EMILY HOPKINS NAMED NEW EXECUTIVE DIRECTOR
An executive at NewTown Macon will become the new leader of the Historic Macon Foundation.
The nonprofit’s board of directors voted Tuesday night to offer the executive director’s job to Emily Hopkins. She will succeed Nathan Lott, who announced his departure last month.
Hopkins, 36, is scheduled to begin her new role at Historic Macon Feb. 2. She is now vice president of external affairs at NewTown Macon, where she directs strategic programming, partnerships and engagement efforts that attract more than 1 million visitors to downtown Macon annually.
She serves on the boards of the Georgia Downtown Association and Visit Macon and lives in Macon’s historic North Highlands neighborhood.
“Emily is a dedicated community leader,” said Pat Muse, chairman of Historic Macon’s board. “With more than a decade of experience advancing historic preservation, downtown revitalization and place-based economic development in Macon-Bibb County, Emily is well-positioned to fulfill our mission and grow our reputation as a local and national leader in community revitalization.”
Hopkins previously worked at Historic Macon before being appointed Macon’s Main Street manager, where she has led the city’s nationally accredited Main Street program since 2017. She managed the program’s successful transition to NewTown in 2018.
Under her leadership, downtown Macon earned statewide and national recognition, including designation as a Georgia Exceptional Main Street in 2023 and winning the Great American Main Street Award in 2024, the highest recognition within the national Main Street network.
“I began my career at Historic Macon Foundation, and it was there that I learned what effective, community-centered preservation can accomplish,” Hopkins said. “I am honored to return in this role and work alongside the board, staff, members and partners to build on Historic Macon’s legacy while continuing to push forward innovative strategies that preserve our historic places and strengthen our neighborhoods.”
next Sidney's Salon is jan. 29
5:30 p.m. Thursday, Jan. 29
Michael Thurmond
"James Oglethorpe, Father of Georgia"
950 Third St.
We'll start out 2026 with a bang, as author and gubernatorial candidate Michael Thurmond discusses his new book, "James Oglethorpe, Father of Georgia." Thurmond will be in Macon on Jan. 29. Reserve you spot HERE.
Our Sidney's Salon education events brought together more than 500 Middle Georgians in 2025 for a variety of free learning opportunities. We’re already lining up fun and educational sessions for this year, so stay tuned. (If you want to save your place for our February salon, look HERE.)
We appreciate funding from the Linda Harriet Lane Fund at the Community Foundation of Central Georgia. And our programming wouldn't be possible with the support of our members. Thank you!
PATRONS PARTY SET FOR NEEL’S LOFTS MARCH 5
We're holding our 2026 Patrons Party at the brand-new Neel's Lofts, at 462 Cherry St., on Thursday, March 5. So save the date and make plans to attend.
Our members at the Patron or Young Patron level (or above) will be among the first people to see Macon's newest loft development, with 95 apartments, a co-working space, two retail stores and a restaurant space, among other features.
Ask anyone who's ever attended. It's the best winter party in Macon! Just make sure you're a Patron or Young Patron-level member (or above) in order to attend.
You can join or renew a membership HERE. Preservation Partners are also invited, so come aboard or renew that partnership HERE.
SAVE THE DATE: SPRING FLEA MARKET IS MARCH 27-29
It may only be January, but our volunteers are already hard at work getting ready for our spring Flea Market, scheduled for March 27-29.
They’re unpacking donations from our kind contributors, dusting them off or shining them up, then finding the proper home for them in our big warehouse, located at 357 Oglethorpe St. in downtown Macon.
We’ll have everything you could think of, from beautiful furniture to artwork, electronics, kitchen appliances, lamps, albums, antiques, linens of all kinds, sporting goods, rugs, home and garden items, and plenty more.
Ask anyone who’s ever been to the sale. It’s fun, you’ll find unbeatable bargains and you’ll be helping Historic Macon’s preservation mission.
See you in March. Please help us spread the word!
Our mission is to revitalize communities by preserving architecture and sharing history.
One of the benefits of your property residing in a National Register Historic District is preservation incentives. Historic tax credits allow citizens to undertake rehabilitation projects at a reasonable cost and Historic Macon is here to walk you through that process.
A key part of Historic Macon's mission is education. We tell the stories of people who make a difference in our preservation community, as well as those pioneering visionaries whose shoulders we stand on today. Read more about them HERE.