Waynesboro in Wayne County, Mississippi — The American South (East South Central)
Lettie Bryant and Leo Turner
Photographed by Mark Hilton, October 23, 2025
1. Lettie Bryant and Leo Turner Marker
In October 1966. Friends of Children of Mississippi (FCM) was established to support early childhood development and Head Start. Organizers included Fred Mangrum, Dave Fleming, Lettie Bryant, and Leo Turner. Both Bryant and Turner were entrepreneurs. Bryant owned an African American daycare, while Turner was the owner of Turner Funeral Homes. Turner was also chairman of FCM Board of Directors from 1968 to 2004 and the first African American alderman in Waynesboro.
Erected 2022 by Mississippi Department of Archives and History.
Topics. This historical marker is listed in this topic list: Education. A significant historical month for this entry is October 1966.
Location. 31° 40.236′ N, 88° 38.166′ W. Marker is in Waynesboro, Mississippi, in Wayne County. It is on Mississippi Drive (Mississippi Route 145) south of First Street South, on the right when traveling south. Located at Bryant Turner Head Start. Touch for map. Marker is at or near this postal address: 406 Mississippi Dr, Waynesboro MS 39367, United States of America. Touch for directions.
Regionally, this marker is in East Mississippi and in the Pine Belt. It is also in the American South, specifically in the Deep South, and in the Piney Woods. Globally, it is in North America, a Gulf of Mexico state, the Western Hemisphere, the Western World, and the Anglosphere. Historically, it finds itself in what was once New Spain, the territory of the Mississippian Culture, one of the Confederate States of America, and the Antebellum South.
Other nearby markers. At least 8 other markers are within 5 miles of this marker, measured as the crow flies: Philadelphus Church (approx. half a mile away); First Baptist Church (approx. 0.6 miles away); First Auto Bank (approx. 0.7 miles away); First United Methodist Church
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Photographed by Mark Hilton, October 23, 2025
2. Lettie Bryant and Leo Turner Marker
Located at Bryant Turner Head Start.
Credits. This page was last revised on October 25, 2025. It was originally submitted on October 25, 2025, by Mark Hilton of Montgomery, Alabama. This page has been viewed 74 times since then and 20 times this year. Photos: 1, 2. submitted on October 25, 2025, by Mark Hilton of Montgomery, Alabama.
