The Georgia Trust for Historic Preservation has awarded its 2026 Wade and Mary Lu Mitchell African American Heritage Preservation Grant to the Herndon Home Museum in Atlanta.
The funding, worth $20,000, will help address critical repairs to the museum’s roof and drainage systems, improvements designed to protect the building and the preservation of its collections.
Originally built between 1908 and 1910, the museum is the former home of Alonzo F. Herndon, a renowned local figure who rose from enslavement to become the founder of the Atlanta Life Insurance Company and Atlanta’s first African American millionaire.
Designed by Alonzo’s wife, Adrienne Herndon, the house is a National Historic Landmark and serves as an educational and cultural resource that preserves the legacy of Alonzo’s accomplished life.
Each year, the Wade and Mary Lu Mitchell grant provides up to $20,000 for African American heritage preservation projects within Atlanta.
Funded through the Mitchell Family Fund at the Community Foundation for Greater Atlanta, the initiative was established by Catherine Mitchell Jaxon and W. Wright Mitchell (president and chief executive officer of the Georgia Trust) to honor their parents, Wade and Mary Lu Mitchell, who were lifelong advocates for African American causes in the city.
“My sister and I are excited to continue honoring our parents’ legacy through this grant,” said Wright Mitchell. “African American historic resources are essential to understanding Atlanta’s history, yet many remain underfunded and vulnerable. We are proud to support projects that preserve these irreplaceable places and help ensure their stories are shared with future generations.”
The grant will be officially presented during a public ceremony on June 17, 2026, at the Herndon Home Museum.
