27. Jonestown

Jenkins Jones established Jonestown as a community of free African-Americans in antebellum years. Jenkins and other free blacks wished to improve their destiny through education, so they founded a school and hired teachers to stay in the community and teach their children. The courageous Jonestown residents had the common bond of faith in God, which gave them hope for their future. They used this faith to empower themselves to create positive change for themselves. The people of Jonestown may have had connections in assisting Harriet Tubman and her rescue missions. Today, descendants of the original founders of Jonestown are successful professionals with firm roots in this community.