Check back each Thursday in February to learn a little bit about Macon’s rich African American history surrounding the Cotton Avenue District. Each site featured is a stop in the Cotton Avenue District Walking Tour Brochure, which will be unveiled on Saturday, February 27 at 10:00AM at the Ruth Hartley Mosley Memorial Women’s Center. The event is free and open to the public and will be followed by a free trolley tour of the area. Seating on the trolley is limited and will be reserved on a first-come, first-served basis at the reception.
What? Ruth Hartley Mosley Memorial Women’s Center
Where? 626 Spring St.
The Story: Ruth Hartley Mosley was born in 1886 in Savannah. After high school, Mrs. Mosley studied to become a nurse and served in leadership roles at many facilities, including the Georgia State Sanatorium in Milledgeville where she was the head nurse of “Colored Females Department.” This position was a great responsibility because of the sheer number of staff members and patients under Mrs. Mosley’s care and authority.
After marrying Richard Hartley, they moved to Macon, and she returned to school in order to become a licensed mortician at the funeral home Mosley and her husband opened. After Hartley’s death, Mrs. Mosley married Fisher Mosley and became a public health nurse at Bibb County schools.
Her life was not all work though. By all accounts, Mrs. Mosley was an excellent bridge player. When you entered her home today, it is not hard to imagine her bridge club meeting to play in this beautiful space.
In addition to her work and play activities, Mrs. Mosley was a prominent Macon civil rights activist. She was a leader in Macon’s chapter of the NAACP, organizing sit-ins and serving as a founding member of the Booker T. Washington Community Center. Her legacy lives on today in her beautiful home through the work of the Ruth Hartley Mosley Memorial Women’s Center.
If you would like to learn more about Mrs. Mosley’s life and legacy, visit http://ruthhartleymosleycenter.com/index2.htm. The Ruth Hartley Mosley Memorial Women’s Center will be hosting two lectures in February, which are additional opportunities to visit Mrs. Mosley’s home.