The Willow Hill Heritage and Renaissance Center concept was spawned after the 1954 Willow Hill School building and property was placed for sale by the Bulloch County Board of Education in 2005. A group of concerned citizens and direct descendants of the founders of Willow Hill School looked for a way to purchase the school in an effort to preserve the legacy of the Willow Hill School.

This group had approximately two weeks to secure the funds for the purchase of the school property. The group members pooled their resources and personally donated $60,000.00 dollars for the project.

The Willow Hill School was started in 1874 by formerly enslaved people. The school was in existence for 125 years; the longest for any school in Bulloch County, Georgia.

The founding of the Willow Hill Heritage and Renaissance Center and its future operation as a museum and community resource is an effort to preserve a piece of American History. This museum will serve to educate and expand the current knowledge of Black History in the 21st century.

To protect and preserve the history of the Willow Hill School by the preservation of property and individual histories related to the founding and operation of the school and promoting an understanding of the school's historical, social and educational impact on the community, county, state of Georgia and the nation.

In 1874, nine years after the end of the Civil War, a group of formerly enslaved people established a school for Black children. The school, housed in the remnants of an old turpentine shanty, had only a single small stove to provide heat during the cold winters. Its first teacher was Georgiana Riggs, a 15-year-old formerly enslaved girl who had learned to read and write during a period when teaching an enslaved person carried the penalty of death. The earliest books available—most likely shared among all the students—were an old Blue-Back Speller and the Bible. This humble beginning marked the birth of a dream that would not be forgotten.

In 1988, Nkenge Jackson, daughter of Alvin D. and Gayle L. Jackson of Columbus, Ohio, and a descendant of the school’s founders, entered the National History Day Competition with a project titled “A Dream Not to Be Forgotten: The History of a Black School, Willow Hill, 1874 to the Present.” Her project recounted the story of the school, founded by formerly enslaved people during a period when religious and civic organizations were beginning to establish schools for Black communities. Despite limited resources, Willow Hill grew into a cornerstone of education and community life, producing generations of successful Black Americans. Much of its early history was preserved through oral tradition, reflecting a common practice in the Black community.

In 1920, the school was sold to the Bulloch County Board of Education, where it continued to serve Black students. In 1970, despite a threatened closure, Willow Hill remained open and began educating both Black and White students in the community. Jackson’s project on Willow Hill won first place in the Junior Division of the National History Day Competition, was later recognized by the American Association of Museums, and was featured in the Huntington Bank exhibit “A Walk Through History.” The story of Willow Hill has also appeared in a Bulloch County historical publication.

The Willow Hill School officially closed in 1999, at which time it was the longest-operating secondary school in Bulloch County, with a history spanning 125 years. In 2005, the Bulloch County School Board placed the property up for auction, and descendants of the school’s founders purchased it to preserve its legacy. Their vision was to transform the historic 1954 Willow Hill school building into a museum and community resource dedicated to the preservation of this history.

That vision was fully realized in 2011 with the opening of the Willow Hill Heritage and Renaissance Center. Built on the site of the former school, the Center serves as both a museum—housing artifacts, documents, and oral histories collected over generations—and as a community hub for residents of the Willow Hill area. The work of Alvin Jackson, M.D., family historian and descendant of the founders, has been central to this effort. He has compiled a database of more than 8,000 names, recorded countless oral histories from community members, and preserved thousands of documents, ensuring that the story of Willow Hill is secured for future generations.

Today, the Willow Hill Heritage and Renaissance Center stands as a lasting testament to the resilience, determination, and vision of its founders, fulfilling the dream that began in 1874.