An AMA Exhibition Will Highlight Albany Women Who Opened Their Homes to Black Travelers
Albany Museum of Art curators are reaching out to the community for information for an upcoming exhibition focusing on Albany safe sites listed in the 20th-century publication The Negro Motorist Green Book.
“This is an especially exciting exhibition opportunity,” Curator of African Collections and African Diasporic Art Sidney Pettice said. “The AMA will bring local history and photography together to highlight these women and their activism in owning and operating their boarding houses for traveling African Americans. We hope visitors will be moved to consider the historical weight Albany holds.”
The Negro Motorist Green Book was written by Victor Hugo Green (1892-1960), a Harlem, N.Y., postal worker and travel writer. He created the book because the choices of lodging, restaurants, and gas stations for African Americans were limited in the South and other U.S. regions. The Green Book provided Black people with important safe travel information, especially in the South.
Later renamed The Negro Travelers’ Green Book, Green published 15,000 copies per year. The guide, printed from 1936 to 1966, listed safe gas stations, rest areas, restaurants, hotels, and tourist homes, including places in Albany.
“With this exhibition, the AMA embarks on a momentous journey of embracing Albany’s cultural narrative,” AMA Executive Director Andrew J. Wulf, Ph.D., said. “By gathering and sharing these uniquely American stories, the AMA calls attention to the intangible cultural heritage of Albany—honoring the myriad voices, the diverse narratives, and the deep, layered histories that have woven the very fabric of this vibrant community.”
From the first edition until about 1945, Albany was one of the towns listed with tourist home locations where Black travelers could safely stop and board overnight. In the summer 2026 exhibition season, the Albany Museum of Art will present Sense of Place: Green Book Sites in Albany, GA, an exhibition about the women and their homes listed in the book.
During those years, four women registered their homes as tourist homes. Mrs. Aurelia Bentley, Mrs. Lula Davis, Mrs. Virginia Ross, and Mrs. Callie Washington opened their residences to travelers for lodging and refuge.
“While these four historic homes no longer exist or function as the homes they once were, we aim to honor the legacy of these women,” Pettice said.
As they research these women and their homes, AMA curators are reaching out to the Albany community to share any information about the people and places. “We would like to know if you or someone you know lived near one of these locations,” Pettice said. “Are you familiar with the Bentley, Davis, Ross, or Washington families? Do you have any connections to the Negro Motorist Green Book? We would love to hear from you.”
Information gleaned so far from Albany city directories and U.S. Census reports show:
- Mrs. Aurelia Bentley resided at 525 Mercer Ave. Born around 1880 with an unknown death year, she was a seamstress and married to Davis C. Bentley. The Bentleys had a daughter, Katie H. Seely.
- Mrs. Lula Davis resided at 313 South St., which is also listed as 313 Whitney Ave. Born around 1884, she died sometime after 1964. She and her husband, P.T. Davis, had a daughter named Willa Davis, who taught at Monroe High School.
- Mrs. Virginia Ross resided at 514 Mercer Ave. She was born about 1878 and her death year is not known. Married to Andrew Jackson Ross, Mrs. Ross was a teacher with a college education. She may have attended Albany State University (then College).
- Mrs. Callie Washington resided at 228 S. Jackson St., now a parking lot adjacent to the Arthur K. Williams MicroBusiness Enterprise Center. She was born around 1882 and died in 1946. Mrs. Washington married Dock Washington, and they are buried in Oakview Cemetery. They had a son named Jerry B. Washington.
Anyone who has information is asked to email Pettice HERE or call her at 229.439.8400, ext. 308.
AMA EXHIBITIONS
- Michael Jones: Polyphonic is Jan 23-April 26, 2025, in the Haley Gallery.
- Idea Machines, Conceptual Art from the Permanent Collection, is Jan 23-April 26, 2025, in the East Gallery.
- Home, Selections from the Permanent Collection is Jan 23-April 26, 2025, in the McCormack Gallery.
- Know, Learn, Wonder, Highlights from the Sub-Saharan African Collection is Jan 23-April 26, 2025, in the Hodges Gallery.
- 20th Century Small Works on Paper from the Permanent Collection is Jan 30-March 22, 2025 in the West Gallery.
ABOUT THE ALBANY MUSEUM OF ART
The Albany Museum of Art is located at 311 Meadowlark Drive in Albany, Ga., adjacent to Albany State University West Campus just off Gillionville Road. The museum is accredited by the American Alliance of Museums. The Albany Museum of Art is open to the public 10 am-5 pm Tuesdays through Saturdays. Admission is free.
For more information about the AMA please visit our website, www.albanymuseum.com, or call 229.439.8400. Be sure to follow AlbanyMuseumOfArt on Facebook and AlbanyMuseum on Instagram.
