HANCOCK COUNTY, Georgia — If you drive through downtown Sparta, you will see dozens of banners hanging on poles.
They show the stories of Hancock County natives throughout history who have accomplished amazing things.
Beverly Lundy Hill says it’s an important project for one of the state’s poorest areas.
“We're standing on shoulders of people we don't even know,” she said.
Lundy Hill is a history buff and a Hancock County native herself.
She put this project together, gathering folks to pitch in for the banners.
They then put out the word to folks who may have moved away from the area to come home and soak in the stories.
"They would ask me questions and I would take it a little bit further. That's your family member, that's your great uncle or your fourth cousin or great-great grandfather and they never knew it,” she recalled.
You may have never heard of Biddy Mason. In the early 1800's she was a slave in Georgia, she wound up in California, and learned the ropes of buying property from a white man.
“She ended up being rich, and the property that she bought is where Los Angeles is today,” Lundy Hill explained.
According to census data, African Americans make up 67% of Hancock County's population.
It's also one of the poorest places in the state with a lot of empty storefronts.
You've got to care about a town to bring it back to life. Lundy Hill thinks the visitors could spark some change.
“Now they're contacting me what can we do for you what can we do to help, I think it's a jumping off point, it's a starting point,” she said.
A starting point to honor some amazing people who called Hancock County home, and a reality check for people living in Sparta who can look up and see a proud past.
Hancock County did buy a few of the banners but most of the money came from fundraising and private donors.
Lundy Hill also put up banners in Milledgeville and eventually, she wants to get the project big enough to move into Washington County and surrounding areas.