Clayton in Rabun County, Georgia — The American South (South Atlantic)
Lillian E. Smith
1897-1966
Photographed By Brandon D Cross
1. Lillian E. Smith Marker
Inscription.
Lillian E. Smith. Lillian Eugenia Smith was born in 1897 in Jasper, Florida, moving with her family to Chayton, Georgia, In 1915. After attending Piedmont College and Peabody Conservatory, she taught in China before returning to Clayton to work at Laurel Falls Camp, her family's camp for girls. As camp director she led discussions about controversial social issues, particularly on gender and race. Smith openly challenged Jim Crow and provided a critical White voice on Southern race relations through her writings, including the novel Strawer Fruit and memoir Killers of the Dream, and a literary magazine co-edited with her life partner Paula Snelling. Through her involvement with Civil Rights organizations, Smith became friends with Martin Luther King. Jr., who referenced Smith in his "Letter from a Birmingham Jail." Smith died in 1966 and is buried at Laurel Falls Camp.
Lillian Eugenia Smith was born in 1897 in Jasper, Florida, moving with her family to Chayton, Georgia, In 1915. After attending Piedmont College and Peabody Conservatory, she taught in China before returning to Clayton to work at Laurel Falls Camp, her family's camp for girls. As camp director she led discussions about controversial social issues, particularly on gender and race. Smith openly challenged Jim Crow and provided a critical White voice on Southern race relations through her writings, including the novel Strawer Fruit and memoir Killers of the Dream, and a literary magazine co-edited with her life partner Paula Snelling. Through her involvement with Civil Rights organizations, Smith became friends with Martin Luther King. Jr., who referenced Smith in his "Letter from a Birmingham Jail." Smith died in 1966 and is buried at Laurel Falls Camp.
Erected 2022 by The Georgia Historical Society, and the Lillian E. Smith Center at Piedmont University. (Marker Number 119-2.)
Location. 34° 51.905′ N, 83° 23.468′ W. Marker is in Clayton,
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Georgia, in Rabun County. Marker can be reached from Hershey Lane, 0.3 miles east of Old Chechero Road, on the right when traveling east. The marker is located at the Lillian E. Smith Center at Piedmont University. Touch for map. Marker is at or near this postal address: 496 Hershey Lane, Clayton GA 30525, United States of America. Touch for directions.
Credits. This page was last revised on December 19, 2023. It was originally submitted on December 19, 2023, by Brandon D Cross of Flagler Beach, Florida. This page has been viewed 53 times since then and 19 times this year. Photos:1, 2, 3. submitted on December 19, 2023, by Brandon D Cross of Flagler Beach, Florida. • Bernard Fisher was the editor who published this page.
