The Gullah Geechee Cultural Heritage Corridor was designated by the Gullah/Geechee Cultural Heritage Act, passed by Congress Oct. 12, 2006. Map: North Carolina Gullah Geechee Greenway/Blueway Heritage Trail Project
A grassroots effort to connect the Gullah Geechee Cultural Heritage Corridor with the East Coast Greenway in Brunswick County will receive assistance from the National Park Service.
The project was one of 14 recently selected out of 30 applications from communities throughout the South Atlantic-Gulf region by the National Park Service, which will provide consultation services to bolster recreation, conservation and economic development opportunities within the communities chosen.
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Alfonso Beatty, with the Cedar Hill/West Bank Heritage Foundation, stands outside of Reaves Chapel in Navassa. The site is one of several culturally significant ones near a proposed Gullah Geechee Heritage Trail. The area running from Southport to Navassa offers a host of historical and environmental gems that area leaders want the public to be able to access easily, gain from educationally and enjoy physically. A proposed trail to commemorate the legacy of the Gullah Geechee people in Brunswick County is part of a larger effort to bring more cultural and recreational opportunities to visitors and residents alike.
A proposed trail project would help commemorate the culture and history of the Gullah Geechee people in Brunswick County.
The Gullah Geechee Heritage Trail proposal includes a greenway for walking and biking that would link Navassa with Southport and a blueway for canoes and kayaks along the Cape Fear River. It was proposed by the Brunswick County NAACP.
Brunswick County is home to many sites that have cultural and historic significance for the Gullah Geechee people, said Brayton Willis, chairman of the Brunswick NAACP s environmental and climate justice committee. Willis has led advocacy efforts for the trail.
Willis sees historic Gullah Geechee events and landmarks like Reaves Chapel in Navassa, Leland s rice festival and the locations of rice plantations along the Cape Fear River as important history.