VALDOSTA, GA. (WTXL) — History doesn't fade overnight — it wears down block by block.
- Storm damage and vandalism, including broken stained glass at First Antioch, threaten Valdosta’s oldest structures.
- Preservation efforts continue through community events, donations, volunteering, and a Jan. 20th presentation at Antioch.
- Watch the video below to see what neighbors are efforting to keep Valdosta's history alive.
BROADCAST TRANSCRIPT:
History doesn't fade overnight — it wears down block by block.
I'm Malia Thomas, your Neighborhood News Reporter for Valdosta, with why preserving our city's past is becoming a race against time.
Along the MLK Drive corridor near the James Beck Overpass, you can still see the bones of a once-thriving neighborhood.
Empty storefronts. Aging brick. Buildings marked by time, weather, and years of disinvestment after businesses and rail lines were pushed out of the city's core.
Pastor John Robinson of First Antioch Missionary Baptist Church has watched it happen in his neighborhood for decades.
"This entire block. This entire corridor here… this was where all our neighborhood businesses were."
Storms like Hurricane Helene only accelerated the damage, leaving historic downtown buildings like the old Chez What in ruins.
And vandalism has dealt another blow — rocks thrown through First Antioch's 157-year-old stained glass windows, a costly hit to Valdosta's oldest African American church.
Jessica Ganas with the Historic Valdosta team says preservation only works when the community steps in.
"You can get involved — whether that's volunteering time or donating — just reach out and learn the stories of Valdosta."
Those stories recently drew visitors from across the region during Historic Valdosta's Ramble, a walking tour showcasing some of our city's oldest Crown Jewels, which featured Antioch just days after the vandalism.
Ganas says that timing made a difference.
"It really got more people in the door to see the church needed help… and those proceeds will go back to historic sites' ongoing projects like the stain glass."
Support for preservation continues January 20th, when historian Alfred Willis with the Mississippi Department of Archives and History presents at First Antioch. Neighbors can help keep places like Antioch standing by stopping by, donating, or volunteering.
In Valdosta, I'm Malia Thomas, reporting for ABC 27.
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