SMYRNA, Georgia — Officials here quietly unveiled a new statue depicting an African American woman remembered for her legacy of activism and push for social justice.
The new statue of Fanny Williams was intended to culminate a years-long process to remove a restaurant named in her honor but perceived as racially insensitive. However, despite the unannounced unveiling, the project is not completed as city officials hope to improve information interpreting the statue and upgrade the park around it.
City officials planned to unveil the statue, located next to the city’s history museum, in late September or October. However, the statue sat installed but covered with a tarp until this month.
The city sought to reexamine Williams’ legacy after tearing down Aunt Fanny’s Cabin. The cabin was once home to a nationally known restaurant that used racially insensitive stereotypes.
After the restaurant closed in 1992, the city purchased the building, previously located on Argyle Farm off Campbell Road, and moved it to a site adjacent to the town’s history museum. The restaurant dated to 1941, when Isoline Campbell McKenna opened and antiques shop and a tea room in the cabin.
According to Smyrna officials, McKenna named the cabin after Williams, a cook and Campbell family employee born in Georgia shortly after the Civil War’s end.
In August 2022, city officials razed the cabin after national media reports about its past use as part of a racially insensitive restaurant. City officials vowed to unveil a monument to Williams and established the Fanny Williams Legacy Project.
The city issued a request for qualifications in November 2022, and in May 2023, the city unveiled the four finalists for the memorial. The design was finalized in January, and city officials said the memorial was expected to be completed on-site by September.