century urban renewal initiatives and subsequent redevelopment have resulted in the removal of buildings, residences, and portions of the historic street network associated with the historic Beacon Hill community within the newly proposed Early Childhood Learning Center project area. As a result, no extant above-ground historic structures associated with the community remain within the Area of Potential Effects.
Based on the results of this investigation, no further archaeological identification efforts, including a Phase IB archaeological survey, are recommended within the project area. Therefore, from an archaeological perspective and in accordance with the findings presented herein, the proposed undertaking may proceed as planned with no recommendation for monitoring.
The report is available here.