Georgia Historic Society dedicates new Civil Rights Path marker in Savannah | Information

SAVANNAH – The Georgia Historical Society announced the unveiling of a new historical marker in Chatham County to commemorate Bynes-Royall Funeral Home, Inc., Savannah.

“The Bynes-Royall Funeral Home has provided funeral services in Savannah for over 140 years,” said Elyse Butler, manager of GHS Marker. “This new historic marker, along with the Louis B. Toomer: Founder of Carver State Bank and McKelvey Powell Building markers, underscores the importance of West Broad Street (now Martin Luther King Jr. Blvd.) as a historical and cultural business Epicenter for Savannah’s Black Community. “

Major William Royall opened the Royall Undertaking Company after the yellow fever epidemic of 1876. His job changed the funeral business in Georgia by training black undertakers to work in the industry. In 1955, Frank and Frenchye Bynes bought the company, which later played a role in the civil rights movement, as a meeting place for civil rights icons like Dr. Martin Luther King Jr. and WW Law. Today it is the oldest continuously black-owned company in Savannah and is still owned by Byne’s descendants.

In his remarks, the Honorable Mayor of Savannah, Van R. Johnson II, proclaimed May 8th for Bynes Royall Day in the city of Savannah, saying, “Today we honor history – Georgia’s history, Savannah history, black history. We honor the resilience and perseverance of a family. We honor the service to God, to the church and to the citizens in the most difficult moments of their lives. We honor the Bynes family and generations past, present, and future. “

The speakers for the engagement included Mayor Johnson and Olga M. Williams, Bynes, 5th generation entrepreneur; Dr. Megan M. Wilkerson, Department of Energy and Environment Director and 5th Generation Bynes; Frenchye Bynes-Jones, co-owner of Bynes-Royall Funeral, Inc. and 4th generation Bynes; and Elyse Butler, historical marker manager for the Georgia Historical Society.

Founded in 2015 as part of the ongoing work of the Georgia Historical Marker Program to recognize the rich diversity of our state’s past, the Georgia Civil Rights Trail Initiative is largely focused on the economic, social, political, and cultural history of the civil rights movement. This is the newest marker on the trail.

The marker is at the intersection of Barnard and West Hall Streets in Savannah’s historic landmark.

The marker reads as follows:

“Bynes-Royall Funeral Home

In the final years of the rebuilding, Maj. William Royall founded the Royall Undertaking Company to serve African American people denied burial by Savannah’s white-owned funeral home. Since formal funeral training wasn’t available in the south until the early 20th century, Royall’s company trained many prominent black funeral directors in the state as part of an apprenticeship program. In 1924 the company moved to West Broad Street, now Martin Luther King, Jr. Boulevard, the African-American cultural and business district of Savannah. In 1955, Cpt. Frank Bynes, Sr. and Frenchye Mason Bynes bought the company and renamed it Bynes-Royall Funeral Home. Like many black funeral directors during the civil rights movement, Bynes-Royall provided a safe place to meet and organize. Bynes-Royall moved here in 1963 and remains the oldest company in Savannah.

Established by the Georgia Historical Society and Save Our Youth Savannah “