Past Performance · 30+ Years

Projects, exhibitions & history we have preserved.

30+ Years of Past Performance

A timeline of preservation & purpose

Three decades of exhibitions, sacred ground, and stories — kept alive by BHEC.

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From These Roots exhibition

Exhibition

"From These Roots"

An exhibition depicting African American life in Waycross, GA 31501. Through artifacts, photographs, and oral history, "From These Roots" honors the everyday lives, faith, labor, and joy of generations who built this community.

Preservation

Red Hill Cemetery

Red Hill Cemetery is a project established by BHEC to identify, document, and protect the resting places of Black residents of Waycross. The work continues — recovering names, restoring markers, and ensuring that no soul is forgotten.

Explore the scholarly documentation of "Red Hill Cemetery" by the University of North Florida: history.domains.unf.edu/redhillcemetery

Red Hill Cemetery
Greater Mt. Zion A.M.E. Church interior

Memorialization

Hazzard Hill Cemetery

Memorialized in honor of Rev. Frank Hazzard, Hazzard Hill stands as another sacred site in BHEC's ongoing work to preserve the burial grounds and stories of African American Waycross.

Historical Significance

Waycross in the story of Black America

1968

Dr. Martin Luther King Jr. in Waycross

Dr. Martin Luther King Jr., the leader of the Civil Rights Movement, spoke at Waycross's Greater Mt. Zion A.M.E. Church for several days in 1968 — just before his assassination. His voice echoed in this sanctuary, and his presence remains woven into the story of our city.

Native Son

Ossie Davis

The great African American actor, playwright, and civil rights activist Ossie Davis is a son of Waycross. His contributions to American stage and screen — and to the cause of justice — have been recognized by the City of Waycross and are celebrated by BHEC as part of our living legacy.

Sacred Ground · Living Witness

Honoring our historic Black churches

BHEC honors the historic Black churches of Waycross — sanctuaries of faith, refuge, and resistance that have carried our community for generations.

  • Greater Mt. Zion A.M.E. Church

  • Gaines Chapel A.M.E. Church

  • Antioch First Baptist Church

  • Austin Chapel C.M.E. Church

  • First Born Church of the Living God

  • Greater St. Paul Baptist Church

  • St. Peter's Baptist Church

  • New Mt. Pleasant Baptist Church

  • St. John's Missionary Baptist Church

  • Big Bethel Free Will Baptist Church

  • King Solomon United Methodist Church

  • Shiloh Baptist Church

  • Macedonia Baptist Church