See how Paine College just honored its first graduate who helped change the world

Joe Hotchkiss, Augusta Chronicle
·2 min read
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Standing by the new John Wesley Gilbert marker on Paine College's campus are Corey Rogers (from left), executive director of Augusta's Lucy Craft Laney Museum of Black History; Dr. John W. I. Lee, author of the 2021 book "The First Black Archaeologist: A Life of John Wesley Gilbert" and associate professor of ancient history at University of California Santa Barbara; and Paine President Dr. Cheryl Evans Jones, on May 2, 2024.
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Jordan Johnson's grandmother lived in the Gilbert Manor public housing development, but as a youth he didn't know who the neighborhood was named for.

More people know now. A state historical marker honoring John Wesley Gilbert, the first Black archaeologist, was unveiled Thursday for Paine College students, faculty and local government and academic dignitaries.

Gilbert, Paine's trailblazing first graduate, embraced his lifelong passion for learning from his Richmond County home to the ancient ruins of Greece and back again.

John Wesley Gilbert
John Wesley Gilbert

"I think today speaks to the legacy that Mr. Gilbert left as far as being the first of many," said Johnson, now Augusta's District 1 commissioner and a former Paine student. "I hope this marker will not only serve as a way for us to honor his legacy, but also as a way to encourage the next generations to leave their marks on their communities, whether that's through public service, business or any other venture."

The Georgia Historical Society erected the double-sided marker on Druid Park Avenue in front of Paine's Gilbert-Lambuth Chapel, named for Gilbert and missionary Walter Russell Lambuth, who in 1911 began mission trips to the Belgian Congo and founded a church and school that still operates there today.

Making history: Get to know six Paine College students who changed the world

Born to slaves in Hephzibah in 1863, Gilbert and his mother, Sarah, moved to Augusta to be “nursed in the arms of poverty,” in his words. Excelling academically at Paine in 1884 and 1885, he transferred in 1886 to Brown University in Rhode Island, where he was among the school's first 10 Black students.

Gilbert earned a Brown scholarship to the American School of Classical Studies in Athens, Greece. His work in helping excavate the ancient city of Eretria made him the first Black archaeologist and among the first Americans to perform archaeology work in Greece.

Paine College President Dr. Cheryl Evans Jones addresses guests Thursday, May 2, in dedicating a state historical marker honoring John Wesley Gilbert, the first acknowledged Black archaeologist. Paine's Gilbert-Lambuth Chapel, sharing his name, stands in the background.
Paine College President Dr. Cheryl Evans Jones addresses guests Thursday, May 2, in dedicating a state historical marker honoring John Wesley Gilbert, the first acknowledged Black archaeologist. Paine's Gilbert-Lambuth Chapel, sharing his name, stands in the background.

Dr. John W. I. Lee is author of the 2021 book "The First Black Archaeologist: A Life of John Wesley Gilbert" and associate professor of ancient history at University of California Santa Barbara. Lee also attended the American School, and learning about Gilbert while there piqued his interest.

"I walked in professor Gilbert's footsteps. I sat in the same library where he was. I saw the same sites. So it was that connection," said Lee, who attended Thursday's ceremony in Augusta. "Otherwise I might never have heard of him. I'm a guy from Hawaii, he's a guy from Georgia, and Greece brought us together."

This article originally appeared on Augusta Chronicle: Paine honors Augusta roots, legacy of first Black archaeologist