Historic neighborhood uses books to unite community

The North Highlands neighborhood is welcoming a new addition to the area in an effort to unite the community.

Neighbors will unveil a Little Free Library on Sunday.

The take one, leave one community library box is a project funded by a $400 grant from Historic Macon’s Neighborhood Incubator small grant project, with support from the Knight Foundation.

The Little Free Library will be at the intersection of North Avenue and Gray Highway and open to the entire Macon community.

“We’re trying to spread the word that we are a neighborhood that’s bonded together,” said Miki Fluker, president of the North Highlands Neighborhood Association.

The library, officially called Alexander III Little Free Library, is named in honor of the former elementary school in the neighborhood.

Many people in the North Highlands community grew up there and attended Alexander III, said Fluker, who attended the school.

The residents of the historic neighborhood want the rest of Macon to see how diverse the area is as it continues to grow, she said.

Fluker is donating to the little library a granite dedication plaque that dates to the school’s opening in 1910. Alexander III closed in 1975, and she bought the stone bench when the school was demolished in 1980.

Now, 38 years later, she will be giving it away as seating for the little library space.

Former student Christopher Melton attended Alexander III and has donated a small space on his property for the little library, just four lots away from where the school was located.

Melton said having the library on his property will be a good contribution to the neighborhood.

Fluker said this is the first of many projects the neighborhood association would like to do to revive the area. In the future, they hope to have more Little Free Libraries and even a park or green space.

This story was originally published July 14, 2018 at 4:08 PM.