Brookhaven Needs Your Help Cataloguing Historic Sites

BROOKHAVEN, GA — Brookhaven city staff launched a historic resources project Wednesday, and is asking Brookhaven residents to help identify which sites should be highlighted in the project.

The city launched a website for the project, which includes a portal to a historical "story map" compiled by the city's Community Development and GIS departments, according to a city news release.

Residents can submit historical information or ideas to be added to the interactive map, as well as a list of historical resources.

“From our very own Lynwood Recreation Center that was the site of an historic desegregation, to locations like China Grove Missionary First Baptist Church which just celebrated its 100th anniversary, this city has a rich history that needs to be catalogued,” Community Development Director Patrice Ruffin said in the release. “We’re asking the public for its help in identifying the sites that make up the historic fabric of Brookhaven.”

The website's creation follows some other steps the city has taken recently to note its history. Brookhaven City Council members approved an official historic designation for Lynwood Park and its community in October 2020, and in 2015 the book "Images of America: Brookhaven" was commissioned by the city and former Mayor Rebecca Chase Williams.

In the future, Ruffin said the Community Development Department hopes to contract with a historian to chronicle Brookhaven’s incorporation efforts and its first 10 years.

“I think having our history written down is extremely important for the City’s future operations,” Brookhaven Mayor John Ernst said in the release. “Plus, there’s just a lot of great stories to document.”

You can view the historic resources project website or submit an idea for consideration here.

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