revitalizing Habitat Global Village
The Rev. Pearly Brown Music Park
The Vision
One Sumter is leading a community supported effort to revitalize Habitat Global Village into a multi-use centrally located park, amphitheater, indoor event space and dog park adjacent to the central business district in Americus, GA. One Sumter led a series of stakeholder engagement events in 2021 and 2022, including broad community representation to assess the community’s ideas for this greenspace and to gain community support for repurposing the space, which will support and enhance community health and economic activity in Sumter County, GA.
The Foundation purchased a 6.67-acre parcel of land that previously hosted an outdoor museum, which was permanently closed in 2020 due to Covid economic pressures. A multi-use recreation facility will be built on the property to provide a centrally located and community-oriented park space, dog park, amphitheater, and indoor event space. This will be the only facility with these amenities serving Sumter and surrounding counties.
The Legacy of Rev. Pearly Brown
The park name, “Rev. Pearly Brown Music Park” was community generated, aiming to showcase the historical diversity of talent from the region, such as Georgia Music Hall of Fame musician Rev. Pearly Brown, and continue to foster the spirit of creativity and ingenuity Americus and Sumter County have been known for in the past.
Brown’s unique sound—holy blues—and mastery of the bottleneck portion of his six-string resonator guitar helped create a sound that would later influence various musical genres spanning gospel, blues, country and traditional African American folksongs. Undeterred by his disability, Brown performed in cities across Georgia. He was one of the first Black musicians to perform at the Grand Ole Opry and Carnegie Hall. For his musical contributions, Brown was inducted into the Georgia Music Hall of Fame in 2010.