This report has been contributed by Paige Hill, a student from Mercer University’s Center for Collaborative Journalism.
After Macon-Bibb mayor Robert Reichert’s family announced they purchased the Grotto in early March, many people on social media were ‘just curious’ about its history.
Tucked away on the 400 Block of Forest Hill Road is one of Macon’s hidden treasures, the Grotto.
The state of Georgia granted the land to Ann Rich in 1821 after the Native Americans were forcibly removed.
In 1901, La Societe Catholique Religieuse purchased a 10-acre tract of the land as a retreat for the students and faculty of St. Stanislaus College.
The Jesuits (Society of Jesus) of St. Stanislaus College built a shrine to Saint Bernadette shortly after purchasing the property.
Muriel Jackson, the head of the genealogical and historic room at the Washington Memorial Library, says the Grotto was built as a shrine to Saint Bernadette and Our Lady of Lourdes.
It is one of the countless reproductions around the world of the original Grotto located near Lourdes, France.
According to Jackson, the college was destroyed by a fire in the winter 1921.
“The students were moved to Augusta while they contemplated about whether or not to rebuild the school. Unfortunately, Macon had expanded so far out that they could not rebuild and have the space they needed,” said Jackson.
Previously, the city of Macon considered demolishing the Grotto due to neglect and active vandalism.
After the Grotto was placed on Macon’s Fading Five, efforts began to save the property, which culminated in Reichert’s family purchasing the 31-acres that include and surround the Grotto.
The Reicherts are working towards allowing people to visit the site, but need to find a group that could run it.
Until then, the land is private property and anyone seen there will be considered trespassing.