In Sparta, Georgia, the Smith family is in a battle to save their land—property that has been in their family for nearly 100 years. What began with a grandfather trading cotton harvests for farmland during the Jim Crow era has now become a symbol of heritage and resistance.
But today, their legacy is under threat as a railroad company plans to build new tracks right through their property, using a legal power called eminent domain.
A Legacy of Land and Struggle
“This is not the first time someone has come after this land,” said Smith. “My daddy struggled to keep it. And now, here we are.”
For the Smiths, this land isn’t just real estate—it’s their family’s history, their roots, and a piece of the broader struggle of Black landowners in the South. In a time when land ownership meant freedom, Smith’s grandfather—a former sharecropper—traded hard work for a future.
Now, that future is uncertain.
Eminent Domain: A Legal Tool or a Family Threat?
The Sandersville Railroad Company wants to build 4.5 miles of new track, and they’ve used eminent domain, which allows private companies or the government to take private land for public projects, with compensation.
A state judge recently ruled in favor of the railroad company, weakening the community’s legal position. But Smith and her neighbors, along with their legal team, are fighting back by appealing the decision.
“If you don’t like what we’re going to offer you, then we’ll take it and you’ll have to take what we give you. There’s something very, very wrong with that,” Smith said.
The Community’s Fight: Not Just About Land
Residents of Sparta recently traveled over 100 miles to Atlanta to attend a court hearing. For them, this fight isn’t just legal—it’s personal. It’s about protecting a way of life, preserving rural identity, and keeping ancestral land in Black hands.
For the Smiths, it’s more than resistance—it’s about dignity, justice, and memory.
Economic Promises vs. Community Impact
Sandersville Railroad Company president Ben Tarbutton says the route was planned to impact the fewest landowners possible. He insists the project could boost Sparta’s economy by $1.5 million.
Even Sparta’s Mayor, Allen Haywood, sympathizes with the Smiths, but sees economic potential in one of Georgia’s poorest counties.
Still, for Smith and her neighbors, no amount of money replaces what the land means.