Two Cuthbert residents want to save the home of a jazz legend

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A photo of Fletcher Henderson Jr. is seen in Henderson's childhood home in Cuthbert, Ga.

Credit: Courtesy of Wesley Williams and Minnie Lewis

Caption

The childhood home of Fletcher Henderson Jr. is seen in Cuthbert, Ga.

Credit: Courtesy of Wesley Williams and Minnie Lewis

Caption

A historical marker for Fletcher Henderson Jr.'s childhood home memorializes both him and the home's builder, his father Fletcher Henderson Sr.

Credit: Courtesy of Wesley Williams and Minnie Lewis

An effort is underway in Southwest Georgia to restore the childhood home of a legendary figure in jazz.

Fletcher Henderson Jr. was born into a prominent Black family in Randolph County’s Cuthbert in 1897.

Henderson studied chemistry at Atlanta University, now Clark Atlanta University, and moved to New York City, where he couldn’t find a job in chemistry.

But he did find jobs in the city’s early jazz music scene. In fact, he’s credited with forming the first-ever “big band” orchestra in 1920.

He contributed to the development of swing and worked with Benny Goodman and Gertrude “Ma” Rainey, among other notable performers of the era.

Henderson died in 1952.

His childhood home in Cuthbert stood in disrepair for many years, until Wesley Williams and Minnie Lewis bought it.

They’re now working to turn it into a museum.

“It’s a legacy that we all know about here in Cuthbert and we’d like for other folks to think about as well,” Williams said.

The museum’s two main missions will be music and education.

That’s partly because while Henderson was a noted musician, his father, Fletcher Henderson Sr., was an important Black educator in Cuthbert.

The elder Henderson taught students for 65 years, becoming a school administrator and community leader.

“I feel that the people in Cuthbert and surrounding areas need to continue to remember this remarkable family,” Lewis said.

While Williams and Lewis have improved the house, much work remains before it can become a museum. For the inside, they’re working on acquiring family artifacts and period furniture to help tell the family’s story.

And for the outside, they’re working on replacing the roof and installing a heating and cooling unit to make it suitable for visitors.

And all of that requires funding.

Lewis is asking her friends, the community and anyone interested to contribute to the museum.

“The benefits of education and the harmony of music are important in the vitality of our community,” she said.

There’s no date for when a Fletcher Henderson museum will open.