Richardson-Davis Park

Petition

The Richardson-Davis Park

Pictured: proposed park design at the Costa Building in Downtown Athens

Historic Athens is seeking signatures to rename a downtown Athens, Georgia park after Athenians Madison Davis and Alfred Richardson, the first black men elected to the Georgia General Assembly, along with 29 other black men during Reconstruction. 

Currently, we are taking signatures at the Historic Athens Welcome Center (Monday-Sunday 10 am to 5 pm) and at all our upcoming events.

All signatures must be taken in person and from a legal adult that is a current resident of Athens-Clarke County with a valid mailing address.

Madison Davis

Born into slavery in 1833 then later gaining freedom at 31 after the conclusion of the Civil War, Davis was a U.S. Customs Surveyor and later became the Captain of Relief No. 2, Clarke County’s first black fire company.

Locally, he was involved in purchasing the land for the Knox Institute, a private school in the Reese-Hancock neighborhood for African American children, then later served as the first African-American postmaster of Athens.

He lived at 27 Newton Street with his wife, Ella, and family. Davis died at the age of 69 and is now buried in Gospel Pilgrim Cemetery.

Alfred Richardson’s signature on voter registry. There are no known photographs of Richardson that have survived history.

Alfred Richardson

Born enslaved then emancipated in 1865, Richardson worked as a skilled carpenter and likely owned a grocery store, until after the Civil War he became involved in government service, and later serving in the assembly from 1868 until 1872, where he faced physical violence, hostility, intimidation, and multiple assassination attempts.

Richardson survived two assassination attempts by the KKK, saw his Watkinsville home burned to the ground, and never wavered in his fight for his beliefs through the ongoing threat of violence.

Petition FAQ

  • The park we are trying to rename is at the newly rehabilitated Costa building in Downtown Athens at 195 W Washington St, Athens, GA 30601. The park is located in Hot Corner, which is a historically Black Business District that supported African-American businesses of various industries and the community as a whole. 

  • Currently, no public spaces in Athens are named after the two men and we are trying to close an important gap and educate the community on who these two Black leaders were and their impact on Athens in an important landscape.

  • Yes, you can sign if you are not a US citizen.

  • Unfortunately, we cannot take petition signatures from individuals who live in a dorm.

    However, if you live of-campus, we can take your signature!

  • Yes, you can sign if you live in off-campus housing.