The Carter Family: Black-Owned Georgia House Honored with Historic Marker

Built in 1909, the Carter Family House stands today as one of the few remaining historic Black residences in what was once a segregated Marietta.

Sarah Young and Oscar Carter, who purchased the downtown Cole Street home in 1944, have been honored with a historic marker dedicated to the only private residence remaining on the block, Atlanta News First reported.

The historical society, Cobb Landmarks, and the Marietta History Center’s Diverse Cobb Committee teamed up with members of the Carter family and community leaders to keep the Carter’s legacy and history protected. The committee oversees a grant fund created to present historic home markers to qualifying homes in historic Black neighborhoods. The fund was established by Marietta residents Jo-Evelyn and Jim Morris with generous donations.

The Carter couple raised four children in the house. Following Sarah’s death, her son Kenneth Carter, bought the house, The Atlanta Journal-Constitution reported. He and his wife, Jeanie Carter, were longtime educators and change-makers in the Marietta school system. Jeanie was a member of the Marietta City School Board for 16 years, and made history as the first Black woman elected to the body.

According to Atlanta News, when Marietta Housing Authority acquired all of the property south of the Carter House, the Carter family refused to sell the home.

“As a family, we are taking this time to reflect on the significance of this place and the Carter family’s legacy in the City of Marietta, and to express appreciation for this honor,” Marcus Carter said, per The AJC.

The first home to receive a marker was owned by Katie and Charlie Hunter, Sr. The patriarch was a trailblazing entrepreneur who was best known for the café he operated for decades just a block from his home, per Marietta History. He was one of the very few Marietta business owners who advertised in The Green Book, a hospitality resource for Black travelers.