The Enigma High School Gymnasium in Enigma, Georgia, was constructed in 1952 (according to an AI-generated response), along with a new cafeteria and kindergarten. Although the primary school building at the site—a large brick structure built in 1926—burned down in 1973, the gymnasium and cafeteria were spared. I believe a brick building in front of the gym may have been the cafeteria but haven’t been able to confirm.
The best finds are often hiding in plain sight. This hay and stock barn, located near the corner of Benjamin Hill Drive and Perry House Road, was recently exposed after trees were cleared. The nearby area was once farmland but has been developed in recent years.
This well-maintained Folk Victorian was located near the Rushing Barn and may have been part of the John Rushing farm. The photo is a few years old but the house is still standing, to my knowledge.
This tenant dwelling was located on Harville Road. The photo dates to 2013 and the house may be gone by now.
Cypress Lake was built just down the road from the historic Riggs Millpond, possibly on land once owned by Abraham Riggs (1814-1886), but other than that, its history has been somewhat elusive. According to the National Inventory of Dams, the pond and dam date to 1912. The present spillway and pavilion may be contemporary to that date but I cannot confirm. At the very least, both have likely been updated over time.
The dam was compromised during Tropical Storm Debby on 7 August 2024 but survived the deluge. These photographs were made in 2021.
This was one of several grocery and general stores in Nevils in the early 1900s. It’s located adjacent to the old Shearwood Railroad Depot. The photographs were made in 2014; as of 2025, the building is still standing.
The Coca-Cola ghost mural is nearly unreadable now. Such traces of the commercial past are so common in small towns as to nearly be cliche.
Per Virginia Fraser Evans’s Liberty County: A Pictorial History, the E. C. Miller general store originally stood on the courthouse square in Hinesville but was later moved a few blocks away for preservation. Buddy Maertens wrote on Facebook: “The E.C. Miller General Store was the “Wal-Mart” of Hinesville, Georgia in 1900. My great grandfather, Elbert Calhoun Miller (1860-1925), owned the store and built a beautiful Victorian home behind the store in 1902.” Jim Moore also noted that it became a pool hall in the mid-1950s.
I don’t know when it was moved, but it’s an iconic form of late-19th and early 20th century store design and has obviously been restored in a historically considerate way.
As I’ve noted previously, Fleming is one of two communities in Liberty County named for the pioneer William Fleming family, who owned large area plantations. A post office named ‘Fleming’ was established in 1871. A few structures remain, including a precinct house (right) and fire station (center), though I believe the precinct is now closed.
I’m identifying this as a storefront, because there was an old portable sign beside it, but it could have just as well been a residence. I hope to learn more.
This is one of just a few historic structures located in Fleming. I don’t know it it is original to the location. It has a saddlebag floor plan, with a wing added later, though one could easily see it as Georgian Cottage in miniature.
