Leo Torres
Gadsden County News Service
The Gadsden County Tourist Development Council and the Black History Committee of Gadsden County held its second annual Treasure Hunt Saturday. The event showcased 10 historic churches across the county as part of its theme of “Echoes of Faith”, and it also featured a pot of $5,000 to be split between contestants.
“The purpose of this is teaching people to love where they live,” said Dorothy Thomas, former educator and current aide to Commissioner Brenda Holt. “A lot of us live in Gadsden County, but we have no idea the gold and silver that lies in this city.”
Gadsden County resident Ruth Black was awarded first place and awarded $1,000 for her efforts. She said the hunt required a lot of thought.
“It was just interesting because you had to think,” Black said. “The year before, they gave us the place to show up at and you had to answer some questions. But this one, you had to really think. You had to read the clues well because one clue sent me to the wrong place.”
Described by Black as an “amazing race” style competition, the contestants were given a brief history of each church, with “poetic clues” to guide them to their destination. Participants were required to use their personal history knowledge to lead them through their quest. The event was described as more than just a game. It reflected an “opportunity to walk in the footsteps of history, uncovering sacred spaces.”
Arnett Chapel, Greenshade A.M.E. Church, and St. Hebron AME Church were a few of the historic churches featured on the hunt. Arnett Chapel is the oldest black church in Gadsden County, and the other churches featured also hold rich histories crucial to the culture of the area.
Each site was staffed by an official coordinator, who signed participants’ cards to indicate completion and also distributed coins for the first three contestants to arrive. A gold coin was worth three points, a silver worth two, and the third was worth one. The contestants’ total number of points were added up at the end of the hunt to decide the winner. Contestant Richard Green said he appreciated learning about sites he was previously unaware of.
“The importance of this is that a lot of history is being lost, so it gives us a chance to reconnect with that history and also learn some new stuff about the places we may know but haven’t thought about in a long time,” Green said.
