Lantern Walk 2022
Hearkening back to the historical MCTS tradition of the Lantern Walk from the early 1900s, this revived version started at the school and traversed through six sites of historical significance. You can explore some of that history here from your smartphone or browser.
Intro: The Lantern Walk
A cultural rite of passage that existed only in Africatown
In November of 2022, our community came together to rebirth the tradition of this communal—and deeply spiritual—walk. It had not been celebrated for seven straight decades.
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Mobile County Training School
The MCTS has a distinctive history— it was founded by the descendants of the Clotilda in 1880 as the first school for Black people in the County of Mobile.
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The First Hopewell Baptist Church
When fire ravaged the MCTS building in 1915, First Hopewell came to their aide, just as other churches. They donated the original Africatown Bell to MCTS when the school could rebuild.
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Our Mother of Mercy Catholic Church
One of the more recent churches in Africatown has been serving the community since 1926. The Catholic Church started a private school here, including a kindergarten in its Masonic Hall.
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Yorktown Baptist Church
It was on March 21, 1883, that a group of Christian leaders from Plateau organized the “Three Mile Creek Baptist Church.” Rev. Frank Peterson pastored them. Years later, the church was renamed to “New Hope” Baptist Church, then later to Yorktown Baptist Church.
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Union Missionary Baptist Church
Here you’ll be standing in one of the most ancient places in Africatown
Before there was a church, this place was called the Praying Ground. This was a spiritual gathering place for the emancipated Africans who survived the Clotilda slave ship and started this community. Before they became Christians, it was here in a wooded area they reserved for communicating with the African gods.
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Old Plateau Cemetery
Every Black cemetery holds a very special place in the heart of its community, serving as a site of prayer, remembrance, and history. We have the special honor (and responsibility) that Africatown’s cemetery is the resting place of our African ancestors.
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How will you carry your light?
As it turns out, you cannot take the Lantern Walk as an observer. Even if you followed this route virtually from your phone, you’ve stepped into the history of this place and become a journeyer along the way.
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