The Georgia Historical Society and Carver State Bank will dedicate a new historical marker on the Georgia Civil Rights Trail commemorating the legacy of the bank’s founder and first president, Louis B. Toomer.

Speakers for the dedication will include Dr. Robert E. James, President of Carver State Bank, Alderman Bill Durrence, Vaughnette Goode-Walker, owner of Footprints of Savannah Walking Tour Company, and Elyse Butler from the Georgia Historical Society, with a prayer of thanksgiving and dedication being offered by Bishop Willie Ferrell of the Royal Church of Christ.

The dedication will take place Thursday, June 7, at 11:00 a.m. in Chatham Square, at the intersection of Barnard and Gordon Streets in Savannah. The public is invited to attend.

The historical marker reads:

Louis B. Toomer: Founder of Carver State Bank

Louis Burke Toomer, African-American leader, local bank founder, and realtor, was born in Savannah in 1897. Raised and educated locally, Toomer established the Georgia Savings and Realty Corporation on February 23, 1927, in the historic black business district on West Broad Street. During segregation, the company provided banking, investment, and insurance services for blacks who were not always allowed access to white banking establishments. In 1947, the name of the corporation changed to The Carver Savings Bank, and it was converted to a State-supervised savings bank. It became The Carver State Bank in 1962. A staunch Republican who served as a delegate at three GOP conventions, Toomer was appointed Register of the Treasury (1953-1956) by President Dwight D. Eisenhower. Toomer died in 1961 and a bronze sundial was erected in his honor in 1964 in Chatham Square.