Category | News

Papp accepts Cora Harris land donation

Published on February 2, 2010 by Karen Edwards

KSU has made the final decision to accept the donation of the controversial property in Bartow County once belonging to Georgia author Cora Harris.

Sam Hose, a black worker, was publically lynched in 1899 for an alleged murder and raping. The New York Independent published an article condemning the lynching. Harris wrote a response entitled “A Southern Woman’s View,” in which she defended the practice of lynching.

University President Dan Papp signed the gift agreement between KSU and the land donor, Jodie Hill, on Dec. 29, 2008.

Hill, a preservationist, bought the land, known as “In the Valley,” in 1996 to restore it to its original state and prevent it from becoming farmland.

The 56-acre property has a long history of racial injustices. The original property owner, Cherokee Chief Pine Log, was forced off the land and onto the Trail of Tears.

Aside from her newspaper article, Harris is historically recognized for her accomplishments as an author. She was the first Georgian to have a best seller with her 1910 novel, ”A Circuit Rider’s Wife.”

Her property also includes sites recognized by the National Register of Historic Places.

The land donation has caused controversy among members of the KSU community.

“This [newspaper] article is sickening,” said junior Alyssa Craig. “I know that the property is a gift, but the thought of taking classes where racism was promoted is horrible.”

Lisa Russel, Web manager of the Georgia Writers Association, offered a different view: “I am so glad KSU is going to use the property in Bartow County for righteous reasons. I live just a few miles from this property and visited it several years ago when it was being renovated. It is a beautiful piece of property and I am proud that it will part of KSU.”

The Georgia Writers Association, a non-profit organization dedicated to supporting writers, is among those who have a positive outlook for the donated land.

The school can use the property for learning purposes. Some departments have expressed interest in conducting fieldwork on the property, enabling students to obtain hands-on experience in their course of study.

Papp, in conjunction with the African American Teachers Caucus, created a set of committees to review all aspects of the land. These committees worked together to examine the property’s complex history and create a positive working environment for its acceptance.

According to Papp, the land will be kept “to build a Center for Reconciliation…to be used for agricultural purposes to help support the Commons, [and] to use the virgin land for biological or scientific studies.”