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Last Monday, the Decatur County Historical Society restarted an old tradition that hadn’t been done since the Covid pandemic: its Living History Tour. According to Historical Society President Roslyn Palmer, this year marked a change in how the event was managed; rather than the City of Bainbridge putting on the event, this year the Historical Society was in charge, with the city supporting.

“The city used to do it, and we helped them,” she said. “The roles reversed.”

Those who went on the tour got to see Kregg and LaShawn Close portraying Chester and Ruth Brown; Gene Dunlap portraying Emory Rich; Bert Hines portraying Andrew Avery, Sr.; and Joe Livingston as Charles Simeon Hodges. They were also given a tour of the historic county courthouse by Clerk of Court Cecila Willis. Stops on the tour included the former location of Brown’s cab business, as well as the old site of the Decatur County Board of Education.

There have traditionally been two Living History tours offered each year, one in the spring and one in the fall. Palmer said that they are already preparing for next year’s tour, which will be held in the Oak City Cemetery. Another change from the previous year’s tours was the change to only two designated tour times being offered, rather than constant repeat tours throughout the day.

“We used to just cycle through, every 10 minutes, 15 minutes, a tour would leave,” Palmer said. “That’s exhausting for your characters, the people who are portraying folks. To do it six and seven times is tough.”

Palmer estimated between 70 and 75 people showed up for this year’s tour. She thanked those who participated in the event, “because they make it happen, and they all did a great job.”