Born the son of a former slave in 1870, Charles Douglass grew up in a one room house built by his father. Working as soon as he was large enough to earn money, he peddled light wood and vegetables in the morning, attended school in the afternoon, and chopped cotton for fifteen cents a day.
In a time of racism and segregation, Douglass saw opportunity in serving the black population of Macon. In 1898 Charles Douglass entered into the bicycle repair and renting business and did well until the automobile craze came. In 1901, Douglass worked as the director of the Georgia Loan and Savings company. There he met his future wife Fannie, who was an assistant cashier. Douglass was a successful businessman who founded the Douglass Theatre in downtown Macon. Established in 1921, the Douglass Theatre hosted early jazz and blues greats such as Otis Redding, Bessie Smith, James Brown, Ma Rainey ,Little Richard, Cab Calloway, Duke Ellington and one of my favorite Ida Cox. While running popular feature length films and serials. Douglass Theatre
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