THOMASVILLE, Ga. (WTXL) — A new exhibit in Pebble Hill celebrates how the plantation has grown alongside the city of Thomasville.
- The exhibit traces Pebble Hill’s history from its founding by Thomas Jefferson Johnson through the 20th century and into the present.
- Artifacts on display include hand-stitched quilts, guest books, portraits, and personal items connected to families and workers who lived on the property.
- Watch the video below to see what's inside the new exhibit.
BROADCAST TRANSCRIPT:
Two hundred years ago, the man who started Pebble Hill also helped start Thomasville and now that shared history is on display.
I'm Layan Abu Tarboush, your Thomasville neighborhood reporter, taking you inside a new bicentennial exhibit that shows how this plantation and the city of Thomasville grew side by side.
Two hundred years since Thomas Jefferson Johnson bought the land, Pebble Hill has put together a bicentennial exhibit that looks back at the history made over those two centuries.
"It just shows the perseverance of continuing in the way we all do. We persevere, and we move on, and we prepare the best we can for the generations to come," said curator Lori Curtis.
Curator Lori Curtis says the gallery starts with the 19th century at Pebble Hill, then moves into the 20th century in other rooms.
And along the way, you'll find personal artifacts, like an original hand-stitched quilt.
"It is a starburst pattern. It is hand-stitched. The date on it is 1849. I don't know how long it took to make the quilt, but according to the curator at the History Center, it was for the occasion of Julia Ann Johnson's marriage to John William Henry Mitchell," said Curtis.
The exhibit also includes stories that reflect harder parts of this history, like this portrait of a woman named Sarah Johnson.
"Sarah was born into slavery under the household of Thomas Jefferson Johnson. When he died, she was seven years old. And then she served as a nanny to Julia Ann Mitchell, Thomas Jefferson Johnson's daughter. She served their family until the Civil War. And of course, with the Emancipation Proclamation, she gained her freedom," said Curtis.
Curtis says Sarah Johnson later returned to Pebble Hill as a paid employee after emancipation.
And the exhibit also shows the influence this plantation and its families had on Thomasville over time.
"These people were not famous people, but they ran with famous people. President Eisenhower was a friend of this family. Jimmy Carter was a visitor here to the family. And they were friends with other political leaders, and they were benevolent and charitable, and they did so much on a national level that we don't really even probably know to this day," said Thomasville neighbor Kim McCray,
The bicentennial exhibit at Pebble Hill is now open, and you can come check it out through November 1st. Hours are 10 a.m. to 5 p.m., Tuesday through Saturday.
In Thomasville, I'm Layan Abu Tarboush ABC 27.
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