"Restored Lives and Legacies: Sketches from Savannah's LePageville Community" is a project that intends to uncover the layers of historical, social, and cultural narratives of the LePageville Community, an African-American neighborhood in Savannah, Georgia traced back to 1885 when the first shovels were turned to establish a community for railway workers and their families. Later, it would house builders of the Liberty Ships during World War II, longshoremen, and other laborers crucial to the economy of Savannah, Georgia, and the United States. In this symposium, we share results of our “digging.” Although the houses, church, and store were removed from above ground, the bodies of those interred in the LePageville Cemetery remain there amid overgrown brush and storm-damaged trees. Humanities scholars and friends of the LePageville Memorial Cemetery Corporation seek to raise public awareness of the people who were buried at LePageville and how they contributed to society. Moreover, we learn that we still have a story to tell through the descendants and residents who walked along the railroad tracks, carried buckets of water, and were subjected to the burdens of race and injustice. This one-day symposium presents documented research into the lives of inhabitants of LePageville by humanities scholars, educators, and students for the general public.

Supported by Georgia Humanities, in partnership with the Georgia Department Economic Development, through funding from the Georgia General Assembly. In conjunction with the Georgia Humanities, the LePageville Memorial Cemetery, Inc., The College of Liberal Arts & Social Sciences (CLASS), and The College of Business Administration (COBA) of Savannah State University (SSU) are partners of this event.