Page 9 - Richmond Hill Driving Trail

STOP Ford Clinic
16 18433 Highway 144

Buckle up and head to the Ford Clinic, originally
established in 1931 as the Ways Health Association.
The clinic provided primary care, specialized
treatments, and health education. It later expanded
under the guidance of Henry and Clara Ford to
become a pivotal center for public health initiatives
like malaria eradication. The clinic, staffed
by exceptional medical professionals, offered
accessible healthcare to all, regardless of race
or economic background, with Ford employees
receiving free treatment and medicine. After the
Fords’ deaths, the building was sold and relocated
here in 1951.

Bryan Neck Missionary
STOP
17 Baptist Church & Cemetery
16525 Bryan Neck Road

Established in 1869, this is the oldest African
American church congregation in lower Bryan
County, with its first prayer house built in 1870.
Renovated and expanded multiple times, including a
facelift by Henry Ford to resemble the Martha-Mary
Chapel, the church served as both a chapel for Ford’s
Carver School and a community sanctuary, with its
current red brick exterior added in the 1960s. The
cemetery is across the street.

STOP Ford George Washington
18 Carver School Site

16357-16439 Highway 144

Henry Ford built the George Washington Carver
School to serve Black children in lower Bryan
County in 1939. He appointed Professor Herman
Cooper as principal. Dr. George Washington
Carver attended the dedication ceremony in 1940.
The school provided modern facilities, skilled
teachers, and extensive educational opportunities
until students were integrated into the Ways
Consolidated School in the 1970s, leading
to its eventual dismantling.
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