Old Fourth Ward in Atlanta in Fulton County, Georgia — The American South (South Atlantic)

Our Lady of Lourdes Catholic Church

Atlanta’s First African-American Catholic Church

Photographed by Mark Hilton, November 14, 2021

1. Our Lady of Lourdes Catholic Church Marker

Inscription. Our Lady of Lourdes was established in November 1912 by Father Ignatius Lissner as the first African-American Catholic church in Atlanta. Father Lissner received funding for the church and parish school from Mother Katharine Drexel, a Pennsylvania heiress who founded the Sisters of the Blessed Sacrament (SBS), an order established to serve and support African and Native Americans. During the Civil Rights Movement of the 1950s and 1960s, Lourdes parishioners, including SBS nuns, participated in protest activities as part of the Old Fourth Ward community. The SBS staffed Our Lady of Lourdes Catholic School until 1974. The school closed in 2001 when the Archdiocese of Atlanta could no longer provide funding. The building is now the Katharine Drexel Community Center.

Erected 2013 by the Georgia Historical Society and Our Lady of Lourdes Catholic Church. (Marker Number 60-10.)

Topics and series. This historical marker is listed in these topic lists: African Americans • Civil Rights • Religion & Religious Structures. In addition, it is included in the Georgia Historical Society series list. A significant historical month for this entry is November 1912.

Location. 33° 45.294′ N, 84° 22.321′ W. Marker is in Atlanta, Georgia, in Fulton County.

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It is in the Old Fourth Ward. It is on Boulevard NE north of Edgewood Avenue NE, on the right when traveling north. Touch for map. Marker is at or near this postal address: 25 Boulevard NE, Atlanta GA 30312, United States of America. Touch for directions.

Regionally, this marker is in Georgia’s Piedmont.

It is also in the American South

and specifically in the Deep South.

Globally, it is in the North Atlantic Region,

North America,

the Western Hemisphere,

the Western World,

and the Anglosphere.

Historically, it finds itself in what was once the territory of the Mississippian Culture,

one of the original Thirteen Colonies,

one of the Confederate States of America,

and the Antebellum South.

Other nearby markers. At least 8 other markers are within walking distance of this marker: Fire Station No. 6 (within shouting distance of this marker); The Training Ground (within shouting distance of this marker); Shotgun Houses (about 300 feet away, measured in a direct line); Middle-Class Dwelling (about 300 feet away); Birth Home of Dr. Martin Luther King, Jr. (about 300 feet away); The Birthplace (about 300 feet away); The Home (about 300 feet away); Apartment House (about 400 feet away). Touch for a list and map of all markers in Atlanta.

Another marker is no longer nearby. Historic Fire Station No. 6 (was within shouting distance of this marker but has been confirmed missing).

Also see . . . Wikipedia article on Our Lady of Lourdes Catholic Church. (Submitted on November 15, 2021, by Mark Hilton of Montgomery, Alabama.)

Photographed by Mark Hilton, November 14, 2021

2. Our Lady of Lourdes Catholic Church Marker

Our Lady of Lourdes Catholic Church and Marker image. Click for full size.

Photographed by Mark Hilton, November 14, 2021

3. Our Lady of Lourdes Catholic Church and Marker

Our Lady of Lourdes Catholic Church image. Click for full size.

Photographed by Mark Hilton, November 14, 2021

4. Our Lady of Lourdes Catholic Church

Credits. This page was last revised on February 8, 2023. It was originally submitted on November 15, 2021, by Mark Hilton of Montgomery, Alabama. This page has been viewed 449 times since then and 33 times this year. Photos: 1, 2, 3, 4. submitted on November 15, 2021, by Mark Hilton of Montgomery, Alabama.