Macon Magazine

SOME BUILDINGS MEAN MORE than the string of events that happen there – as significant as those events may be. Some buildings, as beautiful and well-crafted as they are, are more than what can be seen or touched. For multitudes, that's true of Macon's Douglass eatre. Located at what's now 355 Martin Luther King Jr. Blvd., where Charles Douglass opened it in 1911, the Douglass speaks to people's hearts more than you'd expect from any collection of wood, fabric and bricks. In the Douglass' legend and lore, there are palpable moments and memories that explain why it speaks after 109 years of good times, good friends and the chance to see top performers, shows and films. But at its heart is the man Charles Henry Douglass. 'A GOLDEN TOUCH' On the surface, most know Douglass was a black man who operated a theater catering to African-Americans where famous performers appeared and some even got their start. But Douglass did more. Douglass created a community's focal point and lived a life that encouraged, inspired and enabled others. "He had a golden touch," said Camellia Simmons, a granddaughter of Douglass. "He's known for the theater, but he was a true entrepreneur his whole life. He was a philanthropist and did a lot for education even though he didn't get far in school himself. You wouldn't think a man without an education could do all he did in the era he did, but he managed to." Douglass worked hard from a young age and became successful, even noteworthy, in a time with little room for black men to be too successful or have accomplishments recognized by white society. He prevailed again and again, and those who remember him say he did it with determination and joy. In February, several dozen of Douglass' descendants and friends of the theater celebrated what would have been his 150th birthday. Memories and tales were shared, and Johnny Hollingshed Jr., once artistic director at the Douglass, took to the stage to act as if he were Douglass returning to reminisce. Born in Macon in 1870, Douglass was son to a former Virginia slave. As a child, he began gathering and selling light wood, then collected bruised fruit and vegetables to sell. Douglass picked cotton, opened a lemonade stand and sold newspapers. A bit older, he would call through windows to black soldiers not allowed to leave their train cars and, for a fee, take orders and return with items from nearby stores. He opened a shoeshine stand. Douglass saw people riding bikes and so he got one – but not a new one. It needed repairs and so he fixed it – and then started a successful bicycle repair and rental business. In 1901, Douglass became director of the Georgia Loan and Savings Company. ere he met assistant cashier Fannie Appling, who would become his wife. Without saying Douglass led an easy life, it's clear he took what he had and made the most of it by piling up endeavors. Hollingshed said this included a juke-joint on Hazel Street featuring dancing girls. It's possible the club opened his awareness of the entertainment world. After starting at the savings and loan and before opening the Douglass, in 1907 he organized the Florida Blossom Minstrels and Comedy Company. Douglass did all this and more until his next project was to open a theater. 'NO ONE KNEW ' ere are variations in stories about why Douglass opened his theater but all share the theme of discrimination. Plus, never discount the man's eye for profitable businesses. "I heard Mr. Douglass and his wife – especially his wife – loved stage shows and frequently came to the Grand Opera House," said 44 maconmagazine.com | JUNE/JULY 2020

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