Field Notes

Tyrone Burkette: The Trailblazer Behind Many of the Heritage Area’s Most Popular Hikes and Soft Trails.  Tyrone Burkette first started volunteering as a trail guide around Arabia Mountain in 2001. […]

“You don’t have to have a college degree to serve. You don’t have to make your subject and verb agree to serve. You only need a heart full of grace. […]

When President Joe Biden signed the National Heritage Area Act into law on January 6, 2023, it capped a years-long effort to ensure long-term federal funding and support for all […]

Following Emancipation, members of the Flat Rock community had to navigate the rise of Jim Crow and deal with the harsh presence of segregation in daily life. Some left and […]

Have you visited historic Lithonia? Once the granite capital of the world, this small southern city is situated at the northern end of the National Heritage Area and offers a […]

Life in the rural South was not easy for members of the Flat Rock community, especially during Jim Crow. In this video, listen to board members and staff of the […]

Quilt making has played an important role in the history of Flat Rock, one of the oldest Black communities in Georgia. Listen as Johnny Waits and Patricia Bryant, both descendants […]

At a dirt-floored dance hall far from the bustling streets of Atlanta, people raced, reveled and made merry. This place was the Lithonia Speedway and the accompanying Country Club, tucked […]

As part of ongoing efforts to preserve the history of the Bruce Street School, DeKalb County’s first Black public school, we have worked with community members to record a series […]

The Bruce Street School Juneteenth webinar: The Arabia Mountain Heritage Area Alliance and Martin Rickles Studio recently hosted a virtual community meeting on ongoing efforts to reactivate the Bruce Street […]

Paddle Details: Registration is now open for the June South River paddle, a relaxing 6.5 mile trip along the National Heritage Area’s marquee waterway. Escape from the summer heat and […]

Father’s Day is this Sunday, June 19 (falling on the same day as Juneteenth this year). Here’s a breakdown of a few ways to spend your Father’s Day in the […]