Hi Reader,

July 4, 2024

On this, America’s 248th anniversary of independence, I come to the page to tell the story of a different emancipation; the liberation of 1,638 acres of a former plantation outside Albany, Georgia, the setting for my debut novel, The Peach Seed. This property was once held by one of the largest slaveholder estates in Georgia. Now, as we learn in this article by Nikki M.G. Cole, formerly enslaved people were inhabitants of this land, and many cabins and roads have been named for Black heroes from New Communities and the Albany Movement. After ceremonies by Black and Indigenous elders to cleanse the land, it now represents racial reconciliation and healing in Southwest Georgia.

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I first learned about Resora in June 2011—when it was known as Cypress Pond—during the 50th Anniversary of the Student Non-Violent Coordinating Committee (SNCC) Albany Civil Rights Movement, which I uplift in the novel. Also, my fictional residential rehab ranch, Loblolly Grove, was inspired by Resora.

In 2011, the land had been newly purchased by New Communities, a grassroots 501(c)(3) organization founded in the 60s by the late Rev. Charles and Shirley Sherrod, both frontline civil rights warriors who created a legacy that continues to empower Black families in Southwest Georgia, and advocate for social justice through agribusiness and economic development.

New Communities is one of the original models for community land trusts in the U.S.

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Sherrod Manor

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Charles Sherrod came to Southwest Georgia (SOWEGA) in 1961 as a young man working with SNCC as a field secretary. He would spend his life of service there. He passed away on October 11, 2022. I honored him with this blogpost in March 2023. Today, I’m honored to uplift the legacy he, Ms. Shirley and their teams have created at Resora.

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Preserve. Farm. Culture.

These three words distill the Resora vision. “In preserving, it will improve and protect the wildlife habitat and preserve a restorative landscape for human meditation and health through hiking, biking, and other low-impact activities. In Farming, it will produce revenue-generating crops and also serve as a place for teaching, learning, and the development of new agriculture techniques and technology. In Culture, it will be a place for community and social development to emerge as New Communities establishes a new public meeting ground for events, seminars, social activities, lodging, retail, classroom and conference center.​” — From Resora website

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The Farm

“The central farmland, organized around the remnants of a once-expansive pecan orchard, remains a working landscape: an agricultural research lab for testing, site-learning, and production.

The Farm is the working core of the property: a place for hands- on instruction and experimentation. It includes sites for farm residences, operations, and maintenance facilities creating a high functioning, self- contained, and profitable production unit that also makes essential contributions to the experience and identity of the Resora. The site actively produces pecans, satsuma oranges, and Zucchini squash among other crops.” — From Resora website

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The Cabins

In addition to the main house, Resora sports four beautifully appointed rental cabins that help New Communities complete their mission to create a unique headquarters—both a retreat, conference center and working farm.

Monroe Gaines Cabin

Slater King Cabin

Robert Christian Cabin

Monroe Gaines Cabin

I implore you to make your own treks deeper into the rich histories of these undertold stories. Plan a visit to SOWEGA and let me know when, I’d love to meet you there! I make a point of visiting or at least speaking by phone with our national hero, Ms. Shirley Sherrod whenever I go home to Albany. Still have to get her to sign her 2013 memoir, The Courage to Hope: How I Stood Up to the Politics of Fear, written with Catherine Whitney.

As always, thanks for reading.

🇺🇸 This land is OUR land. This land belongs to you and me.

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Photo taken in October, 2023 in Albany, GA