Rosa Foundation Pushes history

Owners of the Fort Daniels House in Holly Springs, Sally Godard and Ron Olisar, visited the Marshall County Board of Supervisors at the Oct. 16 meeting to present their dreams of putting the city of Holly Springs at the center of their project.

The Rosa Foundation, a non-profit 501c3, will be the organization to get behind African American heritage and history in the area.

The house was previously owned by Chelius Carter and named the Hugh Craft House before purchased by the Foundation. The house has been used to promote the Behind The Big House tour in Holly Springs. It has a kitchen and quarters for enslaved people beside the house that is one of two that have played prominently in the tour. The other house used in Behind The Big House tours was Burton Place, at the time owned by the late David Person.

The historic Fort Daniels Place was built in 1847 and has been used in recent years to tell the story of those enslaved and the narrative.

Carter and Person offered their properties to host Behind the Big House Tours and Ole Miss faculty and students have studied the area identifying artifacts.

In 2022, the Rosa Foundation purchased the property and has dedicated themselves to the continuance of the use of the Fort Daniels property to tell the narrative of the history of African Americans in Holly Springs.

Godard said the property will be used to work with various groups such as Gracing The Table, a group dedicated to discussing the effects of slavery on currentday African Americans, that Person was affiliated with.

Godard said docents will be trained to open the house for tours and events, educational classes, music and the arts.

The property was used recently to help celebrate Juneteenth and Martin Luther King Jr. Day in Holly Springs.

Godard envisions hiring a caretaker to live in the main house.

District 1 supervisor Charles Terry thanked Godard and Olisar for helping preserve African American history and asked what they are asking of the county.

Godard said they want the property exempt from ad valorem taxes.

District 5 supervisor

Ronnie Joe Bennett explained that most historic homes are in private ownership in the city.

“Once we start a precedent, others will want to do the same,” Terry said.

District 3 supervisor Keith Taylor made a motion to table the request so the board can study the matter.