DUANE
Duane's take
Here's how the official marker tells it, and I want to make sure I do it justice. Solomon George Givens and his wife Lula — born Burleson — both came into this world in Houston County in 1871. Children of former slaves, the both of them.
Think on that for a moment. They came up from that, and they built something. In 1891, Solomon and Lula were married in Crockett.
One year later — one year — they bought 34 acres of land right here in Houston County. Thirty-four acres. That's not a small thing for anyone, and it was a monumental thing for them.
Then in 1893 they raised up a large eight-room house on this very site. Eight rooms. That's a house that says: we are here, we are staying, and we intend to matter to this community.
And matter they did. The Givenses became known throughout the area for their charity — genuine, quiet, persistent charity — and for their leadership in building up a nearby school and a Baptist church. Baptism services were held right on their land, in a tank they had there.
Can you picture it? A whole community gathering at the edge of that water, on land that Solomon and Lula had earned. For many years, their home was the center of the African American farming community that came to be known as Givens Hill.
Two people born in 1871 with everything stacked against them looked out at 34 raw acres and saw a community waiting to grow. And grow it did.
What the marker says
Solomon George Givens and his wife Lula (Burleson), both born in Houston County in 1871, were the children of former slaves. They were married in Crockett in 1891, and in 1892 they bought 34 acres of land here. Their farm proved a success and in 1893 they built a large 8-room house at this site. The Givenses were noted for their charity and as leaders in the development of a nearby school and Baptist church; baptism services took place in a tank on their land. For many years their home was the center of the African American farming community known as "Givens Hill".