Support the Legacy
History lives through the stories we protect, the communities we reconnect, and the legacies we choose to carry forward.
Photo Credit: Brant Sanderlin, Berry College
Support the Legacy
The Shelton Heritage Society of Georgia & Historic Possum Trot (Shelton Heritage Society) is a descendant-led nonprofit founded on the principle of restoration and dedicated to preserving and honoring the legacy of Hardy and Mary Bearden Shelton, their historic settlement at Flatwoods that would later expand to include parts of Possum Trot, and the generations of descendants and communities connected to this history.
Through preservation advocacy, educational initiatives, scholarships, historical research, community engagement, and support for others seeking to preserve their own family and community histories, we work to reconnect family lines, uplift community history, and ensure these legacies are preserved for future generations.
Your Support Helps Fund:
Historical and genealogical research
Scholarships and educational advancement initiatives
Preservation advocacy and historic site initiatives
Descendant and community engagement programming
Cemetery preservation and historical interpretation
Public history and storytelling initiatives
Community-centered agricultural and sustainability programs
Grants supporting heritage and educational nonprofit initiatives
(Photo used for illustrative purposes and may not depict actual scholarship recipients.)
Scholarships & Educational Initiatives
SHS is developing scholarship and educational support initiatives designed to help expand educational opportunity for students facing financial and educational barriers. As these initiatives grow, support will help strengthen future generations of educators, researchers, preservationists, community leaders, and advocates.
Scholarship initiatives are designed to assist students demonstrating academic promise, perseverance, community commitment, and financial need.
Preservation & Community Initiatives
SHS is continuing to expand preservation, educational, and community-centered initiatives connected to the legacy of Hardy and Mary Bearden Shelton and the preservation of broader African American history and heritage. Your support helps strengthen descendant engagement, community storytelling, preservation advocacy, historical research, scholarships, and educational initiatives designed to honor the past while supporting future generations.
Photo Source: Archival image from the Geneva Cathey Banks collection, circa 1920s. Geneva was the youngest known child of Lee and Frances Shelton Cathey