Columbus is the second-largest city in Georgia (after Atlanta) and lies on the Chattahoochee River directly across from Phenix City, Alabama.

For centuries the greater area of Columbus was the traditional territory of the Creek Indians. Most Creeks moved west with the 1826 Treaty of Washington. Those that stayed and made war were forcibly removed in 1836. When the Civil War broke out in 1861, the industries of Columbus expanded their production; becoming one of the most important centers of industry in the Confederacy.

For a closer look at the city’s history and the contributions of its rich African American community, take a historical trek and follow the Black Heritage Trail. Designated as a National Recreation Trail by the U.S. Department of the Interior in 2000, the urban trail features 30 African American heritage landmarks, buildings, and stories of noteworthy events that date back to the 1800s.

Among the must-see stops are: The Ma Rainey House and Blues Museum. Ma Rainey was a pioneering singer known as the “Mother of the Blues” who was born and raised in Columbus before making her way to Chicago, where she signed with Paramount Records. The Liberty Theatre was built in 1924 and was the first black theater in Columbus. It played host to some of the biggest African American musicians in the 20th century, including Louis Armstrong, Lena Horne, Ella Fitzgerald, and Columbus’ own Ma Rainey. It rivaled the size and opulence of the “whites only” theater and probably gave the local black community a much-needed respite from the harshness of African American life in the South. It was closed in 1974 when the city outlawed “separate but equal” facilities, but it reopened in 1996 as a regional theater and enrichment center.